green_amber (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
green_amber) wrote2008-07-16 08:21 pm
green_amber) wrote2008-07-16 08:21 pm
Moominland
Why is it so tempting to just sit here, drink stolen from airplane wine, eat hotel room Pringles and watch Ratatouille in incomprehensible Finnish?
(I never noticed before that the rat-chef sleeps on the window in an oven glove. It's such a lovely, perfectly thought out film.)
Must.Go.Downstairs!
So far, long but excellent day. Bought Mac cosmetics in HRW for treat - which lead to Mac girl recommending me AN Other cosmetics place (Dermatologica? had sillier shop name though - Dr Sandbag or something); where I bought bags-under-eyes cream as recommended and Nice Woman said "oh I can give you a facial for that price, and you can claim the money back against the product". And after an extr-eeemeley nice facial and hand masssage with all kinds of nice goo and a bit of a massage, she gave me a goody bag tooo! Result! Incredibly relaxing for middle of Terminal 1! I recommend this :)
I finished paper ppt for conference on plane; and caught the train from Helsinki to Turku no bother. So far what I have seen of Finland (in glorious crystal clear sunshine)reminds me a lot of British Columbia(perfectly manicured farm fields (though no cows??), forests, lakes, rivers and log cabins - yes it does look look just like a Lurpak advert!)crossed with a bit of Stalinist Russia (wide flat streets and squares, rather forbidding central train station.) So that seems about right..
BTW that whole land-of-the-midnight-sun thing is a CHEAT! It's so far east, it's two hours ahead!! So what would be 10pm in Edinburgh (where it's also still light at midsummer) is 12 midnight here!!! I am appalled.
EDIT: so I did go downstairs, found remnants of My People (they'd been up since 4am so were disbanding, the Americans marvellling at it being light ag 11pm!) Everyone hugged me, I went for a walk round the block to the river and shamefully, ate a very nice kebab:) Everyone seems terribly pleased to talk to someone in English who isn't Swedish :)It's also full of pale skinned goths so it feels reet like home ! Tomorrow I plan to drink wine on one of the lovely by the river restaurant boats, and have a sauna for breakfast! Oh and do some work of course..
EDIT2: and they just invited me to come to this conference in June next year.. in Hong Kong!!
(I never noticed before that the rat-chef sleeps on the window in an oven glove. It's such a lovely, perfectly thought out film.)
Must.Go.Downstairs!
So far, long but excellent day. Bought Mac cosmetics in HRW for treat - which lead to Mac girl recommending me AN Other cosmetics place (Dermatologica? had sillier shop name though - Dr Sandbag or something); where I bought bags-under-eyes cream as recommended and Nice Woman said "oh I can give you a facial for that price, and you can claim the money back against the product". And after an extr-eeemeley nice facial and hand masssage with all kinds of nice goo and a bit of a massage, she gave me a goody bag tooo! Result! Incredibly relaxing for middle of Terminal 1! I recommend this :)
I finished paper ppt for conference on plane; and caught the train from Helsinki to Turku no bother. So far what I have seen of Finland (in glorious crystal clear sunshine)reminds me a lot of British Columbia(perfectly manicured farm fields (though no cows??), forests, lakes, rivers and log cabins - yes it does look look just like a Lurpak advert!)crossed with a bit of Stalinist Russia (wide flat streets and squares, rather forbidding central train station.) So that seems about right..
BTW that whole land-of-the-midnight-sun thing is a CHEAT! It's so far east, it's two hours ahead!! So what would be 10pm in Edinburgh (where it's also still light at midsummer) is 12 midnight here!!! I am appalled.
EDIT: so I did go downstairs, found remnants of My People (they'd been up since 4am so were disbanding, the Americans marvellling at it being light ag 11pm!) Everyone hugged me, I went for a walk round the block to the river and shamefully, ate a very nice kebab:) Everyone seems terribly pleased to talk to someone in English who isn't Swedish :)It's also full of pale skinned goths so it feels reet like home ! Tomorrow I plan to drink wine on one of the lovely by the river restaurant boats, and have a sauna for breakfast! Oh and do some work of course..
EDIT2: and they just invited me to come to this conference in June next year.. in Hong Kong!!
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When I visited Helsinki many years ago, I started off speaking Swedish, because I knew that all Finns had to learn Swedish at school (for 8 years I believe) and I thought better to try their second language rather than what would have been at least their third. At one point I was in a restaurant and being dealt with by a somewhat surly waitress - until I stumbled over what I was trying to say and had to switch to English. As soon as she knew I was English and not Swedish, her attitude changed completely, she was all smiles and couldn't do enough for me.
Land of the midnight sun
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Always in English:
Tell them I sent you :)
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If you are in Helsinki and have some sightseeing time check out the Design Museum and the two Cathedrals and Suomelina. Actually if they have anythign Design related in Turku, go there too!
V. jealous that you are in Finland in the summer I've only been when it's cold.
Saunas are lovely, yes v jealous.