Niklas Rosenberg

I may not know much about poetry, but one thing I know is that you shouldn’t over-analyze poems. Therefore I shall not fall into that trap when describing Song of the Open Road. Suffice it to say that it’s an ode to traveling and vagabonding. Encyclopædia Britannica goes as far as to describe it “an optimistic paean to wanderlust”.

After nearly three months of working from home due to the COVID-19 crisis, I’m really starting to miss traveling and spending some time overseas. I even started reading Rolf Potts’ wonderful book Vagabonding once again. I think this is the third time I’m reading it, or actually listening to it, and I highly recommend the audiobook version narrated by the author himself.

The Finnish winter is long, dark, and cold, so it’s no wonder that many Finns dream of escaping it to a warmer place, even just for a week or two. For over 50 years one the most popular destinations has been the Canary Islands.

Most people have heard about Switzerland's Davos in conjunction with the World Economic Forum's annual meeting, which is held there each year in January. I visited this mountain resort two weeks before the summit when it was still peaceful and quiet. With sunshine and blue skies every day, I completely fell in love with the massive alpine scenes of this tiny town.

A few months ago I had the opportunity to visit Kuala Lumpur (KL), the capital of Malaysia for the first time. I didn't know much about KL beforehand, but I remembered that just before the .com crash all software startups envisioned having an office in KL. It seemed like a cool place.

I made a short video of the Pantip Food Market, which is located in the centre of Thong Sala on the island of Koh Phangan (Thailand). It's a remarkable place and I did my best to capture the mood and atmosphere. Too bad you can't record smells with any device I'm aware of.

Fortunately I got to spend seven, but even so, it was only a scratch on the surface.

All good things must come to an end. It's time to move on and leave Milan behind. Feels a bit sad, but it's always invigorating to turn a new page in life.

If you’re planning on making a day trip to Lake Como during your Milan visit, you should definitely consider Varenna.

The peninsula of Portofino is a beautiful gem on the Italian Riviera coastline. This part of Liguria is a perfect weekend retreat for nature lovers and it offers great alternatives for hiking in stunning landscapes.

The 55th edition of the Milan Design Week has just ended and finally the city can take a breather. This is Milan’s most action packed week of the entire year. It brings out the best of Milan but obviously there are some downsides as well.

My favourite place in Milan is Parco Sempione. There are not that many green spots in Milan, which makes this park all the more important. I go there almost every day for a run or walk.

Number five on my list is the Quadrilatero della Moda, a.k.a. the fashion district. I thought it might be best to describe this place with a short video.

In Italy cash is king and I mean real physical paper money and metal coins. This is not just my observation – European statistics show that cash is more important only in Romania and Greece.

Italy is the second most visited country in the world with about 80 million tourists a year. In practice this means that you should avoid popular attractions during the summer high season. Even places that used to be peaceful are now swamped. That’s why Cinque Terre is considering restricting the number of annual visitors.

If you want to go out and have a casual evening with friends, Navigli is the place. It’s a district south-west of the city center easily accessible by tram or metro. Navigli is characterized by canals, along which you’ll find a lot of bars and restaurants. It's the most vibrant and diverse area in Milan and the evenings are full of life even on weekdays.

Como is a famous tourist destination in Northern Italy and can be very crowded during the summer high season. That’s why you should go to Como in the winter or early spring. It’s a bit colder, but very beautiful and peaceful. As a bonus you’ll get excellent service everywhere.

Il Duomo ("The Cathedral") is the most famous landmark of Milan and the fifth-largest church in the world. You can’t avoid it if you visit Milan, because it’s in the middle of the city and all main streets radiate from it. The best you can do is climb up to the roof on a sunny day and enjoy the splendor.

As the name implies, we’re talking about a cemetery. A monumental one. Yes, I know it's a bit strange, but this is one of the most beautiful creations I’ve ever seen in my life.

Every now and then I walk around in downtown Milan for some serious window shopping. It’s fun because the things on display are often outrageous both in design and price. It’s also entertaining to look at the people who are genuinely interested in luxury and high fashion – and actually able to buy it. You also get a reminder of how important the luxury and fashion business is for Italy.