photos from a busy weekend

I worked in Helsinki all Friday and Saturday, so the weekend went by in a blur. Nevertheless, I managed to squeeze in seeing - finally! - Control with miss H on Saturday night (the movie was great, and visually very beautiful; I think it shows that Anton Corbijn, the director, is a photographer as well), check out some thrift shops with J on Sunday and have blinis (or blintzes?) for dinner at sister's, and to top that I met sweet P for tea and coffee at my old university today before taking a train back to Tampere (oh, and I squeezed in a taxi ride to the 24-hour pharmacy in the middle of the night as well - I should always keep painkillers with me, even though I very rarely need them).

My sister makes delicious blinis! Sister's Irish friend (and nephew's godmother) M is visiting, so they wanted the dinner to be something Finnish. Blinis of course are more Russian, but we're from Eastern Finland, so... And considering potatoes are so big a part of traditional Finnish cuisine, it's hard to think what to make for someone who doesn't like potatoes (I find it funny that someone from Ireland doesn't want to eat potatoes, though!). M was very brave and tried everything, even gherkins with honey.




listening to Pet Shop Boys at J's (someone's in love with a Dutch man)





after the movie a couple of drinks in a nearby bar - great wallpaper!



Sunday dinner

a winter's day

It rained all yesterday, but today the sun shone for a while. First time in a long while, or at least it seems like a long time.

I'm missing living in Helsinki like crazy right now. Not the friends, necessarily, because it's easier meeting some them now I only visit the city - because there's only a limited time they can see me, they are more ready to make time for me, perhaps? But the city itself, walking around the streets I know, the trams, the sea and everything. My little home.

I do like Tampere, and I know I'll find it more like home after I've lived there a bit longer (and maybe when I live in an apartment more satisfying). Maybe I just underestimated the time I need to start really liking Tampere - and I also need enough free days (with no endless rain and a bit lighter evenings, thanks) for exploring the town. I'm waiting for spring to come...

when helsinki disappeared

Photos from last Saturday
1. church near me
2. yellow boat
3. a bridge
4. Siltasaari disappearing

saturday coffee with friends

J's tea flower




big ass donut holes (I didn't eat them)




new shoes ...more presents from me to me (they were 50 % off)

greetings from helsinki

Edit. It's best to click on the first photo so you'll see it...

J and I shared the biscuit and I broke it in half before I thought of taking a photo. Nevertheless, I like the way how the shape of the biscuit is repeated in my latte...

plaques

memorial plaques in Malmi cemetary, Helsinki


Have a good week, everyone!

first snow in helsinki

I've managed to catch two first snows this fall :) - one in Tampere and now in Helsinki. Me, sister and nephew took a little walk to a cemetary near their home. Chilly but beautiful.

helsinki part IV

street art in Kallio, Helsinki



I had problems with uploading photos in Blogger, so this post and the one before are a bit late. Despite the photos in the last posts, the sky's been mostly gray. Just plain, even gray. Which tends to dampen my mood a bit. But then I'm not a really cheerful person - sounds worse than it is! It's not that I'm unhappy; maybe I'm just melancholy by nature.

I thought I'd have lots of time for walking around and taking photos in Helsinki, but the week flew by. I had the chance to meet many friends though, which I'm really happy about. It was really nice! Luckily the distance doesn't have anything to do with how important your friends are (and with those friends who live in Helsinki, the distance isn't even that big). Maybe with some friends it'll even be a good thing, reinforcing friendship even more. Still, I do have a feeling of not really belonging anywhere at the moment. It'll take some time, I guess.





This recipe is probably the funniest thing I've seen pasted around. There's a lot of street art (or whatever you want to call it) happening in my neighbourhood in Helsinki and I did some 'collecting' last summer with my camera. I'll show you more later.

helsinki part III

Helsinki railway station (1904-1910, architect Eliel Saarinen)

helsinki part II

leaves on a grey day

helsinki part I

in Helsinki for mid-term break - crisp sunny days - battling flu - seeing many friends - spending time with nephew - feeling home

weekend

I was in Helsinki for less than 24 hours (wasn`t going to go, but went after all). Nevertheless, I had enough time for partying (it was sooo great to see friends and dance a little! must do that more), seeing sister & brother-in-law (strange to see them without nephew, who was at his grandparents' - to be speaking with them without interruption felt somewhat odd) and eating a HUGE salad in a newish café in my neighbourhood. So a pretty productive weekend, don't you think?



at the café - that`s J on the left; this photo was taken in August




Teriyaki chicken plus chick pea & herbs mixture plus yoghurt dressing with mint - yummy. Even though the bowl (it was not a plate, it was a BOWL) full of salad was a little bit too much for me. There was plenty of everything! It`s really rare I leave food over. Might have something to do with Estonian liqueur the night before. I told J not to pour me any more, dammit.



in place of an ashtray there was this


I miss you, Helsinki-guys. Not in a sad, makes-me-feel-miserable-I'm-so-alone -way, but in a good, can't-wait-to-see-you-again -way. In a wish-I-could-go-have-a-coffee-with-you-all-right-now -way. Surely I will make friends here, but it takes a little time and energy. Sometimes it's easier to stay by myself than to go and try to find something to chat about with someone you don't know. (But yes, I do already know a few people here I'd like to get to know more.)

The food photo made me think of Sandra's fika&food -photoset. I love looking at her set as thumbnails, it makes a nice fikamosaic. I like the photos separately too. This is wonderful.

challenge

I got challenged by Minja to show my blogging scenery. Luckily I am in Helsinki, since at Tampere I`m currently forced to blog at the university computer centre (haven`t got internet access in my apartment there, yet), and there`s nothing exciting about that. Well, not that these photos are actually exciting...





This is where I blog right now. On the floor, because I moved my dinner table with me to Tampere, and haven`t gotten around asking friends to help me with getting an old table from the attic. Any volunteers?


And this is what I see if I look out the (extremely dirty, oh my) window. Even if my room in Tampere doesn`t have many perks, the view there is a lot nicer! Apple trees and maples instead of buildings and cars (though I think these buildings are quite nice, if you have to look at one).





I`ll pass the challenge on to Sandra and Kristy, if they`re interested to take part in it.


In the top photo you can see part of my new poster waiting to be hung on the wall above the table (after I get the table). It`s a reprint of a 1959 advertisement for Jaffa lemonade by a Finnish graphic designer, Erik Bruun. Here`s a site where you can see some of his posters and even buy some, if you`re in Finland (this site is in Finnish only), and see my Jaffa poster in whole (use the arrows). I`ve been hoping to find the right poster for my yellow wall a long time, and this is it. Too bad I`m not here every day to see it! I miss my yellow wall in Tampere.

By the way, I learned from Wikipedia that Bruun submitted a proposal for Euro notes which featured animals. It`s a pity we`re not using notes with animals now, isn`t it?

autumn light in helsinki

I love the autumn light. Also, I`m cheating - these photos are from a year ago.

seen in helsinki

Right after Kristy* commented how sunny it looked around where I live, it`s been nothing but rain, rain, rain. Or mostly, anyway. Plus I seem to be getting a cold - but I`m planning to fight it, there`s no way I have time to get ill right now!
*Here`s a warning if you go see her blog: she`s been baking lately, and just looking at those photos will make your mouth water - so be prepared to get a yearning for something sweet and chocolatey!

A couple of weeks ago I saw these Pantone mugs displayed in the window of a store called Pino (Finns, they have a web store too!). I got an urge to buy them all and display them nicely on an open shelf...








Been travelling back and forth between Tampere and Helsinki, plus getting accustomed of being a full time student again (I love it so far!), but will be getting back soon.

at the market

I`ve got no words today but here are some photos.

Feet week next week!

du är värd att dö för

Big thunderstorm in the morning. I didn`t have to be anywhere, so I just watched it from indoors. It looked great. (I`m sorry for those 38 000 homes that were left without electricity, though.)


central Helsinki in the morning (photo from http://www.hs.fi)


Seen on the street I live


du är värd att dö för - ni kan skratta om ni vill
(you`re worth dying for - you can laugh if you want)



I disagree


Now in the evening there the dark clouds are away. Still warm and humid though.


I live in the green house (third from right)

lazy monday

my new totally cool lego ring


Meeting Miss H for some record shopping (we both bought Jenny Wilson`s cd - I wonder how the guy in the record shop guessed we`d seen the gig ;) ) and coffee*. Enjoying the afternoon sun and sitting outside watching people busily buzzing by. Popping in several small & nice shops. Finding red shoes at sale (over 50% off, and I`ve been looking for red shoes - too good to pass).




I happened to find this thermos for 2 euros from Fida (a charity second hand store). I think their prices are usually rather high, at least in the shop near me, but this really was a bargain. It seems to be unused. The strawberry glasses are thrifted too, I got them as a birthday present a year ago.


De Rit organic honey waffles are my favourite!


label still intact

Inspired by our shopping tour today, I thought I`d share this link with anyone who`s interested in design-related things and visiting Helsinki and haven`t found this yet. Design District Helsinki is a site where you can find information about stores, galleries and restaurants. Not every place worth visiting is there, but a lot of them are. Quite many stores selling young Finnish designers are included too. Också på svenska!



*I want to adopt the Swedish term fika. Finnish has no one word for describing the concept, but we have execution down pat! Finns too drink lots of coffee. Even the most ordinary day can have a hint of festivity in it if someone suggests: Let`s go have coffee! ...Mmm, I think it`s time for some (Swedish) coffee and those waffles...