Finland comes alive in the summer and there are hundreds of festivals taking place all over the country. I went with other exchange students from Canada, Germany, Australia and Mexico to the biggest festival in Finland, Ruisrock.
Its name comes from where it is held, on Ruissalo (Rye Island) just of the coast of a big, south-western Finnish city, Turku. The festival lasts for 3 days and i stayed with a Canadian exchange student, Chris, over the weekend.
The festival was amazing with many great Finnish artists, some big American bands like Disturbed and even The Living End from Australia. The days were long and tiring and i managed to lose my wallet in one of the mosh-pits but it was worth it.
Every night when the festival finished we would have to catch a bus back into Turku and then walkk from Turku to chris' place, usually making it back there after sunrise (at 3am or so).
Monday, November 23, 2009
Åland
Åland in Swedish or Ahvenanmaa in Finnish is a group of Swedish-speaking islands between Finland and Sweden which are part of Finland.
Seija and Risto took me there for a weekend to see some of the sites (including the extremely good looking swedish girls) and to bask in the fantastic weather. We had a look around some old castles, visited a winery, went up a massive old wooden lookout and went to a few of the different islands that make up the area.
On the ferries there and back there ws the mot amazing views between the islands.
Seija and Risto took me there for a weekend to see some of the sites (including the extremely good looking swedish girls) and to bask in the fantastic weather. We had a look around some old castles, visited a winery, went up a massive old wooden lookout and went to a few of the different islands that make up the area.
On the ferries there and back there ws the mot amazing views between the islands.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Juhannus
One of the most important nationwide celebrations in Finland, Juhannus (mid-summer) has an almost mythical atmosphere to it. Why is mid-summer so special in Finland? Well if your in the north then the sun never dips below the horizon and even down south we only get about an hour of 'almost-twilight'. This means that the party can continue all through the night...and it does.
It is tradionally spent at your summer cottage with your family and this was exactly what me and my family did. After going onto the lake to watch a massive bonfire burn we returned to the summer cottage to play some mölkky (a Finnish game resembling bocci) and go to the sauna.
It is tradionally spent at your summer cottage with your family and this was exactly what me and my family did. After going onto the lake to watch a massive bonfire burn we returned to the summer cottage to play some mölkky (a Finnish game resembling bocci) and go to the sauna.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Eurotour
After 19 days, 80 exchange students, 10 countries and at least 30 hours on busses there was always going to be awesome times, bad times, adventure, fights and some of the best memories i have.
It all started in Turku, a city in the southwest of Finland where we would all meet before we took the ferry to Sweden. I went down a couple of days early to stay with another Australian in Turku, we hung out and had a look around the city.
On sunday we made it down to the harbour to check-in and after that realised we had nothing to do for about 4 hours. So we quested for food, but didn't manage to find anything nearby and after that played some very hungry frisbee. When we made it onto the boat we had an awesome feast and then went straight to sleep.
The next day we were driving through Sweden on the busses, starting in Stockholm and eventually making it Copenhagen in Denmark. On the way we stopped at the ruins of an old Swedish castle where there was an amazing veiw over some farming fields and the sea. In the evening we visited the famous theme-park, Tivoli, in the middle of Copenhagen. We bought a pass for all the rides there and spent several hours after that upside-down, free-falling, in wierd dark tunnels and feeling a little sick. Eventually we found our way back to the hotel from Tivoli (this may not sound like much but at one point it really wasn't looking likely).
We awoke the following morning just in time to get on the buses for a sight-seeing tour around Copenhagen. We saw all around the city, several famous monuments and statues and i even managed to fondle the Danish national statue of a mermaid. Then it was time to drive to Bremen in Germany, after crossing from Denmark to Germany on a ferry we got stuck in a huge traffic jam on the highway and we're 4 or so hours late. By the time we actually made it to the hotel we were so hungry i don't think it would have mattered what we ate, despite that the meal we got was delicious.
Then it was off to the Netherlands, on the way we topped on a dyke to take some photos (including more inappropriate photos with statues). A bit further along, still on the way to Amsterdam we stopped at a cheese and clog factory in the area of Edam. There we got to taste some cheese and see a pair of clogs being made by a crazy old man. In Amsterdam we went to the Anne Frank museum and then on a guided waterbus tour through the main canals of Amsterdam, where we could see all the old buildings, long house-boats and coffee shops.
From the Netherlands we drove through Belgium into France, stopping for a few hours in Brussles. We looked around Brussels, got some waffles, got lost in some tiny streets, had an awesome lunch and then got straight back on the bus for another few hours, eventually making it to Paris. We had a time for a quick look around town before we had to be back at the hotel.
The next morning we got straight onto the buses, heading on a short trip to Versailles where we had a look around an old french castle and gardens. From there we went back to Paris for a guided tour around the town. Then we waited in huuuge lines before eventually making it up the Eifel Tower, once on the tower it only got more crowded but the view over Paris from so high up was spectacular. Then we had the evening free, we just had to be back at the hotel by 2.
Then came the long awaited free-day in Paris. We had the entire day to spend how we wanted and see whatever we wanted. Some people went sightseeing, others went to euro-disney, heres what i did:
After waking up quite early i set out with some of the girls, Jordan and Matt (not me), another Australian heading for the Lourve, on the metro, stopping on the way for some delicious street vendor crepes. When we got to there a massive line awaited us and two of the girls decided to go somewhere else instead, as it turned out the lines only took 10 minutes or so. When we were in we chose to head straight for some of the most famous pictures, the mona lisa etc. On the way around we saw some some intersting stuff, including a double sided painting, goblets i could fit into and paintings that took up entire walls. Not wanting to spend the entire day there we left after about an hour or so, heading for The Avenue des Champs-Êlysêes, the main street of Paris. We caught the metro there again (no easy task i might say) and were soon there. As we came out of the metro we saw the massive Arc de Triomphe down the road, seemingly only a few hundred metres away. About half an hour later we made it there and ran into some German exchange students who were also on the tour. So Me, Matt and Jordan split off from the girls to go with them to try and find the Moulin Rouge. So after getting of at the wrong metro station we found ourselves in a busy street somewhere in Paris. From where we were we could see a big, beutiful old building just up a hill so we went strait for it. From up the top of the stairs in front of the building there was a beautiful view over the city (we later found out that this is a favourite place for tourists to come for a great view). After talking to some people we discovered that we were really only a few blocks from the Moulin Rouge so we walked there, with every step our vision was filled more and more by strip clubs and porn stores until eventually we knew we were there. It wasn't as grand as we expected but there was the red windmill on top, so we were more than happy. The journey back to our hotel took maybe 3 times longer than it should have but after getting off at the wrong metro station twice and asking dozens of people for directions we eventually made it back. Then it was time to make a start on the nightime activities.
The next day looking out of the windows on the bus was amazing, as if we were looking onto the set of some movie. To see the south of france myself was amazing. eventually we made it to the town of Grenoble in the french alps, which is famous for holding the winter olympics of 1968. That afternoon we all spent hanging out at the pool as there was nowhere else within at least a few kilometres for us to go.
On the way to Cannes we stopped to see amazing views over the Mediterrenean and to visit a couple of medieval towns, as well as a perfume factory in the town of Grasse.
We went from Cannes on a trip to the Principality of Monaco where the Monte Carlo casino is sittuated. This tiny city/country if full of some of the richest people in europe do to the lack of taxes, and just wlaking around this can be clearly seen. A lamborghini drives past, followed by a porshe, followed by a ferrari. And then you look out over the harbour at the thousand of multi-million dollar yatchs, it was a sight to see. Thwn on the way back to Cannes we stop at the little town of Nice, where if i remember rightly there lives a few famous people including Elton John who owns a house there.
Sticking to the Mediterrenean we set out for Venice in Italy and while driving through northern Italy we stopped at the town of verona to see the balcony where (allegedly) the famous love scene between Romeo and Juliet occured. Eventually we reached our destination of Lido di Jesolo, which is a small beach town near to Venice. As this was such a big tourist town, there was plenty for us to do in the night also.
The day after was our day to spend in Venice. While it was very nice to look around such an old an interesting city, this was overshadowed by the mass of tourists and Americans and actually apart from the fact that the city is on water i don't think there is anything too special about it. However, the gondola ride which we had through the canals was awesome. Heading back to Lido in the afternoon we spent the rest of the day relaxing at the beach and the night looking around the town.
It was then our free-day to spend as we wanted in Lido and with the town being built around a beach there was not much else for us to do but soak up the sun and relax. We had the night free also to spend around the town, eventually ending after a 3am skinnydip at the beach.
The next day marked the turning point of the tour, when we started heading North again, back towards finland. We stayed the night at the Dolomites, the alps of Italy. The view of the alps i won't ever forget, it looked like something straight out of the Sound of Music (not that i've seen it of course.) That afternoon we had a hiking tour through the alps where we eventually reached snow, we were so high up that it was 25 degrees or so and so we were wearing just shorts and t-shirts and yet walking in snow.
Continuing over the Alps we drove into Austria and stopped in Innsbruck. We had a few hours of free-time there but as it was a sunday there was almost nothing else to do there but eat. We left there heading for the small town of Garmish-Partenkirchen in Germany, in the Bavarian Alps. There we had a traditional Bavarian-Style dinner with tradition music and dancing as well (das ist meine lederhosen.) From there we drove to Nürnberg to spend the night.
Most of the whole next day was spent in the horrible German traffic on the way to Berlin but once we got there we had the evening to spend as we wanted. A small group of us explored around the town, we just had to be back by 1.
The next day we had a guided tour around Berlin where we went to the holocaust museum, Checkpoint Charlie, to where there was still a section of the Berlin Wall and around the middle of the town. That afternoon we drove all the way up to Sweden through Denmark eventually staying in Helsingborg.
So are last day together started in Sweden and would eventually end in Finland. In the morning we went to a candy factory in Gränna to get a sugar fix and then we kept going on the way to Stockholm. Once there we had a short tour and then a little free time in the old town before we had to get on the ferry for Turku. We had had a buffet dinner and then a farewell party for the Nothern Hemisphere exchange students who would be going home soon. As a tradition they hand down things to us which we will in turn hand down to the new exchange students from the North and so it goes. I was given some frisbees and a bracelet which has been handed down for 4 years already. After that we had the night to ourselves and on the ferry's there is always plenty to do. At something like 4 o'clock we watched the rus rise after a sleepless night and we were ready for another day. We arrived in Turku at 7 and then shortly after set off on our way back to our own towns. In the hours that it took to get back to Lohja and while sleeping at a bus station near there all i could think was how amazing it was to feel back at home...in Finland.
It all started in Turku, a city in the southwest of Finland where we would all meet before we took the ferry to Sweden. I went down a couple of days early to stay with another Australian in Turku, we hung out and had a look around the city.
On sunday we made it down to the harbour to check-in and after that realised we had nothing to do for about 4 hours. So we quested for food, but didn't manage to find anything nearby and after that played some very hungry frisbee. When we made it onto the boat we had an awesome feast and then went straight to sleep.
The next day we were driving through Sweden on the busses, starting in Stockholm and eventually making it Copenhagen in Denmark. On the way we stopped at the ruins of an old Swedish castle where there was an amazing veiw over some farming fields and the sea. In the evening we visited the famous theme-park, Tivoli, in the middle of Copenhagen. We bought a pass for all the rides there and spent several hours after that upside-down, free-falling, in wierd dark tunnels and feeling a little sick. Eventually we found our way back to the hotel from Tivoli (this may not sound like much but at one point it really wasn't looking likely).
We awoke the following morning just in time to get on the buses for a sight-seeing tour around Copenhagen. We saw all around the city, several famous monuments and statues and i even managed to fondle the Danish national statue of a mermaid. Then it was time to drive to Bremen in Germany, after crossing from Denmark to Germany on a ferry we got stuck in a huge traffic jam on the highway and we're 4 or so hours late. By the time we actually made it to the hotel we were so hungry i don't think it would have mattered what we ate, despite that the meal we got was delicious.
Then it was off to the Netherlands, on the way we topped on a dyke to take some photos (including more inappropriate photos with statues). A bit further along, still on the way to Amsterdam we stopped at a cheese and clog factory in the area of Edam. There we got to taste some cheese and see a pair of clogs being made by a crazy old man. In Amsterdam we went to the Anne Frank museum and then on a guided waterbus tour through the main canals of Amsterdam, where we could see all the old buildings, long house-boats and coffee shops.
From the Netherlands we drove through Belgium into France, stopping for a few hours in Brussles. We looked around Brussels, got some waffles, got lost in some tiny streets, had an awesome lunch and then got straight back on the bus for another few hours, eventually making it to Paris. We had a time for a quick look around town before we had to be back at the hotel.
The next morning we got straight onto the buses, heading on a short trip to Versailles where we had a look around an old french castle and gardens. From there we went back to Paris for a guided tour around the town. Then we waited in huuuge lines before eventually making it up the Eifel Tower, once on the tower it only got more crowded but the view over Paris from so high up was spectacular. Then we had the evening free, we just had to be back at the hotel by 2.
Then came the long awaited free-day in Paris. We had the entire day to spend how we wanted and see whatever we wanted. Some people went sightseeing, others went to euro-disney, heres what i did:
After waking up quite early i set out with some of the girls, Jordan and Matt (not me), another Australian heading for the Lourve, on the metro, stopping on the way for some delicious street vendor crepes. When we got to there a massive line awaited us and two of the girls decided to go somewhere else instead, as it turned out the lines only took 10 minutes or so. When we were in we chose to head straight for some of the most famous pictures, the mona lisa etc. On the way around we saw some some intersting stuff, including a double sided painting, goblets i could fit into and paintings that took up entire walls. Not wanting to spend the entire day there we left after about an hour or so, heading for The Avenue des Champs-Êlysêes, the main street of Paris. We caught the metro there again (no easy task i might say) and were soon there. As we came out of the metro we saw the massive Arc de Triomphe down the road, seemingly only a few hundred metres away. About half an hour later we made it there and ran into some German exchange students who were also on the tour. So Me, Matt and Jordan split off from the girls to go with them to try and find the Moulin Rouge. So after getting of at the wrong metro station we found ourselves in a busy street somewhere in Paris. From where we were we could see a big, beutiful old building just up a hill so we went strait for it. From up the top of the stairs in front of the building there was a beautiful view over the city (we later found out that this is a favourite place for tourists to come for a great view). After talking to some people we discovered that we were really only a few blocks from the Moulin Rouge so we walked there, with every step our vision was filled more and more by strip clubs and porn stores until eventually we knew we were there. It wasn't as grand as we expected but there was the red windmill on top, so we were more than happy. The journey back to our hotel took maybe 3 times longer than it should have but after getting off at the wrong metro station twice and asking dozens of people for directions we eventually made it back. Then it was time to make a start on the nightime activities.
The next day looking out of the windows on the bus was amazing, as if we were looking onto the set of some movie. To see the south of france myself was amazing. eventually we made it to the town of Grenoble in the french alps, which is famous for holding the winter olympics of 1968. That afternoon we all spent hanging out at the pool as there was nowhere else within at least a few kilometres for us to go.
On the way to Cannes we stopped to see amazing views over the Mediterrenean and to visit a couple of medieval towns, as well as a perfume factory in the town of Grasse.
We went from Cannes on a trip to the Principality of Monaco where the Monte Carlo casino is sittuated. This tiny city/country if full of some of the richest people in europe do to the lack of taxes, and just wlaking around this can be clearly seen. A lamborghini drives past, followed by a porshe, followed by a ferrari. And then you look out over the harbour at the thousand of multi-million dollar yatchs, it was a sight to see. Thwn on the way back to Cannes we stop at the little town of Nice, where if i remember rightly there lives a few famous people including Elton John who owns a house there.
Sticking to the Mediterrenean we set out for Venice in Italy and while driving through northern Italy we stopped at the town of verona to see the balcony where (allegedly) the famous love scene between Romeo and Juliet occured. Eventually we reached our destination of Lido di Jesolo, which is a small beach town near to Venice. As this was such a big tourist town, there was plenty for us to do in the night also.
The day after was our day to spend in Venice. While it was very nice to look around such an old an interesting city, this was overshadowed by the mass of tourists and Americans and actually apart from the fact that the city is on water i don't think there is anything too special about it. However, the gondola ride which we had through the canals was awesome. Heading back to Lido in the afternoon we spent the rest of the day relaxing at the beach and the night looking around the town.
It was then our free-day to spend as we wanted in Lido and with the town being built around a beach there was not much else for us to do but soak up the sun and relax. We had the night free also to spend around the town, eventually ending after a 3am skinnydip at the beach.
The next day marked the turning point of the tour, when we started heading North again, back towards finland. We stayed the night at the Dolomites, the alps of Italy. The view of the alps i won't ever forget, it looked like something straight out of the Sound of Music (not that i've seen it of course.) That afternoon we had a hiking tour through the alps where we eventually reached snow, we were so high up that it was 25 degrees or so and so we were wearing just shorts and t-shirts and yet walking in snow.
Continuing over the Alps we drove into Austria and stopped in Innsbruck. We had a few hours of free-time there but as it was a sunday there was almost nothing else to do there but eat. We left there heading for the small town of Garmish-Partenkirchen in Germany, in the Bavarian Alps. There we had a traditional Bavarian-Style dinner with tradition music and dancing as well (das ist meine lederhosen.) From there we drove to Nürnberg to spend the night.
Most of the whole next day was spent in the horrible German traffic on the way to Berlin but once we got there we had the evening to spend as we wanted. A small group of us explored around the town, we just had to be back by 1.
The next day we had a guided tour around Berlin where we went to the holocaust museum, Checkpoint Charlie, to where there was still a section of the Berlin Wall and around the middle of the town. That afternoon we drove all the way up to Sweden through Denmark eventually staying in Helsingborg.
So are last day together started in Sweden and would eventually end in Finland. In the morning we went to a candy factory in Gränna to get a sugar fix and then we kept going on the way to Stockholm. Once there we had a short tour and then a little free time in the old town before we had to get on the ferry for Turku. We had had a buffet dinner and then a farewell party for the Nothern Hemisphere exchange students who would be going home soon. As a tradition they hand down things to us which we will in turn hand down to the new exchange students from the North and so it goes. I was given some frisbees and a bracelet which has been handed down for 4 years already. After that we had the night to ourselves and on the ferry's there is always plenty to do. At something like 4 o'clock we watched the rus rise after a sleepless night and we were ready for another day. We arrived in Turku at 7 and then shortly after set off on our way back to our own towns. In the hours that it took to get back to Lohja and while sleeping at a bus station near there all i could think was how amazing it was to feel back at home...in Finland.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
From Russia With Love
Early on May 2nd i awoke, took the bus to Helsinki and then boarded another bus, packed with exchange students, heading for Russia. It was the start of our first Rotary organised trip and there was about 80 students on two buses.
We spent most if the first day on the buses but just after lunch we made it to russia and were told we could change money if we needed. There was no exchange shop, rather two men, one holding a huge pile of Russian notes and the other with a big plastic bag for the euros. Shortly after that we stopped at a little market to get some drinks and snacks and in the store we found a big sign, advertising drugs for sale over the counter. At the very top was Viagra...We were starting to get a look at the Russian culture already. Eventually we made it to our hotel in St. Petersburg in time to watch the sun set over the endless sea of buildings.
On the second day we toured around St. Petersburg on the buses and visted the Hermitage (In which we got lost more times than i can count). After having a traditional Russian meal we went to a museum exclusively for weird stuff, in which there was an entire room of deformed babies floating in glass jars. That night we went to the St. Petersburg Ballet to see 'The Nut-cracker'
The next day we had free time in the centre of St. Petersburg where we had a look in some shops (but didn't stay too long for fear of the massive security guys in most stores), got shoved around on the streets by angry pedestrians and got lost ('haven't we walked over this bridge already?' That night we went to a traditional Russian folk show, which turned out to be one of the best things we did there.
So the next day after about 8 hours of sleep (over 3 nights) and some of the most fun i've ever had we were on the buses back to Finland.
We spent most if the first day on the buses but just after lunch we made it to russia and were told we could change money if we needed. There was no exchange shop, rather two men, one holding a huge pile of Russian notes and the other with a big plastic bag for the euros. Shortly after that we stopped at a little market to get some drinks and snacks and in the store we found a big sign, advertising drugs for sale over the counter. At the very top was Viagra...We were starting to get a look at the Russian culture already. Eventually we made it to our hotel in St. Petersburg in time to watch the sun set over the endless sea of buildings.
On the second day we toured around St. Petersburg on the buses and visted the Hermitage (In which we got lost more times than i can count). After having a traditional Russian meal we went to a museum exclusively for weird stuff, in which there was an entire room of deformed babies floating in glass jars. That night we went to the St. Petersburg Ballet to see 'The Nut-cracker'
The next day we had free time in the centre of St. Petersburg where we had a look in some shops (but didn't stay too long for fear of the massive security guys in most stores), got shoved around on the streets by angry pedestrians and got lost ('haven't we walked over this bridge already?' That night we went to a traditional Russian folk show, which turned out to be one of the best things we did there.
So the next day after about 8 hours of sleep (over 3 nights) and some of the most fun i've ever had we were on the buses back to Finland.
Vappu
The first of May sees one of the biggest celebrations of the year in Finland, It's called Vappu and it's orgins are in the ancient pagen times.
Students who have graduated all line the streets in their white, graduation caps and many other, other people also bring out their caps to mark the occasion.
Taken from wikipedia:
'The celebration is typically centered on plentiful use of sparkling wine and other alcoholic beverages.'
Many people told me that this festivals main purpose is to give everyone a good excuse to go out drinking.
Students who have graduated all line the streets in their white, graduation caps and many other, other people also bring out their caps to mark the occasion.
Taken from wikipedia:
'The celebration is typically centered on plentiful use of sparkling wine and other alcoholic beverages.'
Many people told me that this festivals main purpose is to give everyone a good excuse to go out drinking.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Ash and Bev
Way up north, in the arctic circle (well almost the arctic circle) where the only sign of life for kilometres in any direction is a few moose and reindeer, there lives two exchange students, Ash and Bev. Ash is from the east coast of Australia and Bev is from South Africa. They had been wanting to come down and see southern Finland so they came down to stay for the long weekend so we could check out some sights around here.
Seija Drove into Helsinki on Wednesday night to pick them up from the train station, she had never seen them before but had no problem in identifying them, the only two loud foreigners with too much luggage in the whole station :P
On Thursday we went sightseeing around Lohja. We went to see the nearby Mustionlinna (Mustio's castle), then to a candy factory, to Risto's friend's house and then to the little town of Fiscars... Yes like the scissors. There we went to the Fiscars company museum and around the beautiful town.
On Friday it was to Helsinki for some casual sightseeing and the like.
On Saturday we had planned to go to Turku (another large city) and we found out that on the same day there was an exchange student meeting there, so we got to meet many of the people we hadn't seen before in a picnic on one of the islands near Turku (i think it was called ruissalo).
And then on Sunday it was back up to the desert with them.
Seija Drove into Helsinki on Wednesday night to pick them up from the train station, she had never seen them before but had no problem in identifying them, the only two loud foreigners with too much luggage in the whole station :P
On Thursday we went sightseeing around Lohja. We went to see the nearby Mustionlinna (Mustio's castle), then to a candy factory, to Risto's friend's house and then to the little town of Fiscars... Yes like the scissors. There we went to the Fiscars company museum and around the beautiful town.
On Friday it was to Helsinki for some casual sightseeing and the like.
On Saturday we had planned to go to Turku (another large city) and we found out that on the same day there was an exchange student meeting there, so we got to meet many of the people we hadn't seen before in a picnic on one of the islands near Turku (i think it was called ruissalo).
And then on Sunday it was back up to the desert with them.
Eesti (On My Mind)
On the 25th of April my host parents, Seija and Risto took me over to Estonia, this time to stay the night and then come back the next afternoon.
So we woke up at the crack of dawn (i think it was about 10 actually) on Saturday and packed the car for our journey. My parents wanted to take the car so that we would be able do do more sightseeing...
After a short and pleasant boat trip we were in Tallinn and after some well needed lunch and some shopping we went to a terrace to soak up some sun (i wasn't drinking obviously). It was beautiful to just sit as the temperature was a scorching +18C. That night we went to an awesome 17th century style restaurant, aptly named 'Peppersack', this is quite appropriate as hanging from the front of the building is a large sack of pepper. The food was delicious.
That night we were checking out the town and watching some awesome karaoke annnd some not so awesome karaoke (it was horrible).
Our first stop on Sunday was Tallinn's beach but we moved on pretty quickly because it was damn windy. After that we found a massive old monastery where the roof had collapsed, it looked quite beautiful. Then we killed some time in the Estonian Botanical Gardens before an awesome lunch in 'Scotland Yard' an English restaurant and then back to the boat home.
"Eesti,
Eesti,
kaipaan sinne
perkelesti"
So we woke up at the crack of dawn (i think it was about 10 actually) on Saturday and packed the car for our journey. My parents wanted to take the car so that we would be able do do more sightseeing...
After a short and pleasant boat trip we were in Tallinn and after some well needed lunch and some shopping we went to a terrace to soak up some sun (i wasn't drinking obviously). It was beautiful to just sit as the temperature was a scorching +18C. That night we went to an awesome 17th century style restaurant, aptly named 'Peppersack', this is quite appropriate as hanging from the front of the building is a large sack of pepper. The food was delicious.
That night we were checking out the town and watching some awesome karaoke annnd some not so awesome karaoke (it was horrible).
Our first stop on Sunday was Tallinn's beach but we moved on pretty quickly because it was damn windy. After that we found a massive old monastery where the roof had collapsed, it looked quite beautiful. Then we killed some time in the Estonian Botanical Gardens before an awesome lunch in 'Scotland Yard' an English restaurant and then back to the boat home.
"Eesti,
Eesti,
kaipaan sinne
perkelesti"
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Pääsiäinen (Easter)
When it came to Easter my host mum told me that their family wasn't very religious and in Australia this would mean that we spend the weekend eating too many chocolate eggs. And while people in Finland also over-indulge on the eggs for Easter they have a few interesting old traditions.
Mämmi (Easter cuisine which looks like s***) is made from mouldy rye and dark molasses and has roughly the same colour, consistency and smell of human excrement. It has been eaten since about the 13th century and is supposed to be the complete opposite of the Jewish sour-dough bread. With a healthy dose of cream and sugar it tastes quite nice but it is still difficult to get over its appearance.
Pääsiäiskokkoja (massive Easter bonfires) were traditionally burned to ward off evil spirits and witches which may come during this time. This tradition comes from the Pohjanmaa region of Finland and these fires are most common there. So on Saturday night we went into Helsinki to visit the one there. It was absolutely huge and within about 10 meters of it was almost to hot to stand.
Virpojat (kids that dress up and wave sticks at you, demanding candy) are children which dress up like witches and evil spirits and then come to your door and wave decorated sticks at you while s´chanting a spell, which usually goes something like this:
"Virvon varvon
tuoreks terveks
tulevaks vuodeks,
vitsa sulle,
palkka mulle."
This is basically wishing you good health and good luck and then demanding candy in repayment for their hard work.
So we woke up on sunday morning to knocks on the door and soon after opening it my host mum, seija realised that we had no candy and had to turn the dissapointed children away. But after a quick trip to the shops we had candy to give to the young'ns when the came.
Mämmi (Easter cuisine which looks like s***) is made from mouldy rye and dark molasses and has roughly the same colour, consistency and smell of human excrement. It has been eaten since about the 13th century and is supposed to be the complete opposite of the Jewish sour-dough bread. With a healthy dose of cream and sugar it tastes quite nice but it is still difficult to get over its appearance.
Pääsiäiskokkoja (massive Easter bonfires) were traditionally burned to ward off evil spirits and witches which may come during this time. This tradition comes from the Pohjanmaa region of Finland and these fires are most common there. So on Saturday night we went into Helsinki to visit the one there. It was absolutely huge and within about 10 meters of it was almost to hot to stand.
Virpojat (kids that dress up and wave sticks at you, demanding candy) are children which dress up like witches and evil spirits and then come to your door and wave decorated sticks at you while s´chanting a spell, which usually goes something like this:
"Virvon varvon
tuoreks terveks
tulevaks vuodeks,
vitsa sulle,
palkka mulle."
This is basically wishing you good health and good luck and then demanding candy in repayment for their hard work.
So we woke up on sunday morning to knocks on the door and soon after opening it my host mum, seija realised that we had no candy and had to turn the dissapointed children away. But after a quick trip to the shops we had candy to give to the young'ns when the came.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Pori and Anna
About 10 years ago at primary school (year 2 maybe) there was a girl from Finland, called Anna in my class at school. Well she went back home a few years later but i thought since i was here it would a good chance to see her.
So on the 4Th of April i went up to Pori to see her. It's about a 3 hour drive northwest(ish) on the and it sits on the beautiful west coast. When i got there, after a nice long catch-up chat we went for a look around town. Pori is about twice the size of my town but still not overly big. The city however is very beautiful and i got the full tour of it. We did most of the sightseeing by car though because the weather was terrible. This included doing what is apparently a common passtime in Pori, the 'neste round'. Well neste is a brand of petrol station and neste round, you guessed it, consists of driving around the petrol station (slowly of course).
After that we took a short drive to the frozen beach of Pori. Frozen and beach, not two words you often hear in the same sentence. It was an amazing thing to see because it looked almost like an Australian beach except for the snow and ice all along the shore where the waves should be lapping in. From there we went further along the coast to see a lighthouse and a nice spot on the rocks.
That night we went into the centre of town to check out some places. Pori has a big market square right in the centre of town so it is easy to take in a lot without much walking.
It was great to see Anna again, she is just as awesome as i remember her.
So on the 4Th of April i went up to Pori to see her. It's about a 3 hour drive northwest(ish) on the and it sits on the beautiful west coast. When i got there, after a nice long catch-up chat we went for a look around town. Pori is about twice the size of my town but still not overly big. The city however is very beautiful and i got the full tour of it. We did most of the sightseeing by car though because the weather was terrible. This included doing what is apparently a common passtime in Pori, the 'neste round'. Well neste is a brand of petrol station and neste round, you guessed it, consists of driving around the petrol station (slowly of course).
After that we took a short drive to the frozen beach of Pori. Frozen and beach, not two words you often hear in the same sentence. It was an amazing thing to see because it looked almost like an Australian beach except for the snow and ice all along the shore where the waves should be lapping in. From there we went further along the coast to see a lighthouse and a nice spot on the rocks.
That night we went into the centre of town to check out some places. Pori has a big market square right in the centre of town so it is easy to take in a lot without much walking.
It was great to see Anna again, she is just as awesome as i remember her.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Tytyri Mine
Well I'm sure when it's on in Australia but in this season of 'The Amazing Race' they go not only to Finland but to my little town (it has about 50,000 people). The episode was just on TV in Finland last week. In the show they came to Helsinki and then had to drive to Lohja and find Tytyri mine to complete a challenge.
The Tytyri mine museum is situated in the original site of the mine which opened in 1956 and still in operation. At the moment about 20 men work, 350 metres down mining limestone.
We needed a group to go so i went with my parents, my brother Teemu and his girlfriend Jenni, Mamma (my grandmother) and her boyfriend Eikka. When we got there we donned hard hats and got into a van for an exciting (and slightly scary) drive down a steep and winding road to where the mine is, 110 metres below see level. In the museum there is a display of many mining vehicles and machines as well as a huge open cavern about 100 metres wide and deep.
The Tytyri mine museum is situated in the original site of the mine which opened in 1956 and still in operation. At the moment about 20 men work, 350 metres down mining limestone.
We needed a group to go so i went with my parents, my brother Teemu and his girlfriend Jenni, Mamma (my grandmother) and her boyfriend Eikka. When we got there we donned hard hats and got into a van for an exciting (and slightly scary) drive down a steep and winding road to where the mine is, 110 metres below see level. In the museum there is a display of many mining vehicles and machines as well as a huge open cavern about 100 metres wide and deep.
Tallinn - Just a Ferry Away
On the 21st of march a man from rotary, Simo Laurila, his wife and two of there grandsons, Miika and Santeri took me over to Estonia on the ferry.
It took only 3 hours to get there, which i thought was pretty amazing because to get to another country from Perth takes about 5 hours in a plane!
So before i knew it (partly because i slept for most of the journey) we were there and after working our way through their 'honesty system' customs... ie. a sign that said exit we headed for the 'old town'.
The old town is where old buildings have been left to stand, mostly from the Russian empire in the 18th century but some of the oldest have been there since the 16th century. It is an amazing place to see, with so many old and historical buildings in one place. When Simo's wife saw me taking a picture of the amazing Russian Orthodox church there she told me that i shouldn't and quickly led me to an equally as impressive 'non-Russian' church up the road (a lot of Finns aren't so keen on the Russians). We spent most of the day looking around the old town and visiting old churches and buildings. For lunch we went to a little cafe in an alley of the old town and there i got this awwwesome hot chocolate which was basically just melted chocolate.
After that we left the old town and went to check out some markets. Simo had told me to be careful about my wallet because there are many pick-pockets in the markets. Luckily i still had it when we left.
At about 5 in the afternoon it was time to head back to the ferry. Once we were on the boat we took advantage of the duty free shop to buy some energy drinks and candy (because we're so cool :P).
I really liked Estonia which is a good thing because i'll be back there in a couple of weeks with my host parents :D
It took only 3 hours to get there, which i thought was pretty amazing because to get to another country from Perth takes about 5 hours in a plane!
So before i knew it (partly because i slept for most of the journey) we were there and after working our way through their 'honesty system' customs... ie. a sign that said exit we headed for the 'old town'.
The old town is where old buildings have been left to stand, mostly from the Russian empire in the 18th century but some of the oldest have been there since the 16th century. It is an amazing place to see, with so many old and historical buildings in one place. When Simo's wife saw me taking a picture of the amazing Russian Orthodox church there she told me that i shouldn't and quickly led me to an equally as impressive 'non-Russian' church up the road (a lot of Finns aren't so keen on the Russians). We spent most of the day looking around the old town and visiting old churches and buildings. For lunch we went to a little cafe in an alley of the old town and there i got this awwwesome hot chocolate which was basically just melted chocolate.
After that we left the old town and went to check out some markets. Simo had told me to be careful about my wallet because there are many pick-pockets in the markets. Luckily i still had it when we left.
At about 5 in the afternoon it was time to head back to the ferry. Once we were on the boat we took advantage of the duty free shop to buy some energy drinks and candy (because we're so cool :P).
I really liked Estonia which is a good thing because i'll be back there in a couple of weeks with my host parents :D
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Helsinki Day
On the 28th of Feb all of the Rotary youth exchange students from district 1420 met in Helsinki. This is all the exchange students in southern Finland and Estonia. It was to be a fun filled day at Sea Life, an aquarium but we instead went to the Finnish museum of natural history which had an entire room devoted to different animals crap. It is a good thing that museums are so much fun otherwise it might have been boring.
The day as a whole was awesome though. It was the first time i had seen most of the exchange students and there were people from Mexico, USA, France, Germany and more.
The day as a whole was awesome though. It was the first time i had seen most of the exchange students and there were people from Mexico, USA, France, Germany and more.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Winter Holidays
After less than two weeks of school it was about time for a well deserved break :P My parents were still working so i spent a lot of the week with my host auntie and uncles family.
On Tuesday i went cross country skiing with them again. I must be improving because this time was a whole lot less painful. That evening i went to the Rotary meeting where an Australian exchange student from 3 years ago had come to talk to the club. It was good just to here another person with an Australian accent.
They were going to a local ski slope the next day and so i went with them to give my brothers old snowboard a try. It was a bit difficult at first because none of them had snowboarded before and so didn't have any idea how to do it either. In a couple of hours i looked like a pro...by that i mean that i wasn't falling on my ass every 10 meters any more. It was so awesome that i'll definitely be back there for more soon.
On Thursday i drove with them an hour west to Turku, the fifth largest city in Finland. There we went to a swimming pool where you could swim in a warm outside pool where the air temperature was well below zero. I could barely see a meter away because there was so much steam.
I went bowling with my host parents on Sunday which ended with all of us having terrible scores (they're as bad as me at bowling). There was however some good pictures of my host mum who would make funny faces every time she turned around after a bad bowl.
On Tuesday i went cross country skiing with them again. I must be improving because this time was a whole lot less painful. That evening i went to the Rotary meeting where an Australian exchange student from 3 years ago had come to talk to the club. It was good just to here another person with an Australian accent.
They were going to a local ski slope the next day and so i went with them to give my brothers old snowboard a try. It was a bit difficult at first because none of them had snowboarded before and so didn't have any idea how to do it either. In a couple of hours i looked like a pro...by that i mean that i wasn't falling on my ass every 10 meters any more. It was so awesome that i'll definitely be back there for more soon.
On Thursday i drove with them an hour west to Turku, the fifth largest city in Finland. There we went to a swimming pool where you could swim in a warm outside pool where the air temperature was well below zero. I could barely see a meter away because there was so much steam.
I went bowling with my host parents on Sunday which ended with all of us having terrible scores (they're as bad as me at bowling). There was however some good pictures of my host mum who would make funny faces every time she turned around after a bad bowl.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Back to School...Yay!
School started well on wednesday because as i had no idea what i was doing i rocked up 2 hours before i had any classes so i was just so that meant i was just sitting around getting funny looks from passers by. The day improved a lot from there though and by the end of the day i had quite a few friends.
On saturday we went to my host aunty and uncles house where i had an epic snowball fight with their kids..the fact that i'm 5/10 years older than any of them was little help to me and soon enough i was covered in snow and freezing. From there i went to a girl from school's party which was surprisingly quite similar to an Australian party...
On sunday we went to have some makkara (sausages) cooked on an open fire at my host families summer cottage. The sausages were awesome but it was hard to sit in the kotta (little hut with the fire) because the chimney didn't work all that well :P
School the next week was fun despite being able to understand next to nothing the teachers were saying. The parts that i could understand were in english, were the students are so good that they speak only english in class and in art (pretty pictures are an international language i think).
The end of the week was action packed with the abi (final year) students leaving on thursday and the second years (my years) formal dance on Friday. On Thursday we got watched a show that the abi students had made to celebrate them leaving then stood there while they through candy at us (hard!) after that they officially left the school by sliding down the hill at the front of the school in poorly made sleds. Needless to say many of the sleds didnt make it down the hill in one piece. On friday i watched the second year student's dance where they performed folk dances they had been practicing and then went with them to the afters to celebrate.
The weekend was was also lots of fun as on Satuday my host parents took me into Helsinki where i had a photo in front of every statue and significant building we could find. We also thought that it would be a good idea to check out the modern art museum... well it seemed like a good idea at the time anyway, we walked out of half of the rooms in histerical laughter getting evil looking glares from all the arty people walking around. Before going home we went to an oriental food store to buy a whole lot of chili products (i think i live with the only people in Finland who like spicy food) and some Mi goreng, my one true love.
On sunday we went to my host aunty and uncles place again for some cross country skiing around a nearby field. This was great fun and after having a taste for it i wanted more. We spotted a big hill just down the road and i thought it would be a good idea to try going down that...it wasn't. Soon enough i was landing face first in the snow with my legs twisted in ways i never could have imagined possible.
I've got this whole next week off school for winter holidays so i look forward to a good one :D
Here are some pictures of the ~500 year old church in Lohja, my host families summer cottage, my host dad's curling practice, the school dance, our trip to Helsinki and my attempt at cross country skiing.
On saturday we went to my host aunty and uncles house where i had an epic snowball fight with their kids..the fact that i'm 5/10 years older than any of them was little help to me and soon enough i was covered in snow and freezing. From there i went to a girl from school's party which was surprisingly quite similar to an Australian party...
On sunday we went to have some makkara (sausages) cooked on an open fire at my host families summer cottage. The sausages were awesome but it was hard to sit in the kotta (little hut with the fire) because the chimney didn't work all that well :P
School the next week was fun despite being able to understand next to nothing the teachers were saying. The parts that i could understand were in english, were the students are so good that they speak only english in class and in art (pretty pictures are an international language i think).
The end of the week was action packed with the abi (final year) students leaving on thursday and the second years (my years) formal dance on Friday. On Thursday we got watched a show that the abi students had made to celebrate them leaving then stood there while they through candy at us (hard!) after that they officially left the school by sliding down the hill at the front of the school in poorly made sleds. Needless to say many of the sleds didnt make it down the hill in one piece. On friday i watched the second year student's dance where they performed folk dances they had been practicing and then went with them to the afters to celebrate.
The weekend was was also lots of fun as on Satuday my host parents took me into Helsinki where i had a photo in front of every statue and significant building we could find. We also thought that it would be a good idea to check out the modern art museum... well it seemed like a good idea at the time anyway, we walked out of half of the rooms in histerical laughter getting evil looking glares from all the arty people walking around. Before going home we went to an oriental food store to buy a whole lot of chili products (i think i live with the only people in Finland who like spicy food) and some Mi goreng, my one true love.
On sunday we went to my host aunty and uncles place again for some cross country skiing around a nearby field. This was great fun and after having a taste for it i wanted more. We spotted a big hill just down the road and i thought it would be a good idea to try going down that...it wasn't. Soon enough i was landing face first in the snow with my legs twisted in ways i never could have imagined possible.
I've got this whole next week off school for winter holidays so i look forward to a good one :D
Here are some pictures of the ~500 year old church in Lohja, my host families summer cottage, my host dad's curling practice, the school dance, our trip to Helsinki and my attempt at cross country skiing.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Karkku Camp
So after a grueling 30ish hours of flying Sarah and i arrived at Helsinki airport only to have to wait another 5 hours for the eastern states and South Africans to get in. Once they arrived it was straight on the bus to Karkku language camp which was about a 3 hour trip.
On Sunday morning we met the Finnish teacher for the week, Mimmu and got some info about the week and the sauna: "Where else can you get hot, sweaty and wet all at once?" ;) hahaha.
That evening we went to the sauna for the first time and i have to say that i am quite in love with it. We heated the sauna up to over 100C and then ran down to the frozen lake for a quick dip, then it was back to the sauna to repeat this process another 3 or so times.
After that it was time for the "evening snack" (just another excuse to eat really, we were eating about 5 meals a day at the camp).
Classes started for real on Monday and they were pretty full on but they seem to have worked quite well. We also listened to some Finnish music including some awesome Finnish reggae and the Finnish version of heads, shoulders, knees and toes. That evening it was time for more sauna and frozen lake swiming :D
On Tuesday night we went to a forest camp to cook pancakes and makkara (sausages) on an open fire which was not only fun but tasty. Then we chatted with Uncle Pena, who ran the camp and watched him wittle some flowers out of bits of wood.
We went into Tampere, the 3rd biggest city in Finland on Wednesday for some shopping and sightseeing. We saw around the town which was beautiful but the shopping didn't yield much except for us accidentally stealing some gloves (don't worry we went back and paid for them) and wandering around several womens stores wondering where the mens section was and why we were getting funny stares from everyone (it's probably not the best idea for two guys to hang around the underwear section in womens shops).
Thursday night we walked to Karkku town to attend candle church and then back for a night with the Finnish students of the Karkku school. There me, the other Australian guys and the New Zealander had a competition for who could Finnish a bowl of the foul tasting Finnish easter delicacy, mämmi ... i lost. Then it was time for our last sauna at Karkku camp :'(
After more classes and lectures, on Friday night we had a "cosy night" which consisted of people falling over chairs and a projector, Joona getting a little too friendly with the foreign exchangees, Jae stripping almost completely naked, Jim and Stacy's informative talks about herpes and lots of games.
On Saturday we packed and took a bus to Vammala to meet our host families and some of the people from Rotary. It was sad saying goodbye to everyone, almost like leaving our best friends again. Later i met both my host brothers who are really nice but do not live at home anymore. I really like my family and home here and i think that i will really enjoy my time here.
On Sunday i met my host dad Risto's mum (my mummi) and also his sisters family. My host aunty and uncle have young kids and they lent me some books for learning Finnish, they're meant for young kids so they have lots of colourful pictures to help me learn :P
Today i went in to school to get some papers and stuff to choose my subjects and i don't actually need to go to school until Wednesday because the students at my school are sitting exams until tommorow.
Thats all for now, i'm sure i'll have more to talk about once i've been to school on Wednesday.
Some pictures from Karkku camp, the trip here and the view out of my window at home.
On Sunday morning we met the Finnish teacher for the week, Mimmu and got some info about the week and the sauna: "Where else can you get hot, sweaty and wet all at once?" ;) hahaha.
That evening we went to the sauna for the first time and i have to say that i am quite in love with it. We heated the sauna up to over 100C and then ran down to the frozen lake for a quick dip, then it was back to the sauna to repeat this process another 3 or so times.
After that it was time for the "evening snack" (just another excuse to eat really, we were eating about 5 meals a day at the camp).
Classes started for real on Monday and they were pretty full on but they seem to have worked quite well. We also listened to some Finnish music including some awesome Finnish reggae and the Finnish version of heads, shoulders, knees and toes. That evening it was time for more sauna and frozen lake swiming :D
On Tuesday night we went to a forest camp to cook pancakes and makkara (sausages) on an open fire which was not only fun but tasty. Then we chatted with Uncle Pena, who ran the camp and watched him wittle some flowers out of bits of wood.
We went into Tampere, the 3rd biggest city in Finland on Wednesday for some shopping and sightseeing. We saw around the town which was beautiful but the shopping didn't yield much except for us accidentally stealing some gloves (don't worry we went back and paid for them) and wandering around several womens stores wondering where the mens section was and why we were getting funny stares from everyone (it's probably not the best idea for two guys to hang around the underwear section in womens shops).
Thursday night we walked to Karkku town to attend candle church and then back for a night with the Finnish students of the Karkku school. There me, the other Australian guys and the New Zealander had a competition for who could Finnish a bowl of the foul tasting Finnish easter delicacy, mämmi ... i lost. Then it was time for our last sauna at Karkku camp :'(
After more classes and lectures, on Friday night we had a "cosy night" which consisted of people falling over chairs and a projector, Joona getting a little too friendly with the foreign exchangees, Jae stripping almost completely naked, Jim and Stacy's informative talks about herpes and lots of games.
On Saturday we packed and took a bus to Vammala to meet our host families and some of the people from Rotary. It was sad saying goodbye to everyone, almost like leaving our best friends again. Later i met both my host brothers who are really nice but do not live at home anymore. I really like my family and home here and i think that i will really enjoy my time here.
On Sunday i met my host dad Risto's mum (my mummi) and also his sisters family. My host aunty and uncle have young kids and they lent me some books for learning Finnish, they're meant for young kids so they have lots of colourful pictures to help me learn :P
Today i went in to school to get some papers and stuff to choose my subjects and i don't actually need to go to school until Wednesday because the students at my school are sitting exams until tommorow.
Thats all for now, i'm sure i'll have more to talk about once i've been to school on Wednesday.
Some pictures from Karkku camp, the trip here and the view out of my window at home.
Monday, January 12, 2009
My FIrst Home In Lohja
Well as its only 10 days til I leave I thought that its about time I kicked things off on here.
My first host family has sent me some pictures of their house in Lohja. Depending on how the weather goes there will probably be snow for me when I arrive :D
My first host family has sent me some pictures of their house in Lohja. Depending on how the weather goes there will probably be snow for me when I arrive :D
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