ABOUT
Who is the Fiery Explorer?
Hi reader! My name is Flávia, a 30-something-year-old, living in the beautiful city of Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
The Fiery Explorer initially started as a travel blog, a personal space to share all my enthusiasm for traveling and the city of Rotterdam. However, after two years full of experiences which shaped me and my life a lot, it has transformed into something else. On the Fiery Explorer, I share personal stories, which may inspire you to explore what living a Fiery life is in your terms! The stories center around travels I have made, my friendships, food (something deeply personal to me), and self-discovery.
I was born in Brazil, to Dutch and Brazilian parents. These are two cultures that are vastly different in terms of expression and I beautifully showcase both – and it’s probably confusing to some. So, what am I, ‘the Fiery Explorer’ like? Don’t be charmed by my smile! I’m known for being fiercely direct, but it (usually) comes from a place of love. Don’t make me enthusiastic or mad when I’m eating, because forks have been known to escape my grip when talking excitedly. I am a real type A personality, who is also weirdly relaxed about things –read about the story when I missed my flight from Tokyo to Amsterdam by an entire day! I love fiercely and am weirdly attached to alcohol and people I have secret crushes on when drinking. I am an Aries and a Gryffindor, if those terms help you understand who I am. I appreciate the finer things in life, but generally do not care about materialistic things. What I treasure above all else are the friendships that I have, especially with the people I consider my ‘chosen family’. Everything on the Fiery Explorer is written from my perspective and experiences – and if I’m not your type, that is okay too!
I love: dogs, shaking my butt, sunshine, Italian wines, Hello Kitty, exploring cities around the world, getting lost in cool neighborhoods, dancing around, curling up with a good book, going for long Sunday walks, finding hidden gems when traveling, sunsets, art, …
What is a Fiery life?
I have been all over the place – so to say – since my childhood. The Fiery Explorer is my space to share my journey of becoming more me every day.
Moving around every three years, my childhood and early adolescent life were characterized by ever-changing classrooms, friends, pets and houses due to one of my parent’s work. This nurtured a strong sense of adaptability, but also of conformity. My teens and 20s were filled with a feeling that I had to achieve, had to conform to what was expected and definitely should be liked for everything by everyone. After a few years of just ignoring all feelings of emptiness, depression and burn-out caught up with me two years ago.
During those two years, my ‘external’ life stood still. Friendships faded, my career was deprioritized and for some months just making it out of bed was a victory already. However, after a while – and with the help of a lot of therapy and friends – internally I started to become myself again. With that came the realization that I probably have been hiding a large part of ‘me’ from myself and the world for a long time. Getting to learn myself has been the most FUN and rewarding thing I have done – and I am happy this will continue for the rest of my life.
That to me is a Fiery life, living a life which is true to yourself, despite what anyone else says or expects. On the Fiery Explorer, I share my learnings (or unlearning) in living my truth, and share all other things that I have been thinking about or which inspire me!
Traveling
To me, the magic of travel lies in the ‘how and who’ of exploring, not in the ‘where and what’. I love exploring through being led by inspiration, by feeling what I would like to see/taste/enjoy and following that. It does not really matter where this is – exploring a neighborhood in Rotterdam, or a neighborhood in Tokyo. Art inspires me, how people live their life and what they find important inspires me. Food always inspires me too (seriously though)!
Another piece of the magic I find the ‘who’. Meeting people whilst traveling, learning their stories, and making new friends – even if just for a day – is my favorite aspect of traveling. I have met some of my best friends while traveling and exploring, and am so happy I have become better to go with the flow when traveling. Read more about how I plan my Fiery holidays on the blog soon!
I am lucky that I get to live a life where I have the opportunity to travel around the world. I truly believe that travel, whether far or near, is a great way to live a fierier life. It expands our horizons, exposes us to different ways of thinking, languages, and foods. It provides the opportunity to hold up a mirror and reflect on our own beliefs and prejudices. However, this does not need to be in a different country! The places we live in provide the same opportunity, as long as we’re open to these experiences. That is why the stories regarding travel on The Fiery Explorer are mostly centered around the ‘how and whom’ of traveling in Rotterdam, Europe and abroad <3!
Read more about my travel experiences and recommendations under the Travel category ✈️.
I can’t think of anything that excites a greater sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. Suddenly you are five years old again. You can’t read anything, you have only the most rudimentary sense of how things work, you can’t even reliably cross a street without endangering your life. Your whole existence becomes a series of interesting guesses. — Bill Bryson
Get to know Rotterdam!
My adopted home town! Look and listen, if you visit the Netherlands, it isn’t complete without a visit to this vibrant and artistic city. With a completely different look and feel than most cities in the Netherlands, it doesn’t immediately inspire Dutch traditional charm. Which is one of the reasons I love it so much! It is a city with a strong character, like the people that live here. One of the most multi-cultural cities in the Netherlands, it has great food, fantastic views, wonderful architecture, world-class museums and cool nightlife.
I share my favorite restaurants under the Rotterdam Faves and share upcoming weekend events under Fiery Fridays. I want to share information about this amazing city in English, to increase it’s accessibility to international residents and visitors. Feel free to reach out for any information you need regarding this fantastic city!
Read more about Rotterdam under the Rotterdam category 🌟.
