Collected along the way - The Shape of Distance

Travel leaves more behind than photographs

Some memories return as songs heard in a distant city.
Others come back through the taste of a meal, the scent of a street after rain, or a conversation remembered years later.
Collected Along the Way is a collection of those fragments, moments, impressions, flavours, sounds, and stories gathered across different places and different times.
Not everything we bring home fits inside a suitcase. Sometimes the most valuable things we collect are experiences, perspectives, and memories that quietly become part of who we are.

Olympic Athletic Center of Athens

I took this photograph at the stadium where I saw Coldplay perform. I was between jobs and grieving the loss of a dear friend. What might seem like a simple architectural detail now reminds me of a period of change in my life. It represents resilience, new beginnings, and the idea that even during uncertain times, there are moments that help us keep moving forward.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

Standing beneath the glowing halo of Return to Sender, an Elvis Presley sculpture dressed in a striking blue suit, I was reminded of music’s lasting influence. Long after the final note is played, music continues to travel through generations, places, and memories. Discovering this artwork in Glasgow showed me that music is not only something we listen to, it becomes part of culture, art, and personal journeys. Moments like this are one of the reasons music has become such an important part of my travels.

Lisbon, Portugal

While exploring Lisbon, I came across this mural featuring a red carnation, the symbol of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution of 1974. The revolution peacefully ended decades of dictatorship and restored democracy to the country. Every city has a story to tell. Travelling allows us to look beyond the landmarks and connect with the people, history, and events that shaped a place. Sometimes a single piece of street art can reveal more about a country’s identity than hours spent reading about it.