Helsinki to Joensuu

Good morning! And as I write this iäm looking out of the pine trees and silver birch and the piles of firewood ready for winter. Its a glorious day in Joensuu and weäre going to relax and enjoy it. Yay.
I'm loving being back in Suomi Finland again and its so different, its like a new country. Last time I was here it was winter, minus 25 degrees and dark nearly all the time. Now its summer, they celebrated midsummer festival last weekend, and the longest day. At the moment its aabout 9.30am and its 21 degrees. LAst night we wnet to bed at nearly 1.00am and it was still daylight. crazy.

Yesterday i woke after a great sleep and Christoph, Margaret and I had Margaret's home made muesli before heading off to the city centre to put me on the train. Christoph was pretty relaxed as its his first day of his 5 week holiday. we put my dreadful suitcase in the station leave luggage and went and quickly looked at the market and and the city centre. we wandered back past the big church in time for me to get on the train.
The train journey was fab as Iäd imagined it would be, nearly 6 hours to get to Joensuu but this time it wasnät dar and black trees and white snow but green pine treees and fields. As we got further north and more rural, the hosues became more traditional and painted red and with steep rooves for the snow.
At Joensuu the Ikkonen Circus was waiting for me, Annaliisa, Matti, Hannes, Emma and Leo and we picked up Mikael on the way home. Off course I accidentally tried to get in the wrong car door so there were a few giggles over that one. Everything is very green, if I was to try and explain what it looked like i would say Lake Rotoitia and St Arnaud is kind of similar. We had a wee tour of Joensuu and their village before heading home for a barbeque dinner and to meet the puppy and play baseball, we ahd the local poåpulation of mosquitos and fly things to keep us company so we later wenbt inside to watch the pink panther on DVD. So very very lucky to be staying here wiht family and relaxing. It really is an amanzing life style, triple glazing, water pumped up from the well and poptatoes stored aaway for winter. Even though it gets to sometimes minus 40 in winter, the newspaper has only missed delivery twice in the last two yearsa nd thats because the printing press broke down! Iäm never going to complain about the cold again!!

Helsinki

Iäm here and its so lovely. I was met at the airport by cousin Hannalena,her husband Christoph and baby Theo. we then got the tain+bus+tube home and have sat and chatted and had a yummy dinner and are just watching the sun set. Itäs 10.45pm!!

Ireland Day Two and a half

Great sleep, fab breakfast including of course black and white pudding.
off to catch the cork tourist bus, interstingly cork used to be the venice of the UK. You can still see the steps agoing up to the assembly rooms and the where the boats - gondolas were tied.

walked to the opera house and the art gallery beside it, and met Carrie and her husband Owen for a relaxing coffee. Crazy to think Carrie (from Tremough, Cornwall) was in Cork at the same time i was so very cool seeing each other again.
AFter that I mooched aorund some more and headed off to a genuine irish pub for a shandy before catching the airport bus with plenty of time to spare just in case!!
Flight fine,
standsted express fine
tube fine
bus to caths fine
walked to her house fine
arrived about 10.00 ish and was able to meet Nova's folks George and Carol briefly before heading upstairs to repack for Helsinki. Phew!!

Ireland Day Two - Its all about people and thats not jsut a load of 'ol blarney'!!!

Awoke to the cows outside and read Christie's Auction House Princess margaret catalogue in bed
then off to see Huntington castle, Matthew gave me a tour of his family home. Highlight was pronbably the hooves set in stirling silver dated 1625. But it was all fab.



Home for bacon butties then we set off for Cork, Naomi's navigation was less than helpful but we got there in the end.
Valerie dropped me at the airport and I got a bus into cork city.
Fab, instantly loved it. Spacious streets, friendly people and everything was manageable.
went straight to vodafone who as well as helping with a phone told me where the b & b's were
went straight and found a b& b - The blarney stone, FAB.
Went straight to room and chilled and changed shoes etc
went back to centre of town, mooched
went to market got three lovely irish cheeses and more fab brown bread
came back to b& b in time for picnic, news and coro street. NEw British prime minister and Spice girls are returning. Yay, not!
later went for walk through Cork University campus, bugger me just across the road!




Now just a wee something about my microcosmic glimpse of Ireland... I love it!!! And really and truly its not about the buildings (which are cheerful not gloomy), or the landscape, which is green and lucious and reminds me of Taranaki or Southland, and its not about the culture which is about tradition and community...its all about the people.
The Irish people have been amazing and wihtout one single exception they have all been warm and welcoming, polite and courteous and friendly.
From the Dublin customs man who cracked a joke and told me tomorrow was a religious holiday so I wouldn't be able to ahve a drink in ireland,
to the airport info desk man who rang my phone,
to the bus driver who lent me his phone and later while driving took a call from James mum and told me where i was to stop
to the vodafone people who phoned mum in NZ
to Mrs Jobling - Purser who took me under her wing
to her friends who came round for dinner to meet a kiwi
to the people on the bus who were polite to each other and gave up their seats for the elderly
(there was a leprechaun on board by the way, the smallest woman i've ever seen)
to the vodafone lady, and the lady in marks and spencers - great directions
to the person on the intercom in Primark who was courteous in her announcements
to the friendly parking wardens
to the lovely lady at the market who even though she was closing made sure i knew the names of each of the irish cheeses
to the tour bus driver who cam upstairs just to let me know the statue of mary was facing the wrong way
to the customs guy as i was leaving who said he loved 'fat freddy's drop'
and to james who even though he was in cornwall, liaised and made this trip possible.

I walked past this bill board which said 'Without tourism things could be different' it says 'Irish tourism, everyone is part of the team'

I couldn't say it better myself

The day I`d rather have avoided

ok so you're probably up to speed with the littany of horrors that was day one in Ireland but just to recap... had stayed the night with Cath who unfortunately wasn't able to come to Ireland, poor sausage just wasn't well.But made the decision to go ahead anyway, depsite being tired from barcelona. Having got luggage etc made it back to caths and repacked and in bed by about 1.30am so...
up at 5.30
off to train station at 6.30
stanstead express 7.30
airport 8.30
Flight 9.30
Missed it.
paid for new flight
emailed and stuff - bonus
checked in luggage
went through to customs for second time
mooched around shops
went to gate
slept and waited for flight - wasn't gonna miss a second one
flight ok
arrived 10 mins late
ran through aiport
followed bus signs ran to bus par
arrived in time to wave to bus driver who wouldn't stop
spoke to other bus drivers
ran to shuttle bus to train station to catch 6.25 train
got on board, seat up stairs - bonus tour of dublin
went to text mum to check americas cup
no phone
ARRRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!
ran downstairs to bus driver
15 mins to retrace steps
ran to bus park again
ran back
ran to info desk
ran to airport police
ran back to shuttle bus
left airport
got about ten mins down road'
checked with driver would I make the 6.25 train
"Not a chance"
bus driver let me out at traffic lights
ran back to airport
ran to bus park
bus driver said ten mins to check with airport police again
no luck, bus driver let me ring James Mum who was meeting me
sat in bus and composed myself
sitting at front of bus - bonus still get tour of dublin and countryside
sat next to interesting lady and we both got view of bunch of french backpackers peeing by side of road
countryside fab - bonus daylight saving
9.00 arrive Carlow and James Mum there to see me
went to her home, gosh, and instantly relaxed. Gin and tonic and quick phone call to carolyn who was phoned by Vodafone dublin airport with missing phone
Valerie's two guests David and MAtthew arrived for supper
lovely meal, wine, great conversation
Sleep, delicious sleep in white damask and james grandads bed.

Catch up - news in brief!! Sorry no photos!!

HI, well here is everything in brief...
I'm typing this while at the airport having missed my flight to Dublin. Boy oh boy oh boy...
Cath is great, I stayed wiht her last night but unfortunately the poor thing has a leg infection and is unable to come to Ireland with me, at this rate I might not get there either!!
I'm absolutely buggered and gutted of course , I dhouldn't have missed this flight as I was all checked in byt juyst not through to the gate in time. basically i've been running since 4.30 yesterday afternoon when I battled to get to the bristol train station in amongst the glastonbury crowd...then I rushed to see cath and simone at russell square then in RAN to pick mu luggage up by 11.00pm and then I ran this morning again to catch trains etc. Anyway enought of that, it has all meant I have time to sit and catch up wiht computer stuff. So below is the Barcelona chapter in bullet points....

Barcelona Turistica

Up early - again!
Sue drove us to Bristol airport
Chilled out, had breakfast
Flight was just like easy jet on TV - loads of stag groups and hen groups. Sue embarrased to be english.
Arrived in Barcelona - hot, got airport bus to city centre.
CULTURE SHOCK
Never really had culture shock like this before but spent the first couple of hours struggling to enjoy and see the delights of this spanish city.
Was a bit overwhelmed with the dirty ness - dog poo and the stinky drains and the a wee bit irritated by heat and crowds PMT didn't help.
We were staying in the Gothic quarter - which is medieveal alley ways etc and when we first arrived it was siesta time and shops all bordered up and graphiti etc so I struggled with that too.
Had a lie down and food and then changed and went out and the city felt much better. Cnaadles were lit, People were eating outside, music, people out walking, shoppping. Very cool.



anyway to keep things short...
Sat - did local shops, tourist bus, drove past big gaudi landmarks, went to suburb near top of hill, bit like merivale. then back on bus and off at La Ramble - the main shopping street. Great buskers!! went to fab market and bought olives and bread etc.
wlaked towards water and had picnic under the palms
back on bus turistica and wnet round the olympic area and teh new stadium for Fotbal Barcelona. Up to top of hil and looked across at hazy skies over meditaranean somewhere out there is emirates team nz
got off again at marina and walked back home via gothic quater.
Home to apartmetn to relax and later in evening walk arou8nd shops. Had delicious chocolate with basil and tomato, and of course had to ahve gellata.



sunday.
Having done shops, day was cdevoted to Gaudi.
First Sograda de Familia. THe big gaudi cathedral.
Amanzing to think this is a big cathedral still under contstruction just as exeter and salisbury have once been too. 20 years to go, Its crazy and like the other gaudi buildings, unbelievealbe to think gaudi was an architect who began in victorian times and his designs are totally organic and crazy even now. People must have thought he was mad and yet somehow there is something about this city that encourages crazy art forms and creativity and modernistic design. Picasso was from here too and even now the conntemporary architects and designers have a unique freshness that seems unique to this city.

Next stop Park guiello - sorry I'm not able to check the spelling at them moemnt.
we walked slowly to the top, stopping off to see Gaudi's home. then we had awonderful picnic half way down and listenjed to a guy playing the Hang - looks a bit like a wok or a ufo and sounds like a harp. Wonderful sounds.

Back on bus - sitting upstairs in full sun, walked to Pedera. Big apartment block designed by gaudi. Amanzingly light and airy and very contemporary even now. Would move in, in a nano second and take up residence! Crazy audio though, had sue and i in fits of giggles.
Then onto the 'blue house' as we called it.
(I'll try and put the proper details in later))




Quite a lot of art deco and arts and crafts movement influence here. Loved the coloured glass, shaped wood doors and tiles. the natural light was just lovely, and so cool and spacious.

finally wandered back through the city to our medieval corner and changed befre watching dancers and having tapas dinner. wandered through the botanical gardens and listened to music ,
one more gellato before home to repack again!!