Hop onwards to the new blog if you wish to read more thoughts on dreams :)

Dear all,

Our blog Se erilainen fitness - blogi has a post in English. I will along the way do a few more, I hope. :) Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting! :)

New adventures - this time in Finnish. Uutta blogia pukkaa. :)

Hey all,

Long time no blog, but just informing you that for the time being I'm blogging in Finnish. You will find us at Se Erilainen Fitness-blogi, where my friend Katri and I will be blogging on fitness for fun and on good nutrition. I could even go as far as to call our blog as anti-dieting blog!

Tervetuloa seuraamaan ajatuksia liikunnasta ja ravitsemuksesta blogiimme! 

Merry Christmas from the Land of Santa Claus!

"Ho-ho-ho - Merry Christmas!"

Except that's just what the Coca Cola Santa says, not what the real one says. The real one asks if there are any nice children in the house. "Onko täällä kilttejä lapsia?" A very important phrase to learn, if traveling to Finland this time of the year. The answer is preferably "kyllä on!", assuming you have been good. 

Judging by the firm hug, I have been good this year. 

This post has little to do with Australia, except in that way that I took a lot of pictures in Australia and that habit has stuck. I tend to fuss about pictures and my friends are probably sick and tired of me either stopping to take pictures or asking people to pose. :)

December 6th is the Independence Day in Finland and me and my friend Jatta headed out with cameras and took some pictures.  I hope you enjoy them and I wish everyone...

 A very Merry and Relaxing Christmas and A Happy New Year 2013!

Näsinneula in da background. Love the railroad wire mess. 

Frozen needles.

Talk about black and white. Mostly white. 

Sissisorsa. Isänmaan asialla.  

Tammerkoski, the rapids of Tampere, downtown. 

Spotted some colour.

 

The perfect weather for a merry-go-around ride. 

Charming characters.

That donkey can chew just about anything with those Lego/Dublo blocks. 

Chilling

What to do, what to do...? In Melbourne that is.

"Bling!" There goes 3000 readings. I realize this is not the most popular travel blog, blog, blabbing forum, whatever you want to call it, but that's how I like it. :) I especially like the fact that there are readers from everywhere around the world. Let's celebrate with a new post then... :) 

*****

I think I've mentioned before that I really never got a "cultural shock" of any kind when going to Melbourne. On the other hand, I didn't really have time or the finances to tour around the country (one could call it a decent size continent too...) so I probably experienced only a minuscule part of the country's atmosphere. 

I intentionally wanted to write this blog post only after arriving back to Finland. I wanted to distance myself from what I saw and experienced in a very short time (3,5 months). At least if listening to the feedback from my Aussie friends, I did well. I of course was out to seek true Aussie experiences, something that would not happen elsewhere. In Finland, I'd take visitors to sauna (undressed or in their swimming gear, depending on the gender and openmindness of the visitors ;) ), summer cottage for visitors seeking peace and quiet, summer festivals for those with a wild side needing unleashing or in the winter we'd try skiing, skating, snowshoeing (if that's what it's called; never done it myself actually, supposedly fun) and naturally warm sauna and glögi (spiced drink a bit like glühwein) afterwards. 

In Australia people always ask what ya gonna do during the weekend, and on Monday they ask how it went. Well, I had trouble trying to explain myself sometimes. I'm going skiing. A marathon. "Really? You came to Australia to ski?! (A crazy person...)" Actually, sorry, this is not true. I got this question from friends in Finland. :P Well, rogaining was difficult to explain to Aussie friends and colleagues. Running (or walking with a stupid runner's knee) in the bush for six hours only to be rewarded with a chocolate bar. AND brilliant memories that'll last a lifetime! 

Okay, going finally to the point of this post... Obviously have been story-telling deprived for too long. I actually can't put the events and trips in any specific order, so I'm not even trying to. Like I've said before, best part of the trip were in any case people and the events experienced with them were a bonus on top of spending time with them. 

But, but... things I'd recommend in Melbourne. I'm bad with touristy things, and even though I was suppose to see this and that museum, I never did. I'm more of a "experience little things" and I'm tired of trying to fight that. That's just me. These are not in any specific order... And yes, I've written about these things before, but I'm trying to make a summary of some sort. Besides, I just realized today that I haven't had a search bar on my blog, so no one can even find anything here. Sorry about that!

The Yarra River and Westerfolds Park

It's brown. It's supposedly a river. It resembles a brown snake (have seen one in the wild in Margaret River, so know what I'm talking about), very slowly moving and making twists and turns. And it's just about in every suburb east of CBD. My favourite bits were Yarra Bend Park nearby our apartment in Kew and Westerfolds Park, where I went skiking. 

Pic by Len on Nina's camera. Off track totally possible!

Plenty of fresh air in the supposedly metropolitan area. Amazing wildlife. Flying foxes in Kew are the coolest thing ever (man, those things are massive!) and there are colourful birds to all your heart's and eyes' desire. My favourite is the rainbow lorrikeet, just because I am a big fan of rainbows be it a symbol of equality or just because it looks nice on the bum of a My Little Pony. On our last skike trip we even saw a big mob of good old kangaroos in one of the most central fields in Westerfolds Park! (And that's the proper local terminology, mind you. Thanks, Len, for teaching that!)


Great paths for off trail running and skiking. I loved the Yarra Bend Park. I was a little hesitant to run there in the last warm weeks, though. I was spooked by the snake warnings here and there... Greetings, yours truly, the big sissy...

St Kilda Beach towards Hampton (watch out for needles (safety) and penguins (fun)

The best run ever, St Kilda to Hamton. Did it twice, but if and when back in town, you know where to find me on a sunny day. Knees will be asking for mercy, since most of the way is concrete, but if ending there for a run, take the dirt tracks were possible, won't be able to miss them. Next time aim to do a longer bit. Why pay for half marathons when it's just so damn easy doing them for free?! There are drinking spots along the way, either just squirt into your mouth or fill a bottle. Restrooms provided free too, just every other place in Australia... Taking care of all your needs on a run, eh? 

St Kilda has a less sporty feel to it too, if you head the other way, meaning the St Kilda Pier. This is where the cutest and the smelliest little creatures (not the beer) reside. Eudyptula minor is their fancy-pants Latin name, tiny penguins is what I shall use hence forward. These stinky tiny penguins are to be seen at dusk. Along with 40 other tourists. But try not let the Homo sapiens bother your unique experience. My "personal" experience with one of these tiny penguins was when I was leaving the place and and it almost seemed like this 
fellow was about to follow me home! There we were walking side by side (away from the sunset) as all the other tourists behind us were getting jealous of this bonding experience. 

Bonus: Having wine at the St Kilda Pier Kiosk listening to Rolling Stones and Gotye (they have the same soundtrack all the time, so I'm pretty sure you can have the exact same experience! :D).
















Albert Park (the park and the picturesque part of the city)

Om Yoga in Tampere is lovely, simple, nice people (a little distant, though), but so far it hasn't gotten to the world-loving level of Yogareal in Albert Park, the part of the city. I miss hearing someone telling me everything from the position of my hips to the way of the universe is "beautiful". That's a word we cannot overuse. And that place knows how to open up any sort of hip lock. This experience was made even more intense as I was reading a novel by Rachel Manija Brown called "All the Fishes Come Home to Roost", where the author tells about her childhood in an Indian ashram. My attitude towards other religions and ideas has become even more lenient and also curious. It is so interesting why we seek something greater than us. Be it a guru or God.   

Albert Park the Park is also worth a run or a walk. Or on great weather, a picnic! I was meant to go and try out rowing one Sunday morning, but never made it there. Mostly wasn't in town on the first Sunday of the month and once I got the time wrong. If and when in town again... 

Albert Park is famous for its black swans. This time with juniors. 

Royal Botanical Garden

First time I visited the Royal Botanical Garden was the second week of my stay. My intention was to be super active in the afternoons and see everything the city had to offer. I walked from Alfred Hospital via the park to Federation Square downtown one afternoon to get maps in order to fulfill these plans. Sooooo nice after a day at the office! Highly recommend! I did another set of walking loops on my very last day, and this time it was even better since it was spring. I don't care I didn't see no stuffy museums, I saw nature's art and that's enough. 

Coffee ja delicious veggie food! (Ooops, drooling just thinking about it!)

"Please, sir, I want some more." For food, food is glorious in Melbourne! It took me perhaps two weeks coming back when I truly realized what food paradise I was coming back from... Especially for someone on a mostly vegetarian/vegan/ethically conscious diet. Well, in truth, I wasn't always sure how organic food really was or how it is controlled in Australia. However, judging by the tight border control (excluding trustworthy Finns...), I think control should be okay. 

Coffee. I remember moaning about not getting Finnish filter coffee on my blog. Man, did I learn to love the proper barista lovingly-made coffee in Melbourne! I've become picky with my coffee now. I notice turning down ghastly filter coffee at a student cafe and taking a look of the intensity of the colour before pouring. Now the true problem is that I haven't found a place in Tampere that would prepare proper coffee. Home-made filter coffee from dark roasted beans is pretty good as long as I make it strong. So Casa Putkonen (that's not a good brand name, gotta do something about that...) is open in Tampere. Let me know if around! :)

If you can't beat  them, join them - hipsters. 


If you think it's trendy, wear it. Even if it's your grandpa's old Sunday sweatpants or your auntie's old sweater from the 80's. That'll be just fine. Come to think of it, the things you see on the streets are probably very expensive local designer clothes. But hey, if they look like your grandpa's pants, I don't see why you couldn't just wear the original pair? It was a constant source of good mood and even laughter just looking at the street scene from the bus window or sitting down in a cafe. I hope I've caught some of that experimental feel of dressing up. 

I still think people in Helsinki dress both creative AND less hideous (wannabe trendy) clothes. Tampere is all goths, rock, fake leather, bootcut jeans, do not look inspiration for anything regarding decent looking outfits from here, thank you very much... (Otherwise a GREAT, but small city!)

Street art. Lost for words. 

Triple J. Thank the Lord or whichever guru or just good luck that we have The Internet. 

Experiencing the spirit of Australia - in Amsterdam

The local, very  modest train station. 

I'm here! Haven't forgotten my blog! What delights me greatly is that neither have readers! I'm really surprised there are still visitors here, even though I've been to busy to update it. Hope you enjoy it. I will be compiling my top 5 in Melbourne soon. Sorting out hundreds of pics takes a while, but I'm pretty sure you will enjoy it when get to post them here too. :)

I just got back from yet another Australian experience, but this time in Amsterdam, Holland. I was hoping to see my favourite artist, Gotye, live in his home country Australia, but he was busy touring elsewhere. Having purchased cheap airline tickets (yes, an environmental sin and paradox), I desided I'd look up his tour dates in Europe. And I was lucky! He has shows coming up e.g. in Amsterdam and Berlin. Haven't been to either of the cities, and since couldn't get tickets to Berlin, thought I'd travel to Amsterdam for the weekend to see his gig at the Heineken Music Hall in the suburb of Bijlmeer. This booking happened in Australia in August, so I've really been preparing mentally for the live show! :D

Source: http://images.smh.com.au/2011/08/20/2570365/ipad-art-wide-Gotye-420x0.jpg

Amsterdam in a Thursday evening didn't call out to me and I just planned my upcoming dates in the neat and artistic ladies' hostel Hostelle in Bijlmeer near the concert hall. Come Friday morning I was ready to hit the streets of Amsterdam. Especially because my bed sucked. Big time. I felt like a granny in the morning all limbs, neck, shoulders and pinkies and toes sore. The hostel is super nice otherwise, but those beds test your physique truly. Plus one of the girls had to been to a coffeeshop and hence also our room smelled like the sweet, intoxicating smell of legal hash.

This pic from the (obviously female) hostel is for my friend Doris. That girl lives and breaths pink. 

Amsterdam is pretty, and I definitely want to visit it during summertime. Bikes everywhere - great! (Just watch out! )  I love the multicultural atmosphere and blending in. Touristy streets are easily avoided, which makes the experience even better.

It was a chilly Friday and the locals thought it better to seek shelter at the mall. 

Vondelpark

A gentleman with his companion at Vondelpark.

Australia was well presented, because 40 % of the women seemed to have been wearing UGG boots. I've always wondered why they look the way they do, a  bit clumsy and with even soles. As I've now learned, it's because they are indoor shoes. It's a bit like I was walking around in woollen socks everywhere. :P

Being a big fan of beer (since you haven't already noticed, if you've been reading my stories), I of course sought my way to a local brewery, Brouwerij 't IJ, on a Friday afternoon. I was thinking of taking the tour of the place, and being an eager beaver ended up reaching the place 2 hours early. By then I was tired of walking for 5 k or so I just ordered the strongest beer in the house and sat down with my Game of Thrones paperback.  Lazy afternoon continued with new friends and the long-waited tour, which was excellent! They should teach beer making at the chemistry lessons at schools. I'm pretty sure 15 year olds would be listening more keenly on esthers and alcohols. 

Spirit-lifting ceiling art. 

Making a valid point at the brewery with a sticker.

Friday evening with all you can eat sushi and Whiskeycafe will go down in my personal history as the night of seizing the moment and enjoying whatever comes around the corner. I needed this experience as a reminder that life happens outside the calendar. 

Saturday night. The concert night. But since I knew where I was going and knew it wouldn't take me long to get there, the Saturday was mostly spent sightseeing and visiting FOAM, the photo museum, and looking at black-and-white photos by Diane Arbus of odd situations and perhaps even a tad bit odd people. In a good way, though. :) Good food, good drinks, good company, quite decent weather and a camera. Thumbs up. 

Obedient wildlife. Parking in the right spot. 

My car pics are a bit different from most... Electro power! :D

Poor George. If it were better weather I'd def keep him company on board. 

Let's face it, being alone in a concert hall waiting for the gig to begin is boring. Ih ended up playing Angry Birds and drinking my one and only tiny cup of Heineken (more refreshing that remembered). The warm-ups were experimental and seemed to have left most of the audience cold. I had to listen to a an English-speaking idiot, who sarcastically commented on the warm-ups. Let's get this clear: no one can like all type of music. But why on earth would you come to an indie concert only to mock the bands the artist you came to see had chosen to perform before him?! Gotye is a multitalent artist in all sense of the word, but his biggest fortune and the biggest problem is his hit single "Somebody that I used to Know". The people around me were shouting (I had earplugs, didn't help) that they only know that song and that they think they ought to go see artist they know. Geez, thanks for figuring that out there and then! :/ There's ethiquette to all sorts of events, including gigs.

But having said all that the show was more than I expected and made the waiting worth while. It was more than a gig, it was a performace that delighted the ears, eyes and the soul. There was one song I wasn't familiar with, otherwise I was thrilled to hear my favourite songs live. The guy is amazing. He plays everything - at one moment he is singing and playing a triangle, then he goes to his drum set and starts banging. He's also very audience-friendly. Looking good and he's also had the sense to gather up a band of good-looking men in their corduroy jackets, hipster hair and beards. ;)  I can't wait to see him/them again!  

Note taken: carry the proper camera with you even when it doesn't fit into your handbag. 

Hope you feel the spirit anyway! :) 

I want a dvd with the songs and the amazing animations!

Please, check out his albums on Spotify or YouTube or where ever. Do not limit your listening experience to the amazing single of Somebody that I used to Know. It's a great song.  It was also a great moment at the gig when the audience was doing Kimbra's part of the song and Gotye sang the rest. The song is very emotional for me and and there are days the song still really shakes me up. But Gotye is so much more. His music is pure passion. 

Ending this post by the last song of the evening:  Learnalilgivinanlovin.

Sunday mornings. <3

Sunday sunset before heading home. Amsterdam, we will meet again. Gotye, so will we. ;)