When I decided to travel to the #baltictoysafari I wanted to book a little extra time and see some sites and visit a few Instagram friends before the main event. Now that I have experienced this part of my journey I am glad I made this decision.

It is one thing to “know” someone through their Instagram feed and quite another to see their city / life through their eyes and experiences. I am grateful for the hospitality that these friends that I visited have offered to two unseasoned travels this past two weeks. As @julochka so aptly asked: “What will you remember?” For me it will be the small shared moments:

A gloriously simple meal of pasta and wine on the river Helba with @issogud.62.

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Enjoying the sand and sunset with @julochka and my daughter as we walked the beach looking for rocks and photo opportunities.

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Sharing photography tips and comparing phone cameras with @herrsm while overlooking the incredibly beautiful warehouse district in Hamburg.

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Taking a boat tour of the Stockholm archipelago and downtown Stockholm with Me2 (read Boris) and his lovely wife.

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There have been many more amazing experiences on this trip, both big and small, even a few LEGO pictures where taken. I will not bore you with the entire list but would like to encourage you to find opportunities to meet up with your Instagram family. The memories you will create together as well as the opportunity to appreciate their photo gallery in a new and more complete way is more than worth any small inconvenience.

My daughter made me laugh when she said: “I didn’t realize there were real people behind those photos.” In some ways she’s right, it’s easy to forget there are real people, with lives, families and dreams behind those wonderful Instagram photographs you like everyday. Now when I see the photos of these friends I hold near and dear to my heart, I will have a greater appreciation for there creators and they will have an added depth and richness to them.

My travels will be ending in a few days, but I know that when I return home and find the time to build my LEGO Brandenburg Gate and LEGO Idea House, I know I will be doing more than building a LEGO kit; I will be experiencing all of these memories gathered from this incredible journey a new.

~ xxSJC