Hello, I’m Mo!
A Civil Engineer by profession, based in England. Work-life balance is ideally important. Hence, in my free time I explore the world by taking you for a walk with me in UK & Europe, along with my Ethnic journey as a Civil Engineer.
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A Language of Togetherness
A mini wooden goal post A year ago, I went back home – Sierra Leone. A trip of a lifetime. I wanted to reconnect and reminisce with that of my upbringing and reflect on the journey of transformation so far.
What re-ignites these reconnections are the moments of laughter and fun, occasionally some bruises too. As for many boys/men growing up it was Football – street football in third world countries. Using natural environmental materials at disposal to be creative in order to have fun. Stones/timber as goal post, flip-flops as boots, our daily casual clothes as match-kits (sometimes vestless). Amongst the midst of cars & bikes constantly flowing past we often stop and resume once they’ve vanished.
A mix of Olders and youngers dripping in sweats under a 40 plus degrees heat, sweats sometimes washed away from our skin down into the Gutters of Freetown during rainy season. The best sensation was when it rains. We try to avoid kicking the ball into the open gutters flowing in high velocity of rainy waters as you’d end up chasing it forever. Bystanders stalling; wanting to be a part of the scene as they too could relate to the atmospheric adrenaline of adults & kids in flip flops kicking ball made out of used plastic. The energy is competitive and special.
I was strolling in the neighbourhood at some point during my visit and came across this scenery – once again. But this time I was the bystander who stalled, admired and took pictures. Itching to blend in once more, smiled at how lucky they are to be playing on a tarmac floor as I didn’t have such luxury growing up.
A way to pay tribute before my departure was to organise a football match calling on all the Olders & youngers within the neighbourhood I grew up in. People who played a significant part in my life – like literally. They turned up in abundance having conservations with each other on: ‘Last time I saw you was 2yrs ago’ or ‘I haven’t seen this guy for God knows how long‘. We played, had food refreshment, reminisce and went our separate ways. A hobby best described as a language of togetherness.
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Florence – Italy
Duomo Two things that comes to mind when someone mentions the city of Florence : Leonardo Da vinci & The Medici family. Well for me anyway. That’s probably because I watched the TV series _ ‘Da Vinci’s Demons’ for like 3 times, obsessively.
A show that digs into the history of its people, rulers and at the time known as the city of centre Renaissance. Thus prior to visiting Firenze you’d say I somewhat fairly knew of its history.
If you are looking to party-hard I kindly suggest you look for somewhere else because this is a city rich in medieval architecture, art & poetry. Sadly, as a solo traveller I was only there for 2 days.
I stayed at a hostel called ‘Plus Florence’ (see on map below) which I’d highly recommend for solo & group travellers. Located pretty much bang on at the centre of Florence and its attractions. Reasonably cheap ( £65 for 2 nights), along with a splendid rooftop view, swimming pool and more.
Worth the money! A confined city that you could walk to any designated attraction with ease.
I think the main attraction drawn to most travellers is the Duomo – Santa Maria del Fiore. A Landmark Engineered with an unmissable red dome structure that can be seen from wherever you are in Firenze.
I also loved the ‘Ponte vecchio’ arched river bridge with shops literally sitting on top of it structure. There are definitely more attractions to visit such as the likes of Leonardo interactive museum, Pitti palace, Uffizi gallery, David of Michelangelo and more.
I briefly met some amazing people/travellers like myself from various continental destinations and you’d be amazed how much you have in common and how aligned your travelling plans are with theirs. It was indeed a great ‘walking’ experience!
‘Ponte vecchio‘ 2021
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Lungi to Freetown!
Lungi Harbour Distinguished by the North Atlantic ocean lies Lungi and Freetown. Yes Free-town! The Motherland, the land of the free and the capital to Sierra Leone. Some may know it by the country of ‘Blood Diamonds’, others as ‘Mama Salone’. My first visit in 8 years was indeed a memorable one. But first, to get to Freetown you have to stop by Lungi. A small town in the Northern Province roughly under 20,000 population.
It houses the only Airport and Ferry terminal in the country, hence why you have no choice but to stop by. To get to Freetown from Lungi you could either drive (just over an hour) or hop on the ferry (40mins). Interestingly, I had very limited childhood memories about any of this, as Lungi is the kind of town you visit if you’re flying in/out of the country.
Cyclically, thousands of people from this town take the ferry to the capital every morning for business purposes, visiting and hustling. Thus, this was somewhat new experience for the likes of me.
Right..where were we again? – Lungi to Freetown. Prior to getting the ferry to Freetown we stayed for the night at some relatives, where I was able reconnect, relax and refuel before heading to Freetown the next morning where my friends & extended families awaits. Well I took them by surprise as I didn’t inform anyone I was coming.
The next morning we headed to the ferry terminal and I was able to capture a few vital moments (not the best of pictures, as I was busy overwhelmed by its fast-pace scenery) of its people during the morning rush hour of daily hustlers fleeing to Freetown. Just incase you haven’t noticed, you could also travel via a speed boat but being on the ferry with all these people is fun and fascinating. Off we go to Freetown!
AwalkwithMO 