Blogs from Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland, Europe

Our crusted and dusty delegation visited Oulu last summer to rock out with our c*cks out and meet up with local DIY activists and event organisers. This is roughly what happened according to my carefully crafted notes and the one with the hat 's recollections. Hässäkkäpäivät , - or Hassle Days in English - is a small-scale hardcore/punk rock festival that took place for the 8th time in 2015. Several local arts & culture organisations (Paskakaupunni ry, Tilaa Kulttuurille and Rotos) are behind the festival and based year round at the same spot putting up smaller gigs and alternative events and what not. On Sunday, after the two-day punk shenanigans, we discovered more on all this and what happens at url=https://tilaakulttuurille.wordpress.com/about/mika... read more

Normally I wouldn't blog about a ski trip as they are pretty predictable (up, down, up, down etc), however as this was a trip to a new country I thought it was worth a quick blog. I decided I wanted to try Finland as for many years I've been meaning to try some non-downhill skiing activities, I also hoped to catch the Northern lights and so off to Lapland I went. Naturally it being January, Santa had finished his Christmas duties and left Lapland and gone off on a well deserved holiday ( I believe he likes a few weeks in the sun to recover), so I wasn't expecting Lapland to be too busy. Also the fact that the days are short (sunrise 9.30am - sunset 3pm) and the temperatures are a little bit chilly (down ... read more

Plecam spre Oulu unde ne asteapta varul Ciprian si Raluca. Bagam tare pe autorute dar nu foarte (100km/h limita , fortam pe la 140km/h ,dar ne limitam la 120 ca cine stie cat e amenda in tara asta in care o bere costa aproape 6 euro+ nu depasim prea tare de frica camerelor), sosele super late, soferi civilizati. Ajungem in Oulu: oras de-a dreptul exceptional si mult mai pustiu ca la Helsinki, piste de biciclete (cateva sute de km de piste special amenajate la un orasel de 80.000 de locuitori) Ii cazam pe Dani si Tania la motel (langa ei era un magazin de board games :) ) si noi la neamuri. Seara gustam toti 6 o super supa de somon proaspat! A doua zi: plimbat prin oras si luat pranzul cu doar 8 euro/pers (manancai ... read more

All’s well again with the weather. Can’t do with persistent rain like yesterday’s, it stops us doing things and that is bad. Woke to glorious blue sky, albeit rather later than planned as stayed up late again watching the lovely midnight sun over the river. Packed up as quickly as we could and headed off for the Arctic Circle (Napapiiri), Finnish style this time. Lots of Santa’s Elves about the place as this is Santa’s village, supposedly where he lives, and the site for the Santa’s postbox where children send their Xmas letters to Santa. Stood on the Arctic Circle line and took photos and bought a few presents, as shops excellent, including really nice traditional hat for Emily’s birthday. Used Santa’s postbox to post things but not Emily’s as not sure which is her current ... read more

No niin, nyt pääsen viimein jatkamaan reissua. Lennän huomenna yöllä takaisin Intiaan ja luvassa on tutkimusretkiä Pohjois-Intiaan sekä Nepaliin. Laskeudun Delhiin ja sitten punomme yhdessä Kallen kanssa juonia siitä, minne seuraavaksi suuntaamme. Tarkempi reittimme on siis vielä täysin auki! Alustavasti olemme ajatelleet ensin lähteä jonnekin hieman etelämpään päin, sillä varsinkin Nepalissa on vielä aika viileää. Kallea on jo kova ikävä, joten ihanaa päästä hänen kainaloonsa. Itse Intiaakin olen ikävöinyt, vaikkakin on myös monia asioita, joita en ole yhtään kaivannut. En välttämättä haluaisi taas tappelemaan tuktuk-kuskien kanssa tai karistamaan kannoiltani jotain psykopaattista ihailijaani. Innolla kuitenkin taas odotan sitä ihanaa värikästä katuelämää, kauniita luonnonmaisemia, upeita temppeleitä, hymyileviä ihmisiä (etenkin lapsia, joiden kanssa saa leikkiä), eläimiä ja mielenki... read more