Saturday, August 27, 2011

Helsinki sightseeing


I love Helsinki.
It is just one of the most perfect cities in Finland, in my opinion. A great reason for this is of course friends, and most of my best friends have settled down to study or work in the city.
Helsinki is also really beautiful. Especially during the summer. There are nice and cosy parks, amazing seaside, Suomenlinna, lakes, beaches, restaurants, pubs, theaters, a lot of gigs...just a really nice environment. Last summer when I lived there, I swear boredom is something that was never faced.

On Wednesday 17th Jonas, Ingar and me went for a Helsinki tour. Starting with food at the student restaurant.

At the end of the day we went to eat at Memphis but that wasn't all...I went to pick up some 'boxes and cleaning equipment' with Ellu at midnight. This cleaning equipment turned out to be KAREN and we surprised the guys who had no idea Miss K was joining us. How did the guys seriously think we were getting cleaning equipment in the middle of the night...? men.


Wearing:
River Island jacket
H&M shirt and shorts
Monki belt
Todds boots


<3
Linda, xo


PS:
Can anyone else see a quality change in the blog pictures, or is it just me and my imagination due to the camera change?;)


PPS:
Oh, and we did go shopping with the guys. (4 hours!!) Ending up with them buying 3 t-shirts in total. From the last shop...now seriouslyyyy...! How picky can you get? 'This is too thick, too thin, too much text, ugly color, the pockets are not the way they should be...' blablablaaa. :D


PPPS:
This day has been a Finnish music -day. Only recently have I started to be fond of Finnish female artists. I don't know why Jenni Vartiainen, Chisu, Anna Puu, etc...didn't ever get ten points from me in the beginning of their careers but now I'm really chilling to their tunes. Therefore this, enjoy:

Thursday, August 25, 2011

A little update on what has been going on

Time flies and soon, in 6days, I will be on the plane with Karen and Jaleh on our way to Don LONLONLON!

The last weeks have been filled with program.
Flow Festival 2011 - of which I will write more later.
and Helsinki in general, visitors, cottage weekend, Jyväskylä, sorting out apartment+internship+exchange papers, friends, andandand a great new purchase:
my new baby:
I finally changed my Nikon Coolpix P90 to a Canon 600D, and geee am I happy!

On Monday 15th I went for a smoothie with Petri and Teemu, and took my camera for its first test shooooting. Petri helping me out a bit with how the cam functions.

After, we went to pick up Jonas and Ingar from the airport and picked up Ellu to join us dining.
On our way for dinner at Santa Fé the guys cracked up laughing when they saw Nissen and Otto and some other things. Also the Norwegian and Finnish languages seem to have same words but with different meanings...

Later we met up with Lauri, Jussi and Juho at Kustaa Vaasa.

...the next day we got more company, and more the day after, and more and more and more...
during these two weeks I've seen so many lovelies, that it's incredible.
But what not lovely, I'm getting the same feelings as a year ago this time: I don't feel like leaving my friends again and I wouldn't mind living the life in Jyväskylä! But once I leave, I know the adventures and experience will be worth it. They always are!

xo
Linda

Oh, and PS.
I still don't have an apartment, so if anyone has any suggestions, let me know!
South East London would be perfect, 2 bed apartments, furnished, bills included...

Thursday, August 18, 2011

COTTAGE!


Karen, Vendela, Jonas, Ingar and Ansku are here!
We are at my summer cottage.
FUN FUN FUN FUN!
Tomorrow more people coming. I can't wait.
Just had dinner.
Now outdoor hot tub time.

Ah!

More posts coming up. About - everything.

xo
Linda

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Happy Birthday L2L!

I think I might start using grandpa's old hat.

It is a little past midnight and guess what I just realized?
Yesterday, 10.8., it was my blog's 1-year birthday.

My first blog post here.

Today, 11.8., I'm off to Helsinki, back to the hoods where my blog+Holland journey kicked off from last year.

About a year ago this time it was also FLOW FESTIVAL, where I will also be this year. What funny enough, this year I will also be staying at Petra's during the festival. Like living Summer 2010 all over again!
This year will be slightly different, though, as I'll be working at the festival on Saturday and Sunday. But Friday is free and I'll be swinging to Röyksopp and searching for new likes and dislikes, as Friday's line-up is less familiar to me.
(Flow website here.)

<3
L
xxx

Ps. I'm having trouble packing. I want to take everything with me. I always do.
Pps. I figured out I still have a post to write about Holland! And I'm way behind on what has been up, anyway. So lots of update posts coming up when I find the time.
Ppps. I'm hungry and looking at the picture below (breakfast earlier this week) isn't helping.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Fire to the rain

Today

wearing the favorite River Island jacket! yes, pro longboarder - pro clothing.

has been active.
Early wake up.
Dentist check-up, dislike.
Getting lucky and getting a cancellation time to the doctors check-up.
(meaning ready and steady to go to London - my trust for dental and health care in Britain isn't at its tops. I could start writing about previous experiences e.g. 5-year old Linda having the worst dentist trip ever with pain like never before, and about 5-year old Linda being diagnosed with a 'strawberry rush' that required a load of ice-cream as a healer..but that would take some time. and yes, an Indian doctor once said I would get healed from this interesting new disease by eating ice-cream. as i was a kid, i did like the given prescription but i did sooo not get better. the so called strawberry rush was tonsillitis, soo yeah! way to go.)

Getting a lunch/snack from my ultimate favorite Varkaus shop "Luonnon Helma" (organic+superfoods) with the most delightful customer service ever. Days snack suggestion: cucumber hotdog (cut cucumber with pollen and buckthorn berry powder in between), mix of migs, dates, apricot and plums, and Biona coconut water. Priceless.

I visited my study town, Jyväskylä, to get all exchange and internship paperwork done. Accomplished mostly, but partly undone... Since when did computers take over paperwork? I'd say they never did!

And after a hard days work, hhaa, Jaleh wanted to try out my boaaard, yyeye!

...after which I headed of for a Chinese dinner with the lovely Tette!

Then quickly back to Varkaus, tea with highschool lovelies Venla-Kaisa, Suski, Ansku and Henna, and a quick pop by at granny and grandpa's to go through the latest gossips.
Now, well now I'm tired as as as...asss..ehh.

anywooopoop, tomorrow yet again a new day.
London time is getting closer and closer. Lets hope the riots quieten down asap! So not cool.
But before London I have quiiite some nice things coming up. I'll keep you posted.

xoxo
L



ps.
today i noticed how much i actually miss jyväskylä!
bumping into the loveliest people today. i miss that. i miss the feeling when you walk in town, in school, anywhere, and there are always people you know and say hi to.
i miss the school building. even school food.
i miss the atmosphere of walking down to town from home (how perfect would that road be to longboard...ah).
i miss my classmates, tutors, Sauma crew.
i miss going to the park, 'our garden', with ansku to chit chat and sunbathe. i miss running to ansku's or her running to my place whenever in the need of company.
i miss waking up 10min before school started and still being in school on time, as i lived so close.
i miss the ekolo and punnitse&säästä shops.
i miss the amazing lamb they sell at mestarin herkku in sokos.
i miss petra, ansku and me playing bingo on tuesdays.
i miss evening walks and talks.
i miss going to school and staying there until it closed.
i miss sunday dinners in roninmäki.
i miss so many things that if i continue this post will be endless.

but that just means i have so many amazing memories!

ahhh...love for life! <3

Monday, August 8, 2011

OSLOVE

25.7.-1.8.
Oslo and around

Oh wow.
Finally! A city and country so close to my home, but first time for me to visit Oslo. And first time for me to visit Norway, I think.
 At least now I had the perfect reasons to go.
Friends!

My week consisted of sports, Oslo sightseeing, spotting organic+superfood stores and products, visiting my friends' hometowns outside of Oslo, camping, getting to know lovely friends of my friends, buying new running shoes and also learning a few Norwegian words and sentences.
Eivind: 'Du ligner på Freddy Dos Santos.'
(...oh, and having dinner with the royal family of course.)

Oslo is pretty, Oslo has amazing shops, Oslo is expensive (but clothes are the same price if you go to the international brand stores) and my favorite building was definitely the Opera house. Oh but, I did like the old 'Punavuori, Helsinki' -like buildings a lot, too. Ooh and the Frognerparken! It reminded me of Greenwich park in London next to which I used to live. I loved it!

Lets see if I got any competent pictures to convey you the funfunfun experience I had, and to see how nice my trip really was!

Though, as I went there on Monday the 25th of July the atmosphere wasn't at its best.
I experience Oslo at a state it had never been before.
We bought roses and went to the memorial service of 22.7.2011 where about 200 000 other people were too. The atmosphere of that evening was definitely as follows: "If one man can show so much hate, just think how much love we all together can create."(Norwegian girl commenting 22.7.2011)
That night Oslo was definitely filled with love.

Oslo sightseeing

Rånåsfoss


Camping trip with Sammy, Ingar, Jonas and Gjermund. And my first time trying waterskiing! I hardly recommend not to fall as I can still feel the pain as I think about it.

A little super snack costing 6€, so yes, double the price as in Finland

Bathing by the river

Climbing

And last but not least, a mixture of Norwegian (barn) and Dutch (when adding an extra K, lekker) may be interesting. This picture for Karen and Vendela, memorizing our trip to Volendam...

Oslo is a lovely city to visit. I can't wait to go again!
...I still have to go see Holmenkollen, right?


Good night!
I'm gonna start preparing myself mentally now for tomorrow's dentist check-up visit. Not fun.
But then again visiting my study town, Jyväskylä, after that should be fun!

xxx
Linda