I love to travel. Not exactly a great revelation, I know. It’s one of those ordinary truths almost everyone shares, but for me it’s different. It’s not just the charm of seeing new places or tasting foods with impossible names. It’s more about losing myself in unknown alleys, doing everyday things but in a new context, feeling both foreign and at home It’s the only therapy that truly works for me. It makes me feel good, incredibly good. Actually, thinking about it, it might be the only thing that makes me truly happy. And that, I must admit, scares me a bit.

Even my therapist, seeing my eyes light up when I talk about traveling, suggested I should drop everything and just go. Too bad this isn’t the post where I tell everyone to take a hike, quit my job, and lose myself in the world without aim or destination. On one hand, such a radical choice scares me (which is exactly why it should be done); on the other, there’s the small detail that, without a job, who would pay for the plane tickets?

For me, the journey begins long before departure and continues well beyond return. This post is a way to extend those moments, to relive the emotions and shape memories before they fade. This year, the trips were many and varied. There were first times that opened my eyes (and not always pleasantly), returns that made me feel at home, and small interludes.

A Year of First Times

California (broken) dreamin'

This year for the first time I crossed the Atlantic and left my beloved Europe. I think ‘contrast’ best describes this trip. The American cities are huge, but empty. No people, no walking around. Just cars and fentanyl zombies. In San Francisco it’s not unusual to see Waymo’s robotaxis¹ and poor souls waiting to die at the same intersection. Class differences get thrown in your face always and everywhere. There’s Silicon Valley’s wealth and progress, and then there’s everyone else - those left behind.

During this trip, besides the Golden Gate Bridge city, I also visited Los Angeles (very briefly) and San Diego. The latter is the only one I have truly positive memories of: nothing special, but it had squares, a semblance of public transportation, and most importantly, there were people around. In short, it felt like a city, not a giant parking lot. In Los Angeles, I really liked the Griffith Observatory. The view of the city, the sunset and its colors – pink, orange and purple – seemed taken straight out of La La Land. I also saw some fragments of Hollywood, the tent cities on the sidewalks, and then I left.

But this is just one side of America. Then there are the endless expanses. Driving for hours in a straight line without finding anything or anyone. The emptiness and calm interrupted by sporadic small towns, where all the shops are on the main street. Where there are yellow buses taking kids to school, and white ones taking Mexicans to work in the fields. It almost feels like being in one of those movies we see at the cinema. Because in the end, America is one big American movie, where everything is even more exaggerated.

During this road trip (another first) we explored three national parks, each with its personality: Pinnacles², Yosemite and Joshua Tree³. Hard picking a favorite, but one thing’s certain: I need to go back to Yosemite. It’s amazing how much there is to do and see just in Yosemite Valley, and that’s only a tiny bit of the park.

The big attractions on our tour were the giant sequoias at Mariposa Grove and the Mist Trail up to Nevada Fall. About the sequoias, honestly, I expected more. They’re big, huge, but after seeing one… well, you’ve seen them all. Mist Trail, on the other hand, is really beautiful. At first it’s very easy, but as you climb it becomes increasingly challenging. The tourists become less frequent and nature, particularly the water, becomes the protagonist. You pass very close to Vernal Fall and get very wet, but the spectacle is guaranteed. My only regret is not being able to climb Half Dome⁴.

And speaking of American contrasts, there’s one last contrast that my scale hasn’t forgotten yet. Eating healthy in America is very difficult and expensive. There are supermarkets for the poor, where everything is big, colorful and chemical. And supermarkets for the rich, which look like European ones, things are more natural, but everything costs more. Contrasts, remember?

Since we were in California for only two weeks, we decided to live them the American way, exploring as many fast food chains as possible. The best smash burger? Definitely Shake Shack, where even the tomato tastes like tomato — too bad about the price. The best value for money goes to Wendy’s. In-N-Out is the cheapest (menu at $10 plus tax⁵): decent burger, really bad fries. For variety, the best are Taco Bell for Mexican and Panda Express for Chinese — the latter a real surprise, delicious and convenient especially with the family menu. There are also many breakfast chains, especially IHOP and Denny’s. In those two weeks I ate so many pancakes⁶ that now I don’t want to see them anymore. Instead, something I’d like to see again is a little town lost in the Palm Springs desert where I had the best roasted meat of my life. If you’re in the area, stop by The Rib Co.

Business trip

After exploring the New World, this year I also had the chance to discover some corners of the Old Continent that I didn’t know yet, and what’s more, not at my own expense. In my previous job, more than half of my colleagues were based outside Italy. Most in India, some in London and Chicago. Despite this, the company never gave us the opportunity to travel and meet in person⁷. In the new company, however, I had the chance to meet my new German colleagues after just a few months, for the Christmas dinner in November. I’ll gracefully skip over the dinner itself. Germans have many talents, cooking isn’t one of them, and I don’t see why I should rub it in.

The journey there was an odyssey. Magdeburg is a fairly unknown city in northeastern Germany, and Pisa in winter isn’t exactly an international hub. Result? Departure at six in the morning, twelve hours of travel, two planes and three trains. Ironically, it took me less time to get to California. And this time too, no sleep.

After Magdeburg we spent the weekend in Berlin, and the contrasts between the two cities were immediate. Magdeburg, with its greenery and interesting views⁸, gave me a sense of tranquility and order. Berlin overwhelms you with the typical chaos of big cities: immense distances and neighborhoods that are small cities within the city, each with its own style and atmosphere. In Magdeburg you find an older and slower city, where communication can be a challenge if you don’t speak some German⁹. In Berlin, on the other hand, the streets are teeming with young people and walking through the city center I heard a multitude of different languages.

Paradoxically, Magdeburg is more touristy than Berlin. The former has a clear identity and history. The latter is a blank canvas destroyed by war where everything is new. You can sense the multiple souls and various phases of re-construction. But above all, you can sense that it’s still a process in the making.

During this trip I also realized that Magdeburg takes Christmas very seriously. There are several Christmas markets, and really many lights. Every street reminds you of the time of year you’re in. Also, feeling the aroma of cinnamon blend with that of Wurst is definitely an experience worth having. Berlin, however, is different. It has its markets with Glühwein stands, there are illuminated boulevards, but despite this it feels dim. There aren’t the little lights and you don’t breathe the Christmas atmosphere. I don’t think it would make a difference visiting it in mid-December or June, the atmosphere would be the same, it would just be less cold.

The craziest thing about this first business trip is that I almost liked the business part more than the trip part. Neither Magdeburg nor Berlin will end up on my list of favorite cities. Visiting these two new cities was a fun thing that I’ll never do again, at least in the short term¹⁰. Instead, meeting my new colleagues in person and seeing them in unusual contexts¹¹ was an experience I would repeat. I’ve always thought that travel is an experience amplifier and I believe that holds true for business trips as well.

A Year of Returns

Five-ring Paris

This year I started to retrace my steps, returning to cities and places I had already visited. I went back to Paris and now I’m certain: it’s my favorite city. The “excuse” to return was the Olympics — last year I had the chance to buy tickets for a couple of events, and I couldn’t let it slip away.

The Olympic experience was way better than expected. Seeing the city under a new light was beautiful, surprisingly less chaotic than I thought. Sure, more security checks and restricted areas, but nothing too invasive that got in the way of visiting¹². The idea of holding competitions in the heart of the city was brilliant: it enhanced the existing points of interest, as if Paris needed any additional charm. One evening, while the Olympic flame rose above Place du Carrousel, I realized how surreal it all was: the Arc de Triomphe and Tuileries gardens in front of me, the Eiffel Tower half-hidden by Paris rooftops with its beacon lighting up the sky, and behind me the Louvre with its pyramid¹³.

The experience was so pleasant that I’ve already signed up for the lottery for the next edition. And when I say lottery, I mean exactly that: register, cross your fingers and, if you’re among the lucky winners, have a brief time slot to buy tickets at a high price. Not exactly a last-minute trip, considering that for Paris I registered in September 2022 and bought the tickets in May 2023. The only real regret from a sporting perspective was not seeing any Italian climb onto the podium, but I made up for it by temporarily adopting the Netherlands¹⁴.

For the tourist part, I tried to explore different attractions from the previous time. The Orangerie museum was a half discovery: the two water lily rooms are really spectacular, but the rest… let’s say it was there to make up the numbers. We let chance guide us, sometimes ending up in the middle of nowhere, other times finding ourselves exactly where we needed to be. We took metro line 6 and admired the Eiffel Tower from the Bir-Hakeim bridge — yes, the one that many consider just a pile of scrap metal, but which for me remains wonderfully fascinating. So much so that I decided to climb it again, on foot, like the first time¹⁵.

This was my return to Paris, but there was also another trip, a journey within the journey. With other people, with another mood. I took advantage of being in Paris to jump to Normandy to visit my former roommates. It was a trip made more for the people than to see new things, but I must say that Normandy surprised me a lot. The atmosphere here is totally different from Paris: there’s countryside, you breathe an air of tranquility and slow life.

We went to Mont Saint-Michel, where it felt like being Harry, Hermione and Ron walking around Hogwarts. Very beautiful, too bad we couldn’t see it in its island version and couldn’t attend any witchcraft classes. But we consoled ourselves with le goûter with Norman cake and crepes.

We also went to the American soldiers’ cemetery in Normandy. This is one of those places that punches you in the gut when you visit. But it’s a punch you need to take. A sea of crosses as far as the eye can see, some flags¹⁶, flowers and a lot of silence. And then there’s that fixed thought in your head: you wonder what’s the point of all those hours spent studying history if we keep making the same mistakes.

Before heading home, I stopped in Giverny to visit Monet’s water garden. This is one of those places that, despite the tourist crowds, manages to convey an unnatural tranquility. Seeing both the painting and the place that inspired it within a few days was a curious experience¹⁷, as if the circle had closed, somehow.

On food, I think a parenthesis is necessary here too. Honestly, I don’t understand all this hatred towards French cuisine. Having lived with French people, I know very well that sometimes they mess up with pasta, but for the rest almost everything is good. Finding pain au chocolat and boulangeries again was beautiful, but I also enjoyed trying new flavors. The obsession of this trip was buttered and toasted brioche. I tried it both with pulled pork and lobster, both times delicious. Another meat dish that I ate again during these French days is boeuf bourguignon. Highly recommended. I didn’t eat snails, but honestly I don’t regret it¹⁸.

Cologne Christmas edition

The excuse to return to Cologne was the Christmas markets. There are several in the city and some of them really stand out compared to the others. My favorite is the one at Heumarkt, where you breathe a calm and festive atmosphere¹⁹. But in general they all deserve a visit and are certainly more beautiful than those I saw on my business trip, but less than those in Alsace that I saw last year, but honestly I don’t know how objectively true this statement is. I’ve always found fascinating how our perception of the external world is influenced by our internal state. This trip made me experience this phenomenon directly. Last year I was looking for a Secret Santa gift for my roommates and every stand seemed like an opportunity to make a special gift. This year I didn’t have Secret Santa to do and all the stalls seemed full of trinkets. In the end it’s all perspective.

The other reason, the real one, why I returned to Cologne is Phantasialand. I had already been there two summers ago and thanks to its theming and immersiveness it immediately became my favorite theme park. This without counting that there are F.L.Y.* and Taron, very different from each other, but both my favorite rollercoasters. The first feels like a gentle caress, the second is a barrage of punches to the stomach. Probably many prefer to be cradled by *F.L.Y.**, but I’m team Taron²⁰. Phantasialand is also famous for its Christmas event and the thousands of lights that illuminate the park during this period. Let’s be clear, everything is very beautiful, but there are also many people, perhaps more than in summer, and sometimes it becomes difficult even just to walk in the park²¹. Finally in winter there’s no sun and doing water rides in December isn’t exactly the wisest choice, but wisdom isn’t always a virtue to pursue.

Phantasialand aside, this time I had more time to explore the city calmly. Last year’s visit was short but intense. We managed to visit both the Ludwig Museum²² and the Chocolate Museum. So this time I didn’t have many things to do and honestly I hadn’t even prepared much for this trip. I was curious to see an ice hockey match, but the home team’s calendar didn’t match with my commitments²³. So the only truly new experience was climbing the cathedral tower. The climb wasn’t easy, there are many steps and the wind and humidity certainly don’t help. Just before the top I also started thinking I might be suffering from vertigo and I blamed my past self for deciding to climb the tower. But in the end it’s worth it because the view of the city and the Rhine from above is worth every effort²⁴.

One thing I did this time, but not last year was getting lost in the city. Wandering without knowing where I was going. The other time we had rented a car. It made our life much easier and gave us freedom to go where we wanted²⁵. But you can’t really experience a city by driving around. If you want to really explore a place there’s no other solution than walking and getting lost. In these days I did it and it was beautiful.

On this trip I also ate the best currywurst of my life²⁶. It’s made by two ladies at a red stand. One speaks English, the other doesn’t speak a word. They’re among the few who don’t accept electronic payments. Cash only, naturally handled with the same hands they touch the food with. And I’m sure that’s exactly what gives their sauce that delicious taste. The shop is called Curry B and if you’re not afraid of microbes and grease I highly recommend it.

Not all returns are the same. There are returns that leave us with a bitter taste. And this second time in the German city left me with a bit of a bitter aftertaste. Not because it was a bad experience, quite the opposite. But because sometimes we return to a place and don’t find what we had left. Or maybe what we had left existed only in our memories. It was a feeling, a state of mind more than a place.

Interludes

Traveling is certainly my therapy, but this year I discovered it can also be a great way to separate different phases of life. When I changed jobs (again), these two seasons of my life needed a moment of separation between the old and the new, a title sequence before the next episode. And so I decided to take some time. Partly to separate these two phases, partly because I needed a break myself. I found myself having some free time and the only right thing to do seemed to be taking a flight and leaving. A quick search on Skyscanner and off we go. This is the story of how I found myself in Vienna.

This was a weird trip. Not for being last-minute - that was pretty normal this year²⁷ - but because it was my first trip where I didn’t really ‘do’ anything. These days I’m used to trips where people ask not ‘where were you?’ but ‘what did you do? This was an unusual trip. And in Vienna… well, in Vienna I just visited the city. No special experiences, no memorable moments, no curious stories to tell. The Setagaya park zen garden was nice. Walking through the zoo and museums was fine too, but something wasn’t there. Something to make the city special. Vienna’s like its Sachertorte: good, yeah, but I thought it’d be more. However, I’m convinced it deserves a second chance, maybe during Christmas time. Maybe eating currywurst, seasoned with cash, instead of cake.

Another characteristic that made Vienna different from usual was the absence of theme parks. In summer 2022 I went to Disneyland Paris for the first time and there a whole world opened up to me. I can’t explain why I like them so much. Or maybe I can. Theme parks are perfect breaks: spaces where time runs different and reality follows its own rules. Pretty sure I love these places for their mix of escape and adrenaline rush. Or maybe because I think I’m aphantasic²⁸. I don’t know for sure, and honestly I’m not even interested in finding an explanation. I just know last year I squeezed a theme park into every trip, like a little pause from the pause, a break within the break. Couldn’t do that in Vienna. Missed it²⁹.

Vienna for me was an interlude between two jobs. An easy cut to remember, clear, sharp. Yet, despite being a “real” trip, it left me fewer memories than many small interludes, of shorter duration, that separate less relevant events. There’s concerts, F1 races. Car trips for weddings and baptisms, train rides for graduations or seeing people we miss. Weekend shows and all those little things - not Instagram-post worthy, just story material. When we look back at year’s end, these moments slip away easy. Stories vanish and memories fade with them. But these breaks give our days their beat. They keep one Monday from blending into another, stop routine from turning boring. They’re the interludes between everyday routine and they’re the ones that give meaning to everything³⁰.