Philosophy and Merry-Go Rounds

Yesterday.

A Philosophic-and-Scientific talking day :)

And then photos taken at the harbor under an amazing cloudy sky, sea waves, walks, family grill without a grill, library shelves, chinotto flavor and

a big, wonderful carousel alive with lights, dreams and magic that goes round and round and round...

♥

The Finland Diaries - episode II

August 29^th  2012, Wednesday (that’s to say Odin’s day)

After a breakfast on coffee and buns at RKioski, we went to the station, to catch the 10.06 am train to Tampere. Once there, we realized we couldn’t check in at the hotel before 4 pm and would have had to wonder with our suitcase and heavy bags for four hours. So, we decided to stay in Helsinki and take the 1 pm train. 

Having 3 hours more to stay in Helsinki, we went to see the famous Helsinki Cathedral and to check out some souvenir shops before going to the Market Place to stroll among the stands (here I bought myself Finn, the Finnish brother of my Swedish toy reindeer named Sven) and have some lunch. 

Of course we chose our favourite place in Helsinki: the delicious stand from Lapland! :D 

I had salmon with potatoes, roasted vegetables and garlic sauce while Rick had reindeer meatballs with the same vegetables and sauce. 

A couple of tables behind us sat a very strange and funny old man fondly advising two Italian guys to go on youtube and listen to the song “Non ho l’età”, which he sang alternately with Lordi’s “Hard Rock Halleluja” :°D 

At 2.52 pm we were in Tampere! Here, one of the first things I saw was Tuomas Holopainen from Nightwish smiling from the cover of a magazine at the station and of course I made everyone around hear my “TUOMASSSS!" =_=°

When we arrived at the hotel we had to wait a little for check in but…wow, it was really worthy! We found out our room actually was a sort of mini-apartment, with a kitchen corner with microwave, fridge and water boiler together with coffee, tea, milk and brown sugar. Black letters on a big TV screen welcomed us calling us by our names.
Having also a minimarket right on the opposite side of the street, we went down to buy something for breakfast before going on exploration.

Then we spent some time wandering through the streets of Tampere, enjoying the sunset atmosphere. 

When the time to eat some dinner came, our choise fell on Subway for a sandwich. Unfortunately, mine wasn’t very satisfying :/ but we had Subway’s super-delicious cookies, so it’s way okay :9

After dinner, we took another walk in the city centre during which I bought myself a nice hat from H&M :) 

Then we went back to our place, tired as hell but sooo happy! :) here we enjoyed the comfort of our room and watched a funny tv show about crazy videos made by crazy people, hit the shower and finally went to take a good night’s rest before another adventure-day in Finnnnlannnddd!

Our crib - I

Our crib - II

August 30^th 2012, Thursday

What's better than a tender and nourishing breakfast to start the day? :) Yummy! :9

We went out under a pearl-gray sky and went westward, toward a place we already chose on the map.

We crossed a nice church park and walked along a street passing near some kind of sport-field before arriving where houses end and…the forest begins!

Yes, I DO love hugging trees! :) ♥

With hearts full of wonder we walked hand in hand in the green, enjoying the silence and hugging trees. Our feet took us on the shores of a lake and it seemed to be oh in a dream ♥

It was a bit humid and the air was pretty cool but, oh, it was just so beautiful!

Once back to the city centre, we finally went to the absolutely most awesome restaurant in Finland :D Harald Viikinkiravintola!! This is a great place, entirely based on Vikings traditions, from the furniture to the waiters’ clothes to…the dishes!!!!! We have been followed by a very nice waiter and had a super-good meal :D As a starter, we got - served upon a stone – smoked pork, boar, a slice of a strange kind of salami of which I don’t remember the kind of meat, a slice of black bread with salmon sauce, root vegetables and roasted tomatoes. Then we had beef with awesome potatoes, pumpkin, carrot, rocket salad, cranberries with sauce and a strange kind of hot butter. As a dessert, blackberry porridge with cranberries and sour cream and, of course, coffee. If it ever happens to you to go there – and you would really do yourself a favor to go there, if you go to Finland – I advice you to drink their own honey beer named “Harald” for it is reeeeeeally good ;)

In the afternoon, our direction was North-East. We crossed a wonderful neighborhood with little sweet pastel-coloured wooden houses surrounded by tidy little gardens with apple trees *_*

before finding ourselves again among high trees, our feet on forest paths, cars and buses and everything left behind.

Nature. Finns like it comfortable.

On our way, we met a pretty young girl with long golden air and freckles asking us some help, ‘cause she couldn’t find her way anymore (ok, I know it seems, but it is no fairytale :°D it simply happens in enchanted lands like Scandinavia :3). We didn’t know the area, but we tried to help her the same, strong of our ability in reading maps :°D I still hope she has somehow found her way and reached her destination...who knows :)

Walking on, we reached another lakeshore and just walked along it, taking pictures, laughing and enjoying life. We also saw Särkänniemi adventure park, the one in which you can find Angry Birds theme park! :D

Back in the city centre, we went to KMarket to buy our lunch for the day after and had a stop at the hotel, before going on another exploration. 

This time we went Eastward. We looked for some music and records shop but without any success and stopped at Sokos Department Store, were I bought myself a delicious mini-notebook with cupcakes and other sweets on its cover *-*

We dined at Ruby’s and the Fellas Irish Pub, where we had fries, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, some strange vegetables resembling pepperoni and chicken served with carrots, cucumber and various sauces and Coke. 

A pleasant meal by the river in the magic twilight, during which I found again, with great pleasure, a song from my childhood… "It takes a fool to remain sane” by Finnish band The Ark. Indeed they choose good music in that pub! ;)

After dinner, we took a walk Northward and we reached again a lakeshore :D that’s amazing, there are lakes everywhere!

Back to our place, we spent some relaxing time drinking tea, watching tv, checking things on internet and hitting the shower then…time for bed!



August 31^st 2012, Friday

After breakfast and having prepared some sandwiches for a picnic, out again, off to live our last day in Tampere. 

Our plan was to go to Lahdesjärvi, so we took bus n°5 and we got off at “Lahdesjärvi” stop.
Expecting a fairytale-like near-forest area, we found ourselves in…the industrial area!!! Ikea, factories and a large lonely street. 

But the sun was shining and we could see high trees everywhere around, so we didn’t despair. 

We started following the main road, passing dockyards and rock depots. Few cars and less people, except a woman training for skiing and rare cyclists. But we went on following our path, for the map said we would find a lake. Something must be there for us, we felt it. And in fact, suddenly at our right, a passage, a path through the wilderness. And we entered the forest. 

Fully absorbed in the bright green and in the sweet smell of humid ground, surrounded by the most beautiful silence, hand in hand, again we felt one with the Nature. 

Such a bliss to look at the mighty trees, to discover little red or purple pearls in the bushes, to see big mushrooms and soft musk covers on the rocks! 

And how powerful we felt Mother Nature’s hand here, were she’s left to triumph everywhere!
Since the main path branched in several little paths, we followed them all to discover they took to little delicious houses looking over…the lake S.! :D Lucky them to live there!

Once out of the forest, we crossed the ro
ad and entered the forest on the other side. Little to walk and we reached... Lahdesjärvi! 

Here we stopped to admire the calm beauty of the scenary and to have lunch on a rock on the beach :) we had black bread sandwiches with garlic spiced salami and cheese…they tasted really good, but it was a HUGE relief to eliminate them from my bag since garlic’s smell was nearly unbearable! ^^°

After this picnic on the lonely and wild beach, we went back to the industrial area to take the bus back.

   

After a short stop at the hotel, we spent the afternoon strolling in the streets of Tampere and doing some fruitful shopping :D we found a great records shop and got a lot of cds at a very little price! O_O  The guy from the shop may have noticed my bf and I are fond of In Flames hahaha :D Then we found other music shops and bought other cds.

National proud! Hahaha :D

 

"Moskau, Moskau
Wirf die Gläser an die Wand
Russland ist ein schönes Land
Ho ho ho ho ho, hey!"
...impossible not to think at that tune! :°D

At dinner time, we went back to Ruby’s and the Fellas Irish Pub where I had a chicken sandwich covered by cheese plus salad with a slice of melon while Rick had chicken burger with fries and to finish well our last dinner in Tampere… pancakes with Irish coffee cream and whiskey cream flavoured ice cream! Yummyyyy! :9 

After dinner we took a short walk near the hotel, during which I called home and my dad made us laugh so much :°D

Then we went back to the hotel, for we had to take an early train the next morning. 

The Finland Diaries - episode I

Exactly a month after my coming back from Finland I finally managed to put the Finland Diaries together and publish them.
Maybe you're not interested at all, maybe you are instead. In this latter case, enjoy your reading. In the first one, feel free to fly away in peace.
Here we go.

September 6th 2012, Thursday

It feels like waking up after a long long sleep but still having the proofs that the beautiful things you've been dreaming about have actually happened. Photos, pieces of paper, some good-smelling wood from the Finnish forest. Everything tells you you 've really been there, somehow, even if you have that melancholic feeling it must have been some kind of dream, ‘cause such a fairytale (with ALL its adventures) cannot be likely to have happened to you.

August 27^th 2012, Monday

We woke up at 5 am and after a Nutella filled croissant, a coffee and some apple juice, while the city was still asleep, we entered the motorway and left. Destination: the airport!

We arrived approximately at 10 am. Boarding started at 11 and at 11.50 we were on board of a Norwegian company aircraft. As the engine started running faster and faster, I began to realize one of the biggest dreams of my life was about to come true. After a runway that seemed endless, we finally took off. I had been waiting for six years, but we had finally taken off.

At 4.30 pm we landed in Helsinki, under a gray rainy sky (captain Marcus said: “We arrived in Helsinki. What a lovely weather. I hope you have an umbrella with you. Thank you!”).

First of all, we stopped at Starbucks for a coffee and got our tongues burnt :°) but it was worth it! :3
Then, we took the bus 615 to the city centre. We got off at the Rautatieasematori (Railway station Square) and we were just unfolding our city map when the nice Finnish driver got off the bus and asked if he could somehow help us. He even tried Google, but we had some difficulties in finding the direction to the hostel. Finally, after a quarter of an hour of pacing around the square, we found the right way.
Eurohostel is in Linnankatu, 9 and after having checked-in and settled down, we went out at sunset.
Our first steps on Finnish ground took us and our full of wonder eyes through the Market square to the city centre again. 

My feet finally on Finnish ground! :D

For dinner we had some chicken and fries together with a super-good sauce at Public Corner bar at the Rautatieasematori, then we spend some time enjoying the lights of Helsinki by night.

August 28^th 2012, Tuesday

When we closed the hostel’s door after us, we got surprised by a fresh morning breeze which made us close our jackets and sweaters… wonderful!:D
After a nice breakfast on coffee and cinnamon and chocolate buns, we went toward the city centre. We reached Kansallismuseo, the National Museum of Finland, but it was still closed, so we occupied our time taking some pics in the Museum garden and taking a long walk through Töölönlahti park. 

Here we just enjoyed the beauty of Nature, watched the birds on the lake shores, took pictures of flowers and relaxed.

After the visit at the museum, we went back to the Market Place and had lunch sitting on the shore at the port, tasting delicious salmon and vendaces with potatoes, vegetables and garlic sauce from Rovaniemi, Lapland… yummy! ^_^

At 3 pm we took a ferry to the sea fortress island of Suomenlinna. 

Oh, such wonder we experienced there ♥ 
The perfect peace under the sun, the beautiful sight of the shining sea before us, the delightful little wooden houses painted in pastel colors, the lighthouse, a coffee on a natural terrace looking over the sea…(even if a bee and a strange kind of insect tried to attack me twice...then I discovered it is because of their attraction to warm colors and therefore my red hair D:)

   

After this awesome afternoon, we got on board the 7.30 pm ferry to the land. Of course, we choose to sit outside, on the upper deck, to enjoy once again the sight and the sea breeze. Of course, the sea breeze was a little too “cool”. Of course, with hoods and scarves on, we kept on playing Vikings with wind in their hair on the drakkar. Of course, we had to go inside, in order not to get frozen. Here we met a nice couple of tourists from Greece and Turkey, and chatted a little with ‘em…nice people, indeed! They were in Helsinki only for the day, since they came from Estonia and told us to enjoy every single moment there. That’s what we actually did. ♥

For dinner we chose a bar & kitchen place called Kaarna, which is in a mall in the city centre. The place was very nice and we have been served by a kind black-haired and blue-eyed waitress named Heidi. We ate flat bread with reindeer meat together with rocket salad, cucumber, pepperoni and sauce and with it we drank coke and coffee. 

After dinner we took a walk in the city centre, but we got bothered by the realization of  my camera’s batteries left to charge for almost 22 hours (maximum time was 18 hours). Therefore, we ran back to the hostel haunted by unpleasant images of our bedroom on fire, while I started praying Odin for mercy. Luckily, when we opened the door, everything was in place and the battery charger wasn’t even hot. Of course. Just a useless worry, according to our habits :°D
The danger escaped, with the colorful and sunny images of the day left behind in our mind, time for a shower and some sleeping!