Daily Archives: 17 August, 2023

I have been longing so much for sunshine. It is a difficult balance because too much sun is really harmful, but too little sun is also dangerous for the body. However, recently, I have been to the beach in the small village of Calella, several miles north of Barcelona.

The trip to France earlier reminded me of my Spanish friends I made while studying there. However, they live in the middle of Spain where it is far too hot for me. The sea at the Costa Brava in Catalonia, on the other hand, makes the winds cool in the summertime.

My friends and I got together on a Sunday in Barcelona. It was ten years ago that we saw each other, then in Sweden. I went by bus from Calella and it was an exciting meeting. A little older but still just as happy as we used to be. Back then we used to speak French with each other. Now, French was blown away, and English, with a few words from my small Spanish vocabulary were used. I was given strict orders that I must learn Spanish.

We were walking in Barcelona and we passed this wall with tiles that you see above. This is an enlargement and you will see more later. The tile is in different shades that reflect occasions in life. Red, Spanish shades, of course. I love photographs and this is a cool, intelligent, constellation.

There was a lot of talk about the pandemic. How did it go for you during Covid-19? Then we quickly changed the subject as a large black Russian registered car with tinted windows passed us on one of the narrower streets of Barcelona. Instead, all of a sudden, it was tapas and chocolate cake!

Back home in Sweden, it felt strange that you should be more vigilant than abroad. I feel some frustration with this as it is – what can I say – stupid. Foreign newspapers follow the situation in Sweden as you can see below. The image of Sweden is no longer open to different religions, which I believe is unfortunate.

Where is the Swedish religious freedom that SÄPO (Swedish security service) should defend?