Well crap. Now that I'm leaving Finland the fates have decided that I was to finally find my Finnish husband. He doesn't know about our marriage, as we've technically never met, but in my mind we're quite happy and in love. Introducing Paradise Oskar aka Axel Ehnström aka my husband. We're going to make some beautiful blonde babies someday.
In all seriousness though, who knew the Finn's were hiding such precious, musical gems! Paradise Oskar was in some Eurovision contest, though I can't figure out if he won or not. I actually can't even figure out what the concept of this show is. Someone care to explain it to me?
In the meantime, enjoy the blessings of my husband's voice.
By the way, this video was filmed in the Kaisaneimi Botanical Gardens, which happens to be my most favorite place in Helsinki (I'll do a blog post about it soon!). Further proof that we are meant to be. This is what destiny looks like, people.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
Pensive Places
So much for a blog reboot, eh? It's been a week now! Would you believe me if I told you I've just been soo busy embracing my remaining time in Finland that I haven't had the time to get on my computer?
Yeah, I wouldn't believe me either. In fact, lately I've spent a ton of time in cafes, just chilling on my laptop, looking all intellectual and such. I like to pretend I'm working on that novel of mine, sipping a cafe au lait, and listening to some singer-songwriter tunes when in all actuality I'm drinking 7 up, listing to country music, and creepin' on facebook. I can only be so chic and European okay!
Anyway, while I may not totally grasp the whole "cool concept" of cafes, I have become quite educated on the best ones in Helsinki. Here are my choices:
1) Fazer Cafe
Fazer is definitely the best I've come by. The inside is not only huge, but absolutely beautiful with it's mirrored walls, domed ceiling, and vases full of chocolates- some of which are free! Although I must warn you, don't take too many handfuls of the "free" chocolates otherwise the employees might feel inclined to move them behind the counter and out of reach. Damn them.
2) Ravintola Kappeli
Part restaurant, bar, and cafe, Ravintola Kappeli is perfect for whatever mood you might be in. For me it's the perfect place to curl up in one of the many cushioned nooks and take a Skype call. Though I find it a bit too tourist-y, I'd absolutely recommend having a glass of wine or hot chocolate (the best I've ever had!) and enjoying the views of the harbor and Esplandi.
3) Picnic Cafe
Any Picnic Cafe will do! Here I am on the second floor of Kamppi- one of my favorites. I had to look all pensive and ridiculous so no one would know I was taking pictures of myself. Don't judge me. Anyway, I also like the Picnic on the roof of Forum and the one on Yliopistonkatu.
These cafes are definitely something I will miss about Helsinki. I'm absolutely dreading having to find new ones when I move to Paris. I've only just discovered these cafes! And yes, I am moving to another foreign country and this is one of my main concerns. Don't even worry about it.
Fazer is definitely the best I've come by. The inside is not only huge, but absolutely beautiful with it's mirrored walls, domed ceiling, and vases full of chocolates- some of which are free! Although I must warn you, don't take too many handfuls of the "free" chocolates otherwise the employees might feel inclined to move them behind the counter and out of reach. Damn them.
2) Ravintola Kappeli
Part restaurant, bar, and cafe, Ravintola Kappeli is perfect for whatever mood you might be in. For me it's the perfect place to curl up in one of the many cushioned nooks and take a Skype call. Though I find it a bit too tourist-y, I'd absolutely recommend having a glass of wine or hot chocolate (the best I've ever had!) and enjoying the views of the harbor and Esplandi.
3) Picnic Cafe
Any Picnic Cafe will do! Here I am on the second floor of Kamppi- one of my favorites. I had to look all pensive and ridiculous so no one would know I was taking pictures of myself. Don't judge me. Anyway, I also like the Picnic on the roof of Forum and the one on Yliopistonkatu.
These cafes are definitely something I will miss about Helsinki. I'm absolutely dreading having to find new ones when I move to Paris. I've only just discovered these cafes! And yes, I am moving to another foreign country and this is one of my main concerns. Don't even worry about it.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Time For Change
Okay, so I'm not going to reintroduce myself again as you already know who I am despite my long absence. To be honest, I have no excuse for allowing this blog to fall to the wayside. Part laziness, part lack of motivation, and part melancholy are the contributing factors, I suppose.
Now, don't get me wrong, while I mention melancholy, I by no means want to imply that my time here in Finland has been glum. To the contrary! The last few months have been truly exciting and fun-filled. But (and this pains me to admit) I have been stuck in a rut since late September. I'm not sure how it happened exactly, but all I know is it did and once I came to that realization I knew something had to change.
I've decided to leave Finland prematurely. It was a tough decision to come to, but after much evaluation and consideration it seemed to be the right choice. A great deal of crying was done, and the guilt and feelings of failure have not altogether subsided. But, as a firm believer in the notion that life is too short, it was the only decision that sat right with me. I have always approached life with an attitude of "if you're not happy, change it." And though I have laughed, smiled, and enjoyed myself in Finland, I have not been truly happy. I did not have happiness that warranted a blog called Efflorescence.
Coming to Finland I hoped to experience (as it says right there in the corner) a state or time of flowering. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. Again, I want to stress that I have had amazing experiences while living here and will look back on this time fondly, but in the last few months I've found that my character, body, and aspirations have taken a backseat. Certainly no one's fault but my own I tried to take credit and convince myself that change was possible here. I contemplated getting a gym membership, spending more time writing, working less, doing this more, doing this less, not doing this at all, ect, ect. But in the end, I realized that in my heart, I knew it was time to move on.
Some may call me a quitter (and at times I would agree), but this is my life, and if I were to die tomorrow, I would regret not taking certain actions. So that's settled.
Alright, enough with the dramatics! It's time to announce the exciting things! Though I contemplated returning to The States (as homesick as I was sometimes it seemed like the best option) I ultimately decided to do something a bit crazy. A little apprehensive as first, I then realized that the moment I began toying with this alternative option I was already much, much happier. Taking extra care in assuring it was the right setting for me, I now feel quite comfortable with this idea. So yes, here it is, I'M MOVING TO PARIS! Assuming all goes well with my visa I will be moving this Christmas- eek! Now, I don't want to delve into the details, but I assure you they will reveal themselves in time.
In the meantime, I will be devoting myself to my last weeks in Finland and chronicling them here (I promise I will not leave you hanging again!). I would also like to share some past experiences and stories that have not yet had their time to shine.
So yes, that's all for now. Write soon. H
Now, don't get me wrong, while I mention melancholy, I by no means want to imply that my time here in Finland has been glum. To the contrary! The last few months have been truly exciting and fun-filled. But (and this pains me to admit) I have been stuck in a rut since late September. I'm not sure how it happened exactly, but all I know is it did and once I came to that realization I knew something had to change.
I've decided to leave Finland prematurely. It was a tough decision to come to, but after much evaluation and consideration it seemed to be the right choice. A great deal of crying was done, and the guilt and feelings of failure have not altogether subsided. But, as a firm believer in the notion that life is too short, it was the only decision that sat right with me. I have always approached life with an attitude of "if you're not happy, change it." And though I have laughed, smiled, and enjoyed myself in Finland, I have not been truly happy. I did not have happiness that warranted a blog called Efflorescence.
Coming to Finland I hoped to experience (as it says right there in the corner) a state or time of flowering. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. Again, I want to stress that I have had amazing experiences while living here and will look back on this time fondly, but in the last few months I've found that my character, body, and aspirations have taken a backseat. Certainly no one's fault but my own I tried to take credit and convince myself that change was possible here. I contemplated getting a gym membership, spending more time writing, working less, doing this more, doing this less, not doing this at all, ect, ect. But in the end, I realized that in my heart, I knew it was time to move on.
Some may call me a quitter (and at times I would agree), but this is my life, and if I were to die tomorrow, I would regret not taking certain actions. So that's settled.
Alright, enough with the dramatics! It's time to announce the exciting things! Though I contemplated returning to The States (as homesick as I was sometimes it seemed like the best option) I ultimately decided to do something a bit crazy. A little apprehensive as first, I then realized that the moment I began toying with this alternative option I was already much, much happier. Taking extra care in assuring it was the right setting for me, I now feel quite comfortable with this idea. So yes, here it is, I'M MOVING TO PARIS! Assuming all goes well with my visa I will be moving this Christmas- eek! Now, I don't want to delve into the details, but I assure you they will reveal themselves in time.
In the meantime, I will be devoting myself to my last weeks in Finland and chronicling them here (I promise I will not leave you hanging again!). I would also like to share some past experiences and stories that have not yet had their time to shine.
So yes, that's all for now. Write soon. H
Sunday, September 11, 2011
A Stolen Hobby
Hello. Allow me to introduce myself- I'm Heather, the writer and moderator of this oh-so-neglected blog. Long story short, even though my life has been filled with blog-worthy moments and my head with interesting thoughts and observations, I have been far too lazy to write them. It's a shame really, as the past couple of weeks have been the strangest since my time in Finland. I was sick, I was homesick, I was happy, I was sad, I was relaxed, I was overwhelmed, I was robbed... True story.
In my blogging absence, many notable things have happened, the craziest and most recent of which was my purse being stolen. It happened Thursday night. After watching the Finnish National Championship in fireworks, Claire and I hung around in the city for a while, ending the night with a trip to McDonald's- always a favorite past-time of mine (I am American, after all). But unfortunately, the meal was not a happy one. After finishing my Big Mac and fries, I go to grab my purse (which was sitting on the seat right next to me, at the same table and everything) only to find that it is no longer there. Panic ensues.
For the next several hours, I'm running around Helsinki like a mad woman, wailing, crying, and acting totally and completely insane. But how could I not? In my purse was my passport, my wallet, my bank cards, my driver's license, my social security card, my $500 PROFESSIONAL SLR DIGITAL CAMERA, my book, my transport card, my umbrella, and other precious items. To put it simply, my life was in that bag. So through the entire night I had multiple people check the security cameras, had the security guard scour the place and search people's backpacks, and even took it upon myself to look through surrounding trash cans searching for any clue of my belonging's whereabouts. I found nothing.
What we did find though was a detailed account of what had happened via the security camera. Although I didn't see it for myself, I was told that after watching us for 20 minutes, the man sitting next to us preceded to take off his jacket and use it as a cover as he slid by me, picking up my purse as he went. The most infuriating part of which being that I was sitting RIGHT THERE. I will never forgive myself for being so ignorant of my surroundings. Sadly, it has never been a problem before now.
Helsinki is a very safe city. Crime is not a common occurrence here. After recounting my stolen purse story to people I often got the reply, "but that never happens here!" And it doesn't. Unless you're me, apparently. But seriously, things like this very rarely occur. Even the police I spoke with that night we're surprised it had happened. Unfortunately, they weren't very helpful or professional. While putting dip in his mouth one asked me, "What did the man look like? Was he Finnish?" I replied, "He didn't look Finnish.." "Oh," the cop said, "was he gypsy?" Ugh.
Anyway, while my purse was recovered the following day with my passport, wallet, bank cards, and all other belongings in it, my camera was missing, which brought the biggest blow. That camera was something I had worked so hard for, something I had earned. Though $500 isn't a ton of a money in the big scheme of things, the camera was by far the most expensive thing I have ever bought. But it's not just that fact that it was expensive, it's the sentimental value more than anything
I bought my camera only days before I moved to Finland. In the past few months it became an extension of myself. Not only a means of expressing myself, but of occupying myself and allowing me to explore a foreign country through the observant lens of a camera. It also became a way for me to share my life in a beautiful way with friends and family all over the world. In short, it became a hobby. Perhaps the only one I've ever had with the exception of sleeping and reading. Basically, my camera meant a lot to me and it hurts my heart so much to know that its now in the hands of someone who doesn't deserve it. Someone who didn't earn it like I did. Uuughhh.
So in conclusion, I'd like to dedicate this post to my camera which I shared so many great memories with. I will miss you little guy.
In my blogging absence, many notable things have happened, the craziest and most recent of which was my purse being stolen. It happened Thursday night. After watching the Finnish National Championship in fireworks, Claire and I hung around in the city for a while, ending the night with a trip to McDonald's- always a favorite past-time of mine (I am American, after all). But unfortunately, the meal was not a happy one. After finishing my Big Mac and fries, I go to grab my purse (which was sitting on the seat right next to me, at the same table and everything) only to find that it is no longer there. Panic ensues.
For the next several hours, I'm running around Helsinki like a mad woman, wailing, crying, and acting totally and completely insane. But how could I not? In my purse was my passport, my wallet, my bank cards, my driver's license, my social security card, my $500 PROFESSIONAL SLR DIGITAL CAMERA, my book, my transport card, my umbrella, and other precious items. To put it simply, my life was in that bag. So through the entire night I had multiple people check the security cameras, had the security guard scour the place and search people's backpacks, and even took it upon myself to look through surrounding trash cans searching for any clue of my belonging's whereabouts. I found nothing.
What we did find though was a detailed account of what had happened via the security camera. Although I didn't see it for myself, I was told that after watching us for 20 minutes, the man sitting next to us preceded to take off his jacket and use it as a cover as he slid by me, picking up my purse as he went. The most infuriating part of which being that I was sitting RIGHT THERE. I will never forgive myself for being so ignorant of my surroundings. Sadly, it has never been a problem before now.
Helsinki is a very safe city. Crime is not a common occurrence here. After recounting my stolen purse story to people I often got the reply, "but that never happens here!" And it doesn't. Unless you're me, apparently. But seriously, things like this very rarely occur. Even the police I spoke with that night we're surprised it had happened. Unfortunately, they weren't very helpful or professional. While putting dip in his mouth one asked me, "What did the man look like? Was he Finnish?" I replied, "He didn't look Finnish.." "Oh," the cop said, "was he gypsy?" Ugh.
Anyway, while my purse was recovered the following day with my passport, wallet, bank cards, and all other belongings in it, my camera was missing, which brought the biggest blow. That camera was something I had worked so hard for, something I had earned. Though $500 isn't a ton of a money in the big scheme of things, the camera was by far the most expensive thing I have ever bought. But it's not just that fact that it was expensive, it's the sentimental value more than anything
I bought my camera only days before I moved to Finland. In the past few months it became an extension of myself. Not only a means of expressing myself, but of occupying myself and allowing me to explore a foreign country through the observant lens of a camera. It also became a way for me to share my life in a beautiful way with friends and family all over the world. In short, it became a hobby. Perhaps the only one I've ever had with the exception of sleeping and reading. Basically, my camera meant a lot to me and it hurts my heart so much to know that its now in the hands of someone who doesn't deserve it. Someone who didn't earn it like I did. Uuughhh.
So in conclusion, I'd like to dedicate this post to my camera which I shared so many great memories with. I will miss you little guy.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Suomenlinna Sea Fortress... Sort Of
So I've lived here for nearly two months and as of yesterday had yet to visit Suomenlinna, the sea fortress off the coast of Helsinki. The fortress, built by the Swedes in 1748, is quite historic and serves as one of the biggest tourist attractions is Southern Finland. Hence, why its ridiculous that I had not visited it my entire summer here. Yesterday I remedied that problem and took a ferry to the island with Aino, my long lost friend whose been inter-railing for what has felt like forever.
While on the ferry it was raining, but on the island the weather was perfect for jaunting about. Our jaunt turned into a strenuous hike and left us exhausted at the end of the day. Alright, so it really wasn't much of a hike, but Aino was still exhausted from her trip and I'm just always lazy when it comes to walking, so we became quite tired early on. We didn't explore as much as we should have, but I'm planning on going back quite soon! Mostly because I really enjoyed the island and would love to have a picnic there and also because my camera died halfway through the trip, leaving me with no pictures of the actual fortress.
You might be wondering what the heck did I take pictures of then.. Well, mostly Aino and I just took pictures of one another. Oh, and she took several of me trying to catch some field mouse-gerbil-thing. It's funny, you'd think I'd be acting pretty mature and adult-like these days, but I still can't help myself when it comes to trying to catch animals. Ever since I was a kid I've been obsessed with capturing animals, naming them, and then setting them free, whether it be mice, lizards, snakes, or snails. Why, just the other day I saw a massive hare while I was walking home from the train. I desperately wanted to catch it and followed it for quite sometime, but eventually it got away.. Damn.
Though you can't tell as much from the pictures, Suomenlinna is a very cool and beautiful place. I loved how the fortress occupied the entire island, yet was blended with cafes, museums, beaches, and people's homes. Yeah, people actually live there! And now, I wish I did too. Really only because all the little buildings covered in grassy hills reminded me of Middle Earth, but thats neither here nor there. I loved it and I'm going back.
While on the ferry it was raining, but on the island the weather was perfect for jaunting about. Our jaunt turned into a strenuous hike and left us exhausted at the end of the day. Alright, so it really wasn't much of a hike, but Aino was still exhausted from her trip and I'm just always lazy when it comes to walking, so we became quite tired early on. We didn't explore as much as we should have, but I'm planning on going back quite soon! Mostly because I really enjoyed the island and would love to have a picnic there and also because my camera died halfway through the trip, leaving me with no pictures of the actual fortress.
You might be wondering what the heck did I take pictures of then.. Well, mostly Aino and I just took pictures of one another. Oh, and she took several of me trying to catch some field mouse-gerbil-thing. It's funny, you'd think I'd be acting pretty mature and adult-like these days, but I still can't help myself when it comes to trying to catch animals. Ever since I was a kid I've been obsessed with capturing animals, naming them, and then setting them free, whether it be mice, lizards, snakes, or snails. Why, just the other day I saw a massive hare while I was walking home from the train. I desperately wanted to catch it and followed it for quite sometime, but eventually it got away.. Damn.
Though you can't tell as much from the pictures, Suomenlinna is a very cool and beautiful place. I loved how the fortress occupied the entire island, yet was blended with cafes, museums, beaches, and people's homes. Yeah, people actually live there! And now, I wish I did too. Really only because all the little buildings covered in grassy hills reminded me of Middle Earth, but thats neither here nor there. I loved it and I'm going back.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
