#346 Ikkuna

Matkalla jossakin *** På resande fot någonstans *** Travelling somewhere *** Viajando en alguna parte*** Utazás valahol ***  Cestovanie niekde *** Podróżowanie gdzieś ***  Путешествиe куда-то

[Photo Diary] Spain Streetlife

Slightly exhausted after holidays and a chaotic first day of work. Below some snapshots from (mainly) Zaragoza. 

February It Is

Time flies. I have been in Slovakia for over four months, the winter has almost passed. The snow is gone, the rain is delighting us with its presence.

Existentialist doubts have invaded me, driven by some sort of melancholy. I don’t know where that melancholy stems from – maybe from the knowledge that this too shall pass? There are so many things making me happy; the people around me, the things I’m reading, the nights out, the walks around Bratislava, the songs and the laughter. And deep down inside, I know this too will change. People will come, and people will go. All of this will turn into memories. Maybe that is one of the hardest lessons to learn in life, now is now, what’s now might be gone tomorrow.  It’s something that must be accepted, and appreciated.

Lately I have spent a lot of time thinking about Spain. How wonderful it was to wake up at seven, go to the gym and have breakfast with Åsa. The palm trees, the orange trees. The general atmosphere. But then again, on the other hand, I have all these memories from a lot of places. Sometimes they are overwhelming, but at the end of the day I should be thankful for actually having all these great memories.

On Saturday mornings I love drinking coffee and finding random Hungarian music videos on youtube. In a while I need to turn my focus to the European Union and tonight it’s party time again.

The other day in the pub (the perfect place for learning Slovak), I heard this on the radio and could not help myself. This is so funny (and Czech, in case someone is wondering)!

All You Need Is Love

Can't Sleep.

The town is dark and everything is silent. It's well past midnight. Only the rain and the birch leaves can be seen flapping in the street light. I tried to sleep but my head keeps twisting and turning. There is so much to do. Work applications and gym planning. Tonight I drafted a workout program for our trip to Spain. Kicki and I might not be the fittest people in the gym but at least we love it so much that we can't go abroad without a plan. And let's not mention how much I love the planning itself: thinking about supersets and reps and which muscles should be trained on what day and how much cardio is enough.It's so much fun.
This isn't all that is on my mind, though. A friend of mine had some interesting comments today. I appreciate the honesty and the thought-provoking cleverness. You know who you are. 
I don't really like the taste of chamomille tea. It's too bitter. I'll try to drink it, though.

Good night, world!

Hasta la victoria siempre

A couple of days ago I was asked to write about the currents events in Spain. Here’s that post, a couple of days late because that’s how long it took me to figure out how to put my thoughts on paper.

In the past week or so, there have been several demonstrations all over Spain. People, being fed up with the current situation and corrupted politicians, are demanding “real democracy”. Among other things, the demonstrators ask for a fairer electoral system, something that the two main parties seem to be opposed to. Regional elections are held on Sunday, and apparently any demonstration planned for Saturday has been banned by the state’s Central Electoral Board.

The main Spanish newspaper, El Pais, has  interesting articles on the subject, they can be found here.

This post was going to be about my impressions regarding these events, described by some as a “revolution”, so here we go:

• A friend once told me: “ it’s difficult to think that Spanish people might be going through a tough time right now. Spain is palm trees and beaches, good food and party. It’s got nothing to do with economic disasters, mass unemployment and low wages”. Spain is often viewed as some kind of huge hotel resort, but the truth is that, right now, life is very difficult for a lot of people in Spain.  
• It is impressive to see so many people gathering together for a common cause. It must be emphasized that the protestors have been acting intelligently: instead of just “fighting the system” and focusing solely on the problem, they have been able to provide plausible solutions as well.
• I have personally not noticed any political polarization among people. That is very good, because when that polarization starts taking place, society will start going downhill.
• As so often happens, there are people who have been quick to judge the protestors as anti-system communists. However, to me it seems that the ones protesting represent various ideologies (if any) and that the main point is to improve the system, not abolish it.
• Unfortunately there seems to be  a great divide between those who actively seek change and the ones who don’t even know what’s going on. Social media have proven to be a great tool for this movement, but it might benefit from other ways of reaching out to more people.

 

Tomorrow and Sunday will be interesting days in Spain, so if you’re into politics or a  fan of Spain, stay tuned!

Hablando de…

Mirad lo que me encontré en la estantería de mis padres:

La versión sueca.

Sebastián mentioned it in his blog so obviously I had to start looking for my own copy, which was hidden in my parents´ book shelves together with some Henning Mankell, The Master and Margarita (in Russian) and the Bible. The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón is a really captivating reading experience. I’d recommend it to almost anyone who loves stories of any kind.

What books do you like?

The Efficient Rebellion

The Spanish air traffic controllers managed to do something unheard of: for the first time in over thirty years, the government declared a "state of alarm" after a walk-out which led to cancelled flights and chaos at airports. 

Apparently this is the culmination of a long struggle between the government and the workers. Without the inside information, it’s impossible to take a stand on who is right and who is wrong in this case, but in the aftermath of a rather odd general strike on September 29, it’s good to see someone is taking an initiative. 

The economic situation in Spain bad and the general feeling I get is that people are rather fed up with the government. However, not much action is seen. There are the usual complaints, maybe some protests and demonstrations, but that’s it.

Action is the key to change, but a lot of people seem to have forgotten about it. Not only in Spain, but in all of Europe people are just waiting for someone to make the right decisions for them, to save them. This is not going to happen. We need more action and more unity. And plenty of solidarity. So maybe this will serve as evidence of the fact that action leads to change. The air traffic controllers might not get everything they asked for in the first place, but at least they have proven that they are willing to fight for change. Just imagine what it would be like if every person would do this in order to show their dissatisfaction instead of just complaining?

Peachy!

 

One of the absolutely greatest things about both Spain and autumn is the fruit. It’s fresh, it’s cheap and it’s everywhere. Right now I’m addicted to peaches, but soon it’s time to start having fresh orange juice for breakfast every morning. Delicious!

Demonstrations or football?

Today there is supposedly a general strike going on in Spain: I say supposedly because apart from my boyfriend staying at home and making me lunch, I have not noticed anything different from the usual. Earlier when we went for a walk everything was open and people seemed to be going on about their business as if it was any other day. I’ve been told that quite a few people would like to participate in the strike but that they are too afraid of being fired. To me that sounds bad, but then again, who am I to comment and criticise since I’m not a citizen and I’m not even working here (well, technically I am, but that’s another story).

I’ve also heard that the demonstration is due to start at 7 p.m. Why? Wouldn’t it be more logical to organise it at noon when people are supposed to be striking? And then there’s the "unexpected" event: Valencia is playing against Manchester United in Valencia tonight, so I wonder how many people will actually choose a demonstration over football? I will ignore them all and have dinner with a good friend.

Out and About

Last night I went for an amazing run: great music and the chilly breeze turned an easy run into 45 minutes of "run until you drop": it’s experiences like these that get you hooked! Today I walked the same route to get some nice morning exercise... and photos for you! 

 

 

Hasta luego, España!

When this post is published, I will be sitting on a plane to Stockholm  (in reality it is written on a rainy Monday afternoon in Paterna, Valencia when suitcases should be packed and all papers that are not that important thrown away).
It is not the first time I will sadly try to catch a last glimpse of palm trees from up above, but it is indeed the first time that I have no idea when (or if) I will be coming back.

A very big part of me is sad and disappointed: because things didn't go the way they were supposed to, because no matter how determined we all are that this is a "see you" rather than a "good bye", you never know when you will see all those people who came to play such a significant role in your life, some of them even being like family.

At the same time the excitement is bubbling inside like a volcano: I cannot deny that new and unknown adventures have always fascinated me. They are like a light bulb to mosquitos. The feeling of not knowing where I'm going (although in all fairness I have a pretty good idea in this case) makes me thrive.
And there is guilt. And happiness. Guilt because it feels like I shouldn't be experiencing all these contradictional feelings at once, and happiness because there is a big bunch of people waiting for me.
Of course I have an idea of how I want things to pan out, but I'd rather save all that information for some other time. However, I'm already planning a visit to Valencia in the spring to visit friends and enjoy the sunshine.

Sagunt

Old fortresses, climbing, cacti, tourists smoking pot, horrible food and service that was even worse, walking on the beach, sitting in the car, jumping in the sea, leaving prints in the sand. That was today.

Only in Spain...

... can you wear a tiny top and bathe your feet in December.
And I just realised that I have some exams this week, wonderful!

Random Question

How come that I haven´t been to the beach even once even if I live like 30 minutes from the Mediterranean Sea?

This, my friends, is nothing else than madness.

Ay España

Today has been one of those days when Spain has surprised me more than usual.


I can a bit ashamedly admit that I'm not the most ecologically aware person out there, but even I like to contribute to saving the planet in any way I can. So just imagine my surprise, embarrassment and anger when the fruit guys runs to me with a plastic bag in his hand, giving me a smile full of pity and saying (like to a 2-year-old) "You do understand that you have to put that lemon in this plastic bag, don't you?" His answer to my short and sharp "No" was roaring laugter while he put the lemon in the bag. What century are we in again? Maybe the one where customers do not complain anymore, they just walk out the door to never return. It is not up to the fruit guy to a) laugh at customers. b) disrespect their "beliefs" or ways of living.*

Talking of customer service: on two different occasions have I tried talking to the helpful people in the customer service centres for two different Spanish airlines. Both airlines had (and probably still have) completely faulty information on their webpages, meaning that all the phone numbers were incorrect. Apart from the numbers, there was no other means of contacting the customer service people. What do you do when you need to confirm a flight or change your plane tickets? Go to the airport and hope that you won't be served by an arrogant individual who tells you that nothing is their business?


*This is a huge deal because I have never been obligated to put a piece of fruit in a freaking plastic bag.

May 1

May 1 has always had a strong connection to party, party, party. When I still lived in Finland, the point was to drink copious amounts of cider, watch hockey and go completely crazy. This year, however, was very different and very grown-up (even the coke was decaffeinated); we gathered a group of friends, got the dog and went for a picnic in the mountains. The rain turned into boiling sunshine, we ate well and all the girls found a cactus to bring home.

Time

Sunday. Sunny Sunday. Warm Sunday... Sitting on the balcony while enjoying the afternoon sunshine is very relaxing business, the birds are singing and children are playing. And even long-term interest rates seem to provide a certain dose of fascination... but only because of the sunshine!



During Fallas, Valencia sparkles with colours, noice and fire works.



La Sagrada Familia



View over Barcelona. If nothing disastrous happens, we will be returning in June/July. The main motive of the trip will be the U2-concert, but I'm hoping to be able to visit the chocolate museum and enjoy getting lost.
I did like Barcelona, and think that it might substitute Stockholm as destination number 1 for getting away for a while (Stockholm is indeed a bit far away these days). Barcelona is a nice place (although not as nice as Valencia) and it's only 3 hours away by train. Perfecto.

Isn't It Ironic...

You survive over 20 years in such cold places as Finland and Russia without suffering from anything more serious than common colds just to get your fingers covered with frostbites once you move to Spain. In March.

Enough said.

Weird Things About Spain

Th word "weird" has many synonyms: "strange", "different", "rare", "odd"... although something is weird, it does not mean it is bad or wrong, just different. I have been living in Spain for a few months now, and am starting to get a fuller picture of things...

1) Supermarkets. I might be spoilt, but somehow it feels strange that the main supermarkets have only one kind of white rice (and you can keep dreaming about wild race, for instance), all the fruits are packed in three layers of plastic and they are quite miraculous, too... you can keep your veggies in the fridge for three weeks and they won't get bad. The girls working for the said companies, look like they have been playing with mummy's make-up box.

2) The news. Yesterday we were watching the news for about half an hour. We heard about all sorts of murders, killings, rapes, gang fights and alike that have occurred in Spain. Every clip also featured a hysterical and crying neighbour (or even better, a relative) who just couldn't understand what had happened. The journalists were using very strong adjectives when describing people, crimes, events... something that would never happen in Finland where one tends to stick to the facts and avoid adjectives such as "crazy", "blood-thirsty", "horrible"...
The best bit was the part of the news which dealed with international events; a street fight in Peru and the world's biggest man getting married. That's it. Compared to Spain, the world is a very uneventful place.

3) if you ask someone to speak slower, they start screaming instead. And talking faster.

4) they swear on television.


... to be continued.