Vaxholm in the Summer

Today's adventures brought me back to the island of Vaxholm, this time with two Sarahs to explore with! We got there early while the ground was still wet and before the sun broke from behind the grey clouds that blanketed the sky. We climbed up to Batteriparken and looked out over the rocks and the water, played with giant snails and filled our lungs with all of the flowers that now cover the island. One Sarah drew in her sketchbook while the other wrote in her journal, and I hopped around rocks taking photographs. I set my camera down on a rock, pulled off my shoes and stepped onto the rocky shore of the water, my first time this year. The water was cold and clean and the sand sticking to my feet and ankles as I passed between the shore and the water brought back happy feelings. Sarah pulled at the algae and jumped on the small waves with me, rocks stuck between our toes.

the little hidden shore we played in.

my shoes, a little muddy and stained red from climbing down an old copper mine in Falun, Sweden.

silliness

  

Sarah creating a masterpiece.

The sun appeared after we left the shore and dried our feet, so we took a picnic in the middle of town with goat cheese and bell pepper sandwiches and fruit. We left for another walk around the island, stopping at various hidden shores and along creaky docks, past endless blooms and bushes of flowers, briefly stopping to pet a fat cat that was lounging in the sun. The sun warmed our faces as we walked dreaming of another life, of idyllic summer homes and endless summer days in Sweden. Some day I'll live here again and it wont be just an idle dream anymore. Some day..

We eventually came upon a beautiful and empty playground, and like children we played with all of the things, notably the tire zip-line, metal bicycle-go-round, and the rock climbing wall. The park was so quiet, so peaceful. Just another sunny day on the island. I left with a sunburn on my shoulders and warmth and giggles all over the rest of me.

Hanging out with artists is the best.

From the graveyard at Vaxholms kyrka.

At the end of our trip, Sarah (a friend visitor of Sarah, confusing only in type) water-colored Vaxholms Kastell from across the water. She has been traveling, painting, and sketching around Europe for a few weeks and has joined us now in Stockholm for our last few days. There is so much left to write about, pictures to post and stories to tell before I go. I have done and seen so many things these past few weeks, spent time with people that fill me with smiles and happiness and shared a bit of my heart with all of them in return. I am overcome by the love of friends and family, by this country, by trying to take in every new thing I see and keep it a part of me forever. I don't want to leave, to have to look back at it all rather than live it every day. These months have passed too quickly and I have grown too attached. I'm approaching the inevitable emotional breakdown. Ugh, feelings.