-
› Hello from Skopje, North Macedonia | My Day Trip from Sofia
Hello from Skopje, North Macedonia! 🇲🇰
How are you all doing? Me? I have a headache thanks to the heat and the sun. 🥵
Skopje was so much more interesting and fun to photograph than Niš, Serbia.
Tired Emma
I’ll show you everything later. I just found a decent enough internet signal to make a quick post!
➤ Skopje, North Macedonia ➤ Sofia, Bulgaria ➤ Bed.
I’ll be back at the hotel around 11:00 p.m.
Yes, I did some shopping, but I mostly went hunting for a fridge magnet that said North Macedonia. It was surprisingly hard to find one. I finally did… and honestly, I don’t even like it. 😂 But I collect a magnet from every country I’ve visited.
Well… not Norway, Finland or Sweden. Those don’t count. 😅
So far I have:
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Venice, Italy, Niš, Serbia and now Skopje, North Macedonia
Anyway, I’m just waiting for the bus back now. Wish me luck!
Yes… I fell asleep twice on the way here. I probably snored really loudly, but I honestly don’t care. 😂 I’ll probably fall asleep on the way back too.
I’ll write more later. 🖤 -
› Sunrise Over Sofia, Bulgaria Before My Day Trip to Niš, Serbia
Good morning, my beautiful souls. 🖤
Today is the day for my first trip ➤ Niš, Serbia!
I’m currently on the bus, on my way to Serbia, and I can honestly say… I’m exhausted. I was so exhausted that I actually fell asleep and missed all my alarms.. ALL OF THEM! Luckily I woke up at 6.22am so I got ready fast and rushed to the metro / subway and now I’m here — just waiting to board the bus.I’ve noticed that ever since I arrived in Bulgaria. I’ve set several alarms so I could wake up early to catch the sunrise and take some photos with my camera, but I’ve honestly slept through every single one of them and ended up waking up around noon instead. It’s pretty frustrating, to be honest.
I’m going to try and get some sleep on the bus now. Hopefully I won’t snore… or sleep through the border crossing and forget to turn on airplane mode on my phone. 😂
➤ Sofia, Bulgaria ➤ Niš, Serbia ➤ Sofia, Bulgaria
Today’s plan? Photography, water, sports drinks, and hopefully finding something to eat that my stomach actually approves of.
I’ll be taking photos with both my phone and my camera. I use my phone so I can share photos with you here on The EverFlow a little faster. 🖤BUT NOW I’M ON MY WAY! NIŠ, SERBIA NEXT! (Once I’m in the bus)
(I took this photo in a rush just for this post!)
-
› A few glimpses of my Thursday.
A day filled with thoughts, fears, flowers, camera gear, and small moments in between.
A regular day with a lot of thinking. I attended a workshop for parents of autistic children. We learned tips and ideas on how to handle depression and how to notice the signs before it is too late.
It scared me. It made me face the reality that my son may—hopefully not—develop depression and suicidal thoughts in the future. Apparently, it is extremely common among children with autism, which means he is at high risk.
So this course was a must for me. I think it was more directed toward parents of teenagers, but it was still good for me to learn about the warning signs and what to look out for in the future.
I have personally been through all of this myself, and I am currently struggling with depression—though no suicidal thoughts anymore. I had them when I was younger, and I think that is what scared me the most. I do not want him to follow in my footsteps, so I am taking every chance I can to learn more about autism, mental health, and everything in between.
So today, when I picked up E from after-school care—or whatever to call it — I hugged him tightly and almost broke down crying.
Why?
Because I am scared.
I am terrified of the future. Terrified that E will follow in my footsteps. And honestly, I now understand what my mom went through with me. I owe her my whole heart for all the protection, love, and support she gave me.
Enough sadness for now — even though I believe it is important to talk openly about these things. I am not ashamed of it. But this internet home for everyone is not going to be associated with depression only.●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
I also picked up a package today with things I ordered for my camera gear and for the Bulgaria trip — 38 days left! Woooh!
Camera lens covers, strings to attach them to the camera so I do not lose them, and two new bags. I am already using the blue one in the picture, and I also ordered a black sports bag that I will use as a cabin bag for the flight. Later, my son can use it for sleepovers. I will show that one later.
-
› Back Outside Again
Finally Had Some Energy to Bring My Camera Out. I didn’t realize how much I missed this part of myself.
Sometimes all you need is a camera and a quiet walk.
I haven’t had much motivation or inspiration lately to bring my camera outside and spend time taking photos, clearing my mind, and just relaxing.
But yesterday, I finally did.
I was actually supposed to go out last Monday, but the sun was way too harsh all day, so there was no point. Then Tuesday ended up being rainy from morning to evening, and on Wednesday I simply didn’t have time.
So yesterday became the day.
And honestly? I was so happy.
Holding my camera again, focusing on tiny subjects, adjusting the aperture and ISO, listening to music while walking around… I had really missed it.
I didn’t actually take that many photos, but I still spent hours outside with my camera bag over my shoulder.
The straps hurt my arms though, so I first went to a clothing store and bought those non-slip bra straps to try and fix it. That didn’t help much, so later I ended up going to a hardware store and buying seatbelt protection for kids instead.
Surprisingly, it worked much better.
I also spent a few hours with my best friend. She came with me while I was looking for the seatbelt protection, and later we had dinner and milkshakes together.
When I got home, I edited the photos I took with my phone instead of the camera ones. I haven’t even checked the camera photos properly yet because I noticed while shooting that the focus kept landing on the bugs’ bodies instead of their heads.
Still, this whole day reminded me how much I miss this part of myself.
Spending hours outside with music in my ears and a camera in my hands makes my whole body feel calmer.
I really need to get back into it. -
› Something I’ve been waiting for
The smile I have right now is insane.
Hello my beautiful friends! ❤️🌸 I hope you all are doing well this Saturday.
I thought I would post a “Dear Diary” post with exciting stuff!
Today I finally picked up my package from the post office!
I had actually forgotten that I had a package to pick up but remembered it when I saw the app on my phone.
You all know I’m a photographer and I have a lot of gears but is right now all over my home because I don’t have a camera bag that fits it all.. Well now I do!
A professional camera backpack from Tarion! No, this is not an ad or sponsorship. I bought this with my own money.
Not the best photos because I had to rush taking them. My son wanted to have it (no equipment in it yet.!)
He repeatedly said his name and bag ~ “Exxxxxs bag” so I had to explain to him that it’s mine and what it is for. Lol.