There is something truly magical about the first day of a holiday.
It’s that intoxicating combination of both the sense of adventure and the unknown and the certainty that the next week is yours and yours alone. That week stretches out in front of you endlessly, all full of the promise of sunshine and fun and new experiences. There are few better feelings than that first day, when you finally switch off from real life and give in to relaxation, promising that you won’t think about work for a minute, and you will enjoy every last moment of this fleeting time to yourself.
That week then of course has the irritating tendency to be over before you can say ‘Mojito please, Barkeep!’ and all too soon you find yourself wrapped up in your duvet back in grey, rainy England, reminiscing about what a wonderful time you’ve had and wondering if you dreamt the whole thing up. Just like I am right now this second, as a matter of fact! Yep, I’m back, lamenting already, and about to embark on a few weeks worth of ‘Oh how I wish I was still on holiday’ type posts I’m sure. Good luck with that…..
It’s a good job that in this day and age we have the technology to capture those precious moments and look back on them at will. Remember the days when the only camera you had was a wind up disposable one? I remember more than one occasion when my friends and I excitedly took them into Boots immediately upon return for one hour developing, and would excitedly gather around a pub table only to discover most of them had come out too dark or that the lens had something sticky on and you all looked more than a little blurry. How soul destroying were those little advice stickers from the developer? ‘Oh hey, maybe try the flash next time?’ Thanks. Thanks for that helpful advice, delivered so timely after the fact I discovered all my precious memories were lost forever! Luckily this isn’t a problem any more and we can flick back through those memories at any time we please, even sharing them with our loved ones before we’ve set off for home.
These pics from our first full day in Gouves, Crete, really make me smile, as I can still feel the bubble of excitement in my tummy as I got ready for our first evening out, slipping on a dress I wouldn’t even consider wearing without tights back home these days and wondering what the night had instore for us. The first thing on my holiday wish list was to find the sea. I’m a Midlands dweller, remember, so seeing the sea is as full of novelty and glee for me as Christmas is when you still believe in Santa. I’d caught a little glimpse at it from the hotel earlier that morning, but we’d arrived late at night the previous day and were still a little sleepy from the journey and the rush to tie up loose ends before we set off, so we hadn’t made it any further than the pool so far, something I was keen to rectify as soon as possible. So out we ambled after dinner in that same seaward direction, completely oblivious as to how to get here or what else was down there. Something I should try more often, it seems, as after around 5 minutes of guesswork we found ourselves on the promenade, and lucky enough to witness the most breathtaking sunset I’ve ever seen! I can literally feel the happiness beaming out from that last picture of me. Definitely a moment I will cherish forever. Scrolling through those pics is pretty much all that’s keeping me from falling into a dark and dreary pit of despair right now. That, and booking my next holiday of course! I’m not kidding. I’m simultaneously scanning Icelolly.com as we speak!
Love,
In this post: White Lace Dress, Principles (Similar) – Tan Sandals, New Look, (Similar) – Gold Necklace, Accessorize (Similar) – Tan Saddle Bag, Dorothy Perkins (Similar)
Picking the Day 