It's Always Sunny in ... Helsinki?

Actually, no, no it isn't always sunny in Helsinki. Far from it. In fact, the weather is shit right now. Yesterday it was nice for a moment when, despite my previous plea, it snowed! I was even kind of excited about braving the fresh powder lining the treacherous footpath. But alas, the excitement was quickly washed away by pounding rain and umbrella-murdering gusts of wind (RIP my beloved blue companion).

This was described to my incomprehensive Florida brain as "wet snow" and it sucked. It felt pretty damn cold to me... those raindrops could have easily frozen in my opinion. My fingers were about to fall off, after all. But no, the temperature rose a few degrees overnight, leaving us with only puddles and a memory. (Oh, and a few photos. Coming soon!)

BUT fear not! There *are* sunny autumn days in Helsinki, despite what the locals may say! In fact, I have photographic evidence from the past few months to prove it.

Before it got dark at 3:45 PM (or 15:45, a way I will never get used to telling time), I used to go walk by the water after work.

I'm pretty sure this is where the rich people in my neighborhood keep their toys:



Five bucks says she's on a Nokia!

A few random shots:





My new love -- mulled wine. I discovered it last January while visiting my father in Buffalo and it has been my new BFF the past few weeks. It was the perfect companion as I took in the view atop Hotel Torni. (Also where the first photo of this post was taken.)

I heart this photo.
This building is a block away from my house. I was diggin the lighting and shadows from the setting sun.

Right across the street is an awesome church, where I caught the actual sunset. Lovely.


So, there are definitely beautiful moments to be had in Helsinki. My fellow Floridians might be less than impressed with all this sun -- we are so effing spoiled! :)

Stay tuned for part two of "Helsinki weather doesn't suck as bad as the locals say, although when they are right, they are right!" when I show you how we struck weather gold with our gorgeous day on Suomenlinna, an island I never thought we would actually get to see.

Two Months Down, One to Go

Well, we’re officially past the two month mark here in Helsinki. (The royal ‘we’ that is.) Actually, I realized today that in exactly one month, I will be sitting back at my Bonnier Corp desk in sunny Florida again. Before that, I will be completely stressed slash stoked about trying to travel after this whole Grow sitch, considering the Helsinki money gods have sucked me dry. (That’s what she said?)

But enough of the panic room, here’s some more random tidbits to keep you interested in my bloggy blog world.

I suck at getting dressed. Layering, tying scarves, wearing proper shoes -- I’m terrible at all of it. I’m convinced I can control the weather solely upon my outfit choice of the day. For example, if I wear my Converse sneakers and light jacket, I’m asking for a blizzard to hit, whereas if I bundle up like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, I will bring about a heatwave. (Temps in the 40’s constitutes a heatwave, btw.) If I’m wearing semi-warm but extra-absorbent boots (they were cheap for a reason!), they’ll have to face massive rain puddles, while the faux-fur lined proper snow boots see only the sunshiny-ist of days. It’s very frustrating.

Speaking of absorbent boots, Reagan came to visit! And she has the same shoe issue. Luckily, I have a hair dryer:



I miss speaking American. With Reagan's recent visit, and a Sunday encounter with two American girls traveling through Helsinki, I've been able to speak good 'ol improper American English. It's been wonderful! And while most Finns understand and speak perfect English (and God bless them for doing so!!!), there’s something so awesome about being able to say “like” every five seconds without second-guessing it. (I wish I didn’t, like, talk like a valley girl, but like, I just, like, can’t help it and stuff. Like, you know?”)

Man, oh, man. Helsinki’s got the funk. As you may have read in my captivating Bonnier Grow interview, my favorite kind of funk music is *everywhere* in this town -- bars, cafes, night clubs, restaurants. It’s like my own personal wonderland of music. This is probably only noticeable to someone like me, who would recognize when Evelyn Champagne King’s “I’m in Love” starts playing at a random pub. Most of the DJs I have met play strictly vinyl (yay!) and there are eight record stores at the end of my street. EIGHT. One block away. Le sigh. The best parties so far have been Solid Gold’s funk night at YK and Keep It Up every First Friday at We Got Beef. God, I wish I could DJ here.

Hair mustaches = still fun.


I’m dreaming of a non-white November. In October, it officially snowed three times but not enough to stick. I’m not too keen on the idea of snow (see the part where I suck at getting dressed) but the Finns always look sad that I won’t get to see “proper snow.” To me, no snow = better than lots of snow.

I finally made it to Suomenlinna! We lucked out with gorgeous weather, too! Pictures coming soon!


I am homesick. Yep, that’s right. Even though I’m taking full advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I miss home. Besides obviously missing family and friends, it’s the little things I am longing for: flavored iced coffee; showers with bathtubs; American keyboards: öåä; driving my car when the sun is setting; editing the DWH site; Fahrenheit, pounds, feet, miles; Mexican food; speaking English without worrying if I’ll be understood; prices in dollars instead of Euros (eff the exchange rates and bank fees!!!); my orange and yellow living room and record collection; biking around the lakes in my neighborhood... these are a few of my favorite things. I look forward to reuniting with them in December.

More frequent posts coming soon. I have so many ideas and photos to post before I get home. Next on the agenda: Alyx and Bill are coming this week to visit -- yay! Stay tuned...

Dancing with Finnish Stars

Working for MTV3 certainly has its perks. Last night, I was among the elite and privileged few invited to attend a live broadcast of one of their most popular shows: Tanssii Tähtien Kanssa -- better known in America as Dancing with the Stars. It was a cold and rainy Sunday evening (quite a contrast to the previous day’s gorgeous weather) and, of course, I forgot my umbrella at home. Even if I had been “dressed to impress” as the invitation stated, by the time we walked the few blocks from the metro station to the set, I looked more like a drown rat.

We arrived about 30 minutes early and couldn’t figure out where the entrance was. This guy was outside smoking a cigarette:


He was very nice and helpful as he directed us toward the front door. I mistook him for a stagehand but as it turns out, he was Jone Nikula, a quite famous judge on the show. (Sort of like the Simon Cowell of Finland.) Oops.

We settled into the press area on the side of the stage with a great view of all the action, and I mentally prepared myself for an hour-long TV show entirely in Finnish. At least dancing is a universal language. We seriously lucked out with the week’s theme, which could have easily been the waltz or ballroom style. Instead it was salsa, something I was particularly excited to see Finnish stars attempt. Turns out, they did pretty well! The highlights:

Antti Tuisku, a total cutie who became famous on Idols (Finland’s version of American Idol), was the standout dancer and crowd favorite. And even though he nailed his salsa routine and was the top-scoring participant, he swears he’s not gay. Riiiiiiight. Neither was Adam Lambert.


The lowest-scoring contestant last week, Jethro Rostedt, was another crowd-pleaser, proving that even if you can’t get the moves just right, personality goes a long way. I could have sworn the judge slash stagehand quoted LL Cool J when he said “Don’t call it a comeback,” in English. (Newsflash: he didn’t. While he did use the word ‘comeback,’ the rest of the sentence was in Finnish. I tend to draw my own conclusions, though. It makes language barriers a lot more fun.)


The most painful routine was to the un-salsa-like song “I’ve Had the Time of My Life.” Ummm... huh? Yes, it was in Dirty Dancing and yes, I think there was a salsa routine in the beginning of the movie. But still, worst song choice ever? Probably why that particular couple was eliminated.

But I had so much fun watching the show live! Considering I live nowhere near Hollywood, I doubt I would ever have had this opportunity in The States. Even if I did, this season in America has the weirdest stars ever. Why would I want to see “stars” like spawn of Satan, Bristol Palin, or the Situation dude from Jersey Shore dance? (Michael Bolton, actual Dirty Dancer Jennifer Grey and David Hasselhoff -- that’s another story. I would totally want to see them live.)

Leena and me before the show

PS... My co-workers are giving me crap me because I thought the host, Mikko Leppilampi, was hot. Apparently he doesn’t have the best rep in Finland, but based on looks alone, he’s a stereotypical handsome man. (Plus, being European only makes him more attractive.)

American ladies, please weigh in. What do you think? Yay or nay?

Fall in Helsinki

It looks like Finland is finally dishing out some of that nasty Fall weather everyone has been warning me about/promising: rainy and wet, dark and freezing. (Like, numb fingers through gloves, freezing.) Seriously, the weather this week has sucked. Whenever I picture Autumn, I think of the stunning New England landscape, not wintery drearysville. (Fall would be easy if your colors were like my dreams: red, gold and green, red gold and greeeeeee-heeeeeen.)

But I'll admit, I've been pretty lucky so far. Up until this week, the weather has been brisk and sunny -- an absolutely lovely experience for this native Florida girl who hasn't yet had the pleasure of living where the leaves change.

So here are some Fall scenes in Helsinki through my eyes. It might not measure up to Boston or New Hampshire, but to me, it's been pretty effing beautiful.

On a walk home from work:

Bus stop by my office -- I love the ad with an ironically green tree.

The Golden Time of Day.

The treacherous footpath, now adorned with slippery leaves! Huzzah!

Scenes from Vanha kirkkopuisto (Old Church Park), better known as Ruttopuisto (Plague Park). Maybe not the most appealing name, but awesome just the same.

Now I am warm and cozy in my living room, listening to hurricane-worthy gusts pound against my (thankfully thick) window pane. Watching the trees outside dance in the wind, I know these pretty orange and yellow leaves will soon just be a memory. I feel lucky to have experienced living in a new city during one of the most enchanting times of year (despite what the locals might say). It has been truly inspiring and one of the best souvenirs a Floridian could ever ask for.

First World Sagas: The Perils of Packing

And now for one of those "My gold shoes are too tight" and "My wallet is too small for all these hundreds" kind of post.

Today's impossible feats:

Shopping for a Scandinavian fall/winter climate during August. In Florida. Even if you find anything, it’s too hot and sticky to comfortably try anything on. You end up inevitably buying anything that looks semi-good and feels semi warm – which is anything with long sleeves, btw. We’ll see how it works out.

Packing a three-month adventure into one suitcase. Okay, this is where my materialistic nature kicks in. I yearn for a true traveler’s nature – stuff everything you own into a backpack and GO. I, however, am a classic overpacker. A two-day weekend? I’ll need at least three different shoe options, purses to match, skinny jeans, fat jeans, skirts, t-shirts, dress shirts, casual dresses, fancy dresses… you get the point. However, a $50 baggage fee has derailed my plans of checking two suitcases, so I’m down to one checked, one carry-on. And for this trip, I’m dealing with the unknown weather factor, competing with sassy Scandinavian style (I just want to fit in, damnit!) and the fact that I literally want to haul everything I own over to Finland (but what if I need these measuring cups while I am there???). I have a feeling it’s going to a be an up-til-4am-packing kinda night.

Someday (maybe even on this trip!) I will ditch the bag lady mentality, throw caution to the wind and not care if I don’t have every outfit/shoe option and focus more on things that matter. Like seeing the world.