Sometimes the world is really small. I became friends with Lina and Johan through Sabrina, my wife. Sabrina met Lina when we moved to Sweden but they soon realized both Lina and Johan knew me because we had all worked together for the blue and yellow furniture company. Small.

When I asked Lina and Johan if they would open the doors of their home for a photo shoot, the first thing Lina said was, “But it´s so dark!”

It’s true, in part—the lighting could be better for the purposes of a voyeuristic photographer like me. But the bright colours in their home and the smiles of Leah and Frank (their kids) brought the sunshine in.

It was sunny and cold the Sunday I visited (-8°C feels unnatural to a Roman like me). We spent time gossiping and lunching outside a restaurant in Lilla Torg (the small square) in Malmö. Yes, lunch outside on a winter weekend. It’s something most Italians would never understand (or believe). The trick is blankets!

Enjoy the bright photos of Lina and Johan’s home and don’t miss the Q&A after the pics. Lina is a photographer too and you can see her website here.

Which pair of shoes is your favourite?

Lina: The cute pair that I never wear. They are living in a box in the closet.

Johan: I wanna say my running shoes but I have to say my Blundstone’s.

What’s the best thing you’ve eaten lately?

Lina: Sushi.

Johan: Candy.

If you had to choose one, would you give up booze or coffee?

Lina: Coffee.

Johan: Booze. You will be missed!

If they made a movie of your life, what would it be called?

Lina: “Frame it”

Johan: “It’s been great”

How much time do you spend in front of the mirror getting ready each morning?

Lina: Meet people = long time. Not meet people = no time.

Johan: Always between 5-10 minutes.

If you could make something other than rain fall from the sky, what would it be?

Lina: Happiness.

Johan: Money.

What’s the last thing you regret putting in your mouth?

Lina: The candy I was not supposed to eat.

Johan: A very bad paella.

What job would you want for just one day?

Lina: Location scout for travel agency. Does this job exist?

Johan: Comedian/actor.

I was full of excitement for my first Swedish summer. I dreamt aloud to my wife, Sabrina, of all the things we could do. We could rent a car and explore the Swedish countryside: meet locals, eat Scandinavian delights, visit coastal cities and let the hours pass in the car listening to music and enjoying the sun on the open road. But there was something I forgot that stood in the way of my dream — the reality of Swedish weather.

It seemed almost every day of the summer greeted us with clouds full of rain. It was grey and chilly and I was low, having long given up my road trip fantasy. That’s when Sabina swooped in and saved me with a pair of tickets to Menorca, Spain.

An island in the Mediterranean with average summer temperatures that stay in the high 20s, Menorca delivered on all the promises of what a summer vacation should be. We ate delicious tapas each day and drank claritas, a mixture of beer, lemonade and tonic I am convinced it is the freshest summer drink one can wish for.

We visited one of Menorca’s main cities, Ciutadella, to see an art exhibition. The city itself is more than a thousand years old and today you can find Moorish influence in the architecture. The art we went to see wasn’t that great, but the homes more than made up for it.

As I sit here writing this post on a dark winter afternoon in Sweden, I hope these pictures will bring you thoughts of summer and the feeling of sun on your cheek.

More from Menorca in posts to come!

The barn has been picked over since it was abandoned, either by the people who left in the first place or by unbiased opportunists who have since snuck inside — like me. Though it wasn’t hard; the door was left wide open.

The paint is peeling off the walls, making shapes like erratic lace. There’s a coating of shit on the desk that suggests no one has done paperwork there for a while. The butts on the ground look fresh. Maybe they are.

I find a calendar that reads “May 21” and the barn begins to feel like a time capsule, holding tokens of the people who were there before. An industrial scale. A receipt. A bike frame.

Have a look yourself below. And if you work in Älmhult, Sweden you can have a peak in person. You’ve probably walked past this place several times.