Tag Archives: The world from above

The world from above. Steppe, mountains and the Caspian sea.

Posted on December 26, 2016 by

Looking at out planet from above is a profound experience. Michael Collins, Apollo 11’s resident philosopher, famously said that looking at Earth from a great distance was the strongest memory of his epic voyage, going on to add that Earth was … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Odd ones out, The world from above | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The world from above: Amazonia

Posted on October 22, 2016 by

Over the years, as flying became less an event and more a frequent occurrence, my seat-choosing preferences changed, from “always window” to “you know what, I’d rather have aisle”. However, there are exceptions. There are places – Greenland, the Putorana … Continue reading →

Posted in Americas, Brazil, Peru, The pleasure of flying, The world from above | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

The world from above: Paris, France

Posted on July 31, 2015 by

I fly above Paris at least once a month but I could count on the fingers of a hand the times I actually have been to see the place. Today is one of such days and I couldn’t pass the chance of … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, France, The world from above | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Going up: Rio de Janeiro from above

Posted on July 11, 2015 by

One of my petty obsessions is to flicker through the pages of glossy magazines, or of travel websites, scouting for those articles whose titles are inevitably starting with “Ten things to do in…” or “Nine amazing places in…”, read them and … Continue reading →

Posted in Americas, Brazil, The world from above | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The world from above – An air race over the skies of Iran

Posted on February 28, 2015 by

The flight was rather uneventful, a barely half-full Qatar Airways Airbus A380 from Doha to London. Meal trays were being cleared away and I was about to decide which film would’ve been more appropriate to induce me to sleep as … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Dubai, Middle East, Public Transportation, The pleasure of flying, The world from above | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Seeing an old friend (four years after and 30,000 ft. from above)

Posted on November 25, 2014 by

It was the faithful companion of many a sunset in Turin for over six years. We lived always in the same place, a rather nondescript tenament in the southern Santa Rita borough, one of those neighbourhoods that had popped up … Continue reading →

Posted in Italy, Overlooked locations, Piemonte, Random memories, The pleasure of flying, The world from above | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The world from above – Bergen & Hordaland, Norway

Posted on November 10, 2014 by

British Airways flight crews have a few common features: they all are almost inevitably called Nigel, love to speak like Lord Kitchener as much as US astronauts adored to imitate Chuck Yeager’s drawl and, finally, are remarkably understated. To give … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Norway, The pleasure of flying, The world from above | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The world from above – Northwestern Italy

Posted on September 11, 2014 by

  Italy, as I never stop telling my colleagues, is not only made of islands, tomato sauce and tarantella, like the UK is not just made of tiny cottages, clotted cream and old ladies saying “jolly good” at every possible occasion. … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Italy, Lombardia, Overlooked locations, Piemonte, The pleasure of flying, The world from above, Val d'Aosta | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment