If you’ve been following along on Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat- ForksFootprints, you know I’ve been off traveling for awhile without really updating you here at all! I’m sorry! But I’ve really been in some unbelievable situations and experiences that are going to stay with me forever and I’ve kind of been letting them sink in before putting pen to paper or in 2016, putting finger to keyboard?
In the past month I’ve added 5 countries to my list, visited a completely different area of the world, and met some truly amazing people.
I’ve ridden a horse for 5 hours in one day through the untouched mountainside of Kyrgyzstan, ate enough seafood risotto in Croatia to last me a lifetime, experienced the wonder of Amsterdam, caught up with old friends, made plenty of new ones, and have ultimately been reminded just why I travel and why I have this itch to experience new places.
When I recently sat next to a woman who spoke so vehemently and passionately about her fight to make her little town in Slovenia’s name unique, I couldn’t help but be captured by her story and her beliefs and passion. Andrea runs this beautiful restaurant, Gostišče Veselič, in the Bela Krajina region of Slovenia.
She is a person I will not soon forget.
How can such a bright personality go unseen and unmet by the people of this world? I wanted to bottle her up and take her home to show those I love exactly why I leave them so much. She is why I travel.
In Kyrgyzstan, I was able to sit in on a debriefing session about the creation of tourism in Kyrgyzstan. Gathered around the table were travelers that have seen much more of the world than even I and ambassadors and individuals that passionately loved the country and wanted to see it grow and appeal to those adventurers of the world. Collectively we were able to share our ideas for what it was that made the country special, what the draws were, how to go about executing them and so much more. When will I ever be a piece of the project shaping how a country is perceived by the rest of the world ever again? It was humbling.
In Croatia, my friend and I disembarked from our ferry to Hvar and began the best adventure yet! The route to our guesthouse involved turning left at a flower pot, going past a wrought iron gate and small garden and taking the left path of a staircase split in half by an abandoned building. Nothing can start a fairytale of an adventure quite like directions like that.
On a hungover Sunday in Berlin, I spent the day wandering aimlessly through the aisles of a massive flea market. Hunting through stalls of gently used clothing, handicrafts and more, a long time friend and I got to catch up on each other’s lives. We spent a half hour huddled under a tiny umbrella at a wine stand and managed to make new friends with a couple who met salsa dancing! How adorable!
As we were walking away we stumbled upon a pop up karaoke set up with literally 1000+ people watching as brave souls took to the stage to belt out classics, not so classics and their favorite tunes. Everyone in attendance did a great job of supporting every act no matter how awful they were! I’ve never seen a community come together over day time karaoke, and it will be a memory I keep with me for a lifetime.
London has become a home of sorts for me.
I have a wonderful friend here who for some reason cherishes my friendship and will let me crash on a couch anytime I like and I find that I keep returning to her little slice of London. I’ve become a regular in a couple coffee shops and food stands, and have created a little routine here. Even someone who is constantly on the road enjoys a smidgeon of normalcy every so often and London has become my home away from home in Europe.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these little glimpses into what I’ve been up to, the moments that have meant something to me and what to expect in the coming weeks!
Disclaimer: I am back in London for a week, then heading to Bordeaux, France for a month to housesit for a friend until mid-November so prepare yourself for plenty of France content as well!
