Hello to you! I’m writing to you from high in the sky. Today, I leave the beautiful mountain world of Åre and return to my seaside paradise in Hunnebostrand. What a gift to live in a country with diverse landscapes and natural beauty. I feel really lucky to call Sweden my home.

I spoke with the taxi driver the entire way to the airport. His name is Martin. He was so friendly and we shared a lot of similar interests and saw the world in a similar way. When we arrived at the airport he said he felt bad charging me for the ride because it was like talking to a friend. How sweet. I know the feeling. It felt like catching up with a dear friend. I love when that happens in life. You meet people you just connect with. Of course, I paid him and told him I look forward to seeing him on the slopes next year.

He asked where in Sweden I live and the closest town is called Hunnebostrand. As soon as I mentioned that, he said where I live is Sweden’s Summer paradise. It was a gentle reminder for me to not take my home for granted. That I need to share more of it with the world now. I shared my dream with him to have a mountain home where I can jump on my skis and just enjoy the wintery landscapes, and then soak up the coastal nature of beautiful Bohuslän during the Summers. I love to ski and this is probably a big reason why I feel called back to Åre.

I really enjoyed traveling alone and can’t wait to do it again. I now return home feeling more confident and open. I think there is something healing about traveling alone. You get to be with yourself, hear your thoughts, tap into what your heart wants in every moment. It felt really free to just be and not worry about soothing fellow stressed out travelers. I’m a very calm person and am deeply affected if I travel with people who are easily stressed out. I have empathy for them but I’m learning to prioritize my energy. Everything about this trip was smooth sailing and it only proved to me that I’m capable, kind, flexible, and organised.

The beauty of travel is that the place changes you. I believe that every experience, every moment (big and small), changes us on some deep level, whether we are conscious of it or not. And this reminds me to just enjoy who I am in this moment, because in the next I might see the world differently.

Whether I'm experiencing an event or reading a passage from a book, it all changes me in some way. The funny thing is, often we think we can't change but yet here we are, changing in every moment. When we see that and truly believe that, I think some level of self-acceptance happens. For me, realising this made me feel excitement for life again. The joy of possibilities just came flooding back in. It’s so wonderful to continue to grow in new ways through life’s experiences (both planned and unexpected). The lesson of this trip is to be open and trust. Change is possible and you can be whoever you want to be. You have more freedom than you think. Be free.

Each day while I was away, I really wanted to challenge myself by not closing myself off. To just be open to what the day brought me. To be open to talk to strangers and meet new people. I’m not an introvert and have found that past hurt has caused me to close off from people. I’m working really hard to get back to my true self. To connect with that calm core that I know is there. I believe we all have it. We can all feel safe in the world again. We all have the capability to heal our soul. To sometimes call it back to us in the darkest times.

This trip was really about taking in the natural beauty but it become so much more. I breathed in all the good energy of the fresh mountain air and carry that in my heart. Now the mountain and the snowy landscape is a part of me. I had the most calm and contentment by simply being in each moment.

I swam every day at the hotel. I find water so incredibly healing. I feel inspired to swim more regularly now when I get back to the coast. I recently signed up to the local health and wellness club. It’s right on the water where you can take cold plunges and then sauna. I look forward to sharing this more with you on YouTube now that I've decided to make more video blogs in the New Year.

This week has been incredibly rewarding and has taught me the power of rest and living in the now. We don’t need to be doing things all the time. Sometimes it’s most rewarding to just be and flow through the day. Each moment is truly a gift. It's also an opportunity to stay connected to your inner world. I’ve been processing and reflecting a lot on what’s happened this year so I can start 2025 with more clarity.

Now the plane is already landing in Stockholm to catch my connection to Göteborg. I love these short flights. I realise that door to door it takes about 10 hours of travel. I’m tempted to drive to Åre next time to capture all the natural beauty and changing scenery on the way. It takes the same amount of time to drive.

Now It’s Sunday, the final advent and Christmas is upon us next week. I hope you have a beautiful Sunday evening. I look forward to seeing you soon. I feel excited to share more of my life with you. All the ups and downs and the beauty and serenity of Bohuslän.

I now close this beautiful Are chapter. Once I land in Stockholm I have about 30 minutes until the next flight. Then 2-3 hours drive up the coast to my beautiful homestead by the sea. I’m actually really looking forward to coming home. A new wave of gratitude that I feel for my beautiful house and for my cat, Leiana. I can’t wait to see her and give her a cuddle. So much love in my heart that I want to share with her, to give to my home, and to share with the world through the gift of the internet.

I hope you have a beautiful Sunday and see you next week!

Speak to you soon ♥︎

Here is a little glimpse of the Nordic spa with views of the fir trees and snowy landscape. I didn't feel comfortable having my camera there so I tried my best to catch some pictyres. But nothing captures this place better than their very own website. So check out the spa here.

I met a girl who works at the hotel and she shared that every morning she wakes up and says “I open my heart to receive miracles.” That’s so beautiful! People are really beautiful. You can follow her here on Instagram. And there is beauty and healing spending time with open and vulnerable people. They are the strongest, safest and most grounding people I know. And I aspire to be just that. I am that.

This space was a chance to heal and reflect on my year; what I have learned, what do I want to leave in 2024 and bring into 2025.

Since it was already dark when I arrived, I was mesmerized waking up to this view from my terrace.

Hello from a very stormy mountain world. I finally arrived at the beautiful Copperhill Mountain Lodge in Åre, Sweden. I’m currently writing to you while enjoying my breakfast. It’s currently 10am and the breakfast service is wrapping up. I’ve been sitting here for an hour getting a taste of all the local delights and homemade goods. I’m in breakfast heaven. A mixture of blues and country music is playing in the background with faint sounds of the banjo and bluegrass. Reminds me of my time living in the United States. Since there is a blizzard outside, I think I will enjoy the hotel today. I look forward to spending my afternoon relaxing by the fire with a warm hot chocolate.

I didn’t arrive until 5pm last night. It was a long taxi ride from the airport. About an hour. After I checked in I was ready to jump into my glorious hotel bed. I was reminded at check-in that I had dinner booked for 18:30 so after the most wonderful shower, I got dressed up and went downstairs for dinner. I ordered a fantastic lamb, garlic, and mashed potato dish. I had the most wonderful waitresses take care of me. Having been awake since 4am, I was keen to get into bed.

I sat there taking in the beautiful warm atmosphere of the hotel restaurant. I observed the other hotel guests with a smile and read some pages from my storytelling book. I was the only one dining alone. I thought of a few people I would love to share this experience with, but there is something powerful and healing about traveling alone. You truly get in touch with yourself and get to know yourself in a new way. All because of being in a new environment and having new life experiences alone. I think it also sends the message to yourself that you are safe and capable. I think it builds confidence, and for that, solo trips are rewarding. I have spent years living alone and moving to new countries and cities alone, but I've never really gone on holiday alone. The first time was when I went to Mallorca in October for a soul meditation retreat for a week, but that was filled with daily activities and sharing a house with the other girls. Here I'm truly alone.

When I went to Mallorca I was so nervous, but left feeling an abundance of love, grounded and connected spiritually. I took all the lessons back home with me. And that is what life is, a bunch of experiences and lessons, and that includes traveling. And isn’t it just beautiful to accept these lessons and allow it to shape you every day? When we realize how much our daily life experiences shape us, then we can truly be present with ourselves in every moment. I feel like my perspective has changed a lot regarding this. I often remind myself about the fact that I'm changing in every moment, so wouldn't I want to savour every moment? To savour the version I am in that glimpse of time? To learn from that moment and grow in the next? Sometimes we think we need years to change but maybe we just one single moment? If everyone realised that perhaps the self-help podcast and publishing world would fall apart.

I'm so grateful I had this realisation because it makes my days feel richer in some way. That every day I get a chance to grow, to learn more about myself and understand the world I live in from my unique perspective. To me, the human life is an ever-evolving and beautiful journey. It makes me want to slow down even more and take it all in.

Speaking of slow, that's exactly how I woke up this morning. I woke up at 6am, unfortunately with a blocked right ear. I can’t hear anything out of it and now people can't hear me when I speak because to me I sound very loud, but I must be speaking softer than normal. My body felt terribly dehydrated when I woke up, so after brushing my teeth and splashing cold water on my face, I drank a lot of water and ginger tea. I then went searching for the spa. I really wanted to take in the morning calm and tranquility.

The spa was not what I expected. It was even better! It was like a healing retreat in the mountains. Soft meditation music was playing in the background. You could hear the sound of water lapping in the pool, accompanied with soft warm light. It was still dark outside so while the mountains still slept, I went for my first swim. I swam for 30 minutes before taking a sauna. I went outside to do an ice bath but was surprised when the water was warm. They have an ice bucket, but I'd much rather take a cold plunge. Instead, I stood in the stormy icy wind before going for a second sauna. I felt a relaxation in my body all morning and wondered if this is our natural state? Perhaps we have normalised stress and hyperactivity in our life? If we are to address modern day health issues and diseases, this has to change. What are your feelings on this? I'm curious to hear what you think 🙂

I didn't bring any electronics with me to the spa so I have no pictures today. But tomorrow I will take some photos and film a little. Maybe I could do a little day with me vlog? I hope the storm passes so I can go on a husky ride. I've never been on one of those before.