Crude & Cultured

Welcome to the Inner Workings of My Nostalgia  

This isn’t a guidebook. It’s not a list of “top ten hidden gems” or an Instagram itinerary. This is something messier; something more honest. A scrapbook of memories, future plans, and the kind of reflections that only come from being lost — in many ways, but ultimately, in the best way.

This site is mostly an ode to travel. A remembrance of my past, a seed tossed forward into whatever the hell’s coming next. It's part love letter, part confessional, part personal map, scribbled with detours, scratched out plans, and strange, beautiful surprises.

In this effort, I hope you find even the smallest morsel of appreciation for the incredibly profound and fantastic world we live in.

Also…I just launched this website and blog in July 2025, and while it's still in its early days, I'm choosing progress over perfection. Rather than waiting until everything is flawless, I’m diving in with gratitude and excitement to finally start - start something, start anything - just start.

Expect updates, evolving content, refreshed images, and maybe even a few logo changes along the way. Not dissimilar to life in general, this is a living project and you’re part of the journey. Thank you for being here from the beginning.

I tend to find myself elsewhere. Anywhere. Nowhere. Usually in solitude or lost in thought, and when I'm lucky, in the midst of culture shock.
- Crude & Cultured

Baby Steps
Sophia Montano Sophia Montano

Baby Steps

Here, down this narrow pedestrian street in Salamanca Spain, is where it all started.

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My Sentiments, Exactly.

A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving. - Lao Tzu

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness. - Mark Twain

Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world. - Gustav Flaubert

Photography Gallery

…Coming Soon.

I love capturing my memories in photograph form. While I fully understand photography is a very personal art form, and I may be the only person that loves the images I produce, I actually have a good eye and have won a few photography awards. So I will make some prints available for purchase and I hope you find them as inspiring as I do.

Vibes on Location