fulfilling my wanderlust- issue one: lagos

A year and a half ago, I set off to Europe for two months to backpack across the continent. I visited nine countries. I met a countless number of people. I fulfilled my wanderlust (though now it is back again.) I realized just recently that the reality of what I actually experienced is just now beginning to sink in. In the moment, there is so much going on-so many emotions & new sights, smells, sounds, feelings- that it isn't always easy to see it all for what it's really worth. Now that I have had time to separate myself from the intensity of it all, I really see how truly freaking mind blowing that adventure was. I have not shared much about my trip on this blog- really only a snippet here. I decided today to begin a series in which I would share simple stories & photographs from my adventures.

people I met

places I visited

lessons I learned

fulfilling my wanderlust- issue 1

We were laying on a secluded Portuguese beach, one that lined the cliffside, & feeling absolutely at one with the world. Well, I can only speak for myself, but I certainly was. I decided to take a solitary walk down the beach to soak up the rays, dip my feet in the saltwater, & fully submerge myself in the amazing moment I was experiencing. I never even knew that I would ever go to portugal...but there I was just days before, taking a road trip across southern Spain and over the border, through miles of sunflower and olive tree fields, to stunning Lagos.

So there I was.

I continued to walk until I could no longer even see my sister & friends behind me. Only cliffs and ocean. And ahead of me...only cliffs & ocean. It was liberating & frightening at the same time. But honestly, I was so enamored by the enlightenment I was feeling, that fear never even struck a chord in me. I found no reason to feel fear. Sometimes beauty blinds you. 

Complete solitude next to soaring cliffs & humbling oceans. 

I just came to the realization that I had my camera with me that day, tucked away in my backpack that I had left behind, yet i didn't take a single photograph of that walk. At first, upon realizing that, I was a little bummed. It didn't take long though for me to become aware of the fact that i wouldn't really want it any way. I was fully focused on where I was in the moment that the image of what was before me is incredibly vibrant in mind. I really wouldn't trade that for a photograph. 

I think that sometimes we can become wrapped up in documenting an experience that we forget to actually experience it fully. I absolutely love to document moments in my life...I have since I was gifted my first film camera at thirteen. But, I am reminding myself here lately to find the balance between immersing myself in the present & documenting it for the future.

Balance.