3.55 am and my alarm woke me up. Wanted to begin my birthday in the best possible way, with the sunrise over the lake. When I got out from my tent I was surrounded by a mysterious fog, over the ground and over the water. It was a little bit chilly so I brought my sleeping bag with me and were sitting down next to a tree. Got into my sleeping bag again and got really cosy, ready for the magic of Mother Nature. The sunrise is something that’s very important and special for me. To get up really early, before the world is awake. To tiptoe around and have a special feeling inside me that something incredible is about to happen. To find the perfect spot to sit down, get into a relaxing mood and then just let the magic happen. To see the sun slowly rise over the horizon and bring life and colours to every little part of the world. And when I feel the first ray of the sun in my face I feel blessed to have another day in paradise. New opportunities to create my day exactly how I want it. A new day to love, and to be loved.
Another thing I did enjoy was how every time I needed drinking water I had to go and knock on people’s doors and ask if I could refill my water bottles there. The trail went through small villages every now and then, and they all looked so magical and idyllic with small red & cute houses, typical for Sweden, and especially the area where this trail goes, which is very close to where I grew up and where I live right now. Since I was running out of water my next mission of the day was to find the cutest house with some nice people. I was knocking at two different houses, but no one was home. Third time lucky, I got to a house with a lady sitting on a chair in her garden drinking coffee and reading the newspaper. I asked if I could get some water, and she invited me in to the house and also offered me some rhubarb juice. She had no idea how happy that offer made me. Rhubarb juice is definitely one of my favourite things in life. Every summer since I was a little kid my mum has made the most delicious rhubarb juice in the world. That one together with her strawberry cake is almost too much for my body to handle, and that’s the time in life when you feel like you are ready to die, cause your body is so happy!
I was sitting down with the woman and her husband drinking my juice and they asked me about the hike and I showed my map and told them about my plans. They told me about their kids who was in the same age as me and also had been travelling around the world a lot. It was interesting to hear what parents are thinking & feeling when their kids are away on adventures all over the world. To constantly be worried that something would happen to their kids but at the same time support them and give them the freedom to do every kind of crazy shit, because they also know how it is to be young and curious about exploring the world. I am so lucky to have such incredible parents who always let me do whatever I want and to just go my own path. They might not always agree with my way of living, but they have never stopped me from doing anything I want, because they know I have to do it to be happy. So I am lucky they rather see me happy for doing what I want, than to force me do something they want and expect from me to make them happy.
I was walking for a few more hours until I found a nice lake where I could put up my tent. After my dinner I was sitting on a rock reading for a while, it was very cloudy this evening, so no sun to warm me up even tho it was about to set over the lake. I was in bed before the sun set properly because I knew tomorrow would be a long day of walking.
Absolutely stunning pictures! /M.w
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