Summer in Stockholm

Sometimes Stockholm is indeed an amazing city. Especially in summer. And I must say I really like the area where I live. It is not really in the city centre, but a very pleasant 20 minutes bicycle-ride takes me straight into the city where my work is.
50 metres from my flat you can swim in the lake or just sit at the bistro looking out over the water.
5 minutes away along my jogging path by the lake I could collect a boquet of lillies of the valley today.
And all over it all the hot-air balloons fly silently. It is great!

Potami beach

Had a wonderful holiday on Samos. One day I rented a car and travelled around the island and came to Potami beach. As it is still the beginning of the season the beach was almost empty. Lovely! Clear (and cooling) water in the hot sun. Wouldn't have minded staying longer.

Change - again

Today was kind of the last day at work, at least for a while. Ok, I am working tomorrow as well, but will spend the whole day out of office on a seminar. I will have to go back on Monday as well to finish some things but I do actually start my holiday on Monday and then June 1 I start my other job.
I am really looking forward to start my new work, but the funny thing is I have looked forward to it so much now, I haven’t really thought about that it also means changing colleagues again. It struck me just this Tuesday when we came back from a two days conference with our whole unit, i.e. both my old and current colleagues. After a month and a half at the new office I have started to get to know the colleagues there better and like them as well. But now I will have to change again. It is actually rather energy consuming. It is the third time I change colleagues (and work in a way) in six months. I really look forward to my holiday and the new job and hope I will be able to focus and give 100%. I am fed up with the limbo-situation I have been in for quite some time.

Holiday plans

After some back and forth on what to do on my holiday I finally booked a trip to Greece yesterday. So after planning for Jerusalem, Addis Abeba, Italy, Belgrade and Crete it finally was Samos. I don’t know anything about the place, but it looked nice. And since I am travelling on my own and don’t have either much time nor money there was not so much to choose between. But I think it will be fine. I have a small apartment on my own and I am looking forward to just lay on the beach or by the pool and read my books. I don’t really have much need for social stimuli or action. I think it will be just what I need before I start my new job. Just to delete and reset.

What's a bit funny however, is the fact that I; who until this year never had been on a charter-trip, am going on my second in matter of four months. Eventhough I was not so very impressed by the concept th first time. Ok, I am not really taking part in the social part of it, to me it is just an easy and cheep way to get somewhere on a short notice without having to thing too much. With good books ans good music on my ipod I think I will survive.

If anyone of you have been to Samos and have some good tips on the island, please let me know.

Luxury Problem

I have something of a luxury-problem. At the same time it is sort of tragic. I don’t know what to do on my holiday!
Because I am about to change jobs I have no real summer holiday, but have two weeks now at the end of May. I would like to go somewhere and really relax. The thing is only that none of my friends have holiday then, so I have no-one to travel with. Travelling alone is not a problem for me, I have done it quite a lot, but it is terribly boring to plan a week’s holiday on your own. Therefore I thought about go and visit someone of my friends living abroad. I had plans for Jerusalem and Addis Abeba, but that did not work out for different reasons. Left are still the options Italy and Belgrade. There are things happening in both places that would be nice to take part in. At the same time I would really like just to take a last minute trip to some Greek island or Spain or Egypt or something and just lay on the beach or by the pool and read my books.
I need to make plans and book soon, but I am just too tired to think and make any decision about it. The last week work has been very draining. It has been very intense and I have worked late every day. After work I have either worked out or had some social thing meaning I have come home very late every day and with the very slow internet connection I am just too tired to start looking for suitable tickets. Maybe I will just do it the old-fashioned way and contact a travel agency.

Getting used

Now I am happy and I realise I did the right thing when I decided to have an inauguration party of my new flat the very first day I had access to it. Of course it was very minimalist and simple, but it was most likely the very first party in this building ever. More important I realise that if I would have waited until the place as completely furnished and decorated before I would have a real house warming party, I would have to wait long.
I am getting used to the place only semi-finished. And seriously; I start to think cardboard boxes are badly underestimated as furniture and decoration details. I mean; what is wrong with having a cardboard box as a bedside table?! Especially as it is a combined storage for things like my riding helmet, sleeping bag and mosquito net!? And with a nice table cloth it can look really nice.
And why should I have to find a place to stuff all my winter coats and boots away as long as I can still enter the apartment even if I have to step over a heap of them just inside the door.

Well I guess I am getting used to it…