The winter sun is a seldom visitor here in Norway, thus more precious. I try to catch its few rays whenever it’s possible. While my memories take me back to a very different February. Last year we spent some weeks exploring wonderful Catalonia. While Barcelona is its jewel, there are so many more hidden treasures.
As I browse through my old pictures, I get carried away. If you want to get carried away too, follow me in this mental journey. Let’s go to a little town by the seaside which is full of light on a regular February day. Let me present to you Canet del Mar, not famous but charming little place. Let’s walk its narrow streets, take notice of its modernist details and imagine living in its small houses. If I were a painter I would come here with my painting set and study the art of Mediterranean light which is so lovely in winter.
I love visiting small towns because there are no great sights to see, no place to hurry to – and all I am left with is to wander the streets aimlessly and imagine how it is to live here. Do you have this hobby too?
My favorite images are those where the light is the main character: playing with the shadows under the arches, making them shine up, and sitting at the empty table, casting shadows on the wall, asking who has been sharing these drinks here and where they are gone to now. I also love the empty bench under the stop sign, inviting you to sit and soak up on that sun. And the little pot garden – can you see yourself inspecting your plants while the church bells announce the time?
And what steals your imagination? Let me know of your favorite image here and tell me if you have your dreaming games while traveling. Have a sunny February, everyone! Hopefully, the spring is on its way 🙂
Me Exploring 
I have 2 faves – “sun worshippers” with that beautiful square of sunlight above them, and “the magic of the light” where the sun coming in between the pillars lights the floor and those gorgeous warm bricks of the arches. Nice captures!
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Thank you, Pierr! That light is my number 1 love too. And I feel like one of those sun worshipers now. Would stand in that row with my face towards the sun 😆 Is it sunny in your place in winter?
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Yes! Lots of sunshine here, even after it snows. Then the temperature drops. Tuesday it’s to be sunny and 3 degrees F! I’ve never experienced that kind of cold before. But there will be light 🙂
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Oh, lucky lucky you! What is hard about Norwegian winter is not temperatures, but the darkness. Everyone gets so enthusiastic when the sun comes at last. Luckily now it pops up more often. But the winter is pretty much the same: long long nights, short gray days, and us dreaming away 🙈
You will survive that cold! Just keep your face towards the light, hehe
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My faves are the sun worshipers too, and also the green “come in” patio. And yes, I do those dreaming games too, exactly the same ones as you! Wandering aimlessly and following locals, wondering who waters those plants and who sat here last… 😀 Lovely post! ❤
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It seems that we dreamers have similar games 😊
I love how locals create life and greenery in any corner, it is so optimistic. Especially in winter 😉
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I’m thinking of finding a winter palm tree for our balcony 😀 for next winter. Hubby saw one somewhere, it survived in snow, so I need to find out what palm tree it was! 🙂
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Oh, poor palm tree. Sorry, she must be strong if she did it. But I just imagined being that tree… hehe. Go for it! I
I love the trend of jungle in the house! If we were not moving I would buy a gang of cactuses now!
Another question, Snow. You are so active in conversations, sorry for stalking 🙊How much time a day you spend on WP connecting? If this is not too personal, anti-Nordic question.
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The more anti-Nordic, the better, hehee 😀 I’m not active on any social media at all (I only check my Twitter maybe once a week but that’s it), I’m not even on FB. So the only thing I do on the internet is WP. So that frees up time. I use maybe an hour in the evenings (like right now) hanging out in my blog. I’ll answer comments and then I’ll check a few blogs I like and a few from the Reader. I don’t comment on everyone’s blog as much as yours!! ;D Before the babies I was more active. Now I wait until they’ve gone to sleep. In addition to this, if I’ve posted something and I’m curious to see if I got any comments, I might log in a couple of times during the day, but just for 5-10 minutes. I have removed the WP app from my phone and ipad just to make it harder for me to check! I now have to log in on my computer. Otherwise it’s too addictive! But please remember, I’m not working right now. When I go back to work I probably won’t have the energy to log on in the evenings. I might reload the app and check WP on my phone during office hours then 😀
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Thank you for not-Nordic approach, Snow 😆
I was just curious bc I want to learn from you)) it seems you have a lot of interaction going on the blog, and you seem to follow and care and comment. And as u said, you grow your blog ecologically. My goal is to be more interactive. I tend to be a solid creator. Getting the things out, but not connecting. Like the audience will discover and come (but in this information age the content must something really unusual). I surely mentioned it before. And it is cool to get an insight into other bloggers’ blogging style 😊 so I appreciate your sharing!
I think, being off social media helps. I find myself often on Instagram bc it is so easy to use – just watch pics. And then oops – an hour passed 😆 here on WP I still build my jewel feed 😆 so that I would be as eager to check here, as on IG. And I use WP app but is not addictive for me at all 😂 I am working only part-time now. I don’t know how fulltimers do it. Maybe, blogging from the office 🙂
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A couple of my recent posts did get a lot of comments! I’ve noticed that my replies to comments on my blog are more thoughtful when they are about a subject that I’m interested in, but when I get simple “nice photo” comments I often just reply “thanks”. (I do love getting those comments too, and I make that kind of comment often myself- sometimes there’s just no need for more words.)
As for the amount of visits/comments, bloggers seem to be interested in blog posts about blogging! 😀 And I’ve also noticed that giving out my personal opinions makes people engage more – though this is something I’ve been a bit reluctant to do – like you’ve said on your blog, I’ve been tiptoeing a bit, too.
But yes, I have spent a considerable amount of time connecting with other bloggers if you count all 3 blogging years! Nowadays I don’t have as much time. Then again, this winter and last winter I’ve spent more time indoors than ever! Which leads to more opportunities for connecting but in the end I’ve just been focusing more on my favorite blogs to follow.
I like that you want to be more interactive. But don’t worry about it too much, just do what feels good 🙂 Remember to use categories and tags so that people will find your posts in the Reader. And maybe check out what people have posted in the Weekly Photo Challenge, many of those who participate interact with others and it’s an easy place to start getting connected, in my opinion! 🙂
It’s true, you have great content and it keeps coming! 😀
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I think the sincere post about things people care ( here it is blogging) wakes more interest than the polished or unpersonal like 5 things to see in Rome (if you are not exactly going to Rome). Bloggers have a lot of feelings about blogging so they want to talk about it. While photos are nice to see, but for that I have Instagram. So I appreciate texts over pictures though good pictures capture me anywhere 🙂 and I would seldom stop to say “nice pic”. You are right, it feels nice to get those comments too. But I am more about meaning. All that meaning work takes energy: when I create it, and when I consume it. Maybe, I just think too much 😆😆
And you are right, it is mostly about doing what you like. Some people like to connect more than others 😉
And thank you for the good work about my content. I believe in the power of the good stuff but I also understand that so long as I don’t create smth of special value, people will not crowd on my blog 😆 I don’t know the secret of value creating yet, so I just play around and hope to learn smth in the process 🙂
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I actually like photo blogs the most and I consider myself a photo blog. It’s different than insta where they are just snaps and often of people’s daily lives. Photobloggers are interested in photography, that’s how I see it. And they don’t post photos of their own lives – or it’s not the only subject. I would also like to develop my photography but who has the time? 😉 Writing takes even more time because I always spend ages editing and editing, though my first draft is quickly written I don’t like to publish if I don’t feel it’s 100% ready. If I do (it sometimes happens!) then I regret it and feel like quickly posting something else to push the sloppy post down in the feed! 😀 Hahah. Well. I’m trying to post less anyway and focus more on quality from now on.
I agree, those lists “5 best hotels” and “10 mistakes to avoid” don’t interest me at all, either. I studied internet marketing a while ago. There, they said those posts create the most clicks because readers are lazy and like to know in advance how long/short the post will be before reading. Blah.
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I see your point. Photo blogs give one new opportunities, like you can create series, galleries and stories with your photos, for ex. I am very biased since I view myself as a writer blogger, and also tend to see others like that too, haha. Just had to discover my own bias, funny. That’s why I follow few people – bc I intend to read 🙂 (and sometimes I end up reading books instead). I like posts with photos, but when I see a single-photo posts I think: This is instagram material.
I find that Instagram is used differently by Russians and the rest. Russian insta-word takes it as blogging. there is even a name “instablogger”. so people do mean they create a blog on IG. and some do! They write posts, they have million followers, they plan their content. So for me IG is way more than snaps from the daily life. there are some really sassy bloggers there, doing their blogs in that format. However, I don’t see English-speaking users turning insta into the blog.
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I wish I spoke Russian! 🙂 I guess what I like about photoblogs vs insta is that no one is fishing for followers or likes. They are like a portfolio or exhibition, more subtle but strong 😀
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I am on the lookout for the photoblogs now, thank you for inspiration 😉
Russian is not easy one, but hey you are close to Russia, so you could learn, go and practice 😆
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Oh, I explained myself so badly in that reply. Need to add that as a photo hobbyist/amateur, having a photo blog gives me a place to exhibit my art. That’s the way I’m going to go with the blog…
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And hey, thank you for this dialogue! I have discovered a totally new dimension. I haven’t thought of blogging in these terms. But upon reflecting I find out that I enjoy photo blogs, and maybe should do some research to add more of them on my feed. And it is not only about reading too, pith *sigh of ease* 🙂 How have you found your favorites?
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You might like this one, pics from Paris: tomplevnik.wordpress.com
And this is a good one:
streetsofnuremberg.com
Also:
mercedescatalan.wordpress.com
japantrekker.com
myfourseasons.blog
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Oh, thank you for sharing! I am excited to start browsing those blogs!
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…And I don’t remember how I found them 🙂 From here and there… I follow lots of travel blogs and expat blogs that are well written and where the bloggers and I have something in common, and where they interact…
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You must be a good blog explorer then 😉 Though my blog’s name is “me exploring”, there is a lot of potential for getting better, hehe. I guess, you found me too, not I 🙈
I made up my mind to be a regular guest on Daily post, there are so many interesting things (and blogs) there. One of the ways to explore 🙂
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Good luck! Hope you find something you like! But if you don’t, then don’t make it into a chore, just do as much as you enjoy doing ❤
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Thank you 🙂 New year, new energies, you know 😉 It is good to try something new, but in the end the heart chooses what it wants to stick to.
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Oh yes, the light as the main character. That and the doors and the day is made. 🙂 I love unassuming towns like this one. It’s interesting how it’s a bit similar than over here but also not. “Lovely lines” is the favourite. So stylish, and again not like here but almost. Looking forward to more of your doors!
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Light, doors and lines. I got your preferences 😆 Those lines were also not exactly typical of those places. I love both typical and not typical there 🙂
Thank you for warm feedback. I will come with more 😉
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