First things first, it will be no surprise to anyone that travel, especially solo travel for weeks on end, is exhausting. I don’t mean for this to be an excuse, but more of an apology for my absence in reporting back here. But now I’m home in Philadelphia, and have been for almost as long as I was away, I’m circling back with some recaps.

Most conversations in the weeks since my return have included the following back and forth:

Friend : “How was your trip? Your Instagram photos were amazing!”

Me : “Thanks! It was fantastic!”

“Fantastic!” was about all I could muster. I saw, did, ate, and experienced so much and I struggled to communicate it all in small talk. But I’m coming round to some real, communicable reflections about my summer that I’m ready to share. To begin, water! I’ve decided I must live at the water’s edge, as I did from June until August.

While I was raised in landlocked central Virginia, I spent summers swimming laps at a local pool or in the rocky waters of Martha’s Vineyard. I took the water for granted, until this summer. This summer, I reveled in every moment I spent by the water.

From the ferry ride off the island (to a bus to a plane to Europe…).

To walks along the harbors in Helsinki…

And train/bus rides (and house tours!) along the Finnish lakelands…

Shore by Aalto's Summer Villa at Muuratsalo / 17 July 2015

To a cruise ride across the Baltic Sea…

Viking Cruise Turku > Stockholm / 21 July 2015

And sunset runs around Stockholm’s Archipelago…

To private boat rides around Copenhagen’s canals...

And multiple trips to the tip of the Danish peninsula looking out to Sweden…

And snacks along the Seine with old friends…

My conclusion? Besides confirmation of my affinity for the color blue, I believe for me the water is therapeutic. The smell, the touch, the temperature. Even just the sight. And while the Schuylkill’s no Seine, the walk across the Walnut St. bridge is better than nothing.

More to come!