I came across this old post from last year on Letters Home the other day. Oh how I wish everyone had a ‘recent comments’ widget for people just passing through or for when I’m just having a quick look around a few blogs without using my feedreader. In fact, I probably would have just read the comment to this post on my feedreader without clicking on the post itself. But seeing it on ian’s sidebar I clicked on the comment and saw the original post. Anyhoodle … it was all about things ian misses from the places he used to live after having moved on to somewhere else.

Like ian, I’ve lived in a few different places since leaving my birthplace Winnipeg, Canada (aka Winterpeg) at age 25. Since then I’ve lived in Toronto, Bristol in England, and Salamanca & Seville in Spain. Here is my list of things I miss …

Winnipeg

• ummm . . .

Toronto

• my friends Darlene, Adrienne, David, Donna, Dolores and Carol
• the restaurants, the restaurants, the restaurants…
• wood-oven baked bagels
• the view of downtown TO and the lake from my 26th floor apartment balcony
• the rep cinemas showing everything from oldies to the newest indie films
• the various neighbourhoods that all have their own ‘special something’
• Sunday shopping

Bristol

• my friend Lizzie
• the snooker club across the street from my flat
• the cinemas and restaurants on the waterfront
• the Downs, Clifton Village, the annual Jump-up Street Festival
• Marks & Spencer
• the Clifton Suspension Bridge

Salamanca

• the Plaza Mayor, which is the most beautiful one in all of Spain – I used to live a two-minute walk from there
• running in the mornings by the river next to the old Roman bridge
• the storks
• Mesón Escudo and Marín (my two favourite tapa bars)

And now . . . what I love about living in Sevilla

• my apartment with six balconies, with this view and that view
• the fabulous tapa bars
• wearing sandals 8 months out of the year
• the breathtaking beauty of Sevilla
• being able to live quite well on a rather small income
• the laid-back attitude of most people who live here – they got it right (well, except if you ever need a plumber, etc)

There are still some things I miss, like bagels and sour cream and Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn and parsnips … also not being able to see many films in original version at the cinema. Though after fifteen years of never watching television I finally have a service that allows me to watch a lot of stuff in English. This is cool. Also, having broadband helps.

Just to say that I’ve finally found the place in the world that feels like my true and real home, a place where I belong. And I wouldn’t trade that even for sour cream or all the Orville Redenbacher’s in the world.

Thanks, ian, for inspiring me to think and write about this.

What things do you miss about places you’ve left?