My Winter Favourites

Do’h, winter! My actual satisfaction creeps within limits while trying to understand the overly severe Christmas attitude of some people. The only thing I wish for Christmas is sunshine and humane temperatures … or at least enough bottles of vitamin D drops in order to overcome the sunless days during my non-favourite season …

It quite simply has to be realised that “Hygge”, or the Danish way to live well (translated as “cosiness” or “wellbeing”) is the way I do between autumn and spring. And I do really have to believe the Danish people and their attitude toward relaxing and feeling well – who knows better how to live without daylight, than the Scandinavians?! Exactly!

Hygge

No, not the book. But the actual practice of Hygge. The idea of relaxing and feeling comfortable at home, forgetting the White Walkers outside the window (you don’t know what White Walker is? Shame on you!). My keywords are tea, coffee, candles, cookies, a fluffy blanket, good music, best series, motivational books and reading about my next trip! So, all in all, I do everything in order to deliver a cosiness to my soul. But those things could not be really written, they meant to be felt.

So, in fact, I believe each favourite of mine has to do with Hygge or feeling fine during the winter time! So here they are:

Favourite Activity

Yes, I’m writing and reading a lot during the winter time. Some of the books I can mention to have caught my attention are “The Meaning of Happiness” by Alan W. Watts, “Best of Travel 2018” by Lonely Planet, and again “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. The last one I read for the first time when I was 16 and to be honest, I cannot even imagine what I have learned from it. But know, I saw the book from a different angle. This is my favourite story, about following the path of your life. The book is for anyone who reads not only to escape reality but also to understand reality better.

There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure. ― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Favourite Music

I was travelling to Valencia in November. And travelling is that kind of magic that gives you the opportunity to meet new people that you’ll probably never meet elsewhere at home… But travelling is also about exchanging experiences, stories and also music with strangers. So did I in Valencia! This time I got home with this great and very long Spotify List called “Versones Tienda” with the best Jazz covers I’ve ever heard!

Favourite Series

It was not strange at all that I watched all two seasons of “Stranger Things” at one go! The story is creepy, mystic, magical, and catchy – everything I want from a series! If you’re searching for a new winter series and “Stranger Things” is a new thing to you – you know what to do 🙂

Favourite Movie

Going to the cinema on the last Saturday afternoon was not planned at all. But as I saw the poster with two Backpackers and the Word “Weit” (Far Away), I could not really resist my intention to skip the outside temperatures. “Weit” is a documentary about two travellers and bloggers who decided to travel the world for three years without flying – slow travel. Their journey started in Freiburg in Germany passing through the Balkan countries, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal, China, Mongolia, Japan, Mexico, Guatemala, Spain, Switzerland and back home! Three amazing years of hitchhiking in 2.5 h documentary!

Favourite Christmas Movie

 

 

Although I’m not the biggest fan of Christmas, I love watching Christmas movies like every normal person does. Of course, my all-time favourite Christmas movie is “Home Alone”, but in the recent years “The Holiday” with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet has been on my must-watch list during December! If you haven’t watched it yet – go and get it!

Favourite Place

There is no doubt –  my very favourite place from the last weeks is the City of Arts and Sciences, Valencia! A place with architecture like no other … But more about Valencia is coming soon on my Blog!
 

My New Job

Yes, my new part-time job – exactly what I wanted! If you follow my blog, you’ll probably know that I quit my last job and I’m having my further education in the field of Digital Marketing. Luckily enough, I got my new (digital marketing!) job very fast after applying speculatively.  I think that LillaGreen was the main reason why I got the job (except for my education and experience of course…). Just another good example of following the own path in life 😉 .

Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth Speaker II

My Bose Bluetooth speaker has been a favourite not only during the winter time but also during the whole last year! I took it on each trip and it was always a good idea. But in the last two months, I primarily use it as a music speaker in the bathroom. The speaker is connected whether with my phone or with Alexa.

 Sony Wireless Sports In-ear Headphones

I’m definitely that kind of person who doesn’t leave home without earphones and a good music on the go. But there are several issues: always searching for my headphones, the “cable spaghetti”, and I cannot do stuff while wearing my headphones. The good news: problem 2 and 3 are solved! I’m so in love with my Sony Wireless Sports In-ear Headphones (MDR-AS600BT II)! They provide not only a great sound quality, but also incredible comfort, thanks to their completely wireless operation. They connect over Bluetooth to get my music and calls from my phone. Perfect! I use them every single day: outside while having a walk, at the gym, on the bus, or at home while cleaning 😀 I know! I hate cleaning! But cleaning works about a hundred times better with some podcasts than without 😉

 Alexa, Echo

The newest member of our smart-home is Amazon’s Alexa (Echo) voice controlled, wireless speaker. Alexa is a clever digital-assistant: we use it for searching on the web, playing music, turning on-off or dimming the lights at home, creating to-do and shopping lists, alarm clock and many others. The funny thing is that the Amazon’s gadget gets better every single day! Alexa works similar to Apple’s Siri, but it feels much more natural than talking to a phone!

These were my Winter Favourites of 2017! Curious to read about yours too! I’ll be very happy if you share them with us in the comment section 🙂

 
Enjoy your Christmas Time!