20 March 2014

Oasis in the middle of the city


Another wonderful place I had a chance to experience in Barcelona this time was beautiful Parc de la Ciutadella and the Arc de Triomf area. I really feel bad (and slightly embarrassed) that I never visited this area while living in Barcelona. Arc de Triomf really is an impressive work of art and Parc de la Ciutadella with its beautiful waterfall is a perfect place to escape the busy city life.




The park was full of people simply enjoying the beautiful spring day and each other’s company. You could see people from different nationalities talking, eating, signing, playing games and even dancing around. Everybody seemed to have something in common, they all seemed to genuinely enjoy life and the moment their living! This was also the point when I once again was thinking how truly grateful I am to get to experience the wonderful places like this. 


18 March 2014

Saturday brunch in l´Eixample



I’m finally back from a short visit to lovely Barcelona. Even after living there for two years, the city still keeps on surprising me. It’s vibrant cosmopolitan atmosphere, cultural sights and beaches really make it one of the most wonderful cities in the world. I was also lucky enough to have the best possible weather for the time of the year while I was there. My days there pretty much consisted of enjoying the sunshine in the lovely cafes, walking around the city and meeting up with old friends. 



Barcelona is quite a big city, and even after living there, I can’t say I'm familiar with all the different areas. Eixample, and especially the left hand side of the Passeig the Gracia, was quite unfamiliar to me. This time I got to spend a lot of time in this part of the city since few of my friends live there. And I must admit, if I ever would move back to Barcelona, I would definitely love to live here. When mentioning Eixample, a lot of people might think about the Passeig the Gracia area, full of luxurious shops and hotels. However, Eixample has a lot more to offer. In l’Eixample you can find a lot of small cafes and amazing restaurants.  One of the places I got to experience was Brunch and Cake, and I can definitely recommend the place. The cafes philosophy is “In grandmothers we trust” - everything in the place is done by hand and they only use the best possible ingredients. Especially on the weekends, I would definitely recommend booking a table. The place seemed to be extremely popular between both locals and tourists. I went there for a Saturday brunch and the place was busting with people.  



Tomorrow more about this lovely city!

11 March 2014

City that has it all


Tomorrow I’m off to Barcelona. I used to live in Barcelona and I do have a lot of wonderful memories from this city. I think Barcelona has something for everyone- beach, sights, shopping, and not to forget about football. I promise to tell you a lot more about this wonderful city in my future posts. But for the next few days, I will focus on experiencing this city all over again and taking a lot of beautiful pictures.


10 March 2014

I’m born in Estonia, does that make me Estonian?


I have always struggled to answer this question. When people ask me where I’m from, I hardly ever answer Estonia. That’s simply because I don’t have that many memories of Estonia or living there. And I guess also partly because hardly anyone ever knows where Estonia is. “Oh Russia you mean”, I can’t even count how many times I have heard that sentence. However, my passport still says that I’m Estonian and that’s something I would never change. I don’t think I have a particularly strong national identity, but I am proud of the country I’m born in and the fact that despite all the difficulties the nation has encountered they have never lost their spirit.


Estonian’s might seem quite closed up and shy in the beginning. I guess this might have something to do with the history. Estonia has been occupied by several different countries during the course of history, and I guess because of this, it’s a second nature to Estonian’s to expect that the foreigners will only want to take over their wonderful land.  However, when you get to know the Estonian’s, they can just turn out to be the kindest people you will ever meet. Their English might not be perfect, but they will find a way to communicate with you. They will invite your their home, will offer you the last piece of bread and butter in the house to make you feel truly welcome. So if you ever get a chance to visit this lovely country I suggest you will get to know the locals. Because you might just develop friends for life!

 
This song from my childhood makes me always miss Estonia and makes me feel proud to be Estonian. It’s from a movie called “Viimne Reliikvia”, which can be considered as a cult movie in Estonia. I guess the song describes my spirit quite well as well.