Halloween weekend (nothing Halloween-involved)

It was a pretty weird Halloween weekend. Andrea was travelling for work and I stayed in Biarritz. I was expecting cozy days under the duvet watching tv series and eating everything involving chocolate and french fries, while being scared to death by Halloween themed everything. But the sun came out and the temperature raised up to 26°C, which is c.r.a.z.y. here at this time of the year!!! It was like the first days of spring. After weeks and weeks of rain and sweaters, here you finally have to dust off your summer clothes and say hi to the world.

So, what do you normally do on a warm sunny day? I would say surfing, but the waves were way too big for my skill level, the swell hitting up to a 2,50m height. So, I decided to spend the weekend at the beach! In a bikini! I was like, wtf? And my deep self was thinking about all the times I saw pictures on facebook of people sun bathing and swimming in the sea in May, while here it is still pouring rain and almost wintery weather. This one's for you guys, I was thinking. But yet this was just jealousy, I love you all!!!

And I couldn't help snapping some pictures of the swell too. A few guys were brave enough to paddle out and the ocean gave an amazing show as usual.

The Halloween night I hung with a girl friend in Biarritz. We watched the huge waves breaking at sunset and went to the last Woody Allen movie, which I actually liked :)
So, overall it was a pretty quiet yet bizarre couple of days.

What about you? I hope you had a crazy weird Halloween weekend!

xo

Velvet waves

Last week a big swell hit the Basque coast. The day before was a perfect surf day: 5ft of smooth glassy slides. A fresh sea breeze preventing from sweating.
Then suddenly 11ft waves came. It torn apart the local spots, in a storm-like way but without any rain or clouds. It was impossible to surf.

It's unbelievable how things can unpredictably change from one day to another. It's the fortune/misfortune of living by the ocean. Surprise is always around the corner and it's up to you to embrace it and make a gift out of it.
I have to admit it's not always that easy. Sometimes I find myself swearing against the cold 15°C summer weather that seems enjoying making fun of us in the middle of the warmest season.
But it's ok, because you know that the sun will be shining again when you least expect it and soon will put a huge smile on your face :)

Now the waves are back to normal, better than ever. Yesterday I spent my afternoon taking pictures at the ocean just before the sunset. The sky was covered in clouds and the light was a bright white, giving the water all sorts of soft reflections.
What came out was a magical feeling. An ethereal aura surrounded me and covered everything in velvet, I can't even explain that. I could have stared at those colors and textures forever.

I came home recharged by all that bliss.
Today I want to share a piece of these emotions with all of you, knowing that the pictures have the power of showing what words most of the times cannot. I hope you enjoy them!

xo



Credits // Photography: Marta Tomasini

Reading Choice // Swell by Lauren Davies

Nothing more promising than a book named Swell. This is my latest read and you have to believe me when I say I'm so sad I finished it.

Swell takes you to the exotic and exciting atmosphere of the surfing world tour, following the adventures of Bailey Brown, English writer and biographer of the 12-times world surfing champion Jason Cross.

For Bailey the surf world was a totally unknown matter, before she met Jason at a glam party in LA. The stunning statuesque surfer offers her the opportunity of a lifetime: write his biography and follow him on the world tour, during a whole year on the best beaches around the globe. From that day on, between her first experience on a surfboard and a stolen kiss, she discovers the danger, the glamour and the drama behind the competitive surfing - giving credit to a job, the professional surfer, which is not always what we might expect. Most important, she discovers how to live.

Swell has everything a novel, a surf novel, could have: action, great waves, stunning locations, six-packs everywhere and the right amount of drama and love that we like so much.

Lauren Davies, the author, knows well what she's writing about, since her life has been spent traveling around the world to follow her husband, professional surfer and four-time British surfing champion Gabe Davies, chasing waves in exotic locations.

“When I’ve told people my husband is a professional surfer, they don’t quite understand or realize how often they’re putting their lives at risk,” says Lauren

Nothing more to add. I just suggest you to read it and let yourself be overwhelmed by the magic atmosphere and the tropical locations of this novel. 

Plus, in winter time, dreaming about bikinis, warm surf and sandy toes is a great remedy to beat the winter blues ;)

Credits // Author // Photography: Marta Tomasini, Book "Swell" by Lauren Davies