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First thing to do in Japan is to go find sushi! In Sweden I usually don’t feel like eating sushi at all because I know what it tastes like in Japan and as soon as I land here I instantly need to go find some raw fish (and it’s not difficult here). The variation of sushi in Sweden is very limited while in Japan you will be busy for a long time if you want to try everything.
This time was no different, I immediately went to a sushi place a colleague had recommended. It was close to the hotel and it was lunch time = I was hungry. It was not particularly crowded and I got a seat at the running sushi counter. Usually I let the plates go by for a while before I choose what to take. I know that I can not eat more than 4-5 plates until I am full so I need to choose carefully.
As I was picking out my first taste of the wonderful sushi the man next to me made contact. He was a middle aged, well dressed, slightly drunk (this was a nice of me) man who started of course to speak in japanese of which I understood basically nothing. This often has no affect on the japanese who gladly continue to talk although you look like a living question mark (don’t know if that expression works in english but I’ll give it a try 🙂 ). The only english word he knew was chop sticks which I now know in japanese… But he seemed to be happy talking to me anyway and he pointed out a few very good plates of sushi for me so I was not unhappy either. As I was leaving to go see the city of Kyoto he insisted on paying for my lunch. Thank you!

As I was taking the express train from Kansai Airport in Osaka to Kyoto I saw something very unusual. When the train was leaving the station three men in uniform with white gloves were standing in a perfect line waving the train off. Where else in the world would you see that? Is that really in their job description? I like Japan!

Today I arrived in Kyoto, Japan, and during the flight I thought more about why I like flying so much. Because I actually do like the flying itself. And why would anyone like being trapped in a noisy, confined space for more than 9 hours, being served more or less disgusting food, having to go to tiny bathrooms, putting up with sulky stewardesses and other passengers who are always standing in front of the movie screen (where they always show the movies that I did not want to see)? It doesn’t really sound like something anyone would do unless forced under threat.
For me one reason is the fact that you are trapped without any contact with the outside world (unless in the new planes where they have internet connection). You have no choice but to just take it easy, read your book, listen to your favourite music or watch a movie. Normally I tend to be very efficient and use my time in the best possible way, which eventually results in exhaustion when I isolate myself from the world for a day or two. On the plane I am forced to just sit there, think about everything and eventually allow myself to be bored.
Although you might think that all flights are the same, you get the same safety instructions, the same drinks before dinner, the food tastes the same and the same message from the pilot, they all are different. The passengers are not the same, sometimes you’re lucky and sometimes not. The weather is different and you fly on different times of the day.
This time I left Sweden in the afternoon, saw the sun set and moon rise, saw the lights being turned on in the cities below and the stars coming out. As the moon was rising it was very hard to see the horizon, it was all just different shades of blue. It did in fact look like the moon was rising below the horizon. It was absolutely beautiful. And there I was watching the sky, sipping my wine not having a very bad time at all.
Also you can learn that “määränpää” means destination in finnish. I would never have guessed that you could fit that many “ä” into one word.

Being in Italy is a treat in many ways but the food is absolutely the best part of coming here. During our week we sampled the typical Italian food like risotto, pizza, pasta of different kinds, gnocchi (one of my favourites this week), focaccia, cheese, parma ham and tiramisu. All of this of course came with very good Italian wine (chianti, barbera d’alba, sparkling red and white…) or occasionally a beer. And on top of all this we averaged two ice creams a day, the italian ice cream really is extremely good.

In Pisa I found the perfect tiramisu! I have had one once before which was made by a colleague at ESO (European Southern Observatory) where I wrote my master thesis. This colleague, Paola, was a happy italian astronomer and also an excellent cook. She made my stay at ESO a bright one in many ways (she is the only person I know who speak klingon!). At one point she made a tiramisu and for some reason I missed the occasion when it was eaten. But kindly enough she saved me a piece (I had forced her to..) and I remember it as the best coffee break ever! However the tiramisu in the little cosy restaurant with the cute german waiter was definately in the same league. Although I was already full after having a lovely tuna carpacchio and ravioli I had absolutely no problem finishing every bit of it. Suddenly Pisa is my favourite Italian city.

Going down to Italy I had a fantastic flight again! From the southern parts of Germany it was clear weather (well, that is where I woke up…) and as we were flying over Switzerland I could see the snow covered Matterhorn (to the left) and Mont Blanc (to the right). Guess if I was greatful to have a window seat, on the right side of the plane! Words fail me, just have a look at the picture and you will understand. Click on the picture if you want to have a better look. How can you not love flying?

I just had the fortune to spend about a week in northern Italy. In Italy it is easy to find just about what ever you want, ranging from mountains to city to beach. This makes Italy a perfect country for a summer holiday of any length, really. My friend Isabelle and I had a good mix of beach time (2h), hiking (2 days), driving (not more than a few hours at a time), sightseeing (always a bar at sight), shopping (Milan has it all) and good food (always).
A lot of time were spent people watching, mostly together with a glass of prosecco and some snacks at a nice bar. It is fascinating to see how many of the customers that seem to know the personnel and the little time they stay compared to Sweden. They enter, chat with the bartender (who always seem to know what they want), have their drinks possibly with some snacks that are always served complimentary here at bars in the afternoon and then they leave. This takes usually less than half an hour. Not like in Sweden where you stay for hours, if not the entire night, if you’re lucky enough to find a spot in a nice bar. Here there are many small, nice bars and people move around a lot more. Maybe it’s due to the climate, maybe the mentality. Either way, I love it.
Also they seem to have a lot more fun working in the bars here, they interact a lot more with the guests which is a lot easier when it is a smaller, not overly crowded place.