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COOL PLACES

The ones that leave you in awe

What is this place?

You can´t believe it.
It´s so.. different. From everything you´ve seen before.

Wow.
Your breath slows down and your shoulders drop. A little bit for every breath while you take in the view.

Your heart rate goes up at the same time. You feel calm but also a rush of excitement running through your bloodstream. Out into your chest, your thighs, and finally your lips; where that burst of energy turns into an inevident smile. You feel like you just won something. Effortlessly. Kind of like a child.

A renewable, limitless source of energy.
You won a present.

The present is a present.
To you from you. And whoever you choose to share it with.

You can train yourself do to this all the time.
But here is a list of places where it´s easy,
to reach that state of mind.


#1

Blue Eye, Albania

Vlore County, south Albania.

The ice cold water adds to the mysterious feel of this place.

The spring gets its water supply from an underground cave that pushes it up through "the blue eye".
It´s like a pool that you can jump into, but the water pressure will push you towards the surface as soon as you jump in.
No one knows how deep it is or exactly how the phenomena works.

We came early in the morning, before the crowds. Which was perfect. But you have to wait until the sun reaches above the mountains, because that´s when the color show starts.

The deep green and all the shades of blue probably give you more life. I could bet on it.

#2

Koko Head Hike, Hawaii

This view tho.

To reach the peak of Koko Head, you walk up a very steep set of "stairs".
Or 1,048 uneven railroad ties, to be specific.
It´s a bit challenging and will get your pulse up, but it is also very straight-forward. You can see your goal all the way from the start.

And when you push yourself up the final step, you have a 360 view of one of the most beautiful places in the world.

#3

Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Cozy cobblestone walks and cute little restaurants.
The Neretva river flowing peacefully with the blueish mountains in the background.
The old town of Mostar feels both touristy and undiscovered, at the same time.

It also feels like Gandalf and Frodo could pop up here anytime, in Bosnia´s most beautiful town.

Although that was just a guess, since it is the only Bosnian town I have visited.
But it could be.
Because it is extremely pretty. And unique. Can´t really compare it to anything else that I have seen

#4

Guatapé, Colombia

More stairs!

This bizarre rock looks like something in a cartoon.

Almost like Bamses farmors hus.

This is from when me and Sofia completely fell in love with Colombia in 2018 (after having a crush on it during the first visit in 2017).

#5

Palacio da Pena, Portugal

A portughese ancient castle above the clouds.

Forty minutes outside of Lissabon is where this special place was built in the 9th century. Kings and queens of Portugal inhabited the palace up until 1910.
Now it´s a museum, with cultural treasures from more than thousand years.

But the best part is walking around on the outside trying to compare; is the view more breathtaking from this side or the other?

#6

Holistika, Tulum

"A magical hotel where wonderful things happen"
That´s the slogan of Holistika Hotel in Tulum city.

Sounds like Disney but this is artsy tranquility in the Mexican jungle, with a very creative touch.
The art walk is free and open to anyone, and offers a meditative path of art pieces in different forms and styles.
Reflective words on a wooden sign. A big Mayan skull turned into a cave. A trippy brightcolored stairs leading up to a portal. And a lot more.

You walk around slowly because an instant sense of peace hits you when you enter. And you take it with you when you leave

#7

La Boca, Argentina


"La Bombonera" means candy box and is the nickname of this stadium.
Home of the Boca Juniors.
The name comes from it´s unique shape, that also makes for incredible acoustics.

That, in combination with the most passionate football fans in the world (?), literally causes the ground to shake during games. Shakes that have been felt by Tevez, Riquelme and Maradona, to mention a few.

The team is based in the neighborhood La Boca, where everything is yellow and blue.
Not only the stadium, but you´ll see houses and streets covered proudly in the club colors.

The colors resembles the Swedish flag, and that is because... that´s where they come from.
Back in 1905, the Italian immigrants who founded the club sat by the port discussing their upcoming creation. How to pick the club colors?
Let´s check the next boat that sails in.
Said and done.
When the Swedish ship "Drottning Sophia" sailed in, the crew had no idea that they inspired the start of a legendary football club.

#8

Sunset by Lake Siljan, Leksand

This picture makes me so happy.
Mom taking a swim in our hometown lake, right at peak sunshow hour.

Leksand.
The little countryside town that I´m from, in the heart of Sweden.
A town that everyone in the nation has heard of, although it has less than 7,000 people.

Probably because of our ice hockey team and the knäckebröd. But there is so much more.

The best of all:
the constant proximity to the green and the blue. The lake, the forest, the hills.
Clean air, pure water.

Natural beauty at its finest

#9

Camp Nou, Barcelona

I went there for the first time in 2008.
Xavi and Iniesta.
Henry and Messi.

Some of my all time favorite men´s players.
And favorite team, with the smartest football brains and the most homegrown players.

What I remember the most in detail, though, is walking up the concrete stairs, all the way to the top.

I have this image in my head of how extremely green the grass looked, in contrast to the concrete. And how the grand sight of overlooking the stadium gave me goosebumps lasting all 90 minutes.
Thinking "the grass IS greener at Camp Nou".

The World is Beautiful

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