After returning to Barcelona I’ve had some time to reflect on the trip. A few things that were great:
Autumn colours – everything was so beautiful! The trees were red and yellow and the sky was blue.
Great food – I ate so much. And everything was so good. I always put on weight when I go to Finland.
Desserts x 100 – My mum spoiled me to death and I had desserts after every meal.
Warm cosy clothes – Yes, it was cold. But when it’s cold you also get the opportunity to wear something else than dresses and skirts and t-shirts, which is nice for a change. Although I don’t mind warm weather at all…
Open fire – I loooove open fires..! In Barcelona you never get to see one.
Family – I have quite a large family, and it was wonderful to meet everyone (well, not everyone, but many of them at least!) after a long time.
Great friends – Oh how I wish they lived closer to me. Or that I lived closer to them. It’s just not enough to see each other once a year.
Shopping – Shopping was nice in Finland, first of all because there are lots of shops that we don’t have here in Barcelona, and secondly because I wanted to stock up on things I can only buy there, like certain brands of make-up.
Sandwiches with loads of filling – Back to the food theme. When you buy a sandwich in Finland you don’t get just cheese or ham or chicken, you get mozzarella AND sun-dried tomato AND pesto AND lettuce, in the same sandwich!
My cats – I’ve missed my cats a lot, and they remembered me even though it’s been a year since I last saw them.
Nature – There is so much nature in Finland! Forests, lakes, fresh air everywhere.
Slow living – Well, at least when you’re there on vacation. Not the stress you have in a big city. Nature (see above), people talking quietly, working hours are not ridiculously long as they are here in Barcelona which means more time to relax or do whatever you feel like doing.
Wonderful service – Everyone are so nice everywhere! Any shop you go in to the people working there will smile and say hi. Everyone is friendly and helpful and great.
Clean, healthy food – No additives, no sugar, no white flour. Eating healthy is much easier.
Obviously there are lots of things I missed from Barcelona when I was in Finland:
Warm weather – This is an obvious one. Although I enjoyed dressing in trousers I didn’t mind wearing a dress to work again.
Things to do – Barcelona is full of things to do, all the time. And anything you might want to do.
Food – I love Spanish food too! I missed seafood, cheeses, tapas and natillas.
Sun – In Barcelona the sun shines, almost every day! It makes a big difference in your mood.
My Soul Man – Of course. I missed him so much I almost split in half.
It’s great to have two homes, and miss both equally as much. They are so different and so lovely at the same time.
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Jag gjorde en liten lista på saker jag tycker om med Finland, och där ingår förstås familj, vänner, mat, natur och lite shopping också. Men det är klart att man saknar Barcelona också; solen, värmen, maten och framför allt min Soul Man! Men det är tacksamt att ha två hem, båda så olika men så fina på många sätt.
Maria Katarina Barcelona 