After twelve years of travelling and living across Europe, the US, Asia and South America, I was ready to settle down. I had lived in many places by then, but San Francisco and California felt different immediately: it was love at first sight.
What held me was not one famous landmark or quality, but the combination. The weather, ocean, mountains, forests and lakes were all close by, alongside beautiful architecture, good food, cultural stimulation and career opportunities.
The people felt smart and open-minded, and the city seemed to make room for dreamers. I felt in my element, and settling down there did not feel like stopping; it felt like arriving.
These photographs are a loose record of my first six months living there. They are not a complete portrait of California; they are the details behind the feeling that, after twelve years of moving, I had finally arrived.