We’re Still Here!
“Proof of Life” in Spain
We’ve been MIA from this blog while experiencing amazing adventures and appreciating friendships that have enhanced our lives more than we could have imagined!
Hello Friends!
Yes, we are still here. And yes, we own it … we have been terribly amiss when it comes to posting updates to Where Rountrees Are Planted. Yet it has been for all the right reasons. We’ve simply been living fully in the many special moments we have cherished.
We’ve been busy filling our days with adventures and discoveries, with old friends and new ones, family time and faraway places, laughter around dinner tables, walks down countless cobblestone streets, sunsets over breathtaking horizons, and those unexpected encounters that so often become the memories we treasure most.
This is now our fifth year of living out of our suitcases, with beautiful Lagos as our European home base in Portugal. When we initially prepared for this nomadic lifestyle, our desire was to spend five or more years exploring Europe, seeing the places we had long imagined, experiencing different cultures, lingering rather than rushing, and creating a life of slow travel, while discovering what might be around the next corner.
And somehow, seemingly quickly … here we are, five years later. Our suitcases are well worn. Our passports are considerably fuller. Our photo collection has become slightly ridiculous. And our hearts are overflowing with memories of places we have seen, experiences we have shared, and moments we never could have planned. We have savored it all.
Enjoying our base in Lagos, Portugal
At the beginning, our focus was on all the places we would discover. We envisioned exploring grand European cities and tiny charming villages, dramatic coastlines and ancient ruins, beautiful landscapes and meals we would remember long after the last bite. We have been blessed to experience all of that, and more.
What we didn’t fully imagine, and what has perhaps surprised us most, is that the greatest gift of this journey has not been the places at all. It has been the people! We have developed deep and lasting relationships with people who we now truly love. People who began as neighbors, fellow travelers, or chance acquaintances have become dear friends … those whose lives have become intertwined with ours and whose friendships have forever changed us for the better.
There is something extraordinary about realizing that “home” can expand from different places where we are planted, to include different people across the globe. That there are dinner tables in other countries where we feel we belong. Doors we can walk through and immediately feel warmly welcomed. Friends separated by oceans who somehow feel as close as those just down the road. And when we look back on these years, we are certain these meaningful relationships will be among the greatest gifts we carry with us, wherever life takes us next.
Visiting our lovely Italian “forever friends”, Maria and Andrea, who we met in Florence in 2022
Somewhere along the way, however, we faced a recurring dilemma … do we stop for a bit and write about yesterday’s adventure … or walk out the door and begin today’s? We also learned that planning each journey requires countless hours of focus in order to uncover remarkable places and create meaningful experiences. You can likely guess which decision won.
As a result, for all the right reasons, this little corner of the internet grew quiet while our lives became wonderfully, beautifully full. We have always deeply valued the friends and family who have followed along, cheered us on, asked where we are headed next, and occasionally reminded us that perhaps we really should update our blog!
Still traveling… on the train between Krakow and Gdansk, Poland
We have a plan. Over the coming year, we intend to go back through the thousands … and yes, we really do mean thousands … of photos we’ve taken between 2021 and today. We want to revisit the places, the people, the stories, the meals, the remarkable views, and the wonderfully ordinary moments that made these years so extraordinary.
Little by little, we will share our stories and photos here. They might not always be chronological. We’ll likely jump from Scotland to Switzerland, or from an unforgettable meal to a travel mishap we can finally laugh about. Yet perhaps that is fitting. After all … travel, and life, rarely unfold in a perfectly straight line.
Little snippets of our adventures … with full photo galleries to follow next year!
As we reflect on the past five years, we find ourselves feeling something deeper than gratitude. There is a tenderness that comes with realizing we are living through a chapter we will likely one day look back upon as one of the most extraordinary of our lives.
We knew from the beginning that this adventure would change us. What we couldn’t have known was just how much. Home has come to mean more than one place. Friendships have stretched across countries and continents. We’ve learned that some of life’s richest moments happen when plans change, roads wander, and we stay both open and curious about everything as it plays out.
And perhaps most of all, we’ve learned to pay attention. To savor the moment we are in, knowing that no season of life lasts forever and that each one deserves to be fully lived while it is ours. There are still adventures ahead. Still places to explore. Still stories waiting to be written. And, as always, we remain open to where life might plant us next.
For now, we simply want to say thank you. Thank you for visiting. Thank you for checking in on us. Thank you for following along on this journey, even during the long stretches when we weren’t good at communicating where in the world the Rountrees were planted. We appreciate you joining us as we share our stories, our lives, and the wonderful ways in which we all remain connected!
With much love and appreciation for you sharing these experiences with us …
- Stephen & Brenda