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Predicting the future is not so easy. Who could have guessed 10 years ago, that the world would have a war, and thus economic consequences in everyday life. Perhaps it was not unexpected. The Crimean peninsula was annexed by Russia in 2014. At that time, the war felt far away, but today it is very close because newspapers write daily about everything related to the war in Ukraine. We are trying, each of us, to support peace, and our sympathies and thoughts go daily to Ukraine.
I don’t know much about economics, no more than what you read in newspapers. However, the prevailing inflation should be a classic textbook example. As a layman, one wonders if there are other ways to control inflation than the National Bank´s measures. Perhaps political measures? Or simply to end the war. Nevertheless, it feels like we won’t return to what it used to be, at least it feels very distant.
From what I remember, it is directly between buyers and sellers that the market itself prevails. And, is inflation there? When I was on one of my long walks in Spain this summer, by coincidence, I ended up in the middle of a street market where everything between heaven and earth was being sold. This market felt miles long. I passed a carriage where there was extra activity. A big crowd, loud voices, and trade as you can see in the photo above. It felt like there was something special right there that made me think “This must be market economy”. I continued my walk which became considerably calmer closer to the beach, and I ended the day with a nice swim.
It is amazing with different cultures, languages, and ways of living. My Spanish friends have inspired me. When we studied French together in Pau, France, I was often invited to Sunday dinner. Vanessa’s and Patricia´s father stood at the stove cooking for hours. With the cigar in the corner of his mouth. The stews were very well cooked. When we then traveled to Spain, they introduced me to tapas, tasty small dishes. Vanessa taught me how to make tortilla, Spanish omelette. Also some important Spanish words such as dog. Today, I am trying to learn some additional Spanish words and small phrases that facilitate communication. My vocabulary is growing slowly and surely.
When we met in Barcelona, we had the opportunity to be tourists together. Please see the photo below where we are visiting one of Antoni Gaudi’s buildings. What incredible imagination and creativity. Of course, we needed a break and we had tapas of course. We have some nice memories to think about. It is needed since everyday life is here now.
You get nice memories that you can enjoy after traveling. I like the sea and it has been a long time since I saw the ocean. My journeys are usually intensive with a lot of planning in advance. This summer I went to Spain for swimming and beach life. The Spanish Costa Brava coast is also known for its gastronomy. Cooking is a lot of chemistry, where you highlight different flavors, coulor combinations, textures, and so on. I once read about a restaurant a few miles from Barcelona that used frozen carbon dioxide (dried ice) to elevate the dish to an exotic and exciting experience.
Dogs have always taken a big part in my life and I met a Spanish Molly. This Cocker Spaniel was not called Molly but was named “Chorizo”. It roughly means sausage. Chorizo is very popular in Spain.
Exercise is short-lived, and in order not to lose fitness, I walked a lot in the mornings. With a water break! Now I am up and running as usual again. I am interested in pulse-raising training and I have been inspired by Associate Professor Eva Andersson who, among other things, has studied maximum heart rate for 40 years. According to her, physical activity has an effect on cognition, i.e. how the brain receives information, processes it, and makes decisions in the short and long term. Exercise has therefore a good effect on, for example, memory and attention. It is well known that the level of the stress hormone cortisol decreases with physical activity, please see Andersson et al. 2022 Läkartidningen, Fysisk aktivitet vid depression och ångestsyndrom
Now everyday life is here, and in some ways, it is also wonderful. All you have to do is load up with tea and candle lights for the coming autumn evenings.
Congratulations to the Spanish soccer team who won the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023! I am so happy to have been in Spain recently seeing my friends, and that Spain won the women´s World Cup. Close to where I live, I have a Spanish supermercado (grocery store) so I can continue to enjoy Spanish food. I especially miss the olives in the evening. It is still warm in Sweden so it is a nice ending of the summer.
Everything will soon return to daily life. There are unusually many ticks this year, and the lice, which usually have a summer break, have been active. Could it be due to temperature changes in the world? I’ve been walking a lot on my holiday to keep going. I intended to go jogging, but it has been too hot. Now it is soon time to increase the pulse again.
We walked a lot in Barcelona and my friends showed me “El mundo nace en cada beso” which can be translated as “The world is born in every kiss”. The captain of the Spanish women’s national soccer team kissed one of the players, and perhaps he was thinking of this picture above. It has become a great chaos in the football world.
This image consists of 4000 photographs submitted by Barcelona residents on the theme “moments of freedom”. The work can be viewed in the square Plaza d’Isidre Nonell in Barcelona. I was so impressed. This is exactly what my little collection of poems “Time for Freedom” symbolizes. Very pleased with the photograph above. Can you see the kiss?
Hasta loego
