Another Move-Finland to Portugal!

After packing up my life in Finland (4 boxes, 2 suitcases and one carry-on), I discovered 200lbs. of clothes, books, and misc. would be coming with me. Yes, ridiculous! Some may say...yes, Leasa, you are an American. But, I have to tell you...I find it hard to throw things away that will be just as useful in Portugal as they were in Finland. Some call this a pack rat, I call it dedication; dedication to the curtains that held out the Finnish daylight at midnight, and dedication to the coffee mugs that were on sale and held many intellectual and culturally educational conversations of hot tea. As much as I enjoy moving around, my "comfort items" continue to grow which makes moving all the more difficult. I still haven't mastered the art of truly simplifying my life.

After packing, you must move. In order to save money (like 500euro) I had to fly from Stockholm, Sweden to Porto, Portugal. That means I got to experience the Viking Line "Love Boat" from Finland to Sweden. Unfortunately, there was no love to experience just the love of watching a lot of Finns drink themselves to oblivion (imagine that?!) The drunk fest was followed by a brilliant sunny day in the sassy & posh capital city of Sweden, Stockholm where I met the Lord of Lightning (a random man who introduced himself to me at a vegan cafe and continued to tell me about the Swedish music scene for 2 hours.) Finally, an early morning

flight, with a stopover in Brussels, brought me to my new home...AVEIRO, PORTUGAL! My friend, classmate & roomie, Ali, greeted me at the airport with a big smile and the talent of

her Portuguese tongue (she is from Brazil!) Pics are from my travels--top pic from Viking Line boat and others are from Stockholm.