Part Une: Another Round Of Shots Taken By Me All Over Helsinki. Obsessed With The Waterfront, Blackandwhite

As excited I was year ago to book my flight to Canada... I am now even more sad to book my flight back home. July 28th.

Been taking this small tours every weekend around Lisbon. This was the first at Azenhas do Mar, super cloudy day but scenery was gorgeous nonetheless! First part of the many to come btw! 

Masterlist

Contains my photos and blogs from 2017 on. Updating as we go along and digging some older posts from MTL times. 

BLOG 

Eurovision

UMK 22 

Host City 22 : Turin

ESC 20 : Best Non-English Entry

UMK 20

Eurovision 2018, Lisbon. 

ESC 19: Songs that I love but others don’t / Artists coming back to ESC / Songs that I don’t love but others do / Different genres / UMK artist guess / 

ESC 18: Positive review / Negative review / Songs that I loved but other’s didn’t / Non-English songs / Biggest growers / Different genres / The BIG 6 / Saara Aalto Songs / Mid tempo tracks / 

ESC 2023: 10 things I don’t want to see / Voting system to be changed / Who will qualify SF2 / Who will qualify in SF1 / Top 5 Non-English Songs / 

UMK23: Keira / Benjamin / Robin / Lxndra / Käärijä / Kuumaa / Portion Boys / The worst UMK stagings / UMK23 review / 

UMK24: Cyan Kicks / Sexmane / Sara Siipola / Jesse Markin / Windows95Man / Sini Sabotage / Mikael Gabriel x Nublu 

Lisbon Life : 

LX Blogs / LX tips Part 1 / LX tips part 2 / 1 year in LX / Sintra first impressions / Quilty 6 months in LX /  Fall 2017 / One month in LX / 2w / PT expectations / Going to LX / 

Something else 

100 years of Finland / 3 x / Home / Geography of my way / 

PHOTOGRAPHY: 

Lisbon

Sintra / Lisbon before Covid-19 

Lisbon Before Covid-19

Lisbon Before Covid-19 Part 2

Mixed: Olaias Metro, the most beautiful / Xmas / Less known LX / Random Part 1 / Pantheon + random / Rua August sunrise / 

Waterfronts : Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / 

Parque das Nacoes: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / 

Belem: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / 

Palaces: Queluz part 1 / Queluz part 2 / Belem Part 1 / Quinta da Regaleira Part 1 / Pena and the Moors Part 1 / Pena and Moors Part 2 / Pena and Moors part 3 / Pena and the Moors part 4 / Pena and the Moors part 5 / Royal Palace of Ajuda / 

Lisbon Streets: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 /  Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / 

Beach: Part 1 / Cascais / Praia da Ursa

Sétubal: Part 1 / Part 2 / 

Arrabida : Part 1 / Part 2 / 

Portugal

Berlengas: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / 

Azenhas Do Mar: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / 

Porto: Part 1 / 

Nazaré: Part 1 / Part 2 / 

Évora: Part 1 / Part 2 / 

Braga: Part 1 / Part 2 / 

Coimbra: Part 1 / Part 2 / 

Costa Nova

Helsinki

 Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / 

Lahti

 Lake: Summer Part 1 / Winter Part 1 / Winter Part 2 / 

Travels

Bologna: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / 

Amsterdam : Part 1 / 

Galicia:  part 1 /  part 2 / part 3 / part 4 / part 5 / 

🌿✨ Finnish Midsummer Juhannus spells ✨🌿

Juhannus was originally a celebration for Ukko the supreme god of weather and harvest. It was also a time for making magic since the spirit world was more active at the time of the white nights. A loud feasting and drinking brought luck in love as well as a good harvest and kept the evil spirits at bay.

1. Roll in dew

If you roll around naked in a field, your future spouse will appear in your life within a year. Dew was believed to have a healing effect and rolling in it was supposed to make you beautiful and healthy. Earlier, dew was even collected in cloths and pressed into bottles for the year to come.

2. Put a spell on a field

Find a four-leafed clover from the yard in the evening. Hide the clover under your shirt, next to your bosom. When the clock strikes midnight, let your hair loose and run to the field. Go around the field three times. When the person of your fancy will eat bread made out of the wheat from that specific field, they will fall in love with you.

3. Collect seven flowers

Collect seven different types of flowers from as many meadows. When going to bed, put the bouquet underneath your pillow. You will see “the one” in your dream. Flowers and plants have an important role in Midsummer celebrations. Previously, it was common to scatter tree leaves on the floors and build tree houses in the yards. Even cows were decorated with garlands, so as to secure a good year for the cattle and milk production.

4. Sweep naked

Sweep your bedroom floor naked, just a red thread tied around your waist, and the ghost of your love will greet you.

5. Tie a sauna whisk, vihta

Vihtas are always made for the Midsummer sauna. They are usually made out of birch as its fresh leaves are soft and have a lovely fragrance. For your magic spell, the Midsummer bath whisk should be made out of eight different tree and flower types. After the sauna, throw the whisk on the roof of the sauna. Climb up after it and see whereto the stem of the whisk points. That is the direction from which your future spouse will come.

6. Make a bonfire

The smoke of the bonfire will turn to the person who will find their spouse next. When the flames start to go out, jump over the bonfire to bring luck in love.

7. Look into a mirror

When you put two mirrors opposite each other on a midsummer night, you can see your future spouse in the reflection of the other.

8. Listen to the first sound

In the wee hours of the night, climb up somewhere high – on a hill, on top of a fell or a big rock. To a place where it is easy to hear surrounding sounds. Your future spouse will come from the same direction as the first sound of the morning. If you hear music, it means an approaching wedding. If you hear a child crying, it is a sign of birth. The number of cuckoo sounds tells how many years you have to wait until you find love.

Less known Lisboa. Monsanto park and Marvila. Worth stepping out of your normal path. 

Pics from magical Sintra! 

What More Can I Give?

After I returned from Canada in 2014 I knew already then that my next adventure would be in Europe. Even after my long time passion for Montréal and the French speaking Canada and the wonderful experience I had while living there.. I didn’t see the return or going to Americas, Australia etc. worthy of hours of paper work for Visas and work permits which I might not even get! Especially when you think that as an european I have 28 countries to choose from where I can live and work freely.

I started planning my departure last winter. Mostly from the financial point of view and decided the summer season being perfect time for my move since I could get my full vacation pay and to have been able to save enough money by then.

So how to choose the DESTINATION? It’s better to have several options in case something goes wrong with your first choice. When travelling always have a plan B! After googling for Finnish speaking jobs on several job boards I ended up with PORTUGAL, IRELAND and MALTA. Spain and some Western European countries were also possible but they had less customer service openings in Finnish so I focused mainly on these three. I also had some friends who’ve lived or live in these countries who could give me answers about living and working in there. This is the part where you gotta be realistic. Even though you’d love India as an holiday spot, are you set up for the everyday life in there? Practical things matter as much as the attitude you’re doing this with. 

“I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m on my way” - Carl Sagan

I had already found out about the most common recruiting companies (MGI recruitment, Morgan McKinley etc) and companies (Teleperformance) out there so I would have some sort of idea which ones to trust. Couple of applying situations during the winter taught me that MAY (1-2 months before my availability date) would be more ideal because no one posts an add about job 6 months before opening.

To look for the jobs I used basic multilingual job boards but especially LinkedIn which I upgraded it to Premium (first month free trial). Especially on LinkedIn it was easy to check the company, employees etc. backgrounds. Despite of the work I did to find out the company’s background and whether it was even real or up to its reputation – there’s no guarantee that you still wouldn’t be screwed over. But I do trust my instincts (if it feels wrong - don’t do it!) and I do try to find out as much as I can in advance to avoid unpleasant surprises – and then you just go and hope that the bumps on the road wouldn’t hit you too hard. 

Same thoughts I would wanna share also about the safety in general. Especially after this morning’s news from London… you always stop to think about this stuff but unless you’re moving to Afghanistan or in some other country with high rate of crimes and killings, there’s not much you can do about it. You just have to believe that you’re safe by using common sense. You can have your hundreds of check lists, be paranoid, stay in and never go to a big event but frankly I just don’t believe in it. In the end whatever you do in life, you buy a house or you have a kid – you need to have the courage and faith that things will be okay.

“Pray when you feel like worrying. Give thanks when you feel like complaining. Keep going when you feel like quitting.” - Dave Willis

Once I started my active search things happened with a quick pace. Basically in two weeks from pressing the ”apply” button for the first time I had created several useful contacts across Europe (networking!) and nailed a job offer from Ireland and Portugal. Several interviews, language tests, all of been done. The first one I declined basically because of the pay wasn’t enough. After taxes (which are quite high) and accommodation and everything else necessary (the price range is similar to Finland) there wouldn’t have been much left. And I do recommend of finding these things out! How much do you pay taxes? How much does a cup of coffee or a room in a shared flat cost? These are pretty crucial figures in every day life and especially when living abroad you do wanna do things just to ENJOY life and not just the necessary ones to survive.

PORTUGAL was my first and the most potential choice since the beginning. FIRST of all the culture and the language are similar to Spain where I’ve done trainee and exchange periods and where I could see myself living and adapting to the way of life. I could really fit in! Secondly there is somewhat heavy selection of jobs for Finnish speakers in customer service area. I would survive! Third and forth, many jobs are located at the capital area with more international atmosphere and services etc. which I appreciate. Despite of living expenses being always more expensive in the capital area than in a smaller city, still in Portugal the price range is fairly affordable. It could be fun! Also the job description and the pay ain’t bad. 

And after this looong prattling, if you did make it untill here...if it isn’t clear enough already for someone - I AM GOING TO LISBON! Heading out on June 30th with no return date! The blog is reopened as a traveling blog what it originally was now that my life will be worth writing for! More posts with funny titels (LP inspired) to come! 

Eurovision 2017 favourites vol. 2

14. FINLAND

Take a look for the live version cause it’s better than the studio one. It wasn’t my personal choice but since it received most of the points I can admit my defeat. It’s scandinavic, dark, beautiful, poetic, controlled but still emotional performed by two artists that have a true vision. I just love the piano! The live version completes what you hear. Among all these power ballads this simplicity could actually stand out! I hope it reaches its audience. 

15. ESTONIA

Wasn’t so sure of this when it qualified but it does get better the more you listen to it. Well produced mid-tempo ballad with a catchy beat and sound. One of the best ones this year. Also the duet version goes well with the story. The staging should be good too! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vq3GFVeVE8&list=PLsTa5HSM8gbFNBl2v0F2t0DmeCCdObZJt&index=15

16. MOLDOVA

I understand why someone wouldn’t like this but it’s just because I do! This is the clown of the show but in a good way! So entertaining! I find them funny, uplifting and corny but they stand out with their fresh performance which is rich in sounds. Looking forward to live show in Ukraine!

17. AZERBAIJAN

This one’s even scary and haunting. Dark pop at its best with nice modern sound. I especially like the contrast between the sound and angelic vocals.

18. UK

I didn’t like this when I saw the winning live performance but I think it’s improved. Great singer! Something’s still off and I find the studio version still better than in live. There’s obviously power and emotion in here but still can’t help the feeling that something’s missing. It’s a good song but I doubt it will stand out. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac5xNUfzCY4&list=PLsTa5HSM8gbFNBl2v0F2t0DmeCCdObZJt&index=18

19. ICELAND

You either like this or then you don’t. It’s a bit weird, even cold but I think that’s part of the charm. Interesting and organic electro pop sound but will it be enough? I believe it gets better the more you listen but then in Eurovision it’s a bit risky cause many hear these songs only once or twice. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFyl7h4_H1k&index=19&list=PLsTa5HSM8gbFNBl2v0F2t0DmeCCdObZJt

20. CYPRUS

Heavy sound and deep electronic beats. Great mysterious opening! Dramatic but still catchy. Similar to Azerbaijan but it can stand out.I hope he does well!

21. ITALY

My ultimate favourite this year and I truly hope we’re gonna have the competition in Italy next year! This is pure joy from the begining ‘till the end. I find it very stereotypical but still oh loveable! Francesco is so charming and real and the song with its happy, up-beat tune stands out. Not forgetting the gorilla, what a charismatic pair! 

What do you dream of?

Okay, time for some sort of closure I guess. Can’t belive that I made it and that it’s time to head home. I cannot help but to be sad about all of this coming to an end but I’m also so happy and grateful that this year happened to me at all.

For over a year I’ve tried to share not only the best part (and some of the bad ones too) of moving to Canada for a year but also the fabulousness of Montréal and Québec. The reasons why it was my dream to live in province in the first place, why I’ve loved my every #mtlmoment and also why I’d like to come back here someday. Still hundreads of things I would have loved to share with you more.. 

But in this last post I won’t be telling you what I’ve been up to for the last weeks either;  I won’t be praising the summer events of the city or the amazing  things I’ve had the chance to do here. They are awesome and definitely worth telling for but now I wanna talk about the bigger picture.

For the last weeks I’ve been walking around the streets of Montréal and a bit in Québec also, trying to notice everything, learn every building, street and a charming café by heart. It’s been hard to look at the city, my favourite places and neighbourhoods, where I’ve lived so much…without knowing if I’ll ever experience them again. Countless amounts of last looks and things I will miss about this city. Some bigger than others.

My postcard collection, used to be much larger thou..

I’ve felt very much like home here. Nevermind of my crappy French but there is this small québecoise that has been growing in me and I wouldn’t have wanted to live anywhere else in North America or in Canada. I have been able to explore and observe the culture and the country that I used to read about endlessly as a kid and which I’ve always been drawn to in ways that only travellers/wanderers/ or however you would like to call yourselves, like me can understand. And for a year I lived my dream. Which is pretty cool, I must say.

Not everything went as planned like nothing goes in life in general speking.. Not saying that Québec and Montréal are perfect. There are things which I totally don’t agree on or that make absolutely no sense to me. But they say that a foreign country isn’t supposed to make you, an outsider to feel comfortable to be in. Adapting to the strange ways and new environment is as awkward as it is giving. It educates not only about the country you live in but also about yourself and where you’re coming from. And I’m not talking about country borders here.

When I talk about my MTL year I cannot help but to mention Couchsurfing. There are other websites who function with the same idea. It is a personal opinion which one works for you the best if not at all. Google it if you're not familiar with the concept.

But I do wanna say that it is a community where you don’t have to travel or even have someone sleeping at your couch to participate the community in your hometown. Besides of the actual hosting and surfing thing, which I haven’t been able to do yet - there are a lot different kinds of events and activites going on, in some places more than others. And I can say for a personal experience that it is a great way to build your social circle as a newcomer.

A lot has been said, lots of negative stuff about Couchsurfing, and here I’m not talking about the exact website but this new way of travelling and meeting people. And I’ve had my share of some of the minor issues but during my year of discovery of CS I gotta say that there is a lot of good stuff here too.

In Montréal the community is very active and, even thou I haven’t discovered the other CS communities around the world yet. However I dare to say, this one is filled with the craziest and the most awesome activities which tells a lot about the members in the community too. With some of them I’ve been lucky enough to build lifelong friendships with.

(not my pic)

It is a community where I haven’t felt the need to explain myself, my spirit and my reasons to come here because most of the CS members understand the desire and even the need to move away to abroad or do intensive, long travels.  Which is the reason why I wanna keep participating in one way or another in Finland too. Or wherever I’ll be living in. 

In general, during this year I’ve put so much time on so many events and on countless amount of meet ups with perfect strangers which not all of them were good actually but in the end it was all worth it. I’ve met people, sometimes only once or twice..others may have already moved on, but some of them have expanded my horizon by their stories and personalities. I’ve heard people describing me as a courageous person for coming as far I have come and in the way I have but there are people out there who’ve gone much further and have pursued way crazier ideas in more extraordinary ways than I have in mine.

Even though this post is already too long I cannot leave out the industry I discovered and worked for the last six months. Who knew that you could make money by testing videogames or that being a Finnish speaker could be such an advantage in Montréal? I’ve truly enjoyed my time and I’m definitely keeping my options open of becoming a videogame tester again. But not for the job itself or how cool and easy it sounds but for the people who work there.  It’s a great job because of the social environment, how deeply you can feel like being a part of a team and the wonderful friends you make along the way. Even sometimes the people you weren’t the most closest to, are the ones you’ll remember for the rest of your life. 

A MASSIVE thank you btw to everyone who’s been living this experience with me, from all the way back home to Québec and beyond…new and old ones. No names necessary, you know who you are. Thank you for being part of my québecois experience. Never would have been able to do this on my own.

Now when I look at my empty room where I’ve lived for almost the entire year; the white walls that used to be covered by my Mtl and Québec postcards and my luggages (which I had to pack four times to get it right!)…. I cannot believe I’m really leaving. These 12 months feel now much bigger and longer than when looking at them in the calendar. Even thou Canada and Québec are a lot like Finland I have truly lived outside of my comfort zone here.

This is the longest period of time and furthest I’ve ever been from home. Without my support system, from friends and family to EU benefits which all of them I was used to having. I’m continuously searching for the right words to describe the spiritual change and growth in me but I’m starting to think that there isn’t any. I've come a long way from the first post I wrote a year ago. 

I can only encourage everyone to do the same, not the CS thing or Montréal thing or even the travelling thing but to pursue your dreams and step outside of your box for a moment. A lot of bad stuff can happen but so can a lot of good too. Concentrate on the positive side. Life is short and time is precious and limited.

I hope that with the posts here in my blog I’ve managed to open up a little bit what Montréal and Québec are all about and encouraged anyone who’s ever had the thought of travelling here to do so. Or made someone local to be a tourist in his/her city and country. 

It is a remarkable place and I’m proud that I was able to call it my home once.

Je me souviens. I remember. 

More Cabo da Roca and Praia da Ursa