The real journey is a serious matter. If you wish to experience the world through all you senses you need to leave your comfort zone behind and be prepared for the challenges you have never faced before. I am traveling for years now, and traveling is both: a breathtaking experience and a very difficult process at the same time. The real journey gets to you and it changes you. This is important to keep a good balance between the new and old things, to keep track of the events and make the most of your journey. I find my travels powerful and fulfilling for many reasons, one of which is a constant update of the way I see the world. And my way of doing it is through writing. Since I remember, I have been always writing down some thoughts on accidentally found napkins, chewing gum wrappings, maps, folders and postcards. And it was never enough space to write everything I wanted. It eventually became annoying to my friends as my postcards were unreadable! The need for a travel notebook became pressing. I remember the first time I bought a typical travel notebook. This was at the Venice (Italy) airport and I was taking a plane to Boston (USA), with a short stop in Zurich (Switzerland), to visit Nova Scotia (Canada). I saw it in a bookstore and it got me from the first sight. It was six years ago and since then the pile of notebooks on my desk has been steadily growing. To Capture a Moment Taking pictures is one thing. Remembering your journey is quite another. Although I am taking hundreds of photos and making some short clips it should never substitute the real memories. I agree that some beautiful spots are impossible to describe, but the pictures taken have a nasty side effect: when you watch it hundred times they slowly take place of the way you remembered things. I went to the Swedish part of Lapland once and took my notebook with me making notes every day, running a sort of travel diary. Despite taking 800 pictures in 10 days the most precious thing was still the content of my notebook. When I read it after three months since I got back from Lapland I was surprised how quick I was forgetting things. Short stories or funny words- it all brings your memories back. To Keep Track of the Journey If you travel once a year it is easy to remember places visited, people met and things seen. If you drive 25,000 km in four months it is much less so. It’s not that I record every second of my travels. Rather, I capture the memorable events so I could get back to them when I needed. Writing things down make it possible to re-enter your experience after years have passed. The written word, more than a simple picture, brings you back to a situation described in every detail. Details impossible to capture in a photo but so much more important! To Evaluate My Experiences Having a habit of writing down the events of the day allows you to think about them again. Often, when days are packed with places and people you can’t follow them in a real time. The journey forces you to stay attached to a present rather than consider the general issues. Writing things down is a good opportunity to cope with emotions and reflections accumulated during the day. When doing notes it happens to me that I realize I wish to meet someone again or visit the same place twice. The advantage of daily writing is that it is sometimes possible to do it while you’re still there, rather than regretting this after getting back home. To Get Involved This might be weird, but people tend to start a conversation about my writing. It happened few times that other travelers were interested in my making notes and they started to ask questions about it which- obviously- often turned out to be an interesting exchange of our travel experiences. This is also true for keeping in touch after you get back home: having addresses written down in a place where you won’t lost them is crucial. I’m still in touch with a bunch of people met when I travelled here and there. No need to write embarrassing things about losing somebody’s card BEFORE I started using a travel notebook. To Escape Well, there are some difficult moments when you travel, no doubt about it. Even if they don’t happen often it is still important to have your own mode to deal with unpleasant aspects of travelling. If the new place is overwhelming, is shouting at you with vivid colors and unbearable noise you can always turn to writing. It distracts your attention from annoying person or event and helps you to calm down when things get nasty. I’m not saying that writing resolves every travel problem but in my case it helped me too many times to not appreciate it. To Write My Own Story My notebook is my own version of my story. And it gives me enormous pleasure to watch somebody reading it. My closest friends enjoy this privilege and I totally love the moment when they read something funny I wrote the day before and suddenly they laugh. And I get rewarded for the effort I made when I travelled and wrote everything down. Because their smile is priceless.  

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Sorrento due to its natural beauty and particular microclimate has been a tourist destination for centuries. There is something very particular about its tiny little streets, orange and lemon trees and the color of the sea. The city is stretched along a rocky coast making the scenery a fairytale like. Having numerous terraces is has also one of the most beautiful panorama in the world: the Gulf of Naples with a stunning Vesuvio as a background. Where to start? Sorrento is a touristic place and it has some particular features: people get up late here. The city itself is an attraction and if you wish to fully appreciate it start a walk around in early morning. It is empty but at the same time full of light and beautiful views towards the gulf. Even though Sorrento has expanded its borders far into the hills the city center full of ancient churches and old villas is easily reachable on foot. This is what makes an early morning walk so nice! Everywhere you go you will find lemon trees and this amazing view of Naples which – seen from the distance – is really beautiful. Around 7:00 a.m. the bars open up and you can conclude your walk with an italian style breakfast: brioche and cappuccino. What I did was totally fabulous: I woke up very early and did my 8km jogging right through the city up to the hill where a village called Sant’Agata is located. The panorama of Gulf of Naples and Sorrento right in front of me in morning light was incredible! SO beautiful! This place is so amazingly beautiful that you need to see it to believe it exists. And just today I discovered a wonderful opportunity: Jessica, a blogger and traveler, runs very particular guided tours in this area. Joining “Epicure & Culture” tour not only you will see the breathtaking views but also experience Italy living like a local. A marvelous itinerary on Amalfi Coast, excellent food and her company is included into this exclusive package. Visit her site today and book you dream Italian holiday! Must see There are some interesting building in the city center to visit. One of the distinctive pieces of architecture in Sorrento is a church of Saint Francis runs by franciscan monks even today. It is located next to a public terrace and stairs to the harbor. The most beautiful part of this complex is the interior cloister, dated back to early medieval times with numerous alterations and later influences. This place is very popular for concerts, exhibitions and wedding ceremonies. Walking around is very suggestive and hosting a vibrant garden inside it brings you back in time. The second important building to visit is a Sorrento cathedral of Saint Philip and James, the apostles. Although some parts are dated back to tenth century the major part was reconstructed in a baroque style in late eighteens century. What I found most appealing in this church is the square in front of it. Small piazza – as the Italians call it – is marvelous. White facade of the cathedral, few olive trees along its wall and a high campanile behind make a lovely impression of a peaceful place in the heart of the city. Pranzo means lunch There is such a variety of small trattoria and bigger restaurants that I am pretty sure you will find it difficult to pick up one. I would suggest to eat in a restaurant with tables outside, situated directly along the street. Crossing people and uproar of this vibrant city will make this lunch unforgettable. As Sorrento is a maritime city the seafood is really exquisite. Make sure to conclude the meal with famous limoncella (a sort of lemon liquor produced locally). Light afternoon A place that is a must in Sorrento is a local lemon grove. There is a free entrance to many of them and the experience is really nice. Imagine a very warm day and the moment when you enter to the shaded grove full of lemon and orange trees. It is marvelous! You can walk around, watch the orange flowers and fruits, enjoy its smell and also taste and buy a local limoncella produced from these very fruits. Some of my friends were extremely happy with the lemons I brought them from Sorrento. Lemons here are unbelievably aromatic. Spending full day in Sorrento makes you wondering about other places in the area. A good idea is to drive to Amalfi along famous and beautiful scenic route that was proclaimed the UNESCO world heritage site. The views are breathtaking and the small towns visited along the way are so picturesque! And very different from Sorrento so it is a great idea. I did it twice myself and enjoyed every minute of it! Get back here for more next week! 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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Just yesterday a postman ringed the bell and brought me a large yellow envelope from Ireland. There was a map inside and two lovely sea shells. And it’s all because people in Ireland are honest. A month ago I went to the Aran Islands and saw this beautiful detailed map of all three islands with a short guidebook. It was like a perfect gift for my Dad as he loves maps of all kinds. Naturally I wished to buy it but unfortunately all maps run out. There was no more maps in Tourist Information Centre nor elsewhere on the island. Irish people will always find a way to resolve such issues. Colette from Information Centre advised to go to the local internet cafe- a place called Man of Aran Crafts where the owner- Gearoid- should have some maps left. Well, he didn’t but we came up with a very nice idea to have the map sent to my home address when it arrives. So, I left the money to Gearoid, bought the envelop and a stamp and left everything to him. And just yesterday the map arrived. The shells were a lovely surprise and so I can not only give the map to my Dad but also a shell to my friend who has just returned from St. James Way. See? People are still honest and friendly. I just love these travel experiences that build your faith in good. So, if you ever go to Inishmore enter this little shop next to the main crossroads and just say hello to Gearoid. He’ll be very pleased. Oh, yes, and he makes an excellent coffee. Interested to hear the whole story? It starts here.  

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When I’m writing this post it is snowing here and outside my window everything is white and peaceful. And it’s really hard to believe that there are places like Sorrento: full of sun, warm, noise and energy. No doubt Sorrento is one of the top holiday destinations in Italy. It gives you everything what traditional holiday is about: the sun, the sea and the exceptional traditional food. Yes, you can also pay a lot of money for fake products but if you make a little effort you can spend wonderful holiday of a lifetime. In 1997, the Amalfi Coast was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a cultural landscape. Sorrento – a small town in Campania with breathtaking views on Vesuvio and Napoli – is accessible by local train called Circumvesuviana so think twice before you go there by car. You might be less comfortable and less flexible BUT taking into account narrow streets, limited parking place and crazy traffic it might be a good idea to use a public transportation. Make sure that your hotel PROVIDES a parking place for the guests, otherwise you get totally fed up with searching-for-a-parking-place routine. And you wish to escape from your everyday routine, right? It might be quite enjoyable to rent a scooter instead of using car. Think about it and ask in a hotel for the nearest rental office. Regarding the best season to visit Sorrento I would strongly recommend late April, May and beginning of June in the summer and late September in the autumn. If you are not a fan of the sea and sun baths you can come to Sorrento in October and it is still mild and warm. Forget about the beach with white sand! You will find wild cliffs and rocks instead. If you consider paying additional fee for the sea view I would say: YES! Off season you might even have it without additional fee but in any case the view on Golfo di Napoli in early morning and late evening is priceless. I went to Sorrento in early May and it was around +25 degrees and even though it might seam to be cool the sun in southern Italy burns. It was warm and sunny enough to stay at the beach or the swimming pool. I stayed in a charming hotel named Mediterraneo Sorrento which I can recommend. It is located in marvelous place with stunning views. Just outside the hotel there is a terrace from where you can observe the bay. The hotel has its beach down at the sea level and you need to take elevator (sic!) or stairs. I found it most unusual but got fascinated with the views of wild cliffs and ample nature around. The hotel has also its own swimming pool in a backyard (with a bar;-). It’s absolutely lovely to spend evenings in the garden with big lemon and orange trees above your head. Dinner eaten at the roof level with spectacular views of the sun at dusk was always a perfect conclusion of each day. Sorrento and other small towns at the Costiera Amalfitana despite being a popular touristic destination keep the atmosphere of small villages. Even though the infrastructure is relatively well developed you can still sense this climate. I got friendly with a cleaning lady in a hotel and she told me amazing stories about the local affairs: about the weddings in a nearby church, flowers brought for this occasion just before the ceremony (because of the heat the flowers are kept in a cool place to the very last moment), towns around, local feasts and she even told me a story of her family. She advised me where to buy the best limoncella and other local stuff. For me it was great to learn the stories told with a particular southern accent. This lady was just like from an old movie, with her gesture, voice and laugh. It was a short moment of getting insight into her reality, like if she opened a box with precious jewelry inside. Her life totally depends on the tourists who arrive to Sorrento and she told me that although the job is not the easiest one she is quite content that she didn’t have to leave her homeland for the job. This was stunning that she meets people from all over the world without even moving 10km from home! It was truly memorable time, filled with simplicity. Let me say it in Italian: INDIMENTICABILE! 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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The theme of souvenirs and artifacts bought in remote places, their originality or falsity is often discussed. It sometimes stirs emotions of a traveler who went to the end of the world and brought it home where a receiver of this precious goody discovers ‘made in China’ written on a hidden part of the object. Although I rarely buy so called souvenirs I remember that before my first trip to Norway I wanted to buy a red wooden horse. Desperately. It might be odd for you why looking for a wooden horse in Norway while this is a popular artifact in Sweden so let me tell you a short story. When I was studying in Milan I often visited a foreign students’ office. A very nice young lady worked there and her office was full of lovely stuff brought by students from all over the world. Once, I saw a cute red wooden horse with traditional floral patterns. I asked the lady where did she get it from and she told me that this was a gift from one of the Norwegian students. We talked a while about Norway and how bloody cold and dark it must be at this time of the year but I knew that one day when I’m in Norway I will buy a red wooden horse. I even saw in my imagination how beautiful it looks in my future office. No surprise, my first day spent in Norway was dedicated to the research of this wooden horse. I was astonished because nobody asked for this kind of a souvenir knew where I could buy it! People in Norway are not very direct so I was not told that I was a total ignorant. Instead, I was told in a shop to visit a workshop around the corner. In a workshop I was informed that I should visit a local museum. And so on, and so forth. I got totally confused and thought that perhaps people in Norway are not familiar with their own traditional artifacts. Eventually, after hours of fruitless search I gave up. I felt sorry that I was getting back from Norway without this bloody horse! Fortunately, on my way home I stayed one day in Stockholm in Sweden. Needless to say that the whole city center and every little store is FULL of red wooden horses! You may even find horses made of plastic and wool, they are red and white, you can have it on your T-shirt or on your textile bag. All in all, it was obviously a Swedish souvenir rather than Norwegian one. After this trip I was pretty sure that I should have never trusted the young Italian ladies and their ‘expertise’ in foreign countries. Once for all I remember not to trust any Italians giving advice on red wooden Swedish horses!  

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