A Trip Down Memory Lane - That Steemfest Post (Steemfest 3, Krakow)

Strange. Though it was only a few months ago, Steemfest 3 seems like a complete blur in my head. And yes, I'm sure it has to do with the passing of time and my impending old age rather than the copious amounts of alcohol consumed during the event.

_{Horribly bad at taking photos and selfies myself, so shamelessly gonna steal some from other Steemians. Love ya, Chris @blewitt}

So, I saw everyone was talking about it and that @anomadsoul and @blocktrades are working hard to get people excited about Steemfest 4, everyone writing memory-lane posts and reminiscing, so I figured I'd throw my own two cents' worth in.

Like many, I'm still quite (pleasantly) shocked I made it to SF3. I'd given up on the idea of going, mainly because I couldn't afford the costs, but then I saw the announcement for a contest run by @blocktrades and @sndbox and I read I'd won and was over the moon. I remember going around telling random people about it, all excited. And with good reason, it was a rad experience overall and I'm all in favor of that. Obviously, I was really grateful to people like @anomadsoul, @blocktrades and @sndbox and @tarazkp who helped me make it to SF.

Right, so getting there. Well, the trip itself was a hassle. To get to Krakow, I changed planes in Warsaw and to get back from Krakow, I remember running down the street at like 2-3 AM, quite drunk, rushing to the train station to catch the night train to Warsaw, where I had a plane in the morning. Obviously, getting off at the wrong airport in Warsaw and having to wait by the middle of the highway for an Uber afterwards. Ah, fun days...

_{Krakow looking all gloomy and shit...unlike us...}

I remember when I got to the actual event, I was super-nervous. I'm a really shy person by nature, really introverted, and here was this room full of strangers, all seeming to talk among each other like the oldest friends. I felt like a huge outsider in the first 2-3 minutes. But then, I ran into @daveonarrival, whom I knew from a previous trip of his to Bucharest and he was all nice and welcoming, as was @justineh (seriously, the sweetest person on this blockchain). I immediately felt at ease with her and felt like I could face this room full of strangers.

And obviously, as the night wore on, I got to meet all sorts of cool people I only knew online and to see how awesome they were in real life and the whole event turned out to be a blast.

Honestly, I've never gotten such an intense 'family' feel in such short a time. Seriously, I have people I've known for years with whom I feel less connected. And probably the best thing about Steemfest was the great conversation(s). Because you'd figure it was cool, but just a party, right?

Except it wasn't. I had loads of interesting, smart, exciting conversations with these virtual strangers and that's just so fucking rare in this day and age. Most people out there talk in platitudes, and here was this bunch of weirdos, talking interesting while having a good time.

I've seen others say it's a must experience for any serious Steemian and I agree. For me, Steemfest 3 was a real game-changer because it showed me this is real. It's more than just some people talking smack online. It's more than just some crazy dream. Or at least, it can be. I think SF3 (and all SFs I presume) was really good to remind everyone of the potential this community has.

So, for short, if you go to SF4, you'll get:

• good conversation guaranteed;
• fellow artists and creators (again rare in this brain-dead world);
• loads of alcohol and a crazy good time;

_{See? I told you, interesting conversations...look how fascinated I look at what @bubke's saying. Credits for the photo go to @el-cr, another cool dude}

Among other things. :) So, personally, I'm doubtful about attending SF4, mainly for financial reasons, but I'd honestly encourage anyone who can to take the trip, because I'm sure it will be amazing. @roelandp is an ace organizer, so you're guaranteed to have an awesome time.

_{PRobably the biggest reason everyone loved SF3 so much was @roelandp's crazy outfit...}

_{A bit of name-dropping (which I hate doing, but still, these people were and are pretty cool, so I figure I should) : @bubke, @celestal, @guyfawkes4-20, @eveuncovered, @evecab, @anomadsoul, @tarazkp, @raj808, @brian-rhodes, @misslasvegas, @blewitt, @abh12345, @revisesociology, @justineh, @voronoi and @hansikhouse from @sndbox, @nomadicsoul, @alexvan, @teodora, @redrica, @cryptogee, @soyrosa, @zlatan-spielberg and @luzcypher... just a few of the rad people I met during Steemfest3. <3}

Thanks for reading,