Outlandish

I've spent so much time at home in Turku this past Spring and Summer that I'm not quite sure any more which country I live in, Estonia or Finland. But now I think it's time to leave the cruise ships in peace for a while and hopefully people will visit me, so I won't need to compare the times for buses and boats because they never really match the way I would want them to. But before I walk to Linnhall and wave my goodbyes to Finland for a while I want to go back to last weekend, which turned into a proper Turku Experience.  All sorts of little happenings and businesses offering things to do pop up around the city of Turku in the summer. Especially around the Aura River at the moment you can find anything from restaurants and river boats to a couple of very Finnish phenomenon; a mini sauna and a hot tub that you heat up with wood in a little stove. This hot tub is special, though, because you can sit in there while floating in the river. We found the idea...

It's May!! Summer is sooo close! May 1st, also known as May Day is a festive day all over the world. But nowhere do people appreciate this day as Finns do! And as always we celebrate the eve of the big day and it's traditional to go for a picnic on the actual 1st May. This great event is called Vappu and I really recommend you visit Helsinki or Turku during this festival of Spring! (Unless you're a really uptight person who cannot bare seeing people consuming too much alcohol in a public place and being very loud.)  Vappu, like most our festivities probably originate from Sweden and it was firstly seen as a celebration for Spring. Then the industrialization came along and today the day is seen more as a working class's holiday around the world. In Finland the day has been taken over by university students. They roam the cities in their colourful overalls and at 6pm on the Eve of May 1st they are allowed to put on the white caps that we receive when we gradu...

My jealousy has no boundaries... When the sun is shining and it's 30 degrees outside it feels like a crime to sit inside (unless you're working). So, I often go for a walk on Saturdays around Bratislava. As a capital it's quite a small city, but somehow I manage to find new places and things here every time. Like this time I found the artsy park behind the presidential palace. It's a garden surrounded with high stone walls and which is kept in a meticulous form. The grass there is cut in a very English way: smooth and precise. Flower arrangements are everywhere and there are fountains and statues varying in style everywhere.  The garden is absolutely perfect for picnics or for a little break on a tourist tour. The Grassalkovich Palace, which these days is used as the President's office, rather than accommodation, was built originally in 1760 for a Hungarian aristocrat who was a close friend of the Empress Maria Theresa. The Empress herself visit...

The Petrin Hill on the Mala Strana side of Prague is a 300-meter-high hill next to the castle towering over the city. On Sunday we decided to go inspect the hill and maybe try and find the Royal Gardens, which we couldn't find from the castle itself. Before the climb we needed to get some snacks, of course. Proper energy bombs like crisps, chocolate and cider. Some strawberries as well to keep things healthy...   The climb itself wasn't that bad but I wouldn't recommend it to the elderly or people with heart problems. At some stages the path was so steep that your pulse rises to surprising levels. Instead of climbing you can take the Funicular up the hill. On the hill you will find lovely parks and an Eiffel tower-inspired viewing tower. You can climb all the way to the top of the tower but we weren't interested in queueing. Walking down the hill we wandered off the main road and came to a little square with a huge palace on the right and ...

Summer has officially started in Bratislava and it was welcomed with last weekend's theme: Bratislava for All. It means that all museums, public transport and such are free for public and there are street markets and happenings all around the city. Well, it turned out that this promise of everything being free was once again a Slovak white lie. It was more a way of encouraging people to go to places but none of them were actually free. Thank goodness there was no ticket patrol on the tram in the morning because I, as a Finnish person who always thinks that promises can be counted on, traveled without a ticket.   Our plan was to go to a Coffee Fest in a fancy hotel next to Eurovea shopping center but it was sold out. So, we drowned our sorrows into white wine and brie cheese up at the castle garden sunbathing big time. It is insane how happy a person can be for a bottle of wine, cheese and sunshine. I was close to bursting.  After the picnic we wanted to go chec...

A month at Dell s.r.o! And I have nothing but positive things to say about working here! I've been fortunate enough to always have great colleagues in every job, but I have never experienced such relaxed and enjoyable working environment. As long as you do your job properly, it doesn't matter if your coffee break stretches a little. The work itself is very precise and takes a lot of attention to detail. Completely different than what I have done before: marketing and selling gives more space for creativity and improvisasion. But in my case this is a brilliant thing! I'm learning new things and I'm broadening my know-how even further.   Colleagues, as I have mentioned, are absolutely wonderful. Very helpful and supportive and if there is something happening after work they ask people to join. For example, this weekend we are going hiking outside Bratislava! A 10-kilometre hike to a castle in Pajstun. I am sooo excited! I've been extr...

 I thought name days were a tradition only in the Nordic countries. But apparently they are even bigger deal here! Every now and then in the office I can see a team hugging each other and changing gifts and turns out, usually these outbursts of affection are about name days. On Friday a member of the Polish team had a name day and we headed to Slavin for a little after-work. Slavin is a memorial monument and a cemetary for Soviet soldiers who fell during the World War II. The monument is on a hill where one can find the President's residence and some of the most beautiful and expensive houses in Bratislava. We walked up the hill in just under 30 degrees celsius but we could've also taken a 'trolly'. It was definitely worth the climb: the view was amazing! And the monument was a perfect place for a little picnic. Speaking of names; I've always been under the impression that my name is probably the most international name ever. Everywhere in ...