I felt curious and hopeful at the same time, as I stepped out of Stockholm central station. I was wondering if it was true, what I read about Sweden and its way to face the pandemic. It was true, life was normal, and this realization hit me like a punch in the face. The current long-term foolish restrictions that we have in Italy, kind of put things in perspective so that even trivial details can suddenly become meaningful. Long time I hadn’t experienced the freedom of walking around without feeling guilty or taking a deep breath and inhaling fresh air without wearing a mask. A cold wind was blowing and messing with my hair and all this was intoxicating and energizing. I asked myself if I was in a dream and decided that I had to live it fully whatever it was. Having dinner at the restaurant sounded extraordinary on that day. Swedish meatballs and blueberry cake seemed like a perfect start. Thank you, Sweden, for awakening a sensation of endless joy in such a simple way!
Stockholm looked magnificent on that clear winter evening. There was a changing of the guard in front of the Royal Palace but the square and the streets and alleyways of the old town were almost deserted. The lashing wind made it chilly to be outside for a long time. Part of the sea of the bay was frozen and pieces of ice were swinging gently on top of the waves like in a dance, accompanied by the symphony of the wind.
Stockholm spreads across an archipelago of fourteen islands and it is characterized by water in any direction. It is a city of many facets: modern buildings and big malls alternate with small shops, historic cafés, and the narrow streets of Gamla Stan. It looked to me like an orderly and liveable city where you can easily feel comfortable and safe. Walking on the streets I could perceive this cozy atmosphere, both outside and inside the houses: nearly every window was carefully decorated and featured at least a stylish lamp, while blinds were non-existent or rarely used. Swedes pay great attention to sustainability and show unconditional love for nature. I already realized that, as I wouldn’t find bottled water at the restaurant or anywhere, as this is considered pure waste, and water from the tap is of very high quality.
On the next day, heading to Kiruna and the great north, the plane flew over a winter wonderland. Everything was white and frozen. Rivers, lakes, forests, everything was still. Life seemed to have been suspended to leave space for ice and snow. Kiruna is located north of the arctic circle and it is a town on the move: because of the expanding excavations of its famous iron mine putting in danger the buildings in town, this is being relocated to a new city center. Scattered colorful houses emerged from the snow and Kiruna gave me the impression to be a ghost town as nobody was around. Curiously enough, the only place that seemed opened for lunch was a Thai restaurant: it was full, showing that there was indeed town life, just not outside. Walking the two kilometers to the train station on the snowy road, I was excited to be almost there, at the final destination of this trip: Abisko.
Abisko National Park is at the very north point of Sweden. It is famous for being one of the best spots to see the aurora borealis in Lapland. Being surrounded by mountains and the Torneträsk lake, the sky is often more clear than in the surrounding areas. However, chasing the northern lights is not the only activity to do there. It is a great place to hike and do any snow activities. In winter the park offers such beautiful natural scenery as it is covered by a soft blanket of fresh snow. It is exactly like I imagined Lapland after seeing postcards and pictures. Dusk falls very slowly at this time of the year and the dim light is often tinged with soft colors, resulting in pink, orange, and yellow winter sunsets.
It got finally dark and I felt a thrill looking up at the sky. There were no signs of any activity, no strange lights up there, but the aurora is unpredictable and I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t want to miss any chance to see it, so I thought I’d take a night walk to explore the area. Walking on a beaten path along the river I realized that the night was not completely dark, as the snow was reflecting the moonlight. I couldn’t help keeping looking upwards in the hope of seeing something moving, but the only thing moving was a falling star. The setting was so silent and wild, it conveyed a sense of peace and serenity. No wonder the top of the small hill at the end of the path was named meditation point.
So, the first night passed without luck, and on the following day, soft and light snow was falling. The sun appeared very pale behind a thick layer of clouds. It was a good day for a long hike because the temperature was not that cold, between -5° and -10° I believe. Walking on the same pathway gave me a different sensation this time: the river materialized in a scenic canyon, formed by wild rocks emerging from a white landscape. The flowing of water was paused by the grip of the cold winter, which froze the river and the waterfall in their movement giving shape to spectacular ice configurations. The National Park of Abisko is great for its possibilities to hike its panoramic valley covered with mountain birch trees. As soon as you leave the beaten pathways, you’ll have the chance to use your snowshoes, and crampons will save your life when you need to trek on icy terrain. You can spend hours outdoors without meeting anyone and enjoying the quietness of nature asleep. Local people love cross-country skiing and maybe even spending the night in the wilderness; sometimes you see them accompanied by their huskies that help to pull sleds with their equipment for the expedition.
Torneträsk lake 
Fishermen’s caravan
The next day the clouds had disappeared and made way for a clear, bright, and extremely cold day. The thermometer outside marked twenty-two degrees below zero. It was the perfect condition to explore the Torneträsk lake. This place was beyond amazing. The lake was huge, it extended to the horizon and it was completely frozen. Everything was covered by the freshly fallen snow, but the ice underneath was hard and dark. Taking a stroll on the frozen lake was impressive. The vastness of the view, the blinding light reflected by the snow, the icy wind blowing: all this made me feel once again so alive and free. The sun was dazzling and the unusual thing was that it never reached up high in the sky, always keeping at the same height quite low over the horizon; this was pretty confusing because it was never possible to rely on it to guess what time it was. Another curious thing was a couple of caravans parked on the surface of the lake. I wondered who was staying on an isolated caravan on the frozen lake in winter… holidays on the lake for solitary people? No, one guy came out of the caravan right at that moment and he was a fisherman! He had just pulled an arctic char from the depths of the lake. It was cool to see the fishing equipment inside the caravan, which had a trapdoor at the bottom that allowed to drill a hole through the ice below while being comfortable inside the caravan. The idea of vibrant underwater life deep below the still and icy surface was just amazing!
STF Aurora Sky Station 
Getting ready for the ascent
Now, let’s get to the chase! After a full day outside in the cold, what is the best thing to do for relaxing? Lay on the couch or get to the sauna? No, there’s no time for that if the aurora could appear at any moment! You need to be outside again in a dark place, wait patiently, and be well equipped with extra-warm clothes and loads of hand warmers to prevent freezing. In Abisko there’s an open-air chairlift that takes you to the STF Aurora Sky Station, up to Mt. Nuolja, 900 meters above sea level. It is supposed to be a special place for watching the northern lights. I would say it was magic for the experience itself of being lifted into the night starry sky, towards the mighty mountain looking so close to heaven. Before boarding the chairlift we were provided with huge boots and warm overalls that we had to wear on top of our clothes. I felt like an astronaut getting ready for a space mission. The ride took 30 minutes and they were minutes of intense wonder. While the black sky seemed to swallow us, the northern lights started dancing on the top of our heads. The lights were fickle, slowly changing their shape and intensity, forming rays and arcs and glowing faintly with green colors. The sky was alive, full of hues and movement. The enchantment was broken by the arrival of the chairlift. Suddenly on top of the mountain, the bitter chill brought me back to reality. The sense of wonder turned into the awareness of my body getting cold, despite all the clothes leaving uncovered only the eyes. My breath was forming ice crystals on the balaclava and I guess the perceived temperature must have been around -30° because of the wind chill: time to go back. The aurora showed up three nights in a row and was well visible from the lakeshore as well. It was enchanting every time and the pictures don’t do it justice because they can’t arouse the emotions you feel when you are right there, after a chase in the dark, holding your hand warmers tight to get some heat, with your heart jumping at every flare of green light in the sky. And, just for the record, it is not possible to photograph the aurora without the proper equipment, so it will remain in my memory only.
It was a journey of intense excitement, I was thinking while the taxi drove fast to Kiruna airport and the wind was throwing flurries of snow violently onto the road in front of it. One more extraordinary Swedish dinner at a restaurant in Stockholm before returning to the dull and annoying reality in my country. Once again, thank you Sweden, I will be back!
The building is still well preserved and it is located in a valley on the Tien Shan mountain range at an altitude of 3200m. When I arrived there, my first thought was “what am I doing here?”, as I felt really in the middle of nowhere, the sky was beginning to darken and the soil was still wet from the previous rain. I learned that weather can change abruptly from the best to the worst, sun can turn into rain, rain can turn into hailstorms within minutes, and temperatures can drop dramatically even in July, which is the hottest month of the year. For this reason, our first attempt to hike through the valley finished pretty soon, as we ended up soaked and frozen before we could find shelter under a rock. However, the hike from Tash Rabat to Panda Pass is truly spectacular, we tried to do it again the following day leaving as early as 5 am and I think it was one of the most beautiful experiences of the whole trip. The first part of the path went up the valley along the river, which we had to cross a couple of times and the crossing was not so trivial as we thought. 
After a while we realized that we were not alone: high pitched shrieks echoed in the valley and we spotted dozens of marmots watching us still from every corner, ready to go back into their holes as soon as we got too close. As the sun illuminated the valley we could see pink-colored mountain peaks standing like lazy giants at the end, and soon the path started rising steeply on their slopes. The peaks looked more and more majestic as we got closer and the last part of the climb was breathtaking: on one side, a black mountain peak was glimmering under the sun as its slope, covered by a layer of ice, was melting slowly and creating little streams of water as if the mountain was crying. 
Once taken the last turn and reached the highest point at approximately 4000m, I looked all around me and I had the feeling I was on the top of the world. On the other side, I could finally see lake Chatyr Kol, at the border with China. I thought about the traders who traveled this road in the past, under any weather conditions, and I tried to imagine how difficult it could be and how strong their motivation must have been. 
The yurt is a round structure formed by a wooden frame covered with canvas and felt. The top is a wooden circle, called tunduk, which is one of the most important symbols in Kyrgyzstan and it is even represented in the national flag. The tunduk is covered by a piece of felt, which can be opened when the weather is nice and closed when it is cold or wet. There is usually a stove in the middle used for heating, cooking and warming up tea. 
Carpets lay on the floor and opposite the door are stacks of blankets that are used at night for sleeping. Yurts are an essential part of Kyrgyz culture, and the best way to enjoy Kyrgyz hospitality.
The pastel colors make the landscape delicate and relaxing, looking like an image straight out of a painting.
It is made of fermented mare’s milk and I found it to have a slightly alcoholic and sparkling taste, it was not that bad as someone described it and it has been considered a healthy drink for thousands of years. Kyrgyz seem to love fermented beverages and they have several of them, like bozo, a frothy drink made from millet. In Bishkek, you can find sidewalk vendors at any corner, who sell maksim, a wheat-based drink that I found quite disgusting, and chalap, made from dissolved kurut (small balls of dried sheep’s milk cheese), 
this one was very refreshing and the taste was more similar to the taste of yogurt. Kyrgyz are also big tea drinkers and chai is served at any meal and other occasions.
Other delicious meat dishes are kuurdak and shashlik, but on the menu, there are often several salads of all kinds (even with meat in case you miss it). 
They say it is one of the best animal markets in Central Asia and it is worth waking up at 5 am to go wander and watch the morning unfold between the animals and the Kyrgyz who have come to negotiate for the livestock on offer. Local villagers load their vans or old cars with their animals and drive to the market to sell them. The market is a huge area divided in compounds for sheep and goats, horses and cattle. There is a lot of activity going on, but you can easily take a walk between complaining animals and bargaining people, just watch your step!
So, our driver picked us up at 5am on an old Russian jeep, the only kind of vehicle that can go up that road: I have a great respect for those Russian jeeps now, the two hours drive were tough and I would never expect we would make it to the end of the track, because saying it was bumpy is really underrated… but obviously it wasn’t the first time the driver was doing that. 
Back to the grassy fields that were already saturated with water, we walked across the marsh. Towards the end of the way down the clouds drifted away, the sun was shining again on us and everything changed. We were back in the valley in a cheerful mood after this strenuous but spectacular hike. Such a physical effort and fatigue for just a moment of glory on the top, but it was a great reward and an unforgettable experience! 
and I hoped that the country was not yet contaminated by mass tourism and its side effects. It was totally worth it, and Myanmar didn’t fail to meet my expectations. Since it has opened up to tourism only very recently, finding online information to plan the trip was challenging, but once arrived in the country I realized that it was really straightforward to organize all kinds of transportation and activities. Information provided by Lonely Planet was often inevitably out of date because everything is changing rapidly. The new Myanmar remains a work in progress: infrastructure can be lacking, historical buildings need care and renovation, there are still conflicts between ethnic groups, it is still a long way to lead the country to democracy and stability. However, I loved the authenticity, poise and dignity of its people. I was touched when, on a number of occasions, people having lunch on the side of the street made the gesture of handing their plate to me to offer part of their meal. And when they approached me timidly because they were excited to talk with a foreigner, even if they couldn’t speak English. And so many times they wanted pictures together – in which they always have a serious look, as it seems they are not used to smile in the pictures.
it will certainly blow you away with its beauty, especially when its golden dome reflects the rays of the setting sun. On a full moon day, you will find Shwedagon in a fever of activity, with people getting ready to make offerings, hundreds of monks and nuns, rituals and celebrations. Some people apply golden leaves on the Buddha statues as a sign of devotion, others make devotional acts in front of the planetary post corresponding to the day of the week they were born: there are eight posts around the dome (because Wednesday has two, one for the morning and one for the afternoon), each one with a Buddha image and an animal representing the day, according to the Burmese zodiac. Devotees offer flowers and pour water on the image, with a prayer and a wish. 
and it is a traditional powder derived from the bark of certain trees growing in central Myanmar. It is used not only for decoration, but also as a natural sunscreen and it gives a cooling sensation on the skin.
They are the gathering places of Myanmar people, where they sit on plastic stools on the street and chat, enjoying a cup of tea and food. I tried the 
The temples have different shape and size and are spread around the dry plain, in the middle of a scarce savannah vegetation and gravel roads bordered by bushes. 
At this time of the day, there’s a hunt going on, as everybody is trying to find the best place to see the sunrise over the temples, possibly where there’s an elevation or a small hill with a better view. With sunrise comes the quietest and most inspiring moment of the day; the light reveals the vastness of the plain and the multitude of temples: some of them have been destroyed by earthquakes or time, others have been renovated, but all of them become tinged with 
This is a very crowded place in the evenings, when people enjoy the panoramic view and the sunset over the river and the hills. The light is perfect at this time of the day, because the last rays of the setting sun hit the colourful tiles of the pagoda and make them glitter with warm and golden reflections. Monks approach tourists very politely, they ask many questions, they wish they could be able to travel the world as well, and for this reason they are learning English and they want to know as much as possible about us.
For locals, offering food to the monks is a way to acquire merits for their future reincarnation. Novice monks study a lot and are very busy with their coursework. After noon, they are not allowed to eat in order to prepare themselves for the evening meditation. However, monks always have the choice to leave the monastery at any time to return to their normal lives if they want.
Their daily routine is similar to their male counterparts, although they are not allowed to be actually ordained and therefore they hold kind of an illegitimate religious status. Still, the image of these graceful pink dressed girls walking around with their umbrellas against the sun is one of the loveliest I have in my mind from Myanmar.
The carvings adorning it are exquisite: they are so refined and meticulous in details, representing dancers, flowers, animals and mythical creatures. Not far from the monastery, at the foot of Mandalay Hill, is the 
Inwa was also the capital of Burma and it has a much more laid back atmosphere. It looks like a sleeping lion itself, dormant in the heat of the afternoon in the middle of rice fields, banana plantations, tall palm trees and archaeological ruins eroded by wind, rain and time. I just would not recommend visiting the place on the carts, it is the most uncomfortable means of transport ever!
People use characteristic wooden canoes to move from one location to another and fishermen steer their boats with a unique rowing style, standing on one end of the boat with one leg and wrapping the other leg around the oar, looking like acrobats on water. Between the blue of the sky and the lake, the green of the vegetation stands out and the surrounding hills create an idyllic setting; all this makes Inle Lake one of the most popular destinations for tourists in Myanmar, with all its advantages and disadvantages. 
I have seen some very disrespectful tourists, dressed inappropriately and not caring about local customs. The issue of the Kayan women is also questionable: the longneck women are well known for wearing those neck rings that lengthen their necks; some of them can be seen in some tourist shops on the lake and when people want to take pictures of them, they happily oblige. It looks like they are there to attract tourists and I must admit, I couldn’t help taking a picture as well, although I would have preferred to sit down with them and ask them questions about their life, but I didn’t do that: the moment I saw them I felt kind of ashamed to look at them with wonder as if they were some kind of show, so I just tried not to stare.
Do you know why you can find clocks on the front of some important buildings in town, like the Central University Library on Piața Revoluției
Standing on the same spot and just turning your head around, you can see Art Nouveau buildings, other compounds clearly showing oriental influences from the Ottoman empire, and some ugly square communist blocks.
eat-great-great-grandfather. He told me that his great-great-great-grandfather also had a mystic experience, in that he went back to life a week after his death, saying that he was rejected when he arrived in front of the gate of heaven: the guard of the gate told him to go back because he was not supposed to be dead yet. Listening to Suda telling about his family and his culture was really fascinating to me.
ion. Each family is represented in the local community council by the man of the family, and this organization is responsible of different tasks in the village.
many worshippers dressed in white were going out the temple and the pile of offerings still had the sticks of incense burning on them. During celebrations people pray and cleanse themselves with water and apply some rice grains on their forehead and their throat. The first temple is stunning, because its white color makes it shine at every sunray and its gate facing the valley looks like a gate to heaven. If the weather allows, you can see Mount Agung standing right in front of the gate. It is the highest peak of the island and considered as the sacred mountain and home of the gods by Hindus. 
side of Iceland, a Friday night without inhibitions. But as soon as we reach Myvatn we are back to nature, which rules supreme and uncontested. Lava pillars and pseudocraters dominate the view and surround the lake in a unique landscape being formed by intense volcanic activity and steam explosions when lava flowed over the wetlands thousands of years ago. But the most breathtaking site is the active volcanic area of Krafla: this geothermal field of impressive beauty has boiling mud pools, sulfurous puddles and steaming fumaroles. We keep a respectful silence while we walk on the paths marked on the smoking mountain and we feel the heat of the ground coming up from our feet to our legs. We get caught in the rain and a large rainbow appears at once, 
embracing the lava fields and the craters.
A Step Outside 