martes, 22 de noviembre de 2011

It's already Christmas in Sweden

Also in Finland,

En Helsinki ya es Navidad

(I took this picture on Friday night. Helsinki and his beautiful Christmas lights)

and I am sure that in many other parts of the world, but we spent this weekend in Göteborg, in the south of Sweden, and for a couple of days I totally forgot that we are not in December yet.

I don't know if the feeling came from window shopping,


IMG_1273f

look at the shops in the middle of the street, it was cold out there!

IMG_1275bf


Or maybe because I really wanted a hot chocolate with a fika while enjoying people passing by,

IMG_1280f

Have I told you that in the north of Europe you can enjoy sitting on a terrace all the year long?

We, people coming from the South, cannot imagine something like that, as terrace is automatically linked to summer and sun.

Here, in Winter, the terrace owners give blankets to the customers, so you can enjoy your hot drink comfortably sat outside.


IMG_1285f


I love how everything is decorated with flowers and plants in the North of Europe. Don't you want to see what was inside the box?

I did.


IMG_1281f

One day I have to show you my favourite flower shop in Helsinki. I usually go there all Fridays and I never know what to choose. The flowers last more than a week and the shop it's the most wonderful place in the world.

Maybe this talent for detail is in their genes, as they live so much in contact with the Nature.

As a proof, look how some school children have decorated this park in the middle of Göteborg!


IMG_1430bf

Pol loved the park. It was full of ducks, grass and puddles, a lot of muddy puddles.


IMG_1427f


I don't know what you think, but for me there's Christmas in the air.

  IMG_1383f

miércoles, 16 de noviembre de 2011

Games along the world


Last week Kireei published the third number of its on-line magazine: Kireei Magazine.

Source: kireei.com via Conchi on Pinterest


If you haven't heard about  Kireei, you should have a look at it.

Kireei is a Japanese word referring to a catalogue of beautiful things, and this is exactly what the blog is. Cris and Meisi, the authors, are able to find beauty everywhere they look. It's so relaxing and inspiring watching everything they have to show us!

Some months ago they contacted us to see if we were interested in being part of one of the articles. The article was about games are along the world and we were very pleased to say YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!

We shared it with amazing bloggers all around the world. If you don't know them, go and visit their sites. You're going to love them:
  • Irene, from Bloesem Kids. The kind of blog where you can spend ages looking at beautiful and inspiring things for kids.
  • Noemi, from Cozy and free. An on-line shop with amazing clothes for children.
  • Marie, from Brichopas. From Czech Republic, Marie shows her hand-made dolls and toys. It is in Czech, of course, but google translator always helps when it is needed.
  • Emilie, Esther and Courtney from Babyccino. Thanks to their tips I organised our trip to Paris with Pol..
  • Bárbara, from Caos Magazine. She has a wonderful magazine in Spanish for modern parents. If you live in Barcelona, don't miss their Baby Disco. I'm willing to go there!
  • And us, Cosas que pasan, a Spanish family enjoying life in Helsinki.

You can read the article in page 79 of the magazine


Here are some of the trials for the picture I sent them. We had a wonderful afternoon playing.

Mum and dad posing, but Pol was not very co-operative:

  IMG_0586f


We were so into playing with him, that I didn't realise that our hands where out of focus:

  IMG_0595f

Of course we had moved images:

  IMG_0593f

And mum with the remote on her hand (because I deserve it):

  IMG_0607f

Pol was trying to knock the tower off. Of course, he managed to do it, and we realised that this was the real game, not our pretend beautiful tower.

So this was the chosen one. We were happy, weren't we?

  En Kireei Magazine

lunes, 17 de octubre de 2011

Paris for petites

We love travelling.

There is nothing better than prepare a suitcase with two or three things and starting a new journey around the world.

No we are a bigger family, but nothing has changed. We still love travelling and we do travel, but we have discovered another way of enjoying the world.

IMG_0087f

This time we enjoyed Paris as Parisians and not as travellers that come, visit and go.

We had breakfasts in bed.

IMG_0305f

(We have also ready made croissants enjoying the sun on a terrace. 
Three, as Pol wanted also his, but the macaroons were prettier, weren't they?)


We had nice meals, with time to enjoy conversation and coffee after them.

IMG_0107f

(And no, Pol was not sleeping. 
We have a secret for having a quiet baby for an hour or so, but I will tell you other day)

And afternoons in the park.

Our favourite park, Luxembourg gardens.

Fallen leaves are so good to play with!

IMG_0131bcf

And there are small ships sailing in the pond.


IMG_0165f

There is also a playground inside.

IMG_0184f

The playground is the best I have seen ever. It is full of toys and things to play with and it is neat and clean. There is a disadvantage. You have to pay for entering.

2 € per kid and day.

Children younger than 2 years old enter for free and they have weekly and monthly pass.

I have to say that we didn't see many parents. There were a lot of grandparents and babysitters taking care of the children. Paris is a busy city, indeed.

If you do not want to stay in the playground anymore, you can always watch a tennis match.

IMG_0250f

Or simply letting the time fly and enjoy watching people.

People that loves being watched

IMG_0268f

Or those that are looking for some kind of solitude in the middle of the crowd.


IMG_0269f


As you can imagine, Pol never found a right moment to leave..


IMG_0185f


But we needed time for shopping


IMG_0081f


,or just for a bit of sightseeing.


IMG_0230f


París. Oh la, la.

domingo, 9 de octubre de 2011

A birthday in a suitcase

I love parties.

Planning, preparing and of course, enjoying them.

This Saturday was my brothers's birthday and every year, since he is living abroad, I have tried to send him a cake where to put the candles and blow them out.

But not this time. He had no stable place to live and although he was trying to find something, the search was much more difficult than expected.

On Monday evening, I received a e-mail. He had found a wonderful flat and was sending its address just in case. (He was missing his cake, I know)

I had no time for buying or preparing something complicate, so this was what left Finland on Tuesday morning:

  IMG_0514f

Inside, everything needed for a surprise party:

  IMG_0495f

I know, I know, there were no drinks or knives, but, Switzerland cares a lot about what comes into the country, so we were trying to avoid lossing the package in the border.

IMG_0499f

Everything was tagged with birthday messages.

IMG_0500f

And I didn't forget to send him candies to share with his mates at school. (:p )

IMG_0504f

The candles, a tiger and a lion. They came from our last animal party, but I am sure that when he blown them out, he was thinking that they were two little ducks, as his new age.

IMG_0505f

The truth is that I was thinking on something like that

Source: plixi.com via Conchi on Pinterest


, but there are plenty of birthdays to celebrate.

Happy birthday, bro!

IMG_1178f



All the pictures were taken at night and in a sleepy mode.

Next time, we will try to have more time and do it better.

lunes, 3 de octubre de 2011

Nuuksio Natural Park

My idea was writing again about Paris. About its little people and its parks.

  Con papá

But on Saturday, the day was sunny, without a cloud in the sky and, after weeks of rain and cold weather, Paris went out of my mind.

Do you want to have a walk with us?
    Un paso tras otro

We feel very lucky. Although we live in the centre of a a city, we're surrounded by nature. Everything is blue and green wherever you look at, except on Winter, of course, that everything is white and light grey.  :)

So on Saturday morning, we chose Nature instead of asphalt, and we head for Nuuksio National Park.


Only half an hour far from the city, you can find this beautiful landscape.

  IMG_0417f

And as our little Pol only wants to walk,

  IMG_0402f

we had a wonderful walk through the forest.

November is coming and we know that we will miss this light, so it was time to charge our batteries for the darkness to come.


  IMG_0435f

Pol can walk alone now, but he never tries the same direction as us, so we needed to change our strategy: up with mummy, Pol.

  IMG_0433f

At the beginning he was not very happy, but then going down and up, he was all the time talking, trying to explain us the wonderful new world around him.

  IMG_0443f

(Mummy, with daddy is better. I can see everything from here) 


 There is nothing like stopping for contemplating the beautiful view,

  IMG_0441f

while we wait for mommy. She´s always taking pictures and sometimes they are very, very strange. I didn't see that during our walk.

  IMG_0436f

It's the last time, I promise.

  IMG_0422f

Well, it wasn't the last one, but now it is time for a wonderful nap in the car.

  IMG_0457f


Saturday was almost perfect. Don't you think so?

  IMG_0415f

lunes, 26 de septiembre de 2011

Paris mon amour

I was 16, the first time I went to Paris.

  IMG_0028f

I've never travelled so far before, and it was alone!

Freedom, a beautiful city and one of my best friends to share the experience. Could it be more perfect?

  IMG_0280f


The second one was five or six years later.

I have loved the city so much that I spent my first salary in a journey for four to Paris.

Me, my two sisters and my little brother. One week in Paris.
    IMG_0015f


I remember our trips in the subway, the Quartier Latin, the picnics near the Sena and laughs, a lot of laughs.

My favorite sisters and brother, Paris and a perfect trip.

  IMG_0093f


On September, our little family of three spent a week in Paris. My third time, but feeling as the first time again.

Paris is as beautiful or more than I remembered it
   In love with Paris


An inspiring city. It is not possible to walk around without stopping every 5 minutes to admire something.

IMG_0054f


A magical place.
   IMG_0297f

We will come back. I know it.

Back from Paris


And it will be as the first time.

Different, but Paris.

IMG_0096f

Because "Paris vaut bien une messe".
   IMG_0021f