Grinda Island

hello! i have returned from sweden yesterday. deciding not to post or really spend that much time online was a conscious decision so i could spend all of my time in the moment. and i am so happy i did! sweden felt very familiar to me– it was friendly, welcoming… and even their word for “hello” is “hej” so it sounds like everyone is greeting you like a friend: “hey!” instead of the formal “dobry den” (good day) that i’m used to here.

first i wanted to share about one of my absolute favorite parts of the last eleven days…

i stayed in a cozy cabin on a little island called grinda in the stockholm archipelago. it’s only a bit over an hour’s ferry ride from inner stockholm but it feels years away.

pine needles, wild blueberries (blåbär), heather bushes with tiny purple flowers.

little pinecones and big fat raindrops. flat glacial rock and fluffy green moss.

the mild brackish sea of the baltic and mustard-colored seaweed plants.

cozy wood cabins and drenched rain jackets. downy white comforters and the smell of wood-burning fires.

cheeky birds and hidden smooth snakes. soft brown friendly dairy cows and a cat on the lap.

fresh croissants, loose-leaf tea, mrs. ingeborg’s fried herring.

sunshine, peace, the drag of waves on rocks. serenity.

i am indisputably an island girl.