Rome was a magnificent city in all its old grandiose splendor. When I think of all the history Rome has had, to say the city was overwhelming is an understatement. But I absolutely loved how picturesque the city was. I loved walking along the cobblestones in between the alleys and seeing the old buildings and little boutiques. Even the ruins are an incredibly sight to behold. I found myself imagining the Rome before me in another time, wondering how life was back then.

But what I wasn’t prepared for was the amount of tourism in the city.

The line to get into the Vatican museum took 2 hours (even though we were in line an hour & 15 before it opened). There is also an insane amount of street peddlers trying to sell you selfie sticks for 10 euros, or less if you haggle right. We couldn’t get within 5 ft of a restaurant without someone ushering us in to be seated. Getting through the subway or shopping during rush hour was more congested and suffocating than anything I’ve ever experienced. (And I was once stuck for 3 hours in the desert at the Rise Festival.) It’s impossible to stand in awe of the Creation of Adam at the Sistine Chapel when there are hundreds of people around you, and a microphone booming “Silencio, no photographia” every 5 minutes. The worst was seeing (or not seeing) the Spanish Steps crowded with hoards of people. Seeing all the tourists made me realize that traveling can easily become a free for all, and the goal is to see as many sights in as little time as possible. In a nutshell, #Tourismruinstourism.

I soon realized that I had to redefine my reasons for traveling. There are little moments in traveling that no one ever talks about that can be just as moving. Like adapting to the smell of someone’s house at the AirBnB you’re staying at. Or finding a carousel in the middle of a piazza. During my stay in Rome, the little moments became just as awesome as the bigger things. Spending the 5 hours with all the relics at the Vatican museum was amazing, but finding a not so commonly taken trip of climbing 300 steps up the St. Peter Basilica to see the sun set over all of Rome was priceless. Moments of serendipity has been the most awesome part of traveling.

On the plane back to Germany from Italy, I saw the sun set & the moon rise at the same time above the clouds from opposite sides of the plane window. & so far, that’s been the most unforgettable experience.

3 years ago, I was inhibited by rules that I had set up for myself to feel secure in a big world.

Two years ago, I decided that in order to advance my career, first I had to advance my self. I brought down my barriers, took risks, put myself out there, made new friends and tried new things. For the very first time, I enjoyed life without fear.

Last year, I spent the new year’s eve dancing the night away with friends. This year, I spent new year’s eve in Germany, setting off fireworks in the streets while drinking champagne. I never thought that abandoning my fears and taking risks would bear so much fruit in my life.

It’s been a difficult but exhilarating journey, and I don’t know what next year will bring.. but I’m excited.

These photos took so long to post because I needed a few days to digest the short 2 day trip. In truth, Amsterdam confused me. I wasn’t sure which photos to edit, and how to tell Amsterdam’s story and my experience there. But at first glance, I was completely taken with the city. Amsterdam is so beautiful. Fun fact: Their stairs are super tall & narrow, so moving furniture up and down those stairs would be impossible. As such, they have big windows & hooks on the outside of every building to hoist large furniture up. I love that. Everyone there also rode a bike & wore sneakers. (So I was super on trend with my Nike freeruns heh.)

Amsterdam Centrum is sort of like Vegas + San Francisco thrown into a European vortex. Different types of weed is sold over the counter, you can get specialized condoms at the Condomerie, & sex is literally everywhere. (The Sex museum was a real eye-opener.) Every little alley is filled with different boutiques for all your drug, sex and eating needs. & intermix all the hubbub are beautiful old buildings & bridges overlooking the water. We stayed in the city for 2 days and on the first night we walked around the little streets and even ducked into one of their special coffee shops. The Amsterdam light festival was also going on during this time and we got to take a boat tour around the city to see all the different light sculptures. The city Centrum area felt a little touristy saturated, but my favorite was this finding this old bookstore in a random alley where I picked up some old postcards & photos.

20 mins by car, the windmill village (Zaanse Schans) was so unadulteratedly beautiful. We saw old windmills & tasted amazing cheeses & chocolate. I also bought a little jar of wasabi mustard dip to go with my cheeses back home, hopefully that makes it through custom.

Amsterdam was short and sweet, but I loved it.