Wednesday, June 08, 2005
I just got back from a crazy, bug ridden bike ride. Karoliina's still in Turku, she is seeing Motely Crew tonight with an old friend. So I've been home alone for the past couple of days which is extraordinarily boring. And so I went for a night time bike ride. When the sun comes out and the wind dies down, Joensuu is very picturesque and there are very few people out past 9pm. The sun was still shining brightly when I returned at 10pm. It was very lovely looking. However, being in the middle of the bike ride was not lovely.
You know the feeling when you walk into a swarm of gnats? How it can feel like the swarm is swarming around you on purpose? LIke they are stuck to you and so you have to walk or run or ride real fast in order to get through the pack? Well the entire ride was like that. I was glad I brought my hat so that I could shield them from my eyes. Every five seconds there was another swarm. When I would stop to look around - it really is a luxury to have a lake so close by - I was attacked by these things. They were everywhere. There were clouds of them. I kept thinking that I could get through the next batch, but then another would come.
But still the ride was great. Aside from the bugs that would get caught in my headphones or get stuck on my glasses or shoot up my nose or fly straight into my mouth. Very pretty ride indeed.
I forgot where I was earlier today. I think I got to the point when we went to Lilleri and Bjorns for dinner. They have asked us to be the godparents of their baby boy Espen - I have a small desire to call him ESPN, but I don't think he would get it, nobody would since they do not get ESPN here, and for this I am very sad. We were there for the ceremony which was very nice and sweet. Espen is a cutie. I will post a couple of pictures of him tomorrow.
After dinner the guys went to the sauna. We were going out that night in Turku because Bjorn's parents were in town babysitting and they could have a night out. Bjorn has an out door wood burning sauna and we had been heating it for several hours. It was at least 85 which is 180ish. We had to hurry because the girls (Lilleri) was getting excited to go out. I got in first and dumped some water that had been sitting outside the bucket and so was very warm on my head. Aaron followed. He saw the way I dumped the water and did the same, except his was from the bucket which is much much colder. I guess I could have said something.
The next day we were off to Helsinki where Anneli was able to obtain an apartment through the Doctor's Assoc. of Turku which has a 2 bedroom apartment in the heart of downtown that we were able to secure for only 80€ which was a steal. We got there early and walked around. We had dinner that night in Kerava, which is a suburb of Helsinki. About 25 minutes on the local train, kind of like going from Manhattan to Brooklyn to eat. But it was worth it. Our friend Greg has a restaurant out there and he was going to cook for us that night. It was a Tuesday so the place was empty and he cooked a 6 course meal for us. Not stuff from the menu, but delicate courses that were awesome. Probably the best meal I have ever had. Like Carlsberg Beer "Probably the best beer in the world" I love that logo. He used fresh, seasonal foods - tomatoes, white asparagus, salmon cannoli with apple, risotto, duck, crem brulet, apple tart and vanilla ice cream. Mmm Mmm. Gave me some really good business ideas. Can't reveal here though. It's not that I don't trust you. Strike that, reverse it, it is that.
The next day was a museum and then the boat to Stockholm. Ahh the boat. Statutory sex boat. Unbelievable place that boat. Wonderful view of downtown Helsinki as the boat pulled out. I was glad to see that. I hadn't yet and it was spectacular. Needless to say we all got caught up on the party atmosphere of the Silja Line. We were sitting in the dance floor when we realized that we were all watching a dance floor filled with teenagers and by teenager I mean 13-17 and a couple of nasty older boys and girls. It was mesmerising. And disgusting. And so we got up to dance, which didn't last long.
Next day in Stockholm was beautiful. A little rainy, but not for too long, but very exhausting. It is hard to have to walk around a town for 9 hours. Especially after a late night. We got back to the boat heading for Turku which was an older, cheaper more disgusting, yet ultimately more compelling boat. We thought that we would all get to bed early, like 10. That was a joke. We had to check out the scene at the dance floor and it did not disappoint. There were the tallest group of guys I had ever scene in one place. All of them friends all together and all much taller than me. We couldn't believe it. We were perched close to the dance floor and sat at our table in disbelief of these huge Swedish guys. I got up on the dance floor and stood next to them to put it all to scale. Because everyone else they were dancing with were tiny. And the reason for this, we discovered the next day leaving the boat, is because they were all 15 and 16.
After we got back we napped and then headed for the summer house. Timo said he would come and as soon as he said it, I told Aaron to pack his stuff and we were off. The girls would follow later. We got there and finished cleaning the lake and then we drank. And then the girls got there. We ate, shot Timo's air gun, drank some Jaloviina - big mistake - and then hit the sauna. It was great. The lake was freezing. The trick of beating the freezing lake is to belly flop. Divert the pain, for the 10 seconds it takes to jump in, turn around and get the hell out. Next came the sausages and more sausages. The next morning we all slept till 2pm.
The trip was winding down and we took it pretty easy the next day. And now I am back home and all is right with the world.
You know the feeling when you walk into a swarm of gnats? How it can feel like the swarm is swarming around you on purpose? LIke they are stuck to you and so you have to walk or run or ride real fast in order to get through the pack? Well the entire ride was like that. I was glad I brought my hat so that I could shield them from my eyes. Every five seconds there was another swarm. When I would stop to look around - it really is a luxury to have a lake so close by - I was attacked by these things. They were everywhere. There were clouds of them. I kept thinking that I could get through the next batch, but then another would come.
But still the ride was great. Aside from the bugs that would get caught in my headphones or get stuck on my glasses or shoot up my nose or fly straight into my mouth. Very pretty ride indeed.
I forgot where I was earlier today. I think I got to the point when we went to Lilleri and Bjorns for dinner. They have asked us to be the godparents of their baby boy Espen - I have a small desire to call him ESPN, but I don't think he would get it, nobody would since they do not get ESPN here, and for this I am very sad. We were there for the ceremony which was very nice and sweet. Espen is a cutie. I will post a couple of pictures of him tomorrow.
After dinner the guys went to the sauna. We were going out that night in Turku because Bjorn's parents were in town babysitting and they could have a night out. Bjorn has an out door wood burning sauna and we had been heating it for several hours. It was at least 85 which is 180ish. We had to hurry because the girls (Lilleri) was getting excited to go out. I got in first and dumped some water that had been sitting outside the bucket and so was very warm on my head. Aaron followed. He saw the way I dumped the water and did the same, except his was from the bucket which is much much colder. I guess I could have said something.
The next day we were off to Helsinki where Anneli was able to obtain an apartment through the Doctor's Assoc. of Turku which has a 2 bedroom apartment in the heart of downtown that we were able to secure for only 80€ which was a steal. We got there early and walked around. We had dinner that night in Kerava, which is a suburb of Helsinki. About 25 minutes on the local train, kind of like going from Manhattan to Brooklyn to eat. But it was worth it. Our friend Greg has a restaurant out there and he was going to cook for us that night. It was a Tuesday so the place was empty and he cooked a 6 course meal for us. Not stuff from the menu, but delicate courses that were awesome. Probably the best meal I have ever had. Like Carlsberg Beer "Probably the best beer in the world" I love that logo. He used fresh, seasonal foods - tomatoes, white asparagus, salmon cannoli with apple, risotto, duck, crem brulet, apple tart and vanilla ice cream. Mmm Mmm. Gave me some really good business ideas. Can't reveal here though. It's not that I don't trust you. Strike that, reverse it, it is that.
The next day was a museum and then the boat to Stockholm. Ahh the boat. Statutory sex boat. Unbelievable place that boat. Wonderful view of downtown Helsinki as the boat pulled out. I was glad to see that. I hadn't yet and it was spectacular. Needless to say we all got caught up on the party atmosphere of the Silja Line. We were sitting in the dance floor when we realized that we were all watching a dance floor filled with teenagers and by teenager I mean 13-17 and a couple of nasty older boys and girls. It was mesmerising. And disgusting. And so we got up to dance, which didn't last long.
Next day in Stockholm was beautiful. A little rainy, but not for too long, but very exhausting. It is hard to have to walk around a town for 9 hours. Especially after a late night. We got back to the boat heading for Turku which was an older, cheaper more disgusting, yet ultimately more compelling boat. We thought that we would all get to bed early, like 10. That was a joke. We had to check out the scene at the dance floor and it did not disappoint. There were the tallest group of guys I had ever scene in one place. All of them friends all together and all much taller than me. We couldn't believe it. We were perched close to the dance floor and sat at our table in disbelief of these huge Swedish guys. I got up on the dance floor and stood next to them to put it all to scale. Because everyone else they were dancing with were tiny. And the reason for this, we discovered the next day leaving the boat, is because they were all 15 and 16.
After we got back we napped and then headed for the summer house. Timo said he would come and as soon as he said it, I told Aaron to pack his stuff and we were off. The girls would follow later. We got there and finished cleaning the lake and then we drank. And then the girls got there. We ate, shot Timo's air gun, drank some Jaloviina - big mistake - and then hit the sauna. It was great. The lake was freezing. The trick of beating the freezing lake is to belly flop. Divert the pain, for the 10 seconds it takes to jump in, turn around and get the hell out. Next came the sausages and more sausages. The next morning we all slept till 2pm.
The trip was winding down and we took it pretty easy the next day. And now I am back home and all is right with the world.
// posted by Howard @ 10:30 PM 
