Not All Who Wander

How often have I been in a situation and wondered about how I even got there? A lot.

Stockholm was one of my favorite cities to visit.
When I traveled there in 2018, I walked and walked and walked and walked.
Wandering as much as I could.
My first walk was almost five miles to a photography museum.
And then I walked around neighborhoods and visited bookstores and cafes and stores.
I got to see so much of the city and fell in love with its vibe.

Hagaparken is a large park next to the hotel where I stayed.
I describe it as a less congested Central Park, but I am sure there are better ways to think of it.
I would walk to and from downtown Stockholm by walking through this large park.
The path is windy, heavily wooded in some areas, and was full of people by day.
At one point, late at night since it was summer and never really got too dark, I was walking through the park again back to my hotel and realized I was by myself. Except for the occasional furry friend.
It was maybe 10:30 or 11:00 at night, sun basically still out, and I could not believe that my life was giving me a chance to be in such a beautiful space in a different part of the world by myself.
Later in the walk, there were two people I walked by otherwise it was the most quiet I had ever experienced.

My friend, Kendall, introduced me to this quote:
Not all who wander are lost.
I saw a family friend post that on Instagram a few days ago and many high school memories and travel memories came back to me.
Since Finland was one of my cancelled plans from 2020 and learning Swedish has been one the most favorite activities since January, I was remembering all the wandering I did in Stockholm.
And so many other cities.

These days, I am wandering in a different way and have been enjoying that adventure too.