Hello! It has been a minute since my last post, you remember the one all about planning long-term travel? Well surprise, as it turns out February was quite an exciting month which saw me leave New Zealand and head back to Europe!
Let me just start by saying, leaving New Zealand (again) wasn’t an easy decision. I left behind my family, a great job and at 27 it almost felt like taking a step backwards in that ‘adult life’ I was creating. But even though there were plenty of reasons to stay leaving was something I needed to do, there is so much more out there to see and experience. I also realised that despite nearing my thirties* that doesn’t mean I need to settle down and start living the typical life of someone my age – which let’s be real looks different for everybody!
When I moved home just over a year ago it was clear that I wasn’t done with travelling – but I didn’t imagine I would be moving back to Europe, or at least not quite this soon! Life and the places I end up always have a way of surprising me, living on the Isle of Skye was something else I didn’t see coming but that turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. So while my plans aren’t quite 100% figured out, I can only hope this new adventure leads me to exciting new places.
* I’m now even closer to 30 – turning 28 today!
So far this new adventure has taken me to Italy, where I’ve been for almost one month now – I can’t believe it’s been that long! In total I’ll exploring this beautiful country for close to three months; eating as much delicious food as possible, trying to learn the language and just generally taking the time to figure out life.
It’s been a whirlwind trip so far. I started off soaking up the ALL the history in Rome, then made my way to Napoli to sample ALL the great pizza and explore a city that was somehow more chaotic than Rome. After all of that, it was time to take it easy on the Amalfi Coast. For the past two weeks I’ve been in Florence, and will be based here until May. Giving me plenty of time to practise my Italian! I’ll go into more detail about what I’m doing here in another post.
Italy is beautiful and manic all at the same time, it’s definitely been an adjustment settling into life here. I guess it has also taken me time to readjust to life on the road and solo travel. Don’t get me wrong, I love travelling alone but after over a year living at home with family + friends it was weird to all of sudden be completely on my own again. Especially in a country where I don’t speak the language, which can make connecting with others a little more difficult.
After Italy, I have (very) loose plans to make my way to Berlin with the idea that I’ll settle there for a while. Knowing me, that could all change so stay tuned. In the meantime, expect plenty of Italian content coming your way! Be sure to follow along on my social channels for daily updates on my life here.
Plans for March
+ Experience Life as Local | While travelling I love trying to experience a place like a local. Since I’ll be in Florence for almost two months this shouldn’t be too difficult! I’m looking forward to really getting to know this city.
+ Museums, Museums, Museums | Florence is full of museums, and so far I’ve only visited one… I’m a big museum ners so this is a little strange for me. Thankfully I have plenty of time to check all the best ones off my list.
+ Explore Tuscany | While there is plenty to keep me busy in Florence, I want to explore more of Tuscany by taking day-trips to nearby towns and villages. I definitely want to experience the Tuscan countryside while I’m lucky enough to have the chance!
+ Learn (some) Italian | I’ve been here one month already and my Italian isn’t great. I’ve slowly been learning with online lessons but I want to step this up during March and hopefully at least feel more confident speaking the basics!
Karen says
Looking forward to following you on your journey.