My journey around the world is over. I returned home safe and sound. It will take me a while to bring you all amazing adventures I had, to share pictures and videos so let me just share some highlights of this journey. Slow travel Telling the truth, this was the best part of the whole plan: do it slowly, so as a result I stayed more than 2 weeks in the same place, with the exception of Hong Kong. It worked really well. Two weeks is enough to get friendly with people around, get your bearings, enjoy your stay, figure out how public transportation works, and, most of all, experience how people live in remote locations visited. I don’t know whether this would work for everybody, but I would argue that staying in the same place for longer than few days is beneficial to a general well-being and increases the quality of the journey. Small amusement Each journey, even if the most cost-effective, call for the small amusement along the way. It is really useless to travel around the world and limit yourself just to sleep and eat cheaply. Limiting yourself to the basic needs make the whole adventure stressful, money focused and, after a while, monotonous. Although my trip wasn’t neither budget nor luxury I balanced all my needs on an everyday basis. And from time to time I spoil myself with an evening at the cinema, sweets at Moomins’ Cafe and other things that I really like. It not only made my journey pleasant but also allowed me to experience the way people do things in places I visited. I often tried to capture their way of spending free time and relaxing and it worked pretty well. Meeting people This was one of the most rewarding experiences along the way: meeting people and listening to their stories. I am deeply satisfied with all new friends I met. It is always helpful to know the language so the most difficult and challenging country was Japan, as I don’t speak Japanese. But even there I met two Italian girls and one Japanese guy who were willing to share their stories with me. Keeping my habits This was a real struggle: keeping my jogging routine. I took running shoes and gear with me which was a sacrifice itself because it occupied literally half of my luggage. I tried to stick to jogging at least 3 times a week, but I must admit I didn’t make it. I run a lot on Rarotonga and Auckland, plus I cycled a lot but I was not able to run as much as I wanted nor needed. It was way too cold in Japan and way to hilly in New Zealand, but I was able to run little less than 100 km in these 3 months. After my return home I’m running every second day and feel much better. Sustainable travel I think that many of my colleagues from the blogging community pursue a lifestyle that is unsustainable in a long term perspective. After a year or two of traveling many of them are struggling with obesity, insomnia, being tired or even exhausted all the time. There are many reasons for that and traveling as an activity is really demanding. If someone is telling you it is effortless he or she is lying, because it is not. On the contrary: far from it! And although I think my way of traveling is still missing a bit of care for myself I consider it way above the average bloggers’ journey. Traveling is surprisingly similar to everyday life and if you don’t make an effort to do jogging or eat healthy food the travel will not make it for you. Best things Many people ask me: What was the best about this journey? And is it hard to reply in one phrase, but if you asked me what I consider the best element of this journey I would say: return home. Seriously! The moment I entered my house was the moment of true happiness. Does this make me a lousy traveler? On the contrary, I think. I’m having now time for digesting all information, emotions, impressions, tastes, smells, meetings, smiles, well literally everything I experienced. I need to stay with this for a while to fully appreciate it and enjoy all of my adventures. So although I’ll travel a bit next few months I’m going to focus on telling the stories that I brought with me. OK, true, second best thing about this journey was a stay in Kyoto with a book by Nicolas Bouvier in my hand. This is my favorite way of traveling: reading a book about the place I’m in. Truly fabulous experience! And highly recommended too. This long journey showed me how important it is to have a home. Surprise Last, but now least, I was writing a diary for the whole journey and it looks like a lot of materials to deal with but I’m really hoping to work on it and publish it as a book. I will keep you posted when I have more details. For now, please read my posts from a travel around the world and keep your fingers crossed!  

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“If you’re going to San Francisco be sure to wear some flowers in your hair” advised Scott McKenzie few decades ago. His famous 1967 hit single inspired many people to visit San Francisco. Well, I didn’t have any flowers in my hair but I expect that very little has changed since this song was popular. California in general and SF in particular is still a very liberal. This is a very particular mix of hippie style, mild climate and relatively long history (as for an American city). Here are three things that I really liked in San Francisco. Chinatown This is the oldest and biggest of all american Chinatowns. Not only occupies few blocks in the city center but, over the years, it became a tourist attraction. It is dated back in mid nineteenth century and started with arrival physical workers called coolies. Hundreds of young single man came to participate in railway construction and golden rush in California. Just like other Chinatowns it gradually absorbed more woman and eventually became a family migration.  Currently this is like city within city. Stores, restaurants, library, churches it is all provided in Chinese. This community is successful in terms of sustaining ties with mainland China and their culture. Chinese in the US are often called a perfect minority. Entering through a gate guarded by two dragons is like a travel in space and time. The noise and smell brings you to China and although this is an American version of it, it still marvels people from all over the world. Cable car museum This was the best museum I visited in San Francisco. It is located in old power station and barn used from the very beginning of trams in SF. And it is a working one so you actually enter a real place. As authentic as you get. There is a background noise all the time produced by huge wheels and lines which make this whole tram business going. There are still three lines working and for many this is a landmark just like the Golden Gate bridge. We can’t think about SF without imagining one old wooden cable car, can we? I like the way this museum is organised. Entrance is for donation, you watch people working and you can know the history of this company and San Francisco at the same time. 1906 earthquake and fire left this city almost destroyed. Pictures taken back then are touching. There was one particular that made an impression at me: a tram and a totally ruined city in the background. Trams are such important part of this city history that when there was an idea to get rid of them there were some people who stand out and defended the trams. They collected the money and saved the trams. And although now it is very limited comparing to what was before, tourists from all over the world may have their ride up and down famous hills. Hills I think that hills are the most picturesque element of San Francisco cityscape. Some of them are really steep and this make the city so beautiful. The views on the bay from every street and boulevard on the hills are just fantastic. In a sunny day you see bright stylish houses with a deep blue background and it really is wonderful.  Crossing the city north – south or east – west will make you sweaty in a warm day. Up and down the streets go but every crossroad is levelled which make driving San Francisco possible. Some of the streets and sidewalks are so steep it is hard to believe that people are able to park their cars this way. There are typically American organised blocks but this is one of few cities constructed on hills. And for me this is like the one that stands out and challenges the utilitarian America. These are the things I liked in SF. I’m not saying this city has no problems or dirty and dangerous neighbourhoods but I think it is worthy to come and visit it at least once in your lifetime.   

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I always wanted to travel around the world. It was very close last year when I traveled to New Zealand and back. But this year I am literally traveling around the world. The journey starts this Saturday in Paris and will end in February 2015. I am beyond excited to share this news with you and I am anxiously looking forward to this journey. Travel around the world should be epic. Not only because of places you visit but for two very particular reasons: you always go in one direction (west, in my case), and you cross The International Date Line only once. In my case I’ll cross it flying from Rarotonga on Cook Island to Auckland in New Zealand. Dream Since the lecture of Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne my imagination was dominated by a thought that one day I will travel around the world. Not necessarily in 80 days nor as a result of a bet. But reading the adventures of Phileas Fogg I was pretty sure I will share his travel. This was a powerful reading and I still like this book very much (especially because I have a very old edition that my Dad got in a primary school). Although books are really important in this story there is much more than that! Slow I always do my best to travel slow. I never count countries, national parks or UNESCO world heritage sites visited. I often go to the same place more than once. I enjoy seeing the same place in every possible season.   Slow immersion in places is my thing. And this is the project for this journey too: at least 2 weeks in every location. I stretched my stay in New Zealand to 5 weeks so I could join the summer and outstanding landscapes. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies movie premiere is also in my schedule just as a visit in Matamata filming location that I missed last time. Countries and languages I prefer traveling to countries that I think I am able to understand. Starting with the language end ending with the local celebrations. You may say: how limited your image of the world is! But I see it quite differently. Most of all I appreciate when I am able to contact ordinary people, discuss issues important to them and simply feel like at home. Tradition and celebrations – equally important – are hard to understand without the previous background. And I am not satisfied with superficial “Awww, that’s cute!”. Thus, I am not lying to myself that I can fully appreciate India or Tanzania because I can’t. There is no way I can feel close to the people and their everyday life so  I chose to visit the countries I know about in advance even if it comes for a price. Books My favorite way of traveling is reading a book first and visiting a place afterwards. The world described by somebody in the past is precious. And reading books makes my travel multidimensional. I can compare how things has changed which always fascinates me. After all, comparative education field of research was my job for years! Old habits die hard. Through books about places I visit  I can feel the place with all my senses. I can stretch my perception and imagination. I can fully appreciate of what I see. I can see the history behind objects, monuments and buildings. I can try to understand the present through the past. Now, I’m not saying I am always perfect and I am always successful but at least I am trying very hard to see not only what is visible for the eye. I often carry a book with me about a place I visit and this time it is Nicolas Bouvier masterpiece:  The Japanese Chronicles. Yes, I will go to Japan, I will walk around Tokyo and Kyoto and Nara and will be reading HIS book at the very same time. What else I could ever wanted? I hope to bring you all the places visited as close as possible. Through the social media channels you can follow my journey and share my adventures. See the map below to know the itinerary and stay tuned for more! [UPDATE] …and here is the first post after I got back home!  

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Tbex conference is always packed with events. But there is always one of two days off to enjoy the place where the conference is held. This year we were very lucky to find ourselves in Athens – the capital of Greece. Although the weather was summer like only for 2 days we were still having fun laughing, drinking and dancing together. Once in a year it is great meeting all bloggers in the same place at the same time. Bike tour After one day trip with Jenny to Marathon I took part in cycling tour around Athens. No surprises here: I have always considered bikes the best transportation in big cities and also the best way to actually see the city. So when a company Travelncycle invited me and Susan decided to join them we didn’t have a second thought! Security first! We were a jolly group! Twins from Slow Spirit Blog, Franziska from Coconut Sports, Susan from VibrantIreland and Roni from TravelGuru were all invited to join Yorgo and Villy – locals from Athens who wanted to show us their city. Each of us got a helmet, highly visible vest and a bike. Now, I tried quite a few bicycles during my travels. If you remember my adventure on the Aran Islands you will surely know how hard and uncomfortable it was. Thus, I was shocked how easy this bike tour was! Even if we biked up and down the bikes provided by TravelnCycle were brilliant! Guys from this company also published few really nice pictures taken throughout the day: click here to watch them all. Around the city We started from main city site: Acropolis. The weather was perfect for a bike ride: no sun was shining and it was chilly enough to ride a bike without sweating. We biked through the main districts including famous Plaka and Psirri, less known Gazi with revitalized post industrial buildings, Greek Parliment to watch changing of the guard, Public Gardens and epic stadium called Panathenaic Stadium. The Stadium was pretty impressive especially because a finish line of every classic Marathon run in Athens each year is right there. Here are few pictures taken along our itinerary.         Fish Market One of the most fascinating attractions seen and experienced with all 5 senses was a fish market. What a place! Guys from TravlnCycle did great job taking us there so we could – at least for a short moment – see how locals live and do their daily shopping. This place was smelly and very very loud. Every seller shouted in Greek things we didn’t understand but surely they tried to catch the attention of the buyers, and they were very successful in that! I’m not a big fan of seafood but I loved this place! For its vibrant and unpretentious character. It gave us a grip on where and how Athenians buy their food. Chill Out The tour took us more than 4 hours so eventually, after seeing all beautiful byzantine churches, ruins of Hadrian Library, Temple of Zeus and million other sites, we headed towards an exceptional place called: Kerameio Cafe. All of us were tired and needed some regeneration before going back to a hotel so Yorgo and Villy took us to a brilliant place. The music, interior design and food was exceptional. I felt warm and peaceful in a minute. We sat around a table and started trying traditional greek food and drinks.  The tour around Athens by bike was fantastic. I had a great time not only visiting the famous sites but also interacting with our guides and other bloggers. I can tell you this: biking IS the best way to visit the city and with guys from TravelnCycle you can be sure to be well taken care of! Highly recommended! Tbex 2014 from Null & Full on Vimeo.  

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If you follow this blog long enough you know that I like visiting small and off the beaten track museums. Although I appreciate the mainstream art I immensely enjoy modest exhibitions focused on a single city or a theme. A good example was one of my favorite museums of all times – The Little Museum of Dublin – of which even the name is cute. Visiting small museums all over the world I realized they have a particular set of properties that I like very much. The exhibition is small enough to visit it in a relatively short time. Its narration is usually cohesive and understandable. And lastly the staff is very friendly and because of the size of the museum it also gives you an opportunity to interact directly with them (=experts). My last trip to Munich was very enjoyable in terms of one day hike in the Alps but also two interesting visits in a museum: Neue Pinakothek and Deutscher Alpenverein Museum. Pinakothek: the name says everything. It is very traditional sort of a place with beautiful pictures on walls. Large, obviously. I liked it but the second museum by the Alpine Club was much more sophisticated. Museum Focused On Mountain Tourism Deutscher Alpenverein Museum has only 4 rooms. Seriously. And in these tiny little rooms it contains exhibition focused on brief history of hiking in the mountains. B-R-I-E-F. What is striking is that this sport is so young! More than 250 years ago nobody would climb mountains for fun! It was originally connected to scientific and academic world: various geologists would climb some mountain ranges to get know the properties of rocks or to record the geological history of the area. And they were doing this in their ordinary clothes which always makes me laugh! By 1900 all prominent European peaks were climbed and named and I think it shows the real explosion of this activity. For couple of decades, however, climbing remained a highly exclusive hobby and climbers were recruited mainly from upper classes. In early years all Alpine Clubs, including the British one established in London and the German one established in Munich, were for selected wealthy and highly educated people. In that time British aristocracy simply invaded Swiss Alps climbing all highest peaks and enforcing its exclusive character. Along the development of this expensive hobby critical changes occurred. On the one hand climbers seeking out increasingly demanding challenges caused design  and production of modern climbing tools. On the other, a substantial development of facilities was noticed. Soon, the European Alps became a crowded place. Urban comfort pushed into the wilderness, as the Visitor’s Guide puts it. Two important mainstream trends: skiing and physical fitness – contributed later to further expansion of the mountain tourism making it also open to young people of non aristocratic backgrounds. And finally this process ended up with increase concern over protection of wild mountain area, as we know it today. My visit in Alpine Museum Being small and being focused on mountains seemed to me a perfect combination to spent one afternoon in Munich with. The weather was nice so I took a long walk along the river to finally reach a small island where the museum is located. Just as I expected: a warm welcome from a nice lady just for a start. After I paid 3 EUR of admission fee I received a thorough explanation of the exhibition with a short guidebook in English. One of the weaknesses of this place is a total absence of the English signs but with this little booklet I could enjoy my stay in this museum and actually understand what I watched. It took me about 1 hour and a half to watch the exhibition, read the information in a booklet and talk to the staff. I always enjoy watching old pictures and equipment. It always strikes me how difficult the beginning of climbing was. But what I love most about this sort of museum is the thought you have on taking for granted some of the present habits. And suddenly you discover that the obvious things are not that obvious. And that the moment when you’re ready to hear the story told in a museum like this. I enjoyed listening to it very much! Haus des Alpinismus und Alpines Museum, Praterinsel 5, 80538 Munchen, Germany. Disclosure: all pictures were taken with my cell phone rather than the real camera. Apologies for the poor quality.  

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Just when I got back from New Zealand I started to think how the real life in New Zealand is? Not that I would like to move there permanently but one month in NZ allowed me to reflect a bit on that. Few weeks later one of the posts on NZ got a nice comment from Esther (founder and editor of NZMuse Blog) and after a short exchange of emails she agreed to write a post. This is a guest post from her. Esther is a New Zealander herself I thought this is a very good idea to ask her about life in New Zealand. Here is what she wrote about it. Life in the land of the long white cloud Among other things, they call New Zealand “Godzone”, as in “God’s own”. People who’ve never been here have idyllic images of an island paradise. Having been around the world and back, I can confirm that my country is far from perfect, but indeed, we’re lucky to have what we have here. Let’s get the negatives out of the way first. Everything is expensive here. We are so far away from the rest of the world (being such an isolated country, reading news about other parts of the globe actually feels kind of surreal and distant, though less so now that I’ve been to some of those places) that everything costs a lot, from clothing to food to electronics. Yup, even the stuff we produce. Our lamb and dairy, for example, is sometimes cheaper overseas – and we export all the best stuff. And don’t get me started on the price/quality of housing. Plus, it’s also expensive to get here or fly out, thanks to the tyranny of distance. Public transport sucks. And in some places, it’s non-existent. That comes with being such a small and sparsely populated nation. If you’re visiting, it’s best to get your own wheels. It can also be kind of boring here, especially if you’re not outdoorsy. There isn’t a ton of culture here, and while we have a lot of great Asian food, cuisines from other countries can be hard, if not impossible, to find. Aside from these things, I’m a big fan of New Zealand, especially as a destination to visit. I love the chilled out culture we have. Barbecues. Road trips. Days at the beach. Running around barefoot at school. We get four weeks of leave a year, plus 11 public holidays, and while there are some industries where you do have to work long hours, generally you can have a pretty good work-life balance here. I love that travel is such a key part of our culture. It’s a rite of passage to travel overseas in your 20s. Travel is valued and admired. I love passing another campervan and waving in comradeship. I love that tourists flood the country every summer and winter and I love seeing backpackers on Queen St. I love that people are generally friendly and welcoming. I love that it’s relatively clean and safe. Now, we’re not 100% Pure or as green as we’d like to think, but on an international scale, we’re doing reasonably well. And while I’ve been burgled multiple times, violent crime is pretty low – I’m not worried about getting mugged or shot here. I love that it’s fairly egalitarian. I’m not going to lie, there is poverty here, including the worst kind – child poverty, which most likely relates to our sadly high proportion of child abuse – especially in smaller, dying towns. And there are racists here and there, as in every other country. But we are a country of immigrants, and a very young country (only a couple hundred years old) and having visited many other countries I can pretty confidently say that our problems with integration and inequality barely register on the global scale of things. I also appreciate our public healthcare and welfare. I love the nature that’s all around us. New Zealand has a wide array of landscapes – almost anything you can imagine – and they are never more than a short drive or flight away. It’s the beauty of being a small country. More about life in New Zealand is here: Living in New Zealand by Esther.  

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Few months ago my Italian friends visited me on their way home from Copenhagen and they told me this: "Look, this summer was the warmest one in last 80 years. Can you believe that the warmest was +20?".

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You never get tired with this view! Here is great news: it is possible to visit Italy today! Join me this autumn! I’ll be there to show you what Italy is all about. Check this website and book today! A project iloveFerrara designed by me is waiting for you so you could experience Italy at its best. One of the previous posts on Rome got some really nice comments saying that Rome IS a walking city, despite everything what people think about it. Exchanging tweets on how beautiful Rome is with Italian Talks, Rome in Depth, Walks of Italy and Browsing Rome encouraged me to prepare this gallery. I picked up only seven places in Rome: the Vatican City, San Paolo Fuori le Mura Basilica, Piazza di Spagna, Foro Romano, Quirinale and Castel Sant’Angelo (respectively). Some of the places- Vatican, San Paolo and  Piazza di Spagna– are shot twice to make an impression of getting closer to it: so, the first picture is from the distance and the second is much closer. I would love to hear whether you like it and whether it really gives you such impression. I had been working in Rome for a year and the most precious thing about it was an opportunity to walk it every season. My favorite are September and October. If I could, I would go there every autumn, just to hanging around without any purpose at all. Rome is awesome but also difficult to visit. I know few people who, despite its awesomeness, returned disappointed. So try these travel tips and watch the pictures. And prepare your own plan how to meet this city in real.    

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Who has not seen the movie with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck from 1953? I am pretty sure that even if you haven’t you know all about it. This is one of the movie that makes people want to travel, see the filming location or even try to drive a scooter. This is somehow my own story as I am a big fan of this movie and I dreamed about visiting Rome ever since. How on earth Rome can be off the beaten path destination?! This is one of the most frequently visited city in the world. True. But even in cities like Rome you may find places rarely visited by the tourists. If you hate crowds, like I do, you may consider Rome to busy for you and easily resign So, what’s the trick? Visiting Rome many times and working there for more than a year made me think that the main clue to visit this city is to walk it. Yes, this is a very large city and even the touristic center is pretty large itself but there is an idea on how to deal with it. Pick up one interesting location, like Piazza di Spagna and go there using underground in early morning. Stay around for the whole day limiting yourself to a walking distance. Don’t get tempted to see everything in one day! Go and see the famous Spanish Steps more than once. Watch it in the morning light, at noon and in the late afternoon or in the evening. You’ll see not only the beauty of this monument but also the way people use it as a public space. Check for the attractions nearby, write it down and go there during the day. Antico Caffe Greco, All Saints Church, Via Marguta, Villa Medici, Via del Corso, San Carlo del Corso, Chiesa di San Giacomo in Augusta- this is more than enough for a one day walk. Start your day with a cappuccino in Antico Caffe Greco where- surprisingly- the price for it isn’t any higher than elsewhere despite the fact of being old and famous. Continue hanging around, buying fruit in a small shop at the corner. Eat your lunch in a trattoria and sit in a proximity of the Steps to watch people go by. Get refreshed in a nearby garden, dip your hands in a fountain and enjoy the weather. I can assure you that one day like this will show you more about the city than racing around and watching all ‘first class’ monuments. What you absolutely need to remember is to not to visit remote location after dark. Before you decide where to go check in a guidebook whether the place is considered dangerous for foreigners after dark. Rome is splendid but I know another place worthy to pay a visit: Ferrara, my favorite Italian town! And today you can also join me to explore this UNESCO World Heritage Site together! Click here for more details! Attractive locations- my choice Aventino, Circo Massimo and Colosseo. Start with luxurious part of the Aventine Hill and walk towards Circo Massimo. When you arrive at Colosseo take the small street behind called Via degli Annibaldi. At certain point, after you cross large Via Cavour, you arrive at a little church of Santa Maria ai Monti. Just opposite of this church there is a very nice pizzeria called Wanted that I can recommend. I had a pizze there and it is really good and the price is reasonable as for the city center. Trastevere. This is a fascinating part of the city, full of narrow streets and very off the beaten path. Santa Maria in Trastevere is a good starting point for a long walk around this district. It has few very nice parks and delicious restaurants. Don’t go there after dark, however, especially if you’re not good in walking with map and finding the right direction. Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Campo de Fiori. This the the heart of touristic Rome but you can still get a local flavor. Start your walk with Lungotevere and then you can hanging endlessly around. Remember: never ever eat in a restaurant near Piazza Navona. And here is the recent photo gallery from Rome!   Have you ever thought about visiting Italy? Here is an alternative way on how to visit Italy and get really close to the Italian way of life. I created a project ‘I love Ferrara‘ so you could join me and experience how beautiful and tasty Ferrara is. If you wish to immerse in Italy book your holiday now!  

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True: my job looks like never-ending holiday, however, I need some rest too. And guess where am I going? Italy, of course, where else? As a result of my holiday I’ll limit the post published to one post a week in July. Knowing my habits you can expect that the holiday planed includes trekking in the mounties and visits in some touristic places. Trento Alto Adige, Emilia-Romagna, Marche and Umbria are on my list. As I am going to visit some new and old places I promise to bring you a huge bunch of new stories and beautiful pictures. Where are YOU going this summer? I’m very very curious of your holiday destination so please share it with me by commenting this post. Have a good holiday, wherever you go, and let’s stay in touch!  

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