The Best of 2017

Yesterday I was re-reading the horoscope for 2017 which promised that this year would be one of my most favorite years. Well, what can I say? They didn’t lie :). The leaving year has been amazing for me. And as the December rain is washing the rest of that year away, I decided to look back and pick my most favorite photos and the best moments of this fabulous year.

My favorite picture of the winter 2017 is this shot from Barceloneta, a beach neighborhood in Barcelona. This is how February in Barcelona looks like: sunny and bright, and surfing boards blending in with the winter coats. I love this game of outfits and meanings, and I hope that my life will be more like this: the sea, the sun and the colors, and surfing easy among winter-clad people.

winter in Barcelona

January
There were not many photos taken in January, as the light was still poor and it was still getting dark early. I would go for this image of sunset sky over Oslo Opera with the construction going around – a nice symbolism for the new beginnings of the new year. And 2017 was full of them.

winter afternoon in Oslo

The best moments of January were:
–  Freedom. In December 2016 I quit my job because I hit the wall. I had worked hard for my goal of staying in Norway, and my system was collapsing from the stress and pressure. It was the first time in my life here that I didn’t have to worry for my future, I didn’t have to be in a full-time job in order to stay legally in the country, and I just needed a break. January 2017 was the start of the process. Restarting my system. Reinventing myself, my goals and intentions for the next decade.
– Creativity. I started this blog on WordPress. For the purpose of, as the tagline says, «exploring the world, my place, art de vivre and myself». And after a year of this journey I feel like I have learnt a lot – and there is still so much to learn and to share. And that I am making baby steps discovering my courage to share and my own voice.
– Family time. My mom visited me in Oslo and it was the first time she met my man, Carles. I could feel that she was happy because I was happy. And for the mother’s heart, who has seen me struggling and alone in this city for many years, that must have been an important moment.

February
– Adventure. We spent a couple of weeks in Barcelona, exploring the town and the country around it. Catalonia is beautiful, and I feel like there is so much to it than what we saw. Also in February we made a road trip around Southern France. I shared some parts of that trip here on the blog, but there is still so much more to show and tell 🙂

the light in Canet del Mar

the facades in Tarragona

medieval Girona

Eifell bridge in Girona

– Color. As we travelled through France, I decided to collect all things yellow because in my head it was connected to Provence and the coming spring.

my yellow collection from Provence

– Experiment: Digital Detox on Sundays. I felt that my relationship with social media (especially Instagram) was not healthy and decided to go offline one day a week. This has been a game-changer for me. I gained more confidence in myself and my own life, I discovered much more life quality in the life that doesn’t have to be documented nonstop. This habit I have kept for the rest of the year and this autumn I found myself being off Instagram for weeks, and totally happy with this fact.

March
– Experiment: the Spring Clean. After the intensity of impressions, eating and drinking in Barcelona and France I felt for the reset of the mind and body, and started a Spring Clean. Decluttering the space at home, decluttering of my mental space, eating more greens and no meat, reserving from the wine, keeping up with the digital detox. It was a wonderful time.
– Color. Though March is still considered a winter month in Norway, I see more sun and color in the photos from that month. It seems that the color scheme of March 2017 would be pink.

the backyard view

on my desk

pink pink!

streets of Oslo

– Art de vivre: Welcoming the spring. Though spring seemed so far away, I tried to create its atmosphere at home, buying tulips and daffodils and setting them in the place where I work.

calling on spring

April
– Something new: Learning. I enrolled for the Spanish course. I love studying, and am especially fond of learning languages. The Spanish course added some color and fun in the grayness of Norwegian spring.
– Exploring. My favorite activity in spring is to go to the botanical garden looking for the first signs of life. These must be my favorite photos of April.

– Travel. For the Easter we went to Gothenburg in Sweden. That weekend was cold like winter, but there was life on the streets and some colors in the window shops. Oslo is very empty and feels lonely during Easter, so it was good to be in lively Gothenburg, even in the winter cold.

Full on color

full on life

May
– Celebration. Norway celebrates its National day on the 17th of May. It is said to be the birthday of the country, and on this day I feel very proud of Norwegians and their little country, and I pick up on that patriotic spirit. I like getting infected by it, even though after so many years here Norway was still not my country (but this May I was already a Norwegian-to-be :))

crowds and blooms

– Work. I got myself a part-time job in the designer shop, selling jewelry and interior products. It was so great to get back to work – not out of pressure, but out of freedom. Because I felt like working, not because I just had to. This has been such a paradigm shift for me.
– Color. The color scheme of May is red, blue and white, the colors of the Norwegian flag.

beautiful locals

So far so good. So many happy moments, so much inspiration and beauty, and so many wonderful impressions. It is such a great thing to do: to count one’s blessings. Or to look back at the past year in gratitude. There is so much, one just has to start looking. I hope to share more, as this year has been really a wonderful year in my life.

Hope, you are content with what year 2017 had for you. What was special about it for you?

P. S. More images from the winter in Barcelona. I had a difficulty choosing my favorite one, so here are some 🙂

names in Barcelona

Biking in Barcelona

 

matching Vespas and doors

square life in Gracia, Barcelona