Whowhee! I just made it out of St. Petersburg, alive, well, and filled with great memories! It was awesome! Although exhausting, very exhausting...
We got there without much mishap, with the usual ultra rude Russian border guards and the obligatory confiscation of passports for 30 min on the border. My girlfriend was fascinated by the Russian customs officers of the female denominations and their uniforms. I don't blame her. Even if they were rather plain, who doesn't fancy being viciously taken by a butch woman in uniform in the train's stinky loo?
Eventually we got our passports back. And even managed to get to our hotel, although in the process I somehow lost my girlfriends best shoes she trusted me with. I wasn't wearing them, no, but carrying them on in a plastic bag that somehow got misplaced... Anyway, the hotel was imaginatively titled Hotel Sankt-Petersburg. A rather competitively priced place situated at a good location. We got a room on the fifth floor, with an awesome view across the Neva river, right on to the battle cruiser Aurora, the flagship of the revolution.. I must stress the point once more: the view was fucking stupendous.
Right after we settled into our hotel, we went for a walk on the fabled Nevsky Prospect. Needless to say, it was somewhat of a culture shock, not so much for me, as I've been to St. Pete's at least 12 times in my lifetime (and I am russian anyway), but to my girlie who has never been to Russia before. We just stood there, in the atrociously humid Petersburg heat, and ogled away, at people, cars, buildings.. Everything was different from our boring, quiet Finland. Oh, it was on Nevsky that we discovered that about half of Russian girls don't wear bras! There were nipples everywhere, provocatively staring from under flimsy, semi-transparent tops. We were semi pleasantly shocked. And pleasantly amused. During the rest of our trip nipple spotting has established itself as a sort of a sport in between all of the obligatory (and pleasant, make no mistake) cultural sight-seeing. We even had a little metro ride, for the benefit of my girlfriend, since the metro stations in St.Pete's are very deep, and very different from the ones in Helsinki, due to the swampy nature of the ground. It was a mildly claustrophobic experience. Of course, if metro stations are your thing, you have to go to Moscow. Nothing beats those mamas.
It was then off to the St. Isaac's Cathedral. An imposing sight, marble colonnades and what's better, one can climb about halfway up the thing (246 steps, 43 meters. Not for the weak of heart or morbidly obese), and view the glory of St. Petersburg from high above. Which is not very glorious, owing to the fact that the roofs you are looking down on are in a very shabby state, since, unlike the facades of the buildings they cover, they have seldom been renovated. Don't take me the wrong way, otherwise the view is simply breathtaking. We caught our breath somewhat, and then it was time to descent..
The rest of the day was spent ambling around the city, and it is a bit too big to be ambled around in. You have to know your way around the maze of metro stations and the bus, and trolley bus, stops. Otherwise you will never see most of what St. Petersburg has to offer. I didn't have the required knowledge, so after ambling around we took a cab ride back to the hotel. It was the scariest cab ride of my life. The traffic in St. Pete's is nightmarish per se, but this guy made it worse by driving at over 100Km/h some places, and going truly airborne over a couple of bumps. Brr.
Next day we visited Tsarskoye Selo and Catherine's palace (yes, that Catherine. The one that was fond of horses). We had a private guide, and private transportation, so didn't have to queue as much as the other poor bastards. The main point of the trip was to see the Amber Room. And see it we did. After walking what seemed like a mile (and probably was) through beautiful gilded halls filled with priceless works of art, we finally made it to the Amber Room. It was worth the long drive. It is strictly prohibited to take photos there, but due to the small size of my camera I managed to snap a few. One of those you can see on the right.. I hope the FSB wont come after me now.
The rest of the trip was spent ambling around and going to historical / cultural locations, such as Petrodvorets and the church of Our Savior On The Blood. With one noticeable exception: we were invited to a FTV fashion gala on board a small river ship! It was a hoot. The fashion collection displayed was on the crappy side, with only about 10 dresses displayed, but the party was fabulous. Lots of models, a nice rave on the upper deck, champagne, wine, shitty snacks... Awesome. The hangover was worth it. The next evening it was time to go home. My mums friends gave us a lift back to Helsinki, and I must say I wish we woulda taken a train. It was hair-raising. Russian drivers... Jesus. I am glad we made it back alive, if not all well.
Anyway, I think I have written just enough about the trip, although I could go on about it for another page. I am not going to bore you quite that much, however. Just go there and see everything for yourself!
And to further help you on your way, here is a link to a page called "Travel.org", and their section on Russia. Some basic practical info there. Oh, and here is a cruelly funny one, "Boobs Gone Wrong". Ouch.
The view from our room.
Descent to the metro.
St. Isaac's Cathedral.
Tsarskoye Selo, Catherine's palace.
A clandestinely taken picture from the Amber Room.
27.07.2004
Our place is abuzz with frenzied packing and preparations. Well, I packed my meager possessions already, but girlie just came back from work and is tearing about the place with wild abandon. Why? Well, my kittlings, since I forgot to mention it earlier, we are going to St. Petersburg! Me, girlie and mum. To that gem of Russian civilization, to the birthplace of Russia as an empire to be reckoned with. A gorgeous city, and it's a damn shame we only have 3 days to spend basking in its glory. Leaving at 07:42 tomorrow, by train.. Will take us 7 hours to get there.
Apparently, my mother has scheduled all sorts of activities that will show us the cultural and artistic side (not to mention a fashion gala that we were invited to attend, sending my girl into panic as to what to wear) of St. Petersburg. I don't mind, it's the first time my girlfriend's ever been to Russia, so she should get an encompassing look at the pretty, glossy if you will, side of it. The seedy, dark underbelly I can show her later, on our subsequent visits... And, naturally, I will be updating the blog as soon as I get back on friday, or Saturday at the latest... Be ready for a photo heavy post!
Here then are some links about St. Petersburg, the first a photo gallery list (I especially like the "Wandering Camera". The images are awesome and tell a story much better than any tourist oriented glossy book ) and the second one a very informative one.
Krishna power!
26.07.2004
I am dying. This is it. The whiskey I drank yesterday must have been defective. I mixed it with vodka and beer, as well. They must have been defective too... I am never, ever going to drink again. No, seriously! Humph. Fine, don't believe me then...
Anyway, I was all set for a nice day at home, playing something on my beloved Jack (My pc), my girlfriend went to work, and I had nothing to do. Until... The devil struck. In the apt form of my dad and his ex-submariner friend. The bugger (dad, not the friend) whisked me away to his cottage, and fed me crappy grilled ribs. I didn't eat much, which is probably the reason for the whiskey / vodka / beer being so potent.
I came home, eventually. Rather before my girl came back from work. Boy was she in for a surprise! There I was, unintelligible, rowdy and noisy, pestering her, singing, dancing, and generally showing signs of alcohol induced insanity. She was obviously not happy at all with my intoxication. I have little memory of anything, and I'd rather she didn't tell me of last night, either. She sent me out for cigs, and I went missing for an hour. I have no recollection of gettin cigarettes, but apparently get them I did, for in my pocket was a pack of blue LM's and some change... I can just imagine how horrible I must have looked. A true kontula bum. Sigh.
Here then is a cheerful link. The Hazards of Alcohol. Self-explanatory, methinks.
Blimp! In Kallio.. Musta' been that Japanese one
24.07.2004
Ah. 'Tis a good day to be alive. For no reason, just is. There are perspectives and choices to look forward to, the weather is good and the music is playing (Incubus, a crow left to the murder, a tolerable album). Girlie went to work and graciously left me with an opportunity to do the dishes and some vacuuming. But I don't mind.. Much..
Anyway, a rather peculiar thing happened yesterday as I was coming home from a meeting with an old, old buddy that I have not seen for around a year (We were born on the same street and knew each other ever since we were toddlers. Fate placed both of us in Finland. Peculiar, eh?). Here I was, slightly tipsy, entering our stair-well, when a stench that defies veritable description raped my nostrils. I continue up the stairs, and the stench keeps getting stronger. Until... I see a pool of liquid diarrhea on the floor right in front of my fucking door! With a solid turd sticking out from the middle of the brown pool like the accusing finger of some fucked-up god. Tipsy as I was I thought it was the neighbors way of saying we make too much noise. Until I heard a peculiar noise from higher up the stairs... Clickety click... I look up, and there is this enormous alsatian standing and looking at me, with miserable, sad puppy eyes. I fled into my apartment.
Apparently, our resident alkies either forgot the dog in the stairwell, or kicked it out... Fucking cretins. By morning the pool of feces was gone, as was the alsatian.
This concludes today's broadcast, I think I should go vacuum now, and later load my granny on board the Moscow train...
And finally, for the link o' the day.. I bet you've all heard of Bill Clinton's autobigraphy, "My Life"? Well, if you haven't then you probably don't have the net either, so are probably not reading this site. But without further ado, I give you "My Life" by Bill Clinton, in (zipped) PDF format. It's ~10 Mb... If you prefer using Ed2k, here is a link.
Poor little birdy...
23.07.2004
Good day, ppl. Sorry about the lack of updates once again, but I am not a great believer in filler updates, updates that only serve to keep the posting un-interrupted and the dates looking pretty and consecutive.
Anyway, I am in a somewhat lazy mood, having finally secured some free time to waste on my PC, and generally wank about (not literally... Although... Hmm.). Met up with some buds last night in one of the slightly classier haunts of Kallio, "Kolme Kaisaa". It was a blast, not as in "running around with underwear on ones head, laughing ceaselessly and waggling your weiner at passer-by's" blast, but as in a "good, kind and interesting get together with a few friends you too rarely get to see, and allow your girlfriend to join and even talk, too" sorta blast. It was there that we got into a bit of a debate over nationalism and it's percieved evils / virtues.
I personally feel that nationalism is a much maligned term, misrepresented and misunderstood. It is more and more perceived by our apologetic western world as a shamefull thing, a taboo! To be proud of your country is a sin, if you wave a flag you are branded a moron, and if you say that you love your country and want to protect it and everything it stands for, you are immediately looked upon as some sort of a neo-nazi redneck nationalist (see the connotation that the dreaded word "nationalism" is put in?). Well here is a newsflash for all you sneering, cynical, flag-burning "radical thinkers": you live by and because of the system and the nationalism it once inspired. It feeds you, it clothes you, it was created and protected by people who "nationalistically" wanted to make a place they could be at home in and a place they could love. They had a goal that was bigger than life. A goal that surpassed an individual and made him into a part of the bigger whole, something that can hardly be experienced in the modern times, in our disinterested, detached society. Nationalism and patriotism in moderate ammounts are a sign of a healthy nation. Sure, it might have other problems, but a if you love your country you will strive to solve them more than you would if you couldn't care less. If this absence of any patriotic feeling would have been the prevailing attitude 60 years ago, guess who would be ruling Europe and perhaps most of the world by now? That's right children, Mr. Hitler. Hitler took nationalism to extreme and sullied the word for ever. But it was the right kind of nationalism, the right kind of love for motherland (thats right, motherland. I am russian, I know what I'm talking about!) that countered the nazi plague that was swiftly conquering everything on its path. Think about it before calling all patriots idiots. You might be making yourself look like an idiot instead, sawing the branch you are sitting on.
There. That was the post for the day. I am no debater, my train of thought gets derailed and loses wagons along the way, but I tried to make my point.. Now I think I shall go take a bath and then take my grandmother shopping... Yay.
For the links today I give you a site dealing with the history of Monowheels. Interesting stuff, some really eccentric inventions along the way there... Hey, it can't always be porn, can it? Actually, here is a a funny non-pornographic link, the wonders of make-up! I liked the last photo...
This guy sounded like a S.American orchestra.
20.07.2004
Ahh. Da bliss, mon. As soon as I came back from the pit of brimstone and lava that is my work (and it really is, ever since the air conditioning died...) and after meeting my father, which is always a nerve racking experience, I plunged into a nice, not too hot nor too cold bubble-bath. Tendrils of steam rose gently from my burnt chest, and soapy water gently washed my stinky toes... Beautiful picture I do paint, no? I will be glad for that moment of rest and relaxation later today, because...
My grandmother came to Helsinki today. She is staying at my dad's (who lives about 100m from my place), and she brought my little cousin with her. She is not here for long, going on to Moscow and then Yekaterinburg, but today is the official celebration of her arrival, a noisy and all too Russian / Jewish affair (I don't understand: it seems that my aunt is nowadays a hardcore Jew, and my grandma is as well, while me and dad are sorta "whatever" about it) with a lot of "You have grown so much!" and "So what are you doing with your life nowadays?" and eating and stuff... I have nothing against that per se, but I feel kinda tired and would have liked nothing more than to lie down for a nap and quietly play some Civilization 3:Conquests for a while. But alas.
Still, while I go on to enjoy the dubious pleasures the company of my relatives will provide, you, my lovelies, shall feast your eyesies on the goodness that is Half Life 2. Here is a gallery of screenshots. Yummy, eh? And they already ported Counter-Strike to the new "Source" engine. Here, again, is the list of most of the HL2 preview movies released to date. Feast your eyes, mortals.
Bubble bliss!
19.07.2004
Hola! I'm back, burnt and sore, from the high seas. Oh boy, it was great. We did about 50 miles around the archipelago, stopping at various islands... We followed a course that went something like this: Sommarö - Berghamn - Fårö - Borstö - Sommarö. Here is a map of our route. It is somewhat inaccurate, I think, but not by much. Anyway, it was bliss. 3 days is not nearly enough time to spend in the archipelago, as you could spend a summer going from island to island with equal ease, but at least we did see some great places.
We started off very late, at 21:00, and sailed on to Berghamn, about 15 miles away. It was the first time this year that the wind didn't die down at night. We pulled into the Berghamn harbour around 00:45, and took a stroll around the place, then went off to drink more beer in the boat's cabin. Our beer consumption, btw, is a chapter in itself. We drank beer constantly, mostly because beer and sailing go hand in hand, and managed to consume 36 all in all through the trip, without actually being very drunk at all. The berghamn harbour is well protected from all sides, and only costs 4Eur to stay for a night.
The next morning was somewhat marred by an ennourmous thunderstorm hanging on the horizon, and a slight shower. Luckily, the storm mostly passed us by, and we could continue to Nötö unhindered. Nötö has a small church built in the 1700's, and a small fishing village, with a good shop, a cafe bot cheap and cozy, and a re-fueling station. Nice place, all in all. From Nötö we decided to head off to the island that spots one of the only sandy beaches in the archipelago. It doesn't have a harbour or any kind of a jetty, but we just beached our boat on the sandy bottom (its draught is about 1,30 metres) and waded on to the shore. We spent some hours on the beach, then headed off to Borstö for the night. The island of Borstö is great, even though it is teeming with mosquitoes. It has a number of sights worth seeing, not the least of which is the "Borstö Lady". She is a 6-foot wooden bow-figure from an old (thought to be from the 1700's) swedish warship, and she was found on ice by some fishermen from Borstö in the early 1800's, then put on the cliff to watch over the island. Very impressive, a must see... The village is also a nice place to visit, very cosy and, for the lack of a better word, picteresque.
Then, after a night filled with mosquitoes and almost no sleep, it was time to go back. We made it back to Sommarö in about 6 hours, and I had to take a bus to Helsinki... Burnt and tired, but pretty happy!
Sunset through the sail, day one.
Flying a gennaker.
15.07.2004
I just came back from Haikon Kartano (haiko manor, and the site's in finnish, unfortunately). It's in Porvoo, that little old town half-an-hour's drive from Helsinki. My mom wanted to take me and girly for an outing, and the weather being good, we accepted. We wandered around the old parts of the town, had a beer (well, wine for the girls), looked at some stuff in overpriced artisan shops, and then drove off to Haikon Kartano. Boy, the place sure is pretty. Large grassy expances, fountains, the whole shabang... Then it was time for an overpriced meal inside the manor's lavishly decorated halls. I had a dead duck with mushrooms.And what can I say, there was not much of it, and it tasted inferior to a good chinese meal for half the price. The dessert also fell just a tad short of my expectations. But all in all I am happy we ventured out today, got to frolic out in the sun, instead of sitting indoors all day, or something equally passive..
Talking about activities, I am going sailing in the archipelago for the weekend. My ole friend from the english school invited me along again, so you'll get to see some pretty pics on monday, methinks.
Oh, and I did win something in the lottery. A whole 5,10 Eur! Whee! My premonition was right, after all. Yes. This old boy is on the fast track to becoming a millionaire. Yp. That's me...
And as a (almost mandatory by now, I guess) link of the day, check out TGW.NET. It boasts a nice colection of sailing stories, and some really good photographs.
Very
pretty.
I wouldn't
live
in one
of those, though.
14.07.2004
Hail and well met from the rotting heart of eastern Helsinki! You might wonder what's up with the high spirits, and honestly, I can't understand it myself. I went to work, was an hour (ok, over an hour, fine...) late, did the usual mind-numbing tasks, later found out that I have 2Eur on my account, and still my smile (well, smirk, really) shone (well, at lest glowered) on through the day. Probably because I am almost a millionaire, having bought my first lottery ticket in ages. It has to win. Right?
But anyway, life is smiling, I am going sailing on the weekend (might try to press for Utö, always wanted to sail there), I got a "LOTR - Return of The King" DVD, and I also got to have a pint with a buddy. Also, my girly has the day off, so there is less tired whinage than usual! Yay!
Anyway, one thing that struck me recently is that the ammount of freaks on the metro is on the rise. I don't mean that in relation with a recent-ish murder on the metro (an axe on the back of the head, the murderer a doped-up psycho), but just in general. Whenever I leave for work, there is somebody causing trouble, or just a stench. Like the "Poo Lady" that sat a couple of seats away from me and still managed to stupefy me with a powerfull odor of feces emanating from her. There always is a small gang of teenaged troublemakers, a small gang of gypsies, or at least an old boozer or two rambling away at you.
And this brings me to the pic of the day. As I was returning some DVD's (The Last Samurai, pretty good!), and just rounded a corner before the video rental, when it struck me... The little alley of the mall, a concrete monstrosity built in the 70's, was filled with oldsters practicing barn dancing, with finnish folk music blaring from a boombox! That I did not expect in the heart of friggin Kontula. The only thing people do here is drink. And crawl around. And piss in the corners. So while I was shocked, I nevertheless was pleasantly surised after I recovered my senses. Well, cheers to that. There is life in Kontula, after all.
Oh, and talking of life and its frailty, here is a list of all the Deaths in Disneyworld. With gory descriptions!
Wowza! Barn dances! In our old mall! Freaky.
13.07.2004
Oh yeah... My first day of work in a week-and-a-bit. Weehaa! Bring out the trumpets, for fucks sake. To put it succinctly, it sucked rabid whale cock. So fucking boring it's amazing that I didn't just end my life right there on the spot.
The rest of the day was not an improvement. I half-heartedly met a buddy, half-heartedly chatted, half-heartedly drank, half-heartedly chocked away on my cigarettes... All in all, a half-heartedly wasted day, only redeemed by the money I earned at my dead-end job. But if you ask me, 60Eur a day for that shit just aint worth it. Too bad I need the money for..well, everything. But I might have a project underway, not really profitable as such, but so far I'm gonna be all hush-hush about it...
Here, then, is some female flesh, ready to be piled on to the Altar of Fap. I can't think of anything else to link, ok? Porn sems to be a safe bet...
The
most exciting
sight
of the
day!
12.07.2004
I just came back from the regional wonderland called Imatra. It, as always, rocked. I don't know what it is about that place. It certainly isn't the town itself. And it certainly wasn't the weather. I guess it's the people that live there. The way they live, the way they have fun..
Anyway, I arived there in a nick of time. The thing is, my old phone just died, and I decided to get a new one. I settled on a Siemens C60 at first. So, an hour and a half before the train was due to leave, I go hunting for a phone. On my way to the store I decide to pop in to a second hand bookstore. I pile myself up with cheap fantasy books (Just the thing for a long train ride) and head for the cashiers. Only to notice that I left my credit card at home. I ran home like the wind, got the card, bought the books, ran off to the phone store, noticed I didn't like the phone I originally selected, ran on to a different store, didn't like the stuff on offer there... Until I noticed an older Siemens model, M55. I grabbed that one (well, after paying 135Eur for it, unfortunately) and took a metro to town, with 30min remaining before my train would leave without me on board. I made it to the central railway station with 10min to spare. Started queuing for the tickets... Only to discover 5min before the train left that the ticket vending computers crashed. All of them. Fuck. I grabbed some cash from the bankomat and ran straight for the train, and bought the ticket from the cinductor. Like I shoulda done from the start, I guess. The prob is that the ticket didn't come with a place, so you might end up standing in the isle, or spending the trip in the "cancer ward".
But get to Imatra I did. The first thing we did when I got there was head to... Kotka. A sea-side town about 170Km from Imatra. The ride there was plain scary, with speeds reaching 160Km/h on a 80Km/h limit, winding road... I was sweating head to toe, I don't like fast rides... And I don't like overtaking lorries with other lorries coming your way. We stayed in Kotka for 20min. My friends said hi to their friends, and back we went. That was surreal. But that's how it works there. Everybody lives such great distances apart that to have a social life you practically have to own a car. Kinda makes it more fun, too. Anyway, that what it was like, driving from one place to another, meeting people, sitting around doing nothing... Oh, and on our second night there we got a call from a friend, he barricaded himself up in his house, cos his stepdad drunk himself stupid and sprayed the guy with a can of mace. So we rushed there, ready to fight the old bastard if he didn't let us take the blinded fellow to the first-aid station. But all worked out great. Except that the first-aid station was closed in Imatra, and the nearest one was 50Km away. We then just shoved the guy into a shower and an hour later he could, sorta, see again... I must say, again, that it was a blast. Next time sometime in August..? Who knows.
For the link of the day I offer you... The Star Wars Gangsta Rap flash animation! Awesome shit.
We're
on a
road
to
nowhere..
08.07.2004
FUCK.
What the fuck is wrong with the western world? WHAT THE FUCK? A murderer gets off, the whole fucking judicial systems are being shaped after that one case.. Well, great. Woo FUCKING HOO for the liberal system, liberating itself TO FUCKING DEATH!!! Yes, now you too can go and murder a minister, and then you can say that the voices in your head made you do it. Yay. I have FUCKING VOICES IN MY HEAD. Guess what? Its okay in our caring / sharing society. AAnd the basis for the defence was that he didn't know she was a minister, nor did he care for the death blow. Wow. That makes it all that much better.
Yes. You are different. Be proud of it. Go kill somebody while you are at it. Blame the pressures of the society. It is, really, quite a horrible society. Too much freedom. Too much choice. What is a man to do? So you can not be blamed for making the wrong choice, eh? Of course not. That would be just cruel and wrong. And when you are rotting in your cell, other caring / sharing groups can pursue your interests! Because we all know that you are suffering horribly in that tiny cell of yours, being fed 3 times a day, and all for what? For just killing somebody? It just aint fair, Sigh. Poor western society. I think we should just convert to islam now and take up sharia law. Less damage to our own society that way.
And what do I think of the incident? Well, if it isn't obvious so far, I think the death penalty (unfortunately not apliccable in Sweden) would do nicely. And dont expect me to appologise for the "extremeity" of my views. Because I am not about to. Nor do I think that they are all that extreme. If you do, then fuck you.
Oh, and before I got all carried away with that case, me and girly were biking all over the place. The pic of the day tells of it. En-fucking-joy.
Pretty Day, Pretty girl...
07.07.2004
I am back! Yay! 5 days early, too. So kick back and let me tell you about the trip. It didn't quite go along the route I thought it would, with us starting at Taivassalo and ending up in Nauvo instead of other way around. Here is a map of the portion I completed, before separating from the group and going back to Hellsinki. The route is marked in black.
Anway. The first stretch of the journey was done under a shitty drizzle of a rain. We were soaked to the bone when we got to Kustavi. It was a crappy start to the trip indeed. We used a few ferries to get to our destination for the day, Torsholma (situated in the municipality of Brändö). We camped on a sandy stretch by the Åland ferry platform. That was a mistake. We were woken up by motorbikes, busses, little children, their mothers... All of those at around 7am, when the first ferry came to take the eager tourists away... Our ferry, "Alfågeln", came around 3pm. We took the later ferry cos of some rumours that the Torsholma village is going to host some celebrations. That woulda been interesting, but all we found was sheep.
So we took the ferry to Åland, spending some 2 - 3 hours on it (nice and warm, after the chill of the day), and came to Vardö, or Hummelvik to be precise. From there on we biked to Bomarsund, a place filled with ruins of a Russian fortress blasted to smitherenes in 1854 (Crimean war) by a combined British and French force. Very nice. We always stop there on our bike trips to Åland, usually for the night, gettin wasted or high, but not this time, alas... So we sat our sore arses on the saddles and went off to Saltvik. There was a resting place there that turned out to be nothing more than a table on a grassy stretch by a highway. At least it had a toilet. That was where I discovered that my new ultra-light "Point Zero" sleeping bag was not warm enough..
In the morning we went off towards the Tjudö vineyard. That place was pretty cool. They make their own apple brandy (sells for 99Eur in Helsinki. Trust me, it aint that good...), and three sorts of wine, not to mention shnaps and stuff... We took a guided tour of the vineyard (9Eur without tasting the wines, 18Eur with), that took us all over the place, including an ostritch enclosure! They slaughter those if a party of at least 10 people visits the vineyard. Apparently, they taste nothing like chicken. But our party of seven didn't get to taste those... So, hungry and a bit tipsy, we went off towards a restaurant in Bastö, about 12Km away. We did get there, and it was over-priced, my chicken costing 17 Eur, but what could we do? Bike hungry to the other closest place, 20Km away? So we ate... And some most of us played mini-golf, as well. I napped.
It was then decided that we would not go on to Mariehamn that evening, but camp somewhere before that. But we ended up biking to Godby, having another meal there, this time in a cheap grill place, and on to a improvised camping spot, 2Km away from... Yes, Mariehamn. I never saw that many mosquitos on that trip. Brr... And bats, catching those damn mosquitos.
The next morning we made a point of rising earlyish and biking on to Mariehamn, the capital of Åland. A great town, I might add. We rented a hostel room for all seven of us, since camping would be quite a hassle within the town limits, and also because our friend and leader was gettin' progressively sicker with some killy cold virus, or something. It was at Mariehamn that I decided to "quit while I was on top" and buy tickets to a Silja Line ferry to Helsinki... And lo, here I am. Oh well, girly calling me to bed, I'd better go! Good night.
Rainy ferry in Kustavi.
"Viggen" dropped us off in Brändö.
Brandö. Sunset...
I'm leaving Mariehamn.
