And Finally, an Entry!
I have been in Tampere, Finland now since 1 August following brief travels in Iceland and Sweden. Due to an extended “settling in period” including the discovery of Macintosh-unfriendly web service provisions here in my University living quarters, I wasn’t able to spend very much time online.
Additionally, I was waiting for divine inspiration to write this, but it recently dawned on me there were no gods, daemons or divinities anywhere around here to help me out. Besides, I have no clue how to summon or appease such entities, so sadly, you will have to bear with me and endure what has lately felt like a barely monolingual writing capability.
I wanted to avoid posting lists of daily activities and new friends, as can be luring to write when you are trying to inform others of your travels, but if this degenerates into that, I apologize in advance. Also, I am sorry if my writing at times sounds strained, crass or too personal, as I have tried to start this about 10 times, and will now just “let it ride,” as some people might say at times. Meow!
So, now that I have provided myself with some “disclaimer insurance,” I will try and tell you a little about my trip. Tervetuloa!! (that means welcome in Finnish, which itself is called “suomea”)
Iceland
Iceland is absolutely amazing and mysterious. If any of the “100 Places You Must See Before You Die” books don’t include Iceland, than those ones were certainly written by sadly unreliable, perhaps even brutally depressed or intoxicated authors. Or, they were edited by lethargic, uninterested boofs, who are losing their touch and may even have detrimentally hopeless drug habits.
You could go get fondled in Paris while trying to fulfill some weird, creepy romantic fantasy that has been perpetuated by countless low grade and quality films alike over the years, or you could go to Mexico and live it up for spring break, showing people your pasty boobs or bunzes (with a z). Or, you can go to Iceland and maybe do all of these things while seeing some of the most bizarre and awesome landscapes in the known world.
I have to mention before I go on that I forfeit all official authority, given I am 25 and don’t even have a Bachelor’s degree, making me a wholly unreliable source of information. In addition, I haven’t traveled all that much, giving me little room for comparison. I do know that with the combination of its far northern location on the globe at 65’00 N 18’00 W and its volcanic, geographical characteristics, there is really nowhere else on the earth quite like Iceland.
On my trip I didn’t experience youth-reinvigorating romance or show my bunzes (with a z) to anyone in Iceland. I didn’t even experience a morsel of the wild nightlife that many sources mention and which one can catch a however hyped-up glimpse of in the novel based film “101 Reykjavik.” (Recommended if you would like to catch a view of modern Reykjavik.)
One thing I did do was wake early each morning and walk around alone photographing everything I could. I even spent one full day hopping on and off a tour bus with a crowd of dream-team-tourists, none of which I became acquainted with due to their painfully sterile, mood threatening dullness. I got my best photos on this tour, however.
Though tours can dry out the soul, it is highly recommended to take such a tour in Iceland, as you can see a lot of it in a short time. These tours can also be a cost effective way to see Iceland, which is unbelievably expensive. Even a youth hostel will put you on or around $100/night, unless booked well in advance. Food is also outrageously expensive. Of course room prices vary by season, but I would say going in summer is the best time, unless you would have the luck to stay there and experience a full seasonal cycle, which would be great.
I lucked out and had the fortune to stay with an incredibly hospitable and accommodating family (Thank you Stina, Bini and sons, And Abby for the reference). Sadly, due to the limited time we could spend together, I did not get around to photographing them and so cannot show them here. Not only did they make my stay surprisingly comfortable, (and more affordable), but I realized there is no better way to get a quick, genuine and detailed perspective of life in a different country than to stay with “the natives,” even for a short stay. We didn’t have tons of time to get to know each other, but we had dinner, great conversations and stayed up late listening to music pretty much each night.
Will add more later, including photos
Additionally, I was waiting for divine inspiration to write this, but it recently dawned on me there were no gods, daemons or divinities anywhere around here to help me out. Besides, I have no clue how to summon or appease such entities, so sadly, you will have to bear with me and endure what has lately felt like a barely monolingual writing capability.
I wanted to avoid posting lists of daily activities and new friends, as can be luring to write when you are trying to inform others of your travels, but if this degenerates into that, I apologize in advance. Also, I am sorry if my writing at times sounds strained, crass or too personal, as I have tried to start this about 10 times, and will now just “let it ride,” as some people might say at times. Meow!
So, now that I have provided myself with some “disclaimer insurance,” I will try and tell you a little about my trip. Tervetuloa!! (that means welcome in Finnish, which itself is called “suomea”)
Iceland
Iceland is absolutely amazing and mysterious. If any of the “100 Places You Must See Before You Die” books don’t include Iceland, than those ones were certainly written by sadly unreliable, perhaps even brutally depressed or intoxicated authors. Or, they were edited by lethargic, uninterested boofs, who are losing their touch and may even have detrimentally hopeless drug habits.
You could go get fondled in Paris while trying to fulfill some weird, creepy romantic fantasy that has been perpetuated by countless low grade and quality films alike over the years, or you could go to Mexico and live it up for spring break, showing people your pasty boobs or bunzes (with a z). Or, you can go to Iceland and maybe do all of these things while seeing some of the most bizarre and awesome landscapes in the known world.
I have to mention before I go on that I forfeit all official authority, given I am 25 and don’t even have a Bachelor’s degree, making me a wholly unreliable source of information. In addition, I haven’t traveled all that much, giving me little room for comparison. I do know that with the combination of its far northern location on the globe at 65’00 N 18’00 W and its volcanic, geographical characteristics, there is really nowhere else on the earth quite like Iceland.
On my trip I didn’t experience youth-reinvigorating romance or show my bunzes (with a z) to anyone in Iceland. I didn’t even experience a morsel of the wild nightlife that many sources mention and which one can catch a however hyped-up glimpse of in the novel based film “101 Reykjavik.” (Recommended if you would like to catch a view of modern Reykjavik.)
One thing I did do was wake early each morning and walk around alone photographing everything I could. I even spent one full day hopping on and off a tour bus with a crowd of dream-team-tourists, none of which I became acquainted with due to their painfully sterile, mood threatening dullness. I got my best photos on this tour, however.
Though tours can dry out the soul, it is highly recommended to take such a tour in Iceland, as you can see a lot of it in a short time. These tours can also be a cost effective way to see Iceland, which is unbelievably expensive. Even a youth hostel will put you on or around $100/night, unless booked well in advance. Food is also outrageously expensive. Of course room prices vary by season, but I would say going in summer is the best time, unless you would have the luck to stay there and experience a full seasonal cycle, which would be great.
I lucked out and had the fortune to stay with an incredibly hospitable and accommodating family (Thank you Stina, Bini and sons, And Abby for the reference). Sadly, due to the limited time we could spend together, I did not get around to photographing them and so cannot show them here. Not only did they make my stay surprisingly comfortable, (and more affordable), but I realized there is no better way to get a quick, genuine and detailed perspective of life in a different country than to stay with “the natives,” even for a short stay. We didn’t have tons of time to get to know each other, but we had dinner, great conversations and stayed up late listening to music pretty much each night.
Will add more later, including photos
posted by Paul Quillen at 12:15 PM
2 Comments:
wow, your travels sound very rewarding in many aspects. May they continue to enrich your life! i look forward to reading more about your frolicing with the "natives".
Hi Paul,
You're always welcome in Stockholm as well :)
Cheers,
Binni
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