#travelstories

Fall colors on Minnesota’s North Shore 🍁 And a little funny story from this trip 🤪: I was charging my car at a Black Bear casino and decided to walk somewhere for coffee. The only nearby place that supposedly served it was Anang Tasting Lounge and Dispensary🪴. According to one Google review, anyway. Good enough. I walked in, got ID’d twice, and finally asked, “I have a weird request. Do you guys have coffee?” The lady looked genuinely confused: “You came here for… coffee?” “Yes.” She laughed and escorted me to the lounge, announcing, “This lady just wants coffee!” The bartender made me a latte, but when I pulled out my card, I learned they only accepted cash. I apologized and started leaving. Bartender looked at me with pity and said: “You know what? Coffee’s on me.” Then some ladies in the lounge pulled out cash to pay for it. At this point, the entire establishment seemed personally invested in getting me caffeinated 🤭 The bartender even attempted to pour a marijuana leaf in my latte foam 🥰 And eventually said: “Welcome to the Fond du Lac Nation, the land of great pot and… uh… coffee!” So, huge thanks to the lovely people of the Fond du Lac Nation for the hospitality, the laughs, and the unexpected latte ❤️ I suspect I’ll be a minor local legend for a few days. The woman who walked into a cannabis lounge with no cash, bought absolutely no cannabis, and somehow left with free coffee. #FallColors #Autumn #NorthShoreMN #Minnesota #NorthShore #Duluth #fall #FallPhotography #NaturePhotography #Colors #MN #MNastodon #FondDuLacNation #TravelStories

Odessa, Ukraine — fragments of a city that once felt like home Here are some old photos from Odessa, a city that became a quiet anchor during the first years of my life on the road. In this post, I’m sharing 8 images taken across different moments and different visits, small windows into a place I kept returning to over time. Back then, Odessa wasn’t just a stop on a map for me. It was a city I came back to again and again, because something about it felt alive in a way I couldn’t fully explain. I loved the atmosphere in the streets, the mix of history and everyday life, the long walks along the coast, and the architecture that seemed to tell stories even when you didn’t know the language. No matter what the weather was like, I walked. Rain, wind, or sun — it didn’t matter. Being outside, moving through the city, was part of how I experienced it. Many of those days ended with the same small ritual. I would sit down at Aroma Kava, order a cappuccino and a piece of cake, and watch the city flow past. Locals, travelers, snippets of conversations in different languages, the sound of traffic and footsteps — all of it blended into a kind of calm background that made me feel both alone and connected at the same time. The last time I left Odessa was in February 2022, through the airport. At the time, I didn’t know it would be the last time I would see the city the way I remembered it. Since then, everything feels different. The memories are still warm, but they carry a quiet sadness now. If the war had never happened, I know I would still be going back, still walking those same streets, still sitting in the same cafés, and still adding new chapters to a place that once felt like a second home. #odessaukraine #travelstories #citymemories #wanderlife #nomadjournal #urbanexplorer #coastalvibes #architecturelovers #streetmoments #coffeeandcake #slowtravel #photodiary #memorylane #fediverse #defconsocial #travel #explore #lifeontheroad