[Brackets] Blurry Dots

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Hey, I am back.

I come with good and bad news…

I can devote some time this week to work on pictures from my big trips to Cambodia, Thailand and Taiwan (end of 2015 and 2016, I know, long due) so.. yay! Expect some new blog posts burstingĀ out very soon.

The bad news though is that my beloved camera, heavily featured on this blog since 2015, is currently sick and the focus won’t work. And for me, as it was for The Smiths, it’s like having a girlfriend in a coma, and I know I know, it’s serious.

I have been nonstop travelling in January and February, and getting blurry images that, far from perfection, are interesting the same in my very humble opinion.

 

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Soho, London4

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Until next time with a properly fixed camera!

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The Palermo Affair…

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As I self-describe myself, I’m a Nordic creature. I am very used, and much in love, with the peace given by following the rules, getting all tucked up in layers, and being surrounded by green and blu sceneries, especially if gifted, from time to time, by white snowflakes.

I know, I sound like a broken record and every time I travel south I start blabbering about it, but desert somehow makes me uncomfortable. I have, anyhow, found the perfect balance when I travel during autumn and winter time to southern locations, such as I did with Palermo.

It turned out to be a delightful weekend, marked in my memories to come ā€œThe Palermo Affairā€.

So much to tell. First, people are vocal, loud and generally happier than the people I met in northern Italy. How come, since the city is, in fact, a tropical mess? The walks ups and downs the city center made me believe that it’s a mix of factors, such as the sun – less aggressive this time of the year – and the food that make the difference.

Hey, it’s for sure not roses and unicorns, lots of houses and streets are just broken and decadent, you can tell the majority doesn’t live a pretty rich life, and some parts leaves you with a sense of unsafeness, but for some aspects, it looked a nice place to spend holiday, maybe also to live for a bit.

Second thing, the landing was in one of the most impressive set ever, between a mountain and the sea. So peculiar, so lovely.

Another thing I noticed was the unusually high number of shops for male clothing, that you can combine with the fact that men are quite attentive – and again vocal -to women, you get the idea that Sicily is still pretty much a male-based community… I can hear Trump cheering.

On the bad note, I spoke with some of them, especially at the restaurants where I had incredibly-good-but-overpriced fresh fish, and they all told me I do not look Italian. So they were applying the price for foreigners.

Anyhow, I spent two days roaming around the streets, visiting the x wonderful baroque churches, visiting the street markets, eating yummy fish and soaking up under the sun at the harbour. It was a positive getaway weekend, indeed.

Remember me to go more often to a seaside city. The sea is food for soul.

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Postcards from Bruxelles

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I really wanted to vent about Bruxelles, city I didn’t like and could not wait to leave, but in the end I found out I had few nice shots of the capital.

So here’s a selection of the snapsĀ taken byĀ my trusted LX100, dedicated to Fabio.

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And b/w
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I went for Bruges, I found Ghent.

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I was reading a novel on the plane, there was a love story involved. I knew it would have ended well, so I was keeping reading it to soak in the energy, and get the best of the trip, planned during – I would dare to say – the most uncertain time of my life, my trip to Belgium.

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Bruges when the sun decides to come out

 

Talking about uncertainty, the Belgium weather was the worst frenemy ever. It was like that adorable friend of yours who is also a total jerk. The result is a constant change of light, fear of water getting into my precious camera and a never-ending struggle adjusting the lens for pictures.Ā Yet, there is an adorable part, and itā€™s called Ghent.

Bruges is a gem, but Ghent is the real deal. Especially at night, the all those beautiful white and brick houses reflects on the canals. So dreamy.

So, in the end, what matters if it rained all day? Those 30 minutes of sun and the evenings were just perfect. A perfect travel love story.

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Desmontagada, a mountain cow parade

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This is how the cool mountain kids have fun.

Once per year in my beloved Trentino town there is a great event, where families from the valley parade along with their animals.

This to celebrate the cows descending from the alpin huts for Autumn. An event that marks the end of Summer, moreover a parade to celebrate all the people involved working with those amazing, generous animals. I felt like a happy kid again.

Thank you again, Trentino.

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A sofa turned photo booth. An essay.

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To me, it takes time to start writing. The first sentence, almost more than the title, sets the tone and rhythm. The second one untangles the mood, adds a punch in the story, and generally mediates the feelings I want to pass through words.Ā So before starting this blog post, I surgically tried to gather the elements, and come up as rational, poignant and catchy as ever. Sometimes, that takes days. Call it laborious, I simply call it ‘exercise of style’. Words and pictures, these are the places where you find me hiding.

Well, this summer was different, and I wanted to find the perfect format to tell about it.

It started at the point of rupture of my -already precarious, yet promising- stability. I remembered I had already a moment or two of my life similar to that, where it really made the difference to act fast. Pretty much like setting the tone when starting to write. So I acted, I picked a plan, built things. And repeated. And you do it over and over and over again, until it looks normal, almost natural. And when I say I built things, I literally mean that: I created a guest room from an empty room.There, I was on my way back to where I started: doing things, opening up, getting back to the moment when I was fully involved in the thought “sharing is caring”. It generally makes no difference if you leave or you stay, but in the process to decide which one to take, I thought that sharing my misery-turned-plan was enriching. So I reached out to people, and offered my flat to everyone who wanted to visit Berlin. My beautiful home and my pretty guest room. My only request was to come with and elegant change of clothing for an elegant picture.

I can finally summarise the experience: I loved it. And I can’t wait to have another similar plan. And a sofa to take picture on. More to come, my friends, more to come.

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P.S. I was supposed to edit a bit the pictures but then they were already so cute and I have #zerotime so #zerosbatti guys

The real Devil’s Bridge

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Back in June I wrote an essay about my first 6 months spent in glory 2016. I wrote about my journeys, physical and emotional ones, from winter to early summer, and this summer -let me tell you- has been quite a ride too, that I’ll write down soon (very soon, promise).

One of the best moments was when I rented a car and drove with two old friends somewhere in Germany, at the border with Poland, to see a bridge. Now, it may sounds strange that three individuals go to see a bridge, none of them super particularly interested -nor expert- in architecture. But believe me, this daily trip to a random town was special. That small town has a park, in it there’s one of the weirdest bridges ever built.

Its German name isĀ RakotzbrĆ¼cke.

What makes people want to go there is its reflection, more than its construction. The bridge can create a perfect circle when it is reflected in the waters beneath it, and believe me, it’s magic to look at. Yes, it’s an illusion, I am aware of it, but havingĀ to walk around made me appreciate the moment so much, and it wasn’t an illusion, it was a connection.

Was it the Devil’s outcome, then?

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Everybody is wondering and wandering in life. Us three wandered around the park, and wondered. I kinda feel like we all three walked that bridge, somehow. Three completely different stories, yet all poignant. Being there together was such an unique moment to share, and I humbly felt happy to rekindle our friendship with that road trip. Devil’s trick, for sure.

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Of course, that bridge was too yummy to not filter it

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Special thanks to…

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And by the way… “OH MY GOD this is my favourite song ever!” šŸ™‚

Mdina, pure magic

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Of all the places visited in Malta, Mdina was the one that struckĀ me the most.

I knew that everybody was saying it was beautiful, but it was more than that. It was such a slice of ethereal Malta. I loved everything about it: the enchanting little alleys, balconies, and stunning flowers on the walls. It was pretty much a paradise for photo lovers, or to say it in a more modern way, Instagram goals. šŸ™‚

A trip is made of small moments, thoughts, revelations, laughters, all together, some at the same time. I had many of those during my Trip to Mdina. I also knew that the main reasons why I loved it were:

– because there weren’t so many tourists;

– because it was finally almost warm;

– because my cynic spirit for once was wrong, since it wasn’t expecting Mdina to be truly that beautiful;

– becauseĀ something beautiful becomes even better when shared with others.

There, I’ll say it. I found it was a special, magic place, that sunny afternoon.

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