Christmas Eve. The Walk

And all of a sudden, Christmas arrived.

How this happened, I'm not sure.

Actually, it's quite easy to forget about a lot of things when you live this high up. It's quite possible that the equation goes like this: every metre higher towards the clouds I live, perhaps amounts to another concept conveniently eradicated from my snow filled mind. And being blissfully removed from the nation's dramatically over hyped build up to Christmas as well as remedying inevitable impending homesickness by ignoring it, I simply shaved it all from my thoughts..

Knobbly knees #1 + Knobbly knees #2 [a.k.a. Danna, the injured knee clan] gazed up at the sun drenched mountains brimming with powder with spoilt disappointment of missing out. Yes, these whimpering thoughts were greedy + immature, because one day out of descending action out of 5 months wasn't anything to be sad about. But a festive ski, hand in hand + wearing our woollies with reindeer on was one of our [many] ambitions for the season.

When all of our duties for the day were done however, we set out at twilight with no desired destination with snow boots + snuggly hats on to explore the forests around us. It turned out to be the most magical walk imaginable, following one of the hundreds of cross country tracks we gradually weaved up one of the monstrous hills- creeping + creaking in the sensationally sensual snow. The sky turning from blue to pink and the towering surrounding of trees becoming increasingly silhouetted in their evening dressed state, with descriptive personalities forming to guide us on our walk to nowhere. Mystical mists hovered slowly around us, and clung to the high peaks of the mountain heads peering down on our rambling ecstatic feet. Rosy cheeked + amorous, we stopped as much as our body temperatures would allow us, for smooches in the sunset. Stumbling across creaking wooden wonky homes, with gold light pulsating from each shuttered window + invitingly warm looking smoke chugging from the chimneys into the ever freezing evening : we fantasised about being able to build an abode, so hidden away in the dreaming trees....

As we eventually started stumbling downhill to the wood fired village below, we were welcomed back to civilisation with a mug of steaming hot spiced wine from a small round man with pink cheeks standing outside the little local shop. He had a swaying cauldron of festive cheer that had attracted a swarm of eager slurpers to gather round in their identically contented chance discoveries. "Sante" I stuttered repeatedly as we clinked cups with our group, our freezing bodies radiating + rejuvenating with the re-introduction of warmth [+ booze, I'd imagine.]

After a peek in a little village Christmas craft fayre and a number of "Joyeoux Noel"s with everyone we passed, we returned back to our funny little flat- festive in its own miniature way with Swedish advent candles and twinkly lights. How lucky, I felt. All of a sudden a surge of warmth drenched happiness wrapped itself around me, and there was an Anna, so so happy to be alive.

We had cheery pancakes drenched in mushrooms and sacred Marmite with Conn + pootled back into the village for extortionate beers with our Romanian chums. Midnight seems to be way past our bedtime at the moment, so staying up for Santa was going to be a potential challenge. But Dimi kept buying everyone spine chilling shots to accompany the DJs who'd started playing funky traX and before we knew it, we were all dancing our way into Christmas Day, brimming with festive cheer.