25 Things I am looking forward to going home for.

Blah Blah Blah, lists aren't proper writing, blah blah.... I couldn't think of a better way of presenting this post so I just wrote a list of reasons why I am looking forward to going back to the UK! There is an equal, or maybe even longer, list of things I will miss and why I don’t want to go back. But this will make me far too depressed about the fact in 3 weeks’ time I will be on a flight back to the UK so I won’t write it now.  

In no particular order, I am looking forward to: 

1. Food. I could probably name 25 different food items and meals I am looking forwards too but that would be dull.
2. A proper cup of breakfast tea. I haven’t had anything other than green tea in far too long.
3. Quiet. Spain is loud. But then I am going home so there is unlikely to be any peace there.
4. Not having to use plug adaptors. Hate them, hate them, hate them.
5. Pounds. I have given up trying to convert the cost of things in shops, so I will probably be able to budget a bit better back in the UK
6. Probably should add something about seeing my friends and family…
7. Fluffy warm towels. It’s the simple pleasures.
8. Which brings me on to radiators. I miss being able to make things, including myself, toasty.
9. I am so looking forward to being reunited with all my shoes. 2 pairs on rotation is not cutting it at all.  
10. ROSIE CUDDLES
11. Being rid of the vpn to watch iPlayer. Or any TV in English come to think of it! Dubbed telly drives me mad.
12. No longer nearly dying every time I cross the road. Thank god for the green man as I can’t get used to looking the wrong way when I cross the road.
13. Not sounding ‘posh’ compared to every other single person I meet. Yes I have a British accent, no I’m not from Downton Abbey.
14. Lined paper. What is the obsession with squared paper?
15. Not being charged at every cash point which is not your bank. So much effort. So much thinking ahead.
16. Shops being open on a Sunday. Nope still not used to everything being closed on Sundays.
17. No longer having to master a Spanish keyboard. Typing on a computer at work takes nearly double the time! Who even knew they were different?
18. Understanding things. I still don’t really know how my phone contract works, I just go into the shop and point.
19. Not feeling weird for wanted to eat dinner at 6.30. It is not the afternoon, its tea time!
20. Ann the tea lady. Nuf said
21. Having a haircut. I am far far far to scared to go here. Probably irrationally but I am way to fond of my hair to let something happen to it.
22. Not feeling so young all the time. Who knew that in most places they think you are crazy for doing your masters at 21…
23. Phone Calls. Facetime and Skype are too much effort for me and I have never been a fan!
24. My fluffy blanket. And a double bed. Not that my bed at home is a double but I am sure here is a seriously small single.
25. Not having to do lab work. I have realised I am much too emotionally unstable and over dramatic for lab work. I think undergrad teaching labs taught me that, but working here has double confirmed that I am way too nervy and on edge to work in a lab full time. It’s not good for my health!

That blue sky! Just one of the things I'll miss. Overcast isn't going to cut it.

Also: Every single thing on this buzzfeed is right - especially the one about boredom - weighing out 25 vials on a Friday afternoon makes the whole weekend seems more fun!!!! 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/floperry/ways-being-a-science-student-changes-you-forever

More photos than words.

I actually can't be bothered to write much at the moment, but I want to post something about my family's visit to Barcelona a couple of weekends ago. So I thought I will just post some photos instead! I am by no means a photographer (however I do remember when I was younger I would try and take arty photos - such of as the carrot sticks glass at a family dinner....) but I do love to look at photos I have taken, so here are a few of my favs from the few days!

View from park guell across barcelona.

Another! And ad you can see the weather was lovely. Slight
change from what I would expect in Oct. 

Family Selfie 

View of the old Sant Antoni Market from the hotel! 

Food. Yummy Paella at the top of the shopping center which looks out of plaza Espana.

We drank a fair about of vino blanco, 

FRANGELICO TIRAMUSU. BCN girls I am sure you will appreciate this! 

I have posted pictures here before but I always enjoy the magic fountain! 

We went to the Camp New. Want to come back one day to watch a match! 

Another day, another selfie!

Beach - again showing the lovely weather. 

Slightly addicted to cafe con leche. 

Fountain in Parc de Ciuttadella. 

This is just a sample of a few photos. I ate a lot more, but my family judge me for taking to many photos of food so I have to cut back on my habit when I am with them. 

Time is going too quickly here. My flight home is in just over a month now. I finally feel like I am making a 'life' here and getting settled in and I am going to have to leave. 6 months isn't enough. Give it another 6 months and I may have even got to grips with the language,,.. 

Anyway, looking forward and I am excited to be back in Soton in the New year , and obviously to see everyone over Christmas, and a few other British things I am missing. I am already lining up the meals in my head I want when I get back. And also all the things I need to do which I am too scared to here, like getting a hair cut! 

Also I wanted to note how refreshing it is here to only just be seeing xmasy things in the shops. I am hoping it will make December and the lead up to Christmas more special this year as it hasn't been rammed down my throat quite as much as I know it would have been at home!

Monday Ramblings!

I know I said I was going to write a post about my parents visit but I want to write that one properly and I don't really have time right now to do that, but I wanted to post something! So I have written a little ramble for you to read.

Firstly, I have to get it over and done with early - HOW IS IT NOVEMBER ALREADY & IT'S SO AMAZING I CAN STILL GO OUT IN A T-SHIRT! Seriously I can't believe its November for 2 reasons. One being how can time be going fast that quickly and that I only have 6 weekends left in Barcelona or something crazy like that? And Secondly, I never thought it would still be this warm, its crazy nice still. I don't know if I have just been lucky this year but I would definitely recommend coming this time of year to visit this area of Spain. The tourists are less, the weather is lovely and its much more pleasurable walking around when its not 'too' hot ad full of people. (But I do kind of want it too get a bit more autumn-y now strange as that may sound!). (I wrote a lot of this yesterday, ans surprise surprise it CHUCKED IT DOWN today - maybe it is November now..)

I also recently read a book called the 'Shadow of the Wind' by Carlos Ruiz Zafón which came with very high recommendations from some friends. I really enjoyed it, and as I read quite a lot here (especially on public transport) I read it super fast! I kind of which I hadn't because now I don't have anything good to follow it. And the main reason I was told to read it whilst I am here is as it is set in Barcelona, and I have decided reading a book set in a place you have spent any significant amount of time inn makes the story feel a bit more real whatever the genre. And to be honest I haven't come across many (any) books set in Southampton or Leighton Buzzard, so it was a highly enjoyable read. I would recommend it to anyone who has spent any amount of time here in BCN purely for that reason! And also if you can recommend me a new book to read I would be highly grateful - my kindle is currently looking a bit sparse....

Finally a quick catch up with what I have been doing. Yesterday I went to Palau Guell, which is a house designed by Gaudi as one of his first commissions. It wasn't quite as I was expecting, but that was probably as the only other Gaudi architecture I have seen on the inside is the Sagrada Famillia which really is in a league of its own. This house was darker and less colourful than I was expecting on the inside with a lot of wood paneling ect:

Inside the Palau Guell! 

But the terrace was amazing, unfortunately the views aren't that amazing from there now as I think new building have probably been built since it was designed but all the chimneys were so colourfull! I am not sure I would pay to go inside though, we got in for free as it was the 1st Sunday of the month.

On the Roof. Shame the view isn't better but it was so much fun (and blue skies as you can see)

I have also drunk a significant amount of coffee, tried to read a lot of stuff about carboranes and written some words for my dissertation (its already verging on being too long... and I have barley started on the results but I wouldn't be able to write any other way!)

So really this post wasn't as exciting as I would have hoped, I thought I had done more but I will write a post very soon when I have a little more time about my parents visit. Be prepared for lots of photos of food!