February is a crazy month. I mean, it’s the shortest and it always feels like the longest to me. And it’s a weird, transitional month, too, where I find myself having a hard time letting go of the cozy, dark winter, while at the same time hopelessly yearning for spring. This February has been even more crazy + weird(and awesome) than usual for me. I’ve been traveling! Just a couple of weeks ago, I went to the mountains in Sweden for a “skiing” weekend with family. I came home after those gorgeous 5 days, worked for a week, and then headed off to Torrevieja, Spain for a long weekend. Pinch me, y’all.
Since winter technically lasts until April up here in Sweden, schools all get a winter break. Mostly so families can go skiing or take a little trip somewhere. A chance to soak up the weather… Swedes are serious outdoorsy, nature-loving people for the most part. Of course, many are sick of the cold + dark, so they head south for warmer weather. Which is exactly what Lina + I did!
My dear soul sister, Nadia (who is also my colleague) and her husband have a place in Torrevieja, Spain and I just happened to stumble upon some cheap ass tickets to their city, so the 4 of us headed down to the southeastern coast of Spain together for 4 days! Now, this was mine + Lina’s first time in Spain, so it was all so freaking exciting for us. There is nothing like that feeling of landing in a new country + soaking in that first deep breath of a completely new place. The vibes, the feelings, the culture. All of those first experiences. My desire to know different cultures is so deep + wide. So, I can barely express what it meant to me to have the opportunity to visit a new place. And with our sweet Nadia + Micke!
So, you know what kind of post this is gonna be: photos + more photos! Are you ready?! Let’s dooooo this:
Saturday: Stockholm , Sweden -> Torrevieja, Spain
Our flight was super early Saturday morning + we were on the ground in Spain at 10:30 am. Sooooo nice. We grabbed out rental car + headed from Alicante (airport) to Torrevieja. Micke pulled over at one point and we busted out of the car + into the sunshine. It felt amazing. I grabbed my sunglasses + then we hopped back in and headed off. After about 45 minutes of gazing at everything passing by, we landed on Nadia + Micke’s doorstep. What a gorgeous condo neighborhood! We unpacked the car + got right to settling in. We ran a few errands, ate food, and walked around a little before settling at home for the evening. Just basking in the feeling of being there. And the palm trees… oh the palm trees!
Sunday: The beach + Torrevieja downtown
I woke early + laid in bed for a few hours. Getting into mini-vacay mode. When I opened the bedroom door, I was greeted with the warmed, most colorful, cozy, beautiful breakfast spread on the table. How spoiled we were! And the freshly squeezed orange juice from right around the corner! Gaaaaah.
Late morning, we headed out the door and down to the beach. We walked + snapped photos + just took it all in. Then we headed to the downtown area and plopped ourselves down for some food + beer. I think we must have stayed there about 3-4 hours. Fully embracing the mañanaattitude. We wandered more, took photos, ate some incredible churros, and then landed back home again in the early evening for snacks, drinks, and movies.
Monday: The pink lakes, shopping, and seaside dining
We started Monday with another epic breakfast together. And then, we made our way to the Pink Salt Lakes! That’s right. Salt lakes with pink water. It was freaking magical. The pink color is from the minerals, algea, and bacteria (good bacteria) in the water. After being totally blown away by the pink gorgeousness, we did a little touristy shopping. Lina found some amazing finds + I snagged a bag. A girl can never have too many bags, am I right?! Then, we headed back to the beach for lunch by the sea. The weather was totally perfect. Totally. We ended the night with a walk to a neighborhood bar for some drinks… of course.
And then, suddenly it was time to go home
How had 4 days gone so quickly?! I was just getting into it all + it was time to return to Sweden. Though, Lina + I were coming home alone. Nadia + Micke had taken more vacation days, so they were going to have some quality time with themselves in their beautiful, cozy Spanish home. Besides, back home, things would still be calm since the students were out of school the whole week.
So, after one more breakfast together, we were driven to the airport + back in the nordic country by afternoon.
We can’t wait to get back to Spain! To visit Nadia +Micke’s place in the summer, and also to explore other parts + places in Spain. We’re so lucky that it’s so easy to pop over to other European countries for the weekend. It still freaking blows my mind.
Anyway, the traveling is done for right now. And I’m totally ready to settle into a spring at home. It’s the season of waking, reimagining, cleaning, coming out, and rebirthing new feelings, vibes, goals, and intentions. I’ve relaxed, been inspired, and simply soaked in this February. Time to begin to trust those roots that have spread + taken hold. Time to keep it slow, and begin to prepare to emerge from the cold, long, dark winter.
I just can’t even express the gratitude Lina + I have for getting to crash in on Nadia + Micke’s vacation for a few days. It was so much fun to share some time together. Simple, relaxed, and, of course, we felt totally spoiled by their generous hospitality.
Love from an overwhelmed, super grateful, hippie, expat, pilgrim.
Happy weekend, y’all. liz.xoxo.
