Alicante 2025 (Nordhealth)
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Nordhealth flew us all out to Alicante for the company offsite. This was the big one - meeting everybody in person for the first time. I’d already met the marketing team in Copenhagen about a month earlier, but this was the full roster. Engineers, designers, product people, the lot.
Getting There
I met up with Nikolaj, Ricardo and Pedro at the airport before the flight down. The flight in was beautiful - coming down along the Costa Blanca coastline you get that classic Mediterranean postcard moment, deep blue water against dry, sun-bleached land. I knew immediately that sunscreen was going to be important. Spoiler: I did not act on this knowledge.
We grabbed a cab from the airport to the hotel together, and from there it was just a steady stream of faces I’d only known through screens. I met my new manager Andrea, my good friend Naresh, Ryan, and I finally got to meet my teammate David in person. I met Fred and Arunas - the legend. And eventually my roommate for the duration, Giorgios.
The Offsite
The days were packed. Work sessions, talks, and all the in-between conversations that make these trips worthwhile. The highlight on the talks side was a security lecture by Cezary - genuinely impressive stuff about software security. I’d say about 20-25% flew over my head, but that’s what you’d expect from someone that well-versed in the field. The kind of talk where you walk away feeling both smarter and more aware of how much you don’t know.
There was also a meditation class led by Siddhartha, who had flown in all the way from India. I joined in, and afterwards got to talk to him and ask him some questions, which I’m grateful for.
And then there was the karaoke. Most of it was what you’d expect, but one guy decided to go full brutal death metal. And he could belt. Genuinely hilarious and genuinely impressive at the same time.
Beyond the scheduled stuff it was just lots of drinks, walking around with newfound colleagues, and getting to know people. Happy to meet Philip, the designer. Joana, who aided in arranging the whole thing. And Karan, the CEO, of course. The food was great every night, but one dessert stood out - a bread pudding type deal topped with an ice cream that had hints of smoke, rich deep sugars, and dulce de leche. One of those dishes where you stop talking mid-sentence because your brain needs a moment.
Castillo De Santa Barbara
On the last day a group of us - the gang - took a walk up to Castillo De Santa Barbara. We took the lift up to the castle entrance and hiked around from there. The views over Alicante and the coastline were stunning, and they had medieval armor on display inside which was a nice bonus.
Filip was shade-maxxing for most of it, which was the smart move. I, on the other hand, did the entire walk without sunscreen, like an authentic idiot. Frittata mode: engaged.
Heading Home
I picked up some turrón at the airport - my in-laws had asked for it. Nikolaj, Ricardo, Pedro and I were all on the same flight back to Portugal, which was nice until we almost lost Nikolaj to the boarding process. Thankfully it didn’t have to play out like that and we all made it back safe.
Short trip, but dense. For once I’m working for a company with people I genuinely like, doing work I can manage well. Meeting everyone face to face confirmed what I’d been feeling over screens for months - these are good people.
Between Copenhagen and Alicante, I’ve now had two trips with Nordhealth colleagues in the span of a month, and both left me feeling like I ended up in the right place.