Tromsø #1. All the way up.
Saturday. We woke up early, had some breakfast with Piita, scrubbed our car window, took in some groceries and gas, and headed north-west. We had a long drive ahead of us, through beautiful unspoiled land, first on the Finnish side, and then in Norway. Still on the Finnish side, we stopped over in a roadside …
Visiting Santa Claus on the Polar Circle
The next day I decided to revive the tourist in me that had almost died, and went to Santa’s village. One of our considerations in the bar the other night had been about the answer to the question why Santa lives in Finland. Since my companions studied law, I suggested there must be something like …
Helsinki #8. Writing at the kitchen table.
The title of this post contains pretty much all there is to say about this day. It was rainy outside so I decided not to leave to Lapland yet. Anna-Sofia left me with all conveniences, which I really appreciated. Fortunately I was able to express my gratitude by going to the supermarket, where I found …
Helsinki #5. Writing.
Friday, October 24th. Wrote a few pages and I was quite content because I could feel my fingers.
In the evening an other group came at Ilpo’s place, and we chatted until one. They were nice exchange students who studied in Finland from France, Spain, and Germany. I got to speak German again which felt …
Helsinki #4. Suomenlinna.
The rhythm of 11 o’clock awakening seemed to have been established. It rained that day, but cleared up enough for me to decide to visit the famous island with the castle on it, Suomenlinna.
On the ferry, that was included in Helsinki’s regular transportation system, I met a British girl called Lyndsey, and …
Helsinki #3. Dry feet.
Another day started with a lazy morning and a tasty breakfast. I joined Ilpo to his office and decided to go to the Art Museum “Atheneum”. Before that I walked in another shoemaker’s shop and asked him if you could repair the crack in my sole. He said “yes, I can”, and started working immediately. …
