Back to where we started

It’s been simply too long and I have many great excuses all which include travel, getting sick, having panic attacks, selling and buying homes and catching my breath all at the same time. It’s no secret we lead busy lifestyles and like everyone always says we are #blessed, which is absolutely true. When life pokes it’s head out though, it can really catch you by surprise and going non stop for a month, being on and off planes really takes it out of you, especially when you don’t like flying. Not to mention that even though we are in the business of documenting every moment of our lives it’s come to my attention that (SURPRISE!) it’s actually good to take a break once in a while…

We were at home one day and I received a promo e-mail from KLM with some questionably good deal to fly to Europe. Since we can rarely actually plan our lives too far in advance it seemed like being spontaneous was the only way to go, so we ‘planned’ our very first trip together to Poland, slash it was kind of an opportunity for a vacation. The timing wasn’t perfect, and we didn’t have much time at all. Spring in Poland is known to be mediocre at best, but +12 degrees seemed like nice enough to finally get our butts over there. While other bloggers go to Italy and Mexico for their vacations, Eastern Europe will always be on top of my list. I have a lot more amazing photos to share with you, and they might not be coming chronologically but I wanted to share this set first mostly because it’s taken in the city I was born and grew up in, Szczecin. I’ve noticed that Szczecin often gets forgotten, Poland has had a difficult time adopting this city as their own (it was German before the war), so more reason to give it extra love. While we mostly ended up going for a quick visit to wet our feet and get used to the idea of travelling there more often, we also saw a city that has grown and changed over the last 7 years of my absence. I had these mixed feelings of sadness and excitement, where on one hand I wish I could just bottle up Szczecin to look and feel the way it was when we left all these years ago, so that my 13 year old self could always have a place to go back to, but on the other, knowing the struggles of cities that get the short end of the stick I am rooting for it’s success and with that comes change, and a lot of it.

This change manisfests itself in new, world class buildings like the new Philharmonic, new restaurants, coffee shops, whole new public spaces and updated old ones. There are beautiful city views and parks, excellent public transportation and Pasztecik (a type of deep fried roll with mushroom, cheese and meat stuffings, completely unique to Szczecin itself).

As a result I left conflicted, in awe, inspired… and with a little big of a cold. Being in Poland for all of 10 days made me realize how much I miss the culture and the people. Our trip to Croatia gave me the realization that Eastern Europe is totally where it’s at right now, with the current political state of affairs in the western world. The slovak nations are all quite different yet they share a very common state of mind, and even though I left when I was a little girl I will always feel most at home when I am back on this side of the world. Not to mention that opportunities for creative people and growth are insane. Warsaw has been coined the new Berlin by more than just the Poles. You feel the sense of imminent change here yet you still see the effects of World War II, evidence of communism and oppression and somehow all that put together works to create this really unique creative landscape that no western country can replicate. It’s a place so rich in history and culture you want nothing more than to absorb and learn about it when you are there. I may be biased but I hope I can inspire you to want to see it too. More to come… xoxo

wearing: Zara blazer & jeans, Aritzia hat, Frank & Oak sneakers, Coach backpack (similar)