Tag Archives: Finland

I Think We Are Ready To Go Home

it cannot get better than this picture

it cannot get better than this picture

March 30, 2015

One week. It went so fast and in the same time it also went so slow.

My favorite team today.  This dog was such an animated trooper

My favorite team today. This dog was such an animated trooper

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Photo Mar 29, 2 26 23 PM

sniff sniff… bear bear…

I woke up without my last night’s cold and was ready for action.  This morning we checked out an agility competition and then took the dogs for a last long hike. Just between you and me, by the middle of the week I just called it the “Trail of Tears…”  I have to confess that even though, we take our dogs for daily hikes in the woods on our property upstate NY,  Marja-Leena elevated hiking with her dogs to a different level. Photo Mar 29, 2 03 50 PM

Agyag on the Trail of Tears (she trailed I teared)

Agyag on the Trail of Tears (she trailed I teared)

 

I also talked to my sister on the phone, it was such a delight to be in the same time zone with her. We already started making plans for our upcoming fall trip to Hungary and Romania.

I start getting inpatient and somewhat uneasy about tomorrow’s flight for the dog.  All should be just fine… Packed up my stuff and ready to go to bed.  Tomorrow this time I’ll be back home in NY.

it is mine...

it is mine…

It is easy like one, two, three…

Photo Mar 26, 12 52 52 PM

one,

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two,

Photo Mar 26, 12 53 45 PM (1)

three…

 

 

City Hopping in Helsinki

March 27, 2015

The Central Railway Station of Helsinki

The Central Railway Station of Helsinki

We’ve decided that we had enough of the dogs and went to see Helsinki yesterday.  Strolled through part of Kluuvi, the commercial center of the City. It has a shopping center, the University of Helsinki, Movie theaters, museums and the Helsinki Central Railway Station among many other things. One interesting fact that I learned that the Square has two entrances, one for the public and a second one for the President of Finland…

Civic center  a euphenism for a place where you smell th

“City center” a euphemism for shop until you drop dead…

The first Finnish brewery, an integral part of our city "hopping"

The indoor city market

 

vintage beer tanks. During WWI and WWII they justinstalled wheels and tracks  and they had war tanks...

During our city “hopping” we bumped into these vintage beer tanks. During WWI and WWII they probably just installed wheels and tracks on them and they had war tanks  They must have been useful during seize fires (they could brew beer until the fights picked up again…)

 

 

 

beer/war tanks I guess they nevermade it to the front line they were pulled over for drunk driving

beer/war tanks I would not be surprised if they had never made it to the front line the drivers probably were pulled over for drunk driving

 

buy buy baby who can resist in a narrow alley?

buy buy baby who can resist  the great aromas of gourmet food and spices  floating in the narrow alley of the city market?

 

Fresh fish

Fresh fish

 

and the canned goods I bet I could find fermented shark fin if I looked more carefully...

and the canned goods I bet I could find fermented shark fin if I looked more carefully…

Photo Mar 26, 12 46 55 PM

Kapelli

We also checked out the exhibitions at the contemporary Art center, “Kiasma.”  After the culture rush,  we escaped to some fine shopping places and checked into some great food stores.  It was such a breath of fresh air to spend some time in cafe houses, fine restaurants and (only…) browsing  ( this is for Laszlo in case he reads this entry) in some high end department store after our local convenient stores and Walmart upstate NY.

our appropriations of one of the installations at the Kiasma:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7bOLNMGI9Q<—Click here

a very interesting drink that I learned from Marja-Leena if you want to know it contact me privately

a very interesting drink that I learned from Marja-Leena if you want to know it contact me privately

yum yum pastries

 

 

the famous historic Kapelli cafe, bar, restaurant where the bohemians and artists, of Helsinki gathered the the past 150 years or so including Sibelius, the composer.

the famous historic Kapelli cafe, bar, restaurant where the bohemians and artists, of Helsinki gathered the past 150 years or so including Sibelius, the composer.

 

 

 

 

Scandinavian cafe

Scandinavia cafe

 

Photo Mar 26, 1 23 05 PM (1)

the contemporary art center “Kiasma”

 

 

Photo Mar 26, 1 29 22 PM

one might think twice wondering in these hallways with a hangover

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Tom of Finland

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At the end of the day I felt like a tired farm girl who got lost in the city.

 

Jumalan Terve Finland…

August 1, 2014

 

…which means “God’s Peace or Hello… We are here in Suomi.

By the way readers, did you know that Finland has the largest fundamentalist Christian movement in Europe? Laestadianism.  It is awesome that the welfare state and a conservative Lutheran movement can actually coexist relatively seamlessly.  I guess, we have something to learn about tolerance here in the U.S.  But this topic is for another day because I am here for the great Annual International Canine Pilgrimage, the World Dog Show and not for a Purity Ball.

Every dog is going to the World Dog Show to Helsinki.  THis is the great Annual Canine Pilgrimage - THis year in Helsinki.

Every dog is going to the World Dog Show to Helsinki.  – This year in Helsinki.  This is the Great International Canine Pilgrimage

 

"Jumalan Terve" Finland or "God's Piece" or Hello You will think I was born here...

“Jumalan Terve” Finland! or “God’s Peace” or Hello… You will think I was born here…

We’ve made it across the pond and start with a rather tight schedule. Driving up to Kuopio in the night, (found a B&B – cabin with Sauna in the country just south of Kuopio) where we will stay for three days while driving back and forth to the SAWO international dog show.

 

Puli, Pumi, Mudi... naming of these breeds, yes, it is certainly  a telltale for some compulsive tendencies  BUT...

Mudi Puli, Pumi… naming of these breeds, yes, it is certainly a tell-tale sign for some compulsive tendencies BUT…

 

...

…c’mon how do you call this? (talking about OCD…)

I had a sort of “killing time” conversation with a Swedish  passenger (I think she was from there…) from NYC to Amsterdam on the plane. After she found out about the purpose of my trip,  we talked about herding dogs and at one point she was kind of of ironically referring to Hungarian herding breeds and breeders as OCD (because of the names of the Hungarian breeds – Puli, Pumi, Mudi…)  I did not have an answer for her right on the plain but than, while sitting in Amsterdam, in a magazine I saw a tourism ad with the flags of the Scandinavian countries I wish I could ask her about that (talking about OCD…)

My rental car is rather small (you have to flush it twice…) however, with a superior gas milage – comparing it to our gas-guzzlers back in the states.  I need compromise my comfort in order to save money on gas that is rather expensive over here. All those gas taxes and fees must support national education, the Finnish students who are way ahead of their American counterparts in math and science.  But that is OK because once they finish their education (or Finnish their education) in Finland, we just give them working visas and move them to the U.S. to strengthen our economy.  We just love a superior highly educated work force in the US.  Thank you Finland so I guess, we are even after all.

This is it for today and now, we are off up north, to the woods. Hope to see you all in Kuopio tomorrow.