On a mother/daughter trip to celebrate my mom’s birthday, we journeyed to Porto, Portugal where we discovered one of our new favorite cities with some of Europe’s finest sunsets.

I arrived with a longtime friend in Edinburgh on what was to be her first trip outside of the U.S, and felt giddy as the green shrubbery surrounding our tram car turned into medieval buildings and streets lined with shops, and tourists milling about. Over the next three days of our stay we explored all that Edinburgh has to offer.

Join me as I tell yet another tale of my crying episodes while traveling abroad.

Crying. It’s a natural release. It’s good for you. Today I tell the story of the time I cried in Stockholm, Sweden. I’ve cried in many places, and if you stick around you can read about me crying all over the world!

Welcome to the first post of a series on crying in foreign places. Many depictions of solo travel are veiled with beautiful views, happy memories and smiles. But it’s not always that easy! So to normalize the struggle I’m sharing the reason why I cried in each place I’ve visited. Starting with Denmark.

I thought I would find the ultimate travel writing inspiration in Stockholm, Sweden, but my big ideas have shrunk in the face of this illusive city.

When I had the opportunity to live in Florence, Italy for 3 months last year, I committed myself to learning every inch of the city that I could in the time I had. Here’s what I found.