Travel. Micro-adventures.
Frozen Valentine’s Day
Traveling in our own backyard.
Our Valentine’s day wasn’t about chocolate — it was about snow. A lot of snow has fallen over the last few days, something that is becoming rare in my country. We visited our weekend house, and we were surprised by the transformation the pristine white cover provided to the usually lush green garden. Everything looked pure and clean.
But when I ventured closer, I began to see patterns in the snow. Tiny pawprints showed me where the mice lived. Another bigger set showed where the neighbor’s cat decided to take a leisurely stroll through our garden. Apparently, he wasn’t interested in the mice. And then there were trails of little footprints that suddenly disappeared into thin air. They briefly mystified me until I realized that these were the footprints of birds that flew away. Mystery solved. Like an open book, the whole garden told me a story: what creatures lived here and where they liked to go.
I added my own set of footprints as I explored further. I bent down and was amazed. There was a thin frozen crust over the snow’s surface, and it looked like a miniature ice forest. Like something out of a fairy tale.
As I meandered towards the back of the garden, another surprise awaited me. From the edge of a shed hanged icicles longer than my arm. Some of them already fell down and pierced the snow cover like sharp ice missiles. I very carefully avoided getting under them as I examined the fallen pieces.
The ice glittered in the sunlight, and there were drops of water forming on their tips. By this time tomorrow, they may be gone along with the snow blanket that covered the ground. But we arrived at the exact right moment to see all this beauty. I felt so lucky. And I was surprised by how many new little things you could experience even when visiting your own garden. For a short while, I felt like I was traveling again. Because that’s what traveling is for me: experiencing new things, no matter how small.
Travel with me: behindthenextcorner.com :)
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