I was intrigued to say the least when I found out that we'd be spending our holidays in the nation of Montenegro. Straight away I had to reach for the atlas (I didn't have a smartphone at the time) to see where this mythical place was located. That turned into a wild goose chase as I later discovered that the country had only been formed a couple of years earlier, rendering our atlas out of date. Once I absorbed the initial shock of spending a week in a place I'd never even heard of before, I reminded myself that I would be joining six of my friends for what promised to be an unforgettable trip abroad.
And so it proved. From the moment we got to Montenegro it was bliss. The scenery. The weather. The friendly locals. Whoever organised this as our destination knew what they were doing. It was unparalleled. After the first day I told myself never to go to a major international city because you don't get paradise like this in New York, Paris, Rome or Shanghai.
We visited some sublime mountain tops and spent a day in the capital city, the name of which I have forgotten - thank heavens I wasn't the tour guide. On our last full day in Montenegro my friend Jonathan told us of a beautiful beach which was very close to our accommodation and every single one of us voted in favour of a visit.
Shauna noticed that I was the only of the group who didn't bring a rucksack with them to the beach. I didn't even realise I hadn't brought one. Why would I need a rucksack at the beach? We took a half-hour walk along the seaside upon our arrival and when that finished I observed that two of the guys were getting undressed in preparation to test the warmth of the water. The hardy pair didn't wince upon contact with the water, which was encouraging indeed. "This is way warmer than at home!" Paddy cheered.
One by one we all made our way in for a swim. Now I knew why I was the only one without a rucksack. While the others all dressed down to the bare essentials, I was still in my white T-shirt, red and white striped jumper and blue jeans. I slowly made my way into the sea, feeling the warm water (yes, the guys weren't fooling us) filter in through my shoes, drenching my socks in the process.
Gradually I felt the wetness move up along my body, my jeans getting heavier and heavier until they were fully underwater. Then the water wrapped itself around my jumper until, at rib height, I lurched forward and felt the force of H2O up to my neck. The weight of my clothes was inescapable but I didn't care. I was breaking the mould.
It wasn't lost on Shauna, who cried "Oh my God she went in with her clothes on!". The guys all laughed, with me giggling along. Better still, Daniel took his underwater camera. We submerged ourselves completely as he whipped around to capture each of us for a matter of seconds. On the video (which unfortunately we lost afterwards due to some technological screw-up) you can pick me out in an instant. The red of my jumper was a giveaway. At least Daniel also took some photos and they remain. I've included one of me underwater.
After a few minutes we made our way back to the seaside and dried ourselves off with towels - well the others did, I let the early autumn sunshine act as my drier. More than one of my friends asked me why I swam in my clothes. I told them I wanted to try something different and they complimented that. I was weighed down on the walk back, though!
It was the perfect way to end an epic holiday. Sadly I've never been back to Montenegro since but one day I vow to return. It was a truly magical week with some very special friends - and one memorable swim!
Andrea turned 21 last August and unsurprisingly threw a killer party to celebrate. Rather than just going for a night out, though, she had friends over during the day, which she could as her birthday fell on a weekend.
Her parents took no chances in preparation, buying tons of food for the occasion. It turned out to be a smart choice as the party attracted a bumper crowd, to Andrea's delight. She couldn't have asked for a better day, being spoilt as she was with presents.
When the party was at its fullest, her boyfriend had an announcement to make for those gathered. He declared that he was about to give Andrea her birthday surprise, adding that he'd need a couple of other guys to help him out. Two more men answered the call straight away, making their way over to Andrea's boyfriend.
The three men then lifted Andrea and walked towards the pool. The crowd quickly realised what was about to happen and so too did Andrea, who kicked the air several times in a bid to get the guys to reconsider. But it was never going to happen.
They tossed her unceremoniously into the pool, with the girl still in her clothes. A round of applause erupted as poor Andrea resurfaced, her brown hair etched to her face as she treaded water gingerly. Fortunately she was a good sport and took the whole thing as a joke, even if she did promise to get one back on her boyfriend.
Her blue jeans could be seen underneath the surface as she continued to tread and she stretched her black jumper-clad arms towards the pool edge. The three guys responsible for getting her wet at least helped her out of the water and again the crowd clapped and sang happy birthday to the soaking wet Andrea.
When asked about it afterwards, she couldn't stop laughing but again said that she'd get her revenge on her boyfriend! All in all, it was a happy 21st birthday for Andrea!
About two years ago I was at home one evening, bored and craving some company, when I got a text from my friend Amy. She asked me if I wanted to swing by her place so I raced over in a heartbeat.
After a friendly hello hug we began to talk about our weekends - I went to see a show in the local theatre, she was in London with friends. Right away I was in a better mood and it was helped even more when she offered me some of the most gorgeous cupcakes I ever tasted. What's more, she made them herself!
We talked for about half an hour before she invited me out back. The evening sunset was casting a beautiful, orange, wavy reflection in the pool and it had me transfixed. Amy noticed me staring intently at the water.
"Oh my God, do you want to see me do something totally outrageous?" she exclaimed. Silly question - when a friend offers to carry out an outrageous act of randomness, you know something special is about to transpire.
I smiled and she correctly deduced that as a yes. She walked over to the pool edge, glanced back at me momentarily and jumped right in. The most outrageous part of all - she was fully clothed.
I was still laughing when her head reappeared from the water a matter of seconds later. She too was overcome with laughter and you didn't need to be in Mensa to see that she was enjoying herself to the extreme.
"Watch this!" she told me as she disappeared underwater again before her legs dangled above the surface. Amy had decided to perform a handstand and I looked on with intent, smiling at the sight of dark blue trousers and pink, white and violet striped socks wiggling innocently, with droplets of water tumbling from Amy's feet back into the pool.
She reared her head above the water again and climbed out of the pool, not failing to smile and laugh for even the slightest moment. She dried herself off and we returned indoors, with night quickly setting in.
After another of her heavenly cupcakes I said my goodbyes and went on home. I went to sleep that night thinking about Amy and her unexplained desire to jump into her pool fully clothed. That's what I love about her though - she's up for anything.
Thank you for visiting my blog! I'm just a zany person who loves to swim, take a bath or have a shower with my clothes on and I love to watch others do the same...it's just so much fun!
I once thought that I was the only one who felt like this but I soon discovered that many others share my passion. I have made so many friends who, like me, just want to soak up their clothes without a care in the world!
I decided to tell the world about their stories of getting drenched in clothes in the hope that others might feel liberated and choose to join in the fun. I can promise you that it's an experience like no other!
I hope you enjoy the stories and may the force of wet clothes be with you! :)
