The Perils of a Finnish WInter: Part I

Pielisjoen ranta...I think it could be called that.  See how bright it is now?? hahaha

So, I have named this post "Perils of a Finnish Winter Part I." because I foresee plenty of potential to build upon this topic in the future.  I don't have a plan on how to continue this idea yet, but I'm sure as we get deeper into winter, I will encounter more things to write about. So, this week I have two, well maybe three, things to share: icy roads, darkness, and sitsit.

The view out my apartment window

Icy Roads.  True, this is not a winter feature exclusive to Finland, but it happens to have impacted me directly this week.  Literally.  I was riding my bike (pöyrä) in a hurry (mistake #1) and I decided that I could make it across a crosswalk where the "walking man" had just changed to a "not walking man" (mistake #2).  Really, you have about 15seconds at this point to cross the street which was more than enough given my speed (mistake #3) when I left the sidewalk and started onto the pavement.  Mistake #4 came when I assumed that the pavement surface would have equal traction to the sidewalk I had just left.  Nope.  The coefficient of friction on the pavement was significantly less than that of the sidewalk thanks to a very thin layer of black ice.  That was all it took and my bike was no longer under me.  I had some really great momentum because I had just come down a hill so I managed to cover some pretty good distance on my side, skidding across the icy, yet gravelled, road.  My bike is fine, and I am fine.  I just a few bruises and a very small patch of road rash to show for it.  I guess that's the benefit of winter bike crashes: you're wearing a lot of clothing to protect you when you go down.  I have to say that I was pretty embarrassed. It was during morning traffic, so there were traffic lineups in all direction that got to witness the foolish cyclist trying to make it across on a slightly red pedestrian light and "biting it" as a result.

Buried bicycles.  The snow makes it easy to see which bicycles have been locked and forgotten

As embarrassing as it is, I am definitely not alone in this experience.  Almost every person I have spoken to has crashed their bicycle at least once or twice due to ice on the road.  Others have been almost hit by cars (autot) that couldn't stop in time.  I wear a helmet constantly now that ice is lurking on the roadsides, sidewalks, bridges, and forest paths.  I also don't ride my biek in front of cars even if it looks like they are going to stop.  I don't trust that they actually will stop until they do.  My father has offered to buy me studded bike tires for Christmas (Joulu)...very cool!  They are just like studded car tires, but they are for a bicycle.  Apparently it is common to get them only on the front tire, but they can be put on both.  I imagine they help, but they are probably not going to save me if I try the speeding-turning-black ice stunt again.

Berries and Blue...

Darkness.  Ok, so our nights are long, no surprise there.  The thing that really gets me is that when the sun is above the horizon, it is so low that it is still behind the trees and buildings all day.  If it happens to be cloudy or...**shudder**...raining, then it never really get light out.  Even at midday, headlights are required and it is brighter indoors than it is outside.  It always looks so warm and bright under the artificial "high efficiency" bulbs.  I never thought I would describe high efficiency light that way.  Snow helps mitigate this significantly, but until a few hours ago, the ground has been bare for most of the week.

A very blurred photo from a park in town... (sorry, I was in a rush)...but you get the idea

While sitsit isn't exactly a winter peril, it does feature one of the Finn's favorite pastimes: drinking (which could be considered dangerous).  Or, is drinking a favored summer pastime?  I would have to say that drinking is a winter hobby, while partying is a summer pastime...do you see the difference?  There is very little celebration in winter drinking, whereas it sounds like summer partying is all about having fun and enjoying the long days.  I should probably tell you a little bit about sitsit.  Sitsit is a tradition that I believe the Finns adopted from Swedish culture.  It is an evening of ridiculous-ness disguised as a dinner party.  There is a dress code that must be followed (determined by the host) and there are toastmasters that must be obeyed.  They have absolute control and make the rules, give permission to go to the bathroom, and punish those who do not follow the rules.  Punishments include dancing to finnish disco, reciting poetry in a foreign language and other creative and publicly embarrassing acts.  The admission fee comes with some drinks provided, but you are encouraged to bring your own so that you never have an empty glass when a toast is called, which is very often.  Singing is another key feature of a sitsit.  When a song is called by the toastmaster or requested by an attendee, everyone must sing (songsheets are provided).  These songs are usually in Swedish, but there are some Finnish favorites, a few English, and a sprinkling of French or German.  It was really really halarious.  At any point during a song or dinner a toast may be called at which point you must drink.  It's like a mass drinking game...but water is liberally provided (and so is schnapps).  Overall, a highly recommended experience.  If you ever have the opportunity to attend one: do it.  oh yes, and as a side note, a 3-course meal is served.  Definitely no the highlight of the evening, nor should it be.

One of the heated sidewalks mentioned in a previous post

 Until next week...Moikka!!

Setting Suns and Snowfall

Helsinki Dawn...Swans (Joutsenet) on Töölönlahti

Things are starting to get a little more interesting around Joensuu.  It has finally started to snow (sataa lunta) so the landscape looks very different.  Actually, today was our first official snowfall (it must snow more than 1cm to even count as snow).  We now have a grand total of 4cm and our coldest temperature has been -7 C.  Not to stereotype, but I was kind of expecting it to be a little colder here...it's just about the same latitude as Yellowknife, NWT (actually we're just a little further North).  However, on Saturday, it was 26 degrees colder in Williams Lake, BC than it was in Joensuu.  It just seems like there is something wrong with that picture.  Anyways, the night appears to be a lot brighter , which is excellent seeing that the sun now sets at 15:00.

Baroque gardens in Fredriksborg, Denmark.

The dreary grayness has been been given a new face with the fresh snow, a face that is  brighter, more festive, appropriate to the season, and...more slippery.  I have to admit this is the first time I have ridden my bike in the snow.  I've been in snow lots....skiing, walking, driving, on the bus...but I have never considered mounting a bicycle.  The especially lethal traps are when a frozen, smooth puddle on the sidewalk hides under a layer of white.  Given the sunset time and the new riding surface my two favorite bike accessories are a light (the law) and a helmet (not the law...as far as I can tell).  Interesting.  I haven't hit the sidewalk yet, but it has been close a few times.

Danish...pastry, chestnuts, cheese, flags, jam.  Tulips of unknown origin...hmmm. But the colour fits the theme!

School is picking up a bit too.  My current class, Economics of Multiple Use Forestry, is a class that has really met my expectations in terms of content and work.  In the past "multiple use forestry" or "other forest values" has only included carbon...carbon credits, carbon cycles, carbon markets...carbon.  However, this course also includes discussions of wildlife, habitat, mushrooms, berries, and recreation.  Finally.  Also, our silviculture course came with a well-endowed stack of reading material, which was fairly interesting information on plantation management (as opposed to the "ecosystem-based forestry" of Canada):  thinning, pruning, genetics programs...all that sort of "fun" stuff.

The Mermaid, Copenhagen...watching some of the German Navy leave the harbour.

As you can tell by the photos, I've been thinking back on my trip to Copenhagen a lot this week.  It is interesting to consider about the differences between Denmark and Finland, they're a lot less similar than most people (I know) would expect.  Denmark feels, well, European for lack of a better description.  Rolling fields, deciduous forests, cobblestones, brick houses...managed and neat.  Finland feels Nordic as opposed to European:  endless forests, more modern architecture...perhaps just a little more wild.  There's a sense like mother nature (or something else) is still in control and that the future may not turn out the same as we plan it to be.  That being said, forests are still immaculately kept and planned...for the most part.  Denmark is the picture of Scandinavian culture (shhh...just don't tell Sweden).  Finland has aspects of it's culture that make it similar to Scandinavia, though it's not technically Scandinavian.  Interior design of new homes and popular home furnishing designs are often what non-Finns would classify as "Ikea-esque design."  Yes, clean lines, bold colours, and botanical motifs...but not IKEA!  Can you tell I live in Finland??  :-)

Swans and the Anglican Church, Copenhagen

Anyways, my Fun Finnish Fact for this week is actually more of a Joensuu fact instead of a Finnish Fact. The main pedestrian-only street has subterrainean heating.  Seriously.  At first I thought they just had a huge sewer or something under there causing the ice to melt, but I've asked around and it's actually heated.  It doesn't feel warm; it's certainly not like walking over in-floor heating.  But, it's just enough heat to slowly turn ice crystals to water and even encourage some evaporation.  I don't think it keeps up with heavy snowfall, but it will eventually catch up when the snowfall stops.  I think it's a fairly brilliant idea.  Just think that in a city that has up to 8 months of winter, the main walking street never needs ploughing.  Reduced liability, reduced long-term work, happier store-owners...but I hate to think what kind of work is required when it needs to be repaired.  Hopefully they don't have to dig the whole street up!

Reflection of Helsinki in a restaurant window...way out of my budget I'm sure!

Nähdään!  Maybe next week I'll have some snow pictures...if I take my camera out before it all melts again!

Kastellet, Copenhagen.  The old army barracks along the original city ramparts.  Apparently there is a high likelihood that my grandfather spent his army service time stationed here.

Blue Steel...Steal?

My bicycle and me.  We have a bond.  With April's help we found each other, and now we are committed.  He waits for me at the bus station, or train station, or outside the bar...just waiting to give me a safe ride home.  Blue Steal provides me with transportation and freedom.  In return, I take him out for adventures.  My favorite are night rides. Standard route: 6.5km Noljakka to Niinivaara.

I have to leave the warm comfort of a friend's house. Stepping outside the air is damp and chilled.  Click.  Helmet on.  Next: the gloves.  If you put on gloves before doing up your helmet the buckle is very hard to fasten.  Bike unlocked...thank goodness it hasn't frozen shut (I helped it out with some cooking oil a few weeks ago).  3 clicks on the bike light...1 - epileptic flash....2 - steady beat....3 - steady on.  Just about ready.  I'm not sure how warm or cold it is out.  Earlier today it was snowing.  Then raining.  Now it is just a thick fog with a penetrating chill.  I test the sidewalk by running the sole of my shoe along the surface...sand and pebbles roll beneath my foot making a scratching sound.  Ice.  Definitely re-frozen; no sudden moves allowed on the way home.

The ride starts with a stiff uphill. My nose is already dripping. Then, I duck behind a church and I'm onto the forest paths.  These are my favorite, particularly on nights like this.  They are lit at regular intervals by high efficiency lights...also known as the lights that keep you in the dark.  However, the lights throw just enough light to illuminate sharp lines through the mist in the trees and create eerie shadows across the paths and into the darkness of the forest on a nordic winter evening.  The lights cast my shadow onto the pathway and it distorts as I ride by.  At first my shadow drags behind as I approach the light, but it slowly creeps forward until it is under me and I am under the light.  Suddenly, my shadow races ahead of me into the darkness, as if to race as quickly as possible away from the light that is making it.  Finally, it dissipates and becomes one with the darkness that is my surroundings.

The trees.  Scots Pine.  Some glow in the mist while others cower in the darkness.  It is a hallway of columns to glide through:  behind the neighbourhoods, under the roads and through the frigid night air.  It is not yet so cold that the air has no smell.  In fact, the air has many scents....exhaust as I pass under a road, cooking as I swiftly slip behind a neighbourhood, wood smoke - pulling at my memories, tobacco smoke - making me cringe.  The tobacco smoke lingers along my ride.  It may have been a cyclist that passed through, a driver (probably with a dangling air-freshener too), a couple on a walk...a single smoker hovers on a balcony; exiled from the warmly-lit indoors

In some places the snow has survived creating a delicate crunch as Blue Steal rolls along.  In other places, I can see the path glistening - an icy concrete.  Footprints and the shallow ruts of bicycle tires have been frozen in time... until the next thaw at least.  Perhaps tomorrow?

All too soon, the lights of the ice hockey arena dance between the columns of pine.  It is the end of the forest path for me.  The zambonie is emptying its oversize nose between the already existing piles of "snow." It's odd that it's called snow because the zambonie tailings are nothing like snow.  It is not natural....it is not clean, fresh, pure or crisp.  It is rejected; the dirty ice scraped off the surface containing the blood, sweat, tears, and spit of many hockey players, figure skaters, and recreational skaters. Zambonie un-snow....definitely not zambonie snow.  

My nose is a faucet at this point.  My butt is cold, but my hands, heart, and feet are like ovens.  I am soo glad I put on these ski socks this morning.  It was a battle.  The skinny jeans said that knee-high wool socks were not a functional article of clothing.  Each time I tried to pull my pant-leg down, the socks would get rolled down to the ankle with it.  ugh.  to  anyone else who wants to wear knee-high socks with skinny jeans: put the socks on before the jeans.  It's like doing up your helmet before putting on your gloves.  it just works better.  I won.

Now I am home, wam, and dry while Blue Steal waits outside in the fog.  He will get a place inside as soon as they are finished re-painting my bike room.  the fumes are offensive too. We look forward to our next barely-lit outing in and out of the Joensuu neighbourhoods.

Kööpenhamina!!! err...Copenhagen!

November cherry blossoms North of Copenhagen.  Seriously.  I guess the fall was so mild that these poor guys thought they could get another crop in...or maybe they thought it was spring already...hmmm

So last week was actually a very eventful week for me.  In between writing reports, scheduling exams, getting sick, and travelling to Denmark...I celebrated my birthday!  A whole quarter-century...phew!  Given the circumstances, I have to say I had a fantastic day and I really appreciate all of my friends around the world.  Much to my surprise, April baked me an amazing birthday cake (gingerbread with lemon icing) and the whole cafeteria sang happy birthday to me at lunch.  It was mildly mortifying.

15:07 sunlight at the Joensuu Rautatieasema.  The days here are already shorter than the very shortest day in Vancouver.

The reason I had to qualify the day with "Given the circumstances..." is because there was just too much going on.  I got a nasty nasty head cold, so I was stuffed up and out of it.  I had to finish a major report from my field course last summer, so I was tied to a computer during any free time.  I didn't plan my travelling to Copenhagen very well, so I ended up spending the evening of my birthday on a train...only to spend the night in a Helsinki Hostel working on my report.  Bleh.  There was just too much going on to fit much of a celebration in...sometimes these things just happen!!! I really appreciate how everyone went out of their way to wish me their best!

Sorry to disappoint those who were expecting a species ID...I don't know what this tree is, but it had a hole in it, which was very cool.  Denmark.

So...now for my trip to Copenhagen, or Kööpenhamina as the Finns call it.  Some international cities have a Finnish name, while most do not.  I went to Copenhagen to visit my aunt, Mille, for her birthday and to spend some time with family who I have not seen for many years.  My trip started with a train ride into the frosty sunset (at 15:17) as I started my journey south to Helsinki.  April saw me off at the train station (Rautatieasema..."Iron road station") with a final "Happy Birthday!," and then I was off.   I did not manage accomplish anything on my report that trip due to technical difficulties.  However, it gave me a significant amount of time to work on my latest knitting project: a gift for my aunt.  It had to be completed by Sunday...yet another thing on my list.  The rest of the travelling went smoothly for the most part (we almost didn't leave Helsinki because of something wrong with the airplane...but they fixed that quickly...phew).  By then end of the day I had made it successfully from Helsinki to Copenhagen and I managed to complete (and submit) my report.

Baroque gardens at the Frederiksborg Castle.  Funny-shaped trees due to human intervention....pruning.  I think it looks really neat with no leaves on them.

Some people don't like flying.  Some people don't like trains.  Some people don't like navigating through the streets of an unfamiliar city at night with a poor map.  I am totally fine with all of this (I enjoy it!).  My weak spot: public transit.  Especially city busses.  I had to take the bust from the metro to Mille's house, across Copenhagen.  The thought of this gave me butterflies for two days before I even got there. In the end, I chickened out and walked for 45 minutes instead of taking a 10 minute bus ride.  I tell myself (and most others) that I walked because it was a beautiful day out (true...it was 10 C and sunny) and because I needed the exercise after so many hours of travelling (also true).  However, I think it was nerves in the end that made me walk.

Nyhavn, Copenhagen

On Friday, Mille was an excellent tour guide and took me around the countryside North of Copenhagen where we visited a castle, admired gorgeous gardens, and basked on a beach (in a frigid sunset).  The next day, Stine arrived from Canada.  It was absolutely fantastic to see Canadian family for the first time since moving over here.  On Sunday we had the birthday party: a rich Danish Smørrebrød for brunch followed by birthday kringle.  Monday, Stine and I headed into downtown Copenhagen to see some of the tourist sites and take a look at some museums.  Ok. So they're not actually museums, but stores like Royal Copenhagen or  Ilums Bolighus or Georg Jensen have goods that could be purchased by 1% of people who walk in the store, just because of the extravagant prices.  Be careful not to knock any of that china off the shelf! Perhaps I could interest you in a €1,600 teacup (with a saucer!!...what a deal!).  Don't need a teacup?  Well, surely you need a €30,600 ice bell...!  I'm not even sure what one would use an ice bell for....

How could you have Copenhagen without bicycles??

Overall, Copenhagen was wonderful place to spend a weekend and get away from school and the cold grey that Joensuu has been recently.  I don't know what my Mormor (Danish grandmother) means when she says that Copenhagen is cold and dark...it felt positively tropical compared to Finnish weather!  The sun got high in the sky, and some trees even had leaves on them still!

Only the Danes would lose a naked woman like this in the neighbourhood bushes.  Copenhagen.

Today I will not write about a fun finnish fact because I have spent most of my week in Denmark.  However, I did manage to do some writing in Finnish about my weekend in Denmark.  If you don't know Finnish, you're not missing out on anything ;-)....I mean, what I wrote in Finnish has already been said in this post....so here goes:

Viime viikonloppuna, minä matkustin Kööpenhaminaan.  Minä kävin perheelläni, jotka asuvat Kööpenhaminassa.  Myös minun tätini Stine tuli Vancouverista, joka on kaupunki Kanadassa.  Me (Stine ja minä)  kävimme Kööpenhaminassa, koska oli minun isotätini syntymäpäivä viime sunnuntaina.  Minun isotätin nimi on Mille.  Perjantaina, Mille ja minä ajoimme maaseudulle ja kävelimme metsässä ja rannalla.  Me myös kävimme kuninkaanlinnassa.  Linnan puutarha oli erittäin kaunis ja ihana.  Lauantaina, Stine tuli Kanadasta.  Sunnuntaina oli Millen syntymäpäiväkutsut.  Lounaaksi söimme tanskalaisia voileipiä ja joimme tanskalaisia oluita.  Lounaan jälkeen, me palasimme Millen kotiin syömään kakkua ja juomaan kahvia tai teetä.  Ne olivat erittäin hyvät syntymäpäiväkutsut.  Maanantaina, Stine ja minä menimme Kööpenhaminan keskustaan.  Me shoppasimme, mutta en ostanut mitään. Me kävimme myös meidän isotädillä Annalla.  Se oli erittäin kiva viikonloppu!

Helsinki Cathedral, Helsinki.  Afternoon light from across the water really lit it up like a postcard photo this afternoon.

Ok, so some of the finnish is a little repetitive.  Thanks for the editing help Krista!!

Have a great week everyone!

Copenhagen Graffiti.

November...like a swift current

Duck on the river...this week's photos are river-centric

Well, November (Marraskuu) seems to be flying along in some kind of hurry.  It will soon be December (Joulukuu) and I will have had no idea what I've been doing for the past month.  I just know it.  The weather is surprisingly balmy compared to that of Williams Lake, but the days are dismally grey.  I've stopped counting the days in a week that I wear long underwear (pitkät alusvaatteet - tops and bottoms; or pitkät alushousut - bottoms only) and instead count the days in a week when I don't...it just requires fewer fingers this way.  School is going through a bit of a busy stretch now. I've got 2 courses ending (silviculture and research methodology) with all of the associated assignments and exams.  In addition to this, I have a fairly major report from my trip across Canada due.  Ugh, not looking forward to the week...but the following weekend should be amazing!

The eastern river bank: my side of the river.  I cross the bridge in that photo everyday on my way to school.  It's the long bridge; it crosses the river, stays elevated through the area pictured here, goes over the railyard, and finally joins the ground on the far side of the tracks (where I live).

Yesterday, Saturday, was April's birthday.  She has been wanting to have a picnic lunch by the lake for quite some time now (i.e. ever since arriving).  But, the weather has always been off, or no-one could make it.  Yesterday the weather was far from perfect, but it wasn't raining...so a handfull of us went down to the beach and had a birthday picnic, complete with a sparkling rosé.  It was 2 degrees and blowing wind off the lake, leaving us (3 hardy Canadians, 1 brave Brazilian, and 1 fearless Finn) with some pretty serious goosebumps and purple fingers.  At least I think my fingers were purple...it was after 15:30, so it was too dark out to tell.   Let's just say the  rosé was well chilled, as were the picnickers (what a strange looking word!).   Things really got heated up later as April convinced me to come out to a salsa dancing-halloween party; pretty much her 2 favorite things (dancing and halloween) conveniently on her birthday.  Salsa was great fun!  For those of you who know my previous record of trying to learn how to salsa, I didn't punch anyone this time!  I am rather sore today though...

Western river bank: the Lutheran Church, Ilosaari, downtown (keskusta) and more of the long bridge to school.

I am continuously learning new interesting things about this country and culture.  April's birthday picnic brings up my First Fun Finnish Fact (the alliteration is getting cheesier and worse by the week).  It is totally acceptable to consume alcohol in public places...provided you are not drunk and belligerent.  For example, having beers (kaljaa or olutta) or wine (viiniä) with a picnic lunch or dinner will not get you in trouble with the police. Compare this with Vancouver where you would have to pour out all your beverages if the police found you picnicking with wine or beer...especially at a public park or beach.

My second interesting story I only just learnt from my roommate this afternoon.  Apparently, people's income and tax information are public domain.  At this time of year (sometime last week I believe), a publication is made available with the details of each taxpayer's name and details of their tax return.  This seems very strange to me.  You can go online (pay-per-view) or purchase a publication with all of this information.  You can look up the information of your neighbours, friends, colleagues, boss, celebrities, the rich and the famous.  Apparently, it's excellent tabloid material.  This practice can be a big source of local news (I took this to mean gossip), especially in small towns where everyone knows each other.  Income from gifts and grants is not included and names are not published for those who earn less than €10,000. Bizarre.

Some of the last leaves left on the tree in all of Joensuu are on willows leaning out over the river. 

Finnish trivia: what is the mostly commonly used Finnish word in the English language???  Sauna


I'll be spending next weekend in Copenhagen (hooray!), so there will be no Sunday blog update as I usually try to do.  Have a great week, and....

Lest we forget