Musiikki

I never would have guessed that I would get to hear so many different types of music here in Finland...so far I have experienced opera, folk music, heavy metal, Finnish rap, and Flamenco! While I can't say that I have become a huge fan of every genre (the heavy metal, which Ari gave me an introduction to through his extensive cd collection, is just a little too, well, heavy for me), I have definitely come to realize how music is an international "common language." Today was a day full of new musical experiences for me as Atte (Ari's 20-year-old son) and I went into Helsinki by bus to go to a free music festival that was held in a park just outside of the city center. Although we didn't really know exactly how to get to the park once we got off of the bus, we somehow found it without having to consult a map or ask for directions. Once we got to the stage where the first band would perform, Atte pulled a piece of cotton out of his bag and said that it would be makeshift ear plugs...I was a little surprised, to say the least - I had thought that we would be sitting a reasonable distance away from the stage and would therefore not be at risk for hearing loss. We ended up, however, in the front row of a considerably large crowd of fans (many of whom knew all of the words to all of the songs)...and I actually had a great time (and was thankful for the earplugs)! After that concert finished, Kaati joined Atte and me to hear the next group, Wigwam (a band that originally performed in the 60's/70's). The final band was probably my favorite (and, judging by the large crowd that formed, was the favorite of many people). It was the Don Johnson Big Band, and it consisted of a lead singer (well, actually more of a rapper) and many different types of instruments (including a trumpet, a flute, drums, guitars, and more). Although Kaati and I couldn't stay for the entire concert (we had to catch our bus back to Porvoo), I did hear enough of the music to decide that I liked a lot (and would like to hear more)! Now I will post a few photos...and until my next post, hei hei!

Voyage to Tallinn

It feels like I haven't stopped traveling since I left Minnesota more than 3 weeks ago...first to Porvoo, then Kokkola, then Savonlinna, then Tampere, then back to Porvoo, and finally to Estonia! It's been so much fun, though, and completely worth the hours spent in transit. Tallinn (the capital of Estonia), which Kaati, Ari, Konsta, and I visited on Thursday, far exceeded my expectations...I had barely even heard of (and certainly had never contemplated visiting) the city before Kaati told me of her plans to go there by boat, and when I tried to imagine what it would be like, all I could picture was a dark, dead, industrial town. To my surprise, however, Tallinn (particularly the older part) was vibrant and busy with tourists and merchants. Everything about it was charming and interesting to look at, from the brightly painted historic guilds and houses, to the cobblestone streets, to the impressive stone walls and towers that surrounded it (there were even remnants of a moat!). Here are some pictures (and a map) so that you can get an idea of what I saw (the last photo, by the way, is of Kaati being put into some kind of medieval torture device that was on the outside of the old city hall).





These past couple of days have been fairly relaxing compared to the last week...yesterday we stayed mostly in the apartment and recovered from the Tallinn adventure (which ended up being a 17-hour day), and today we drove to a local island to visit the market and the sea. I don't know what the plans are for the rest of this week, but I guess I will just try to update along the way...so until my next post, näkemiin!

Pictures

Well, I finally have the time to post some photos of the past two weeks (I know that's a long time...but I'll do my best to give you a general idea of all the things that I've been doing)! I'll add a little description about each one (sorry if the layout of the text and photos is a little strange...it's kind of hard to change the exact position of everything!).



This is Sirpa and Alpo's house in Kokkola where I stayed for about a week. I loved everything about it - the hardwood floors, the sauna, and the location (it was surrounded by huge redwood pine trees).





These photos are from our sightseeing trip around Kokkola. The top one is from the open-air market, the second, which is of Alpo, Konsta, Kaati, and Sirpa, is from a sort of "overlook" point, and the third is from the beach (where the water was very cold).




























I took these photos in Savonlinna on the way to the castle to see Carmen. The top one is of Santtu and Emma, and the bottom two are of the castle, which was built (on an island) in the 1400's. The opera was in the courtyard of the castle (which we got to by bridge, but, according to Alpo could only be reached by boat when he first visited) and I loved every minute of the whole experience.























These two photos I took on my first full day in Tampere, which is where I went to stay with Vintta, Santtu, and Emma. In the morning the kids showed me around different parts of their neighborhood (including their old school and about six of Emma's friend's houses). In the afternoon Santtu and I took the bus into the city center and took in the sights (Santtu was a very good private tour guide). The first photo is of Santtu's school (I'm jealous...the building is old (in a good way) and located in the city center!) and the second is of the buildings that surround the main city square. We also visited the library (which is in the shape of a bird), the theater where Santtu and Emma are acting in the play Cinderella (Santtu has done a lot of acting in plays, musicals, and one TV series), and the market.


















I took these pictures at the amusement park that I went to with Santtu and Emma. We had lots of fun going on all of the rides (which included about 5 roller coasters) and also going up in the observation tower (I took the last photo from there).

Well, it's getting late here so I should probably sign off until (hopefully) tomorrow, when I can post some pictures from my (very fun) Tallin trip! Hei hei!

Quick Update

I just wanted to leave a quick note to let you all know what I've been up to this past week...I was in Savonlinna from Monday to Wednesday (oh - and a correction for my last post - it was 450 kilometers, not miles from Kokkola to Savonlinna!) and had lots of fun seeing two operas and walking aroung the town. The first opera was one for kids (and it was all in Finnish...so I basically just listened to the music and didn't try to understand any of the words) and the second was Carmen (which was amazing...the setting alone - a castle built in the 1400's - was very impressive). Last Wednesday I went with Vintta (Kaati's sister) and her kids, Santtu (14) and Emma (11), to their house in Tampere. Santtu and Emma showed me around the city by bike and bus on my first full day there - it was nice to get out of the car for a change. The next two days were rainy and cold so we mostly stayed indoors and played board games (including one called "Finanssi" which was a kind of Finnish version of Monopoly...luckily Santtu and Emma could translate enough for me to (sort of) understand how to play!). We also went to the movie theater to see the new Pirates of the Carribbean movie...it's nice because the movies only have Finnish subtitles (so everyone, including me, can understand). When the weather improved the kids and I went to the amusement park near their house...it had some very fun rides (probably better than the ones at Valleyfair), and we ended up going to the park twice. Yesterday was a "shopping" day in downtown Tampere, and I got my first real taste of the big Finnish brands like Marimekko and Kalevala Jewelry. At night Kaati and I went to a Flamenco dance performance in the city...she (Kaati) dances Flamenco herself, so I had been hearing about it since I got here, and it was nice to see the dance performed in person. I will post photos of this week later (probably Friday) because Ari, Kaati, Konst, and I are going to Tallin, Estonia tomorrow!

My Last Night in Kokkola

Well, tomorrow all of us here in Kokkola (Kaati, Konsta, Sirpa, Alpo, and I) will drive about 450 kilometers to Savonlinna for the Savonlinna Opera Festival. I'm really excited - not often does a person get the chance to see a great opera (Carmen) in an old castle during a world-famous festival - but I'm also sad because I have to leave the house in Kokkola. I've had so much fun here...going to the folk music festival, talking to all of the people (I feel like part of the family now), and sightseeing. Yesterday we did some walking around Kokkola - we saw the city center and open-air market. The market was very nice - it was so colorful and busy, and the merchants there sold everything from fresh flowers and fruit to antique dishes and framed pictures (including one of Elvis Presley, which Sirpa was excited to point out to me - it seems that little pieces of American culture can be found almost everywhere I look in Finland!). Later that afternoon we went to the beach and waded in the sea - it was very cold! Because the water was so cold there (and none of us were brave enought to go in any deeper than our knees) we decided to do some actual swimming in the "swimming hall" in Kokkola today...there were probably at least 8 different pools there including 2 with water slides, one with lanes, and 3 wading pools, just to name a few. There was even one small (but deep) pool with extremely cold water - I dipped my foot in and it became numb almost instantly! Now I have to go pack my bags for our trip to Savonlinna tomorrow...and I probably won't have a chance to post anything until at least wednesday (when I go to Tampere with Vintta and her family)...so until then, hei hei (goodbye)!

About the Photos

Okay...well, I had to have my mom post my pictures from her computer (thanks, mom!)...so now I will add a bit of "commentary" (starting from the top picture and moving down)...

1.) This picture is of Emma (Vintta's daughter - she is 11 years old) and her cat, Olavi...it is probably the cutest kitten I have ever seen...and it loves to play with anything (string, paper, your toes - which hurts because it still has claws)!

2.) I took this photo at the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival. Kaati, Vintta, Sirpa, all of the kids, and I were watching a music group perform and eating tiny fish (I can't remember what they were called). When I first saw the plate of food, I thought that it looked disgusting (it was full of whole, fried fish - eyes and tails and everything). I decided to try one fish, though (my policy with new food in Finland has been to try everything, even if it looks far from appetizing)...and I liked it a lot! I actually ended up eating several (they were minnow-sized) and enjoying every one!

3.) This one is easy to explain...it is a picture of the large tent that was set up over the stage and seating area where most of the main performances took place (at the music festival).

4.) Probably my favorite performance of the whole festival (well, the two days of the festival that I saw, anyway) was Frigg's. It was in the "Klubi" (club), which was actually just a gym in a high school that was set up like a club. Santtu found us great seats on the floor of a balcony overlooking the stage...the place was so packed that there were no chairs or standing room left! The group (Frigg) kind of looked like a rock group - youngish guys (plus one girl) - except that they played violins and other string instruments. The show also had the kind of atmosphere that I wouldn't have expected for a folk music concert - lights and screaming fans and lots of people. It was very exciting...and I was sad when it ended (although I was glad to be able to stretch out my legs, which were getting kind of cramped from sitting cross-legged on the floor the whole time)!

5.) This is a photo of Emma and Santtu's orchestra performing traditional folk music. Not all of the pieces were from Finland - and the kids actually sounded really good!

6.) Here's another photo of Frigg...a close-up, I guess.

Well...that's all the pictures I was able to post and still have time to write about. Hopefully I will be able to post more photos (and have a faster computer) soon! Until then, however, my "text-only" descriptions may be the only option...hopefully they're not too boring! It's getting late here, so I should probably go to get ready for bed...good night!

One More Picture

Pictures from Kokkola

Well...

I guess the pictures may have to wait...I can't seem to get them onto my blog. It may be because this computer that I am using is old (and very slow). I will try again some other time...hopefully I can get the photos online soon!

I need to catch up!

Well, I've been so busy these past few days that I haven't had time to add any new posts or pictures - but now I can. On Sunday Ari, Kaati, Konsta, and I drove to Kokkola, the town where Kaati's parents, Sirpa and Alpo, live. It was a very long drive (and it seemed longer than it was because it was extremely hot). On Monday Kaati's sister (Vintta) and her kids (Santtu and Emma) and very cute kitten (Olavi) came - the house is very full of people (but it's more fun that way). The house here in Kokkola is beautiful - all hardwood floors and big windows - and it is surrounded by huge trees. On Tuesday we all went to Kaustinen (a nearby town) to see a folk music festival. Santtu and Emma performed some folk music with hundreds of other kids (it sounded very good - which was kind of surprising considering many of the kids seemed to be under the age of 7!). We spent the rest of the day at the festival (until about midnight) watching various groups perform. On Wednesday we went to visit Kaati's aunt in Kokkola. It looked like she had baked all day - there were so many cakes and cookies (and she kept trying - in Finnish - to get me to eat more and more...I felt like I was going to explode!). Later that evening I had my first sauna - it was very relaxing. Yesterday Vintta, Emma, Santtu, and I went to Kaustinen again. The kids performed again, and then we spent the rest of the day listening to music. Before we went to the festival, I didn't really think that I would like folk music - but after seeing some of the groups, I now know that I like it a lot! Two groups in particular, Tsuumi and Frigg, were very good... they played a "newer" style of folk music. I will add some pictures in another post...

Some Photos...

Here are some photos - I finally figured out how to get them online using a memory card reader (and help from Ari to translate the words on the Computer!). The top picture is one that I took from my bedroom window, and the other two I took this afternoon in the Old Town part of Porvoo. I will try to get more pictures uploaded soon...after I can figure out how to rotate the ones that are going the wrong way!

I'm In Finland!

Well, I made it - I arrived in Helsinki yesterday afternoon. My flights (I had to change planes twice) were pretty uneventful...except for finding my gate in Stockholm, Sweden (a nice airport shuttle driver helped me find my plane, which left from another terminal, though). It is very hot right now in Porvoo, the town where I am staying. Also, it is light out almost all of the time (which makes it somewhat hard to sleep). Today we (Kaati, Ari, Konsta, and I) went to the library and found books about Finland and we also went to the grocery store - it is very different than our grocery stores at home! Kaati and I also did a little shopping in the "old town" section of porvoo. She bought some things to bring to her relatives in Kokkola when we visit next week...we will leave on Sunday and drive most of the day (it takes, not counting breaks, about 7 hours to get there!). I should probably go now, though - It's 10:30 pm here and the jet lag is still wearing off! Also - sorry I can't get pictures on this site right now...the computer (all of the files and programs) is all in Finnish, and I can't read how to download the pictures from my camera!