A fast ferry ride away from Helsinki is Tallinn. Capital of Estonia. The city has two faces. Move away from the city center and you see concrete blocks of houses, old Soviet style. Stay in the old town, and you find yourself in a medieval city. I prefer the latter, so frolic around on the cobble stoned streets along the old city wall. On the top of a hill stands the Alexandr Nevsky cathedral. It’s magnificent. The hike up is worth it. But, after all it’s just a building, and my time is limited. So I head back down to the old narrow streets and squares. The summery weather probably helps, but it’s difficult not to like the place. On one of the small and crowded squares two teenage girls dressed in medieval clothes are standing ... read more

The setting is perfect for a Sunday night beer. The heart of the Södermalm island in Stockholm, Medborgarplatsen (The Citizens' Place), certainly invites to enjoying a cold one among friends on a warm summer evening. The outdoor restaurant is sparingly populated, and the atmosphere is very calm and relaxed. Yet, my buddy was brutally terrorized by security. Oh, well, maybe not molested in the most violent sense, but yet a reminder of the pathetic attitude of the bouncing profession in Sweden. From hearsay, the conversation went something like this: BUDDY to bartender: "A beer please". Enter Amir. AMIR: "I'm Amir, head of security at this place". BUDDY: "Ok...nice". Exit Buddy. Gaining respect and showing who's in charge appears to be important to restaurant security guards on a power trip. Apparently they don't realize the comedic and ... read more

At first sight the guy seems rather normal. After having released a few incomprehensible murmurs, this perception is radically altered. Before having even landed his butt on the seat, he has initiated the dead-end conversation. Conversations with the train/plane/bus neighbor can be quite interesting and kill some serious time. This guy is a one of those one-way streeters. To his defense could be mentioned a slight mental sub-normality. He mumbles a big deal in super-standard Swedish. Not at all easy to grasp. He's going home to Stockholm. The cats in Malmö were apparently quite messy. He's retired, although in his 30's. Retired from what...? With great enthusiasm and excitement he describes the characters, plot, and relationships of the fantasy cassette book he's "reading". Light bla bla Dragons bla bla White guardians bla bla Black tower...But the ... read more

Lisa Nilsson is one of the most well established, recognized, not to mention popular Swedish artists. The Swedish queen of soul. Not necessarily my kind of music. But she can - unarguably - sing. And since the concert is in my city...and for free...what the hell...? She does her thing: the hit songs mixed with some rather uninteresting, deep monologue. A solid performance. It is towards the end of the concert she drops the bomb; she describes one of her greatest hits something like "you know when you go to a party, and the only reason you go is because the host promised you your favorite song...a whore song - something you as the host feel obliged to do, although you don't really want to...but at least you can vary it, perform it with a single ... read more

Watch a pride parade just for fun? I'm not homophobic, but a bunch of fairies in extravagant costumes strutting around in the middle of Stockholm trying to make a politically correct point, but probably just adding to the stereotypes of homosexuals...? Well, as my buddy and also host thinks this is a good idea, I won't argue. Turns out my prejudiced ideas were a bit skewed. It's not like any other parade, that it ain't. The gay movement is strongly associated with the rainbow flag, and the colorfulness is reflected in the floats and costumes. Magnificently ornamented floats are mixed with groups making a statement and other less political groups dancing and flirting with the crowd. But, all the people participating in the parade are obviously having fun, a joy that is widely infecting the crowd. ... read more

Helsinki is nice. No more, no less. A city on the water in the land of the thousand lakes. No spectacular sites, but clean, safe, and organized. The senator's square I find the most impressing, with the very tall stairs leading up to the big white building with the green roof. The university library is also cool. My buddy and local guide refers to it as an "Indiana Jones" library. This is a very illustrative description. The setting would be ideal for a shot of any Indy-movie, at least the research part. The problem starts when I get thirsty. Happens every now and then. The beverage of my preference is Diet Coke. To my amazement and shock I discover that practically everywhere the charge for a regular 50 cl bottle (20 ounce) is about €2 (approx. ... read more

Warsaw is really not a ghetto. They used to have one, maybe was it here the expression was introduced during WWII. In fact, Warsaw fulfils most of the requirements for a modern European city. A well-functioning, punctual public transportation system. A clean, safe city center, where McDonalds’s and KFC's are mixed with the more traditional stores. A nice old town, castles, parks, etc. Friendly people everywhere, willing to help the lost foreigner. A huge building in the middle of the center with a scenic view over the city, a gift from uncle Stalin. The city has however missed out on one thing that would make it attractive for foreign visitors: It's not adapted for foreign visitors. For people with limited knowledge of the Polish language, simple tasks such as buying a train ticket or a simple ... read more

Brussels is a quite nice city. Nice buildings, lots of sights, lots of institutions. Some famous monuments and statues scattered over the city for tourists. Grand Place with surrounding buildings is quite impressive. The Pole Star is not very impressive. Our party has decided to visit this Finnish establishment to have a northern drink and sing a song. It's Sunday. The Pole Star is not opened on Sundays. Our Finnish representative is disappointed, to the extent that a double "Ahhh" echoes in the night upon realizing this offence. Maybe Monday the Finns want to drink. Our party, this time larger in size, once again makes an attempt to visit the bar to drink a northern drink and sing a song. Once again the blinds are closed and the door is locked. A single "Ah" from our ... read more

It's ball time in Antwerp. Many, many university students have dressed up for the occasion. With some exceptions, e.g. the freak who thinks that wearing a pink t-shirt with a tie is rebelish. Hilton Hotel in Antwerp is a very nice venue. The ball room holds millions of people, this evening a rough equal mix of ladies and gentlemen. Beer is good. Atmosphere is good. Company is good. The band is not bad. They should have continued all night. The DJ(s) must be drunk. Their idea of a great mix of ball music is rather peculiar and confusing. The songs chosen are not the problem. The mix of them becomes a problem, leaving tons of people standing in their fancy clothes confused to their bones. The intro to "Eye of the tiger", continued with some Aerosmith, ... read more

Stabroek is a tiny town north of Antwerp, Belgium, not at all far from the Dutch border. A tiny town where probably everybody knows everybody. By coincidence, this is where I ended up celebrating my 30th birthday. Fair enough, I drag my course mates/friends to the local pub, in order to make the occasion count. Pub number one is a nice enough place. Not used to late night celebrations however, the staff very politely but also very obviously let us know that they want to go home. Finally we decide to take the hint and move on. Being such a small town, the nightlife in Stabroek is however very limited. In fact, the late night entertainment is limited to this pub that just closed on us, and a couple of other establishments. One of these other ... read more