Thanks, Helsinki

It’s already mid-week, but first of all I have to say that the weekend in Helsinki was really nice. Our crowd knows how to mix party and culture: Nice and pretty late nights, but a lot of good study visits (Sirén’s beautiful parliament) and museums as well. Sunday, we visited the Mannerheim Museum, the Finnish Military Museum, and Kiasma (the Museum of Contemporary Art). At Misma, I voted for Elina Brotherus in the on-going Ars Fennica ’07.

Speaking of different sides of Finnish ”culture”, Saturday night in a sketchy karaoke-bar was a lot fun. When in such a place, remember to have a few drinks right away so you blend in; stay away if a fight erupts; and eventually sign up to sign a song yourself. And thanks for joining us, fellow blogger Esa.

First photo below shows three happy journalists in our group of 2004: Karin (Sweden), Edmundas (Lithuania), and Maria (Italy), and the second shows our host Riina – thanks for a great weekend!

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Listening to “Unsung” by Slaid Cleaves when writing this, pure magic. Check him out right away if you like alternative country (a.k.a. Americana).