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.