This week I am in the cold and wet of Munich, Germany for a work trip. Last week I was in sunny Spain. This week I’m walking in the rain with an umbrella, surrounded by brilliant fall colors like at home, eating sausages and pretzels and drinking beer. Last week I was in a villa with citrus and olive groves, surrounded by palm trees and sunshine, eating cheeses and cured meats and drinking wine.

I love both places. My Munich photos aren’t as good as my Palma ones, so for now I’ll just share pictures from the island in the Mediterranean, where I ate tangerines fresh off the tree, and where rosemary grew wild on a rocky hike to the sea.

In the mornings I sat outside on the terrace to eat my breakfast of Greek yogurt with almonds and honey. On the one day it wasn’t sunny, wind blew through palms, pomegranate trees, and bouganvilla, while rain pattered on the Spanish tile roof. I journaled at a worn wooden table with a small fluffy cat curled up in the pad of the chair next to me. My teammate’s yoga mat lay on the tile terrace outside her room’s glass door to the garden.

Eight of us from my team were able to make it to the meetup, and we rented a van since the villa wasn’t walking distance to restaurants or the market. Plus, we were on an island, and we wanted to see the sea. One day we piled into the minivan to go for a team hike, and it was spectacular.

After a wild and stressful year, this was a soothing time together to slow down, reflect, and get inspired for 2024. We made meals together, we processed 2023 together, and we enjoyed the calm, rejuvinating peace of the villa.