People from Turin are telling me this year we are being lucky with the weather. In the last weeks there were so many sunny days, so I couldn’t miss the chance to explore and discover the regions of Piemonte and Liguria. At the beginning of October me and my friends decided to explore the lovely city of Camogli and its surroundings. There we hiked in really well conserved and challenging forests next to the sea. The view was amazing. Me and my friends were so amazed about the landscape that we waited every day to see the sunset up from the mountains of the regions.

After that weekend we went to the Alps in Piemonte. That hike was already planned several weeks ago. We were really lucky with the weather because the sky was clear so we had every single minute an spectacular view of the Alps. I must say this hike was more challenging for me because at some points there were ice and we really had to be careful to not fall down and hurt ourselves.

Again, we were so in love with the landscape that we lost a little bit track of time and we were given an amazing sunset as a goodbye from Rocciamelone (3500m). After talking, eating, singing and laughing it was already dark and we had 1,5 hours still left to go. Luckly it was not cloudy at all and we had a full moon that gave us light in our last meters before ending the hike. I am still really curios about the region and its landscapes. I am excited for next week where I am going to the Aosta Valley with the university to see the effects of climate change in the mountains to evaluate possible measures that could be taken for the adaptation of the effects.

The moment I knew Europe was agreeing on using a common vaccination pass that permits to travel and move freely through the different countries I started to plan my trip to Turin, Italy. I started to look for tickets two months before the start of the semester in Italy, because I wanted to concentrate for my exams at TU Darmstadt and be with less things to do during the exam period. I decided not to take an airplane with the aim of having a less environmental impact and so my options were reduced to travelling by bus or train. Fortunately, I got a good deal by train and I booked my ticket from Frankfurt to Milan.

The route that the train followed was spectacular. Crossing Switzerland and the north of Italy took my breath in several occasions. The landscape was beautiful. But not only the landscape was inspiring, I also was interested in the engineering part of the construction of the route. Specially the part when we crossed the “Gotthard Tunnel” – world’s longest railway tunnel. I think trying to travel more sustainable sometimes pays off with dreamy landscapes and unique experiences.

After arriving in Milan I took a regional train to Turin where my new flatmates were kindly waiting for me with a traditional Italian pizza. I felt so welcomed and that made my first days in the new flat easier. For the first days I had to make some burocratic stuff, but that went really easy. I also started to know new people and with them I went hiking and started to explore Turin.