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. ;) 

An ode to my friends - the tourist attractions

 
Since my arrival back to Finland, I've been living a washing machine life. Yes, unpacking and washing clothes, but really, everything around me is spinning (think essays, project plans, patients, weight management course, lectures, meetings, errands...). Uncontrollably. People have been asking me that how does it feel to be back home. I was away only for 3,5 months and since then I haven't really had time to stop and feel. My past has taught me that not feeling is the first warning sign. So now I'm slowing down. At least in my head. I intend not to panic about deadlines or tasks ahead of me. The world is not gonna stop spinning, if I need to admit I haven't been able to finish a task in time. It's not a nice, no, but I think that's just life. You need to deal with it. 

I feel that the past years in general have been quite a rollercoaster ride. And I mean, I've enjoyed all the peaks and valleys, it's not that. And I was getting a little anxious in Melbourne that I didn't get that sense of awe. It's  a nice city, no doubt, but I didn't feel like I never want to leave (with the exception of Albert Park perhaps). That is for the city, it's a whole different story with people.

I appreciate all the friends I've met and who I've befriended myself with, so my praise for my friends in Australia and Melbourne does not mean all my other friends are not as dear to me. It's been a blast seeing my friends after coming back, and meeting fantastic new personalities. Wouldn't change these crazy weeks people-wise for anything! ;)

It's just that Melbourne is far away, it hit me this grey morning that I'm not seeing them for a long time, and that I'm so very grateful to have shared those few months with great, charming people. I must say, Australia should start promoting their people as a tourist attraction. :D People are just so helpful, friendly and open-minded. At least that's how it felt (yes, did have SOME feelings in me). People are interested in people, no matter what age, what they do for living. They make you feel like they are interested in sharing their time and life with you, a complete stranger (at first, that is).

Emma's "g'day mate" card on my fridge started this snowball effect, and Jess' Facebook message made it even "worse". Come to think of it, I ought to think of it as a positive thing. I have friends to miss. I think I posted once on Facebook that I feel blessed to be loved on both sides of the globe. :) I know Finns hesitate to use the word love for anything more than family and really, reallly steady relationships. Well, I think that if you can't use the word love for your friends than I don't know when you can. 

Farewell drinks at at Chapel St Local Taphouse. Loved it. With Emma, Rosie, Tahlia, Jess, Emma, CK...

...Amir and a random guy with nice sunglasses.

 
And btw, I just read it's + 30 degrees Celsius downunder. I'm counting on you, lovely Aussie friends, to enjoy it for me! We have 3 degrees of greyness and humidity. Even you, Tahlia. ;) Have a nice cold beer for me too. ;)

A potential friend in the Royal Botanical Garden on my last day in Melbourne. For now that is. :)

I believe in miracles

On Monday I was walking in Royal Botanical Garden in Melbourne admiring cacti, flowers and trees and today I went digging out Jerusalem artichokes (maa-artisokka) from Mom's plot. Not a low FODMAP food, but hey, I'll take my chances - the soup that I just had was yummy!

The autumn in Finland is beautiful. This is because all the leaves are orange, yellow and sometimes even red, so even when it's not so sunny, it's quite bright out there. I'm about to head off to my friend's place for sauna afternoon in this lovely scenery. I'm happy to take a break from uni assignments. ;)

I will be posting still more on Melbourne as soon as I get these assignments somewhat sorted. For I am feeling like my blood pressure started its elevation sometime yesterday. This morning it jumped even higher. Deadline, lectures, weigh management course, uni courses, FODMAP assignments, discussions online... Luckily, I also realized on Wednesday (when enjoying my first sauna after many, many months) that I love what I do and I love nutrition and issues around food, health and environment. 

Autumn is a bizarre time of the year. Anything can happen. Like yesterday, I heard from my auntie's husband a funny story in the news. A cat had jumped on a swan and the bird naturally panicked and took off. The twist of the plot is, the cat didn't let go. The brave, possibly world's first flying cat, returned home soaken wet after a while. Miracles do happen. If cat's can fly, I can conquer my assignments and tasks! ;)

Akklimatisaatio osa 2 - henkisesti ja fyysisesti

Jostain kummasta syystä tekstini akklimatisaatiosta in english on tasainen suosikki luettujen postauksien joukosta. Liekö hakusanoista johtuva kummallisuus. 

Täällä harrastettaan nyt niin henkistä että fyysistä totuttautumista Suomen ilmastoon ja meininkiin. Kännykkätietojen mukaan ulkona  on 8 astetta lämmintä. Ottaen huomioon, että torstaina oli 20 astetta lämpimämpää, niin pikkasen vilu meinaa ulkona tulla. Se siitä rusketuksen viime silauksesta. 

Henkisesti olen valmistautunut kotiutumiseen tekemällä koulujuttuja nyt kaksi viikonloppua peräkkäin. Okei, oli kiva parin yön lomareissu välissä, mutta jotenkin on kyllä semmonen olo, että nyt tais taas jäädä ne kunnon lomat pitämättä ja heti tutkimusten pläräämisestä pitäisi olla hemmetin luova ja fiksu näiden sustainability-opintojen kanssa. Kevyitä tehtäviä, kun pitää ratkoa, miten luonnonvaroja käytettäisiin kestävän kehityksen hengessä tulevaisuudessa ja mikä taloudellinen  malli kuvastaa keräilytaloutta parhaiten. Jotenkin pitäisi maailman köyhyyteenkin olla avaimet, mutta ei kyllä oikesti ole. Lisäksi minulla olisi massiivinen tehtävä kirjoittaa fermentoituvien hiilihydraattien tutkimushistoriasta sepostus. Jatkan sen tekemistä Suomesta.

Ihan siis tiedoksi, että en todellakaan ole 3 kuukautta reissuillut ja hummaillut maailmalla. Aika usein on ollut ihan perusarki meininki: tolkuttomia aikoja julkisissa, perusarkiväsymystä (ei jaksais taaskaan mennä kauppaan), nysväämistä kotona (en jaksa matkustaa taas julkisissa), pörräilyä kaupungilla tai puistossa (aina kivaa), tutkimusten etsimistä ja lukemista. Aika usein saa hyviä nauruja jälkimmäisestä, kun jutut ovat tasoa "studies on a flatulent man" ja tutkittava henkilö syö papuja ja sitten mitataan paljonko pierettää.Tiedän, olen helppo uhri huonoille pieru-vitseille. :P

Tämä siis se arki. Joka on siis ihan ok, mutta ei se arki siitä kummemmaksi muutu vaikka olisi palmuja pihassa ja kieli ja kulttuuri eri. Tulihan taas tämäkin varmistettua. :)

Paljon mielenkiintoista tietoa tullut vastaan ja renesanssinainen minussa yrittää jotenkin keskittää kiinnostumisen kohteitaan, ettei paketti levahda ihan totaalisesti. Mitä se monesti uhkaa tehdä. Suuntana tosiaan nämä kestävän kehityksen sfäärit ja ehkä jonkinasteinen ekoaktiivi minusta taitaa tulla. Kunhan vaan jaksaisi puurtaa nämä kaikki tehtävät nettikursseilla läpi, thedä gradun ja valmistua... heh...

Otan tähän väliin suihkun ja bissen, toivottavasti ensi keskiviikkona se on sauna ja bisse. Henkistä akklimatisaatiota tämäkin. ;) 

Pony rides in the spring time

I haven't been bragging in my blog yet, but I've sort of spend this summer (northern hemisphere summer) with famous people. Like one Jess B. who happened to finish has fabulous, and even controversial, PhD during my stay here. I also saw her present today, and I am just awed. All the work she's put into her (and Monash team's) research on non-celiac gluten sensitivity! Finishing her PhD has called for several celebration dinners, but I thought since she's into wine, horses and especially my splendid company :P we should do a wine tour in Mornington Peninsula - horseback riding! Luckily we got some excellent company to join us (thanks, Tahlia and Rosie) and must say, even short road trips can turn into something memorable in the right company. :)

Jess and Tahlia in matching outfits. The egg helmet my favourite.

Road trip wasn't all smooth sailing, though. Firstly, I forgot the key after having though about for three days prior "must not forget the key". This meant turning back in peak hour and added probably at least two hours to the trip. You can imagine I felt like a winner. Luckily the girls were super understanding , and we ended up having dinner at the exotic travel destination Camberwell (approx. 5 km from my house).

Rosie's first time riding is about to begin. She's a natural talent we, and she, say(s).

Next bumpy ride was the one leading to the stables the next morning. This time Dr J (that bright mind!) forgot her runners and since it's not a good idea to ride in thongs (aka flipflops as they are known in Europe), we turned back. Then we were traveling 20 k/h behind a septic tank lorry. Lovely.

Approaching first water... ummm... winehole.

Eventually we made it to the stables and got appointed to our horses. I got Penny (one of my favourite names!), Jess got Sparky (sounded fierce - right on rider!), Rosie, our first-timer, rode on Patch and Tahlia rode on Dancer. Had a slight My Little Pony fllash back with these names from my childhood... Although Big Dan is hardly a pink pony's name... Neither is Johanthan. :D Penny wants to be in the lead so I got to stare at Big Dan's mighty ummm... backside for quite some time during that day.

Our skillful tasting attracted local paparazzis.

My delight was great when I heard they had a photographer coming that day to take pictures for the company website. I had the most stylish outfit (again) and no make up and very severe case of helmet head (no pun intended). This is why I should pay more attention to the state I leave the house. We were laughing at Miss Someone for fixing her hair with a straightening iron that morning, and by the afternoon, I was drop-dead jealous of her for doing that!

This gracious couple had just got up after a mud slide. Show offs. 

In Mornington skateboard is used for grape harvesting.

Penny's gotta green tooth for spring grass.

To Jess' disappointment Sparky really didn't live up to his name. 

The gang is off to the next wine stop.

I AM trying to roll the barrel the right way. It says there clearly.

Egg head and Penny. She looked a lot bigger from where I was sitting. Riding, must try again soon!

After two vineyards, loads of muddy paths (luckily I wasn't getting my hooves muddy), beautiful scenery and serious upper body sunbathing, we were in need of a delicious and filling lunch. Pizza and rosé were truly called for. A wildberry sorbet from a strawberry farm was a perfect finish for the meal.

Most of the evening was spend sunbathing in the balcony, talking, gossiping, enjoying refreshments (in moderation, of course - quality over quantity!). Since we knew from our morning walk that the beach is fabulous, we headed there for the sunset and walked along the beach to the town for evening snacks. Oh, the blissful warm breeze, darkening night and smell of sea! Doesn't get better than that!

You can count on me for finding the cheekiest drinks in Australia.

Sunset at one of the balcony of our humble accommodation. ;)

Relaxing.

The colours not the accuracy.

The second day of our road trip was spent in Mornington Peninsula Hot Springs, which were exactly that; pools of very, very warm water. Of course my perception is influenced by the fact that the outside temperature was 27-30 degrees, so those pools felt like I was being cooked alive. And no, the cool pools were not cool enough. Alas (reading Lolita, influenced clearly by the eloquent language), it still was enjoyable and relaxing. Hopefully the minerals did magic to my skin, I'm really not good at judging the glow of my skin. :P I'd recommend the springs for a winter time activity and if ever going back there, would enjoy the spa treatments while making it all the way there. Popped into the cafe and saw the spa people in their thick robes coming from the treatments smelling heavenly... Next time. ;)

"Good morning!"

Enjoying lunch with Dr J and Miss Rosie after hot springs. 

Once again... good times! Great company makes great days. Once that I'll reminisce with melancholy come next week and Finnish autumn wetness and darkness. Luckily looking forward to ski season so much that will endure it I'm sure. And spring always eventually comes.

Victim of IT censorship

Peeps, if you are having trouble seeing the pictures on my previous post - sorry! I have no idea what causes it, because I can see them on my computer, but not on my mobile or office computer. * sigh * Will try and download the pictures again on Friday (when at the office). Perhaps that'll help. 

Today destination Mornington Peninsula. Need I say "excited"? ;)

Source: http://www.pleasetakemeto.com/australia/mornington-peninsula/information