C'est la cwise

Esjan in the snow..

Il a neigé aujourd'hui, ma première vraie neige depuis le 9 avril!!!! Il a déjà neigé une fois ici mais j'étais en Finlande En me promenant cet après-midi j'ai croisé cette trollette frappante de vérité.
L'artiste a insisté sur les moindres détails, y compris certaines marques de féminité très personnelles que je n'ai pas photographié par souci de décence.
En vérité c'était même un peu trash pour moi, mais je salue l'aspiration à la vérité du sculpteur.

Oh well.

Retour en Islande sympathique après avoir déconnecté le temps d'embrasser quelques arbres.

De retour de Finlande rien de tel qu'un petit déjeuner rock n' roll à base de poisson frit et café fort....

Accueillie par Óskar à l'arrêt de bus par un dramatique:
"j'ai de mauvaises nouvelles pour toi: le pays est en banqueroute et ton argent ne vaut plus rien et en plus il a neigé"

Bon.
Bonjour à toi aussi.

Eh oui, c'est ca, ma bonne dame, rien ne va plus. Pendant que lascivement je m'amusais à caresser des feuilles l'économie mondiale en profitait derrière mon dos pour se casser la gueule. Et en plus il a neigé. Ben merde alors.
Alors il faut donc réétudier ma machiavélique stratégie financière pour repartir vers l'Amérique du Sud vers mon vélo, ce qui était le plan de base.

Evidemment comme tout plan, et surtout comme tout plan mien, il undergo des changements constants.
La théorie pour l'instant c'est que je quitte mon super boulot que j'adore (hahaha) à la mi-décembre avant d'entamer un repli stratégique vers le pays du pinard et du fromage (coucou Henry, tu peux mettre le cubit au frais!!!) :o) pour me reposer d'autres questions.

Alors que faire que faire?
La crise ici, ca veut dire entre autres qu'une vague de chômage est prévue pour bientôt, et que par conséquent les boulots pourris qui d'habitude sont dénigrés par la masse de travailleurs qualifiés et réservés aux étrangers seront convoités par tous ceux qui ont perdu leur boulot, et oui, il y en a.
L'Islande a beau être diabolisée par les média, notamment britanniques, c'est quand même pas le fun pour tout le monde ici, et ca sent la récession, grave de grave.
En même temps ca a un petit côté amusant... il y a déjà des histoires (qui ne sont pas des légendes, en plus) qui circulent sur un potentiel manque de produits/rationnement.

Un fumeur qui voulait s'acheter des cigarettes s'est retrouvé le bec dans l'eau dans 2 magasins: "on n'en a plus"
Les magasins et autres entreprises doivent demander l'autorisation à une banque centrale avant d'importer certains produits: il ya encore de l'argent, mais pas assez pour tout, alors il faut faire des choix..
L'autre jour je ne sais plus qui voulait importer du jambon de parme. Réponse de la banque: "niet!" C'est sûr, ce n'est pas exactement un produit de première nécessité.

Ok.
Plus de jambon de parme alors.
Et plus de clopes.

.....

Youpi!!!
Moins d'accidents vasculaires!!!!!

A grand day out or cycling Helsinki

Well ok, I actually already wrote a post about Finland but have not published it yet, so it will be disorderly as ever and me...
These are photos of Saturday, when Timo, a fellow couchsurfer and I hooked up to go cycling around Helsinki. Timo (who I wasn't staying with) lives on Lauttasaari Island about 3 km from the town centre.. Some would consequently call that "the ghetto" or the suburbs, haha.
However, his area consists of coast, woodland where you can find charming little fairytale like wooden cottages, sandy beaches and the wonderful smell of Autumn at the moment..
Above and under is actually Suomenlinna Island

Timo, working hard :o)
Well, technically speaking, he was, that's the irony..
For some reason I really love these statues, although they look slightly martial/aryan/Thundercattish. They really remind me of Hundertwasser style stuff. Or was it him? Whatever..
We have le ducks here as well.
I was really wondering also why the Finnish didn't bother translating this warning sign in English, assuming that probably every Finn over the age of 3 months knows that it's dangerous to walk on ice when it's potentially thin, whereas bloody foreigners don't always know. Soo, can we assume they are happy to let foreigners drown in ice?
Is it directed at the Swedes, out of vengeance? (since it's not written in swedish) Usually every signpost is. Digression: I'm not sure Finland has two national languages, but here in the South there is at least two language signposting, Finnish and Swedish. Usually.
Unless they want Swedes to drown...

Helsinki ghetto, just down the road from Timo's


These are the dry docks in Suomenlinna, Helsinki's Vauban style fortress. Apparently up to 13000 people lived there at one time, and I really wonder how they managed, other than piling people on top of each other..


Strawberries are a pretty big thing here..

After 40 km cycling, I am pink.

Escapade à Helsinki

Fish market, where the ferry to Suomenlinna leaves from.Well well, Off for a week of tree-hugging in Finland... After rushing directly from work onto a flybus, to the airport and onto the plane, I got to Helsinki on a beautiful sunny Monday afternoon, with just a taste of Indian Summer...

My first view of Finland indeed seemed to prove I was right in choosing this destination for my Autumn spleen, trees upon trees upon trees clad in their Autumn colors. Finland holds the luxury of still having many many many green areas, forests, and etc. In that sense it sort of reminds me of Canada.. It s really funny that after such a short time in Iceland, I felt such a difference on coming here. Am I "Icelandicized" already? Ok, for the Icelanders who read his, I know they ll say no. But still. The "culture shock" I felt on coming here is definitely a "post-Icelandic" one...

Sky was pretty low at times..

Arriving in Helsinki, I felt really overwhelmed by the size of the buildings, the beauty of the architecture, but above all, the density of the population and the traffic. One of the first things that sprang to mind, is how "European" this all looks.. Helsinki has a certain air of bourgeoisie fin-de-siecle, 19th, of course. Elegant buildings, an esplanade, cobbled streets, a tram, market halls, key sides with old ketches, very picturesque... I can quite imagine the Swedish bourgeoisie flouncing around in their frocks on a sunny afternoon at the turn of the century, as pictured in Albert Edelfeldt's paintings.
Lutheran cathedral in Hell's inky. There are moments when it really looks like Gotham City here. A lot of very humorous details on the 19th Century facades.

Next to where Antti lives there is a really cool church that somehow looks like a mixture of 1) a planetarium 2) a KGB headquarters 3) a UFO.

I liked it very much and also very unfortunately did not photograph it, as I thought my pictural talents would not do it justice. Next time. (famous last words)

.....................................................................................................................................
Wednesday I cycled from Helsinki to Porvoo, only about 60 km, but it was really nice.. I think it's the longest I have cycled since we left the bikes in La Serena last year.. Oh, yeah, by the way, just if you wondered... the wind is also always in your face in Finland, as well. Some guy had told me I would have backwinds from Helsinki to Porvoo.. well of course mate! In your dreams! And as for asking people for the way.. yup, it's like everywhere.. ask 17 people, and be sure to cross the information, then you might end up with something reasonable. Most of the time I just got the "yup, easy, straight on." Until 20 seconds later I got to a T. :o)

Of course.

I did get to Porvoo in the end, not even dishevelled, as I was surprised to notice. Muscles didn't even ache in the morning, mist have done something strange. Very pretty little town, also loads of cobbled streets, hometown to the famous (so they say) poet Runefeld and his tribe. His wife Frederika was one of the most dedicated activists for women's rights and I believe the first female finnish journalist.

I was staying with Pekka and his kids. We had a nice ramble through the old town and its Swedish quarter. There are a majority of Swedish speaking Finns around the South of Finland. Consequently there is signing in both languages (Helsinki= Helsingsfors for example) and the placement of the sign depends on the number of speakers: more Swedish speaking people, the Swedish sign is on top of the other and vice versa. Probably on of the most famous views of Porvoo, painted into celebrity by THE Albert Edelfeldt..

This is a gossip mirror.. apparently very fashionable the century before last.

The Finns seem to have a certain and distinct sense of humour I quite admire..

Inevitable..

Of course I decided actively NOT to learn anything of Finnish. It-s slightly distressing for me not to speak any of the lingo, but what the hell. I'm only here for a week, and if I start mixing Icelandic and Finnish, there's just no end to it. Ok, I can say kiitos, thankyou. That's about all I need anyway. Moi moi means bye, as opposed to the German moi moi which means hello. :o)

Also I learnt yesterday that Finland was the first European country to give women the right to vote in 1906, but I have to check that out 'cause it seems I heard it before about other countries :S
But anyhow, apparently Finland was always very progressive about women's rights.

I like Scandinavia.. :o)