lauantai, 21. kesäkuu 2008

Land of cloudy peaks and trains sky high, Norway

23.7.2008 My room in my place. 1 km from Vandrarheim

I got my own flat after trying to fight with the owner of my hostel about the possibility to use the Hostel's address as my home address and I would've lived in a tent somewhere nearby. Just to try out. He didn't like it and I was forced to go to a flat. Sounds like a marxist nightmare. But after my trip to mountains for 4 days and visit to Viking village I have changed my mind and noticed that it's really nice thing to have a flat. I mean, mostly for the stuff to be kept there in safety and also for the social life and easiness of making food etc. But still... Living with only the very basics for a longer period of time would be a good lesson... maybe in the future. I've started to get to know people from my small town of Voss and also from surroundings.

Interesting meetings: I met on the mountains a norwegian guy who said that he hoped that the living standard and money income in Norway would get lower. He mentioned being worried about the impact of all the money to the Norwegians.

Change in stereotypes: Norwegians aren't as big and tall as I imagined =P


1.7.2008 Lobby of my new workplace, Voss vandrarheim.

Okay, I admit my story about Oslo was quite short but I was there only for a short time. My impression of the city was that the people were quite open and ready to have a conversation with foreigners. The habitance was quite international and style was quite appreciated in the street picture. Style was quite scandinavian. The city is quite nice with it's monuments and gardens in the middle of the city making it an open place. The architecture was quite homogenous which was nice. The style of architecture was again scandinavian with it's decorated quite massive front faces each of which a bit different stony and natural colour.

What has happened in between Oslo and my writing here in Voss? I took train from Oslo towards Bergen. Voss is situated around 1,5 hours from Bergen on the way to Bergen. I was lucky since this train route is quite famous in Norway: the railway goes over a high plateau on the mountains which makes it the highest railroad in Norway. I was definitely surprised by the scenery. The train goes through small villages that look like Pieksänmäki (small vivid coloured wooden houses with a slight melancholic touch). When on the plateau a totally different view opens up. The railway runs through landscapes with steep cliffs covered with snow and melting water with powerful rivers running through them forming waterfalls here and there. The horizont is edged with the rather young mountains of Norway.

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A picture from the lake in front of my hostel. The water is as cold as a water coming from the mountains can be.

It seems that sometimes the water just comes from the top of the mountain even though there is no snow on top of it. I've tried to ask how it's possible but I haven't yet had a satisfactory respond. eeeh???

The last week I've been working and learning intensively. It's a shame since there was Extremesportsveko 2008 that week. It's a quite famous gathering of all kinds of extreme sports and adrenaline addicts with tryout possibilities for newbies also. The week consists of more or less serious competitions, tryouts, spectators, shows and parties. bBase jumping, skydiving, paragliding, rafting, kayak, climbing, and mountainbiking are the main areas.

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Bir air competition. They did the same with a helicopter in the gap.....

I met some cool people like Line (Nor), Lina (Nor) and Dan (Aus). With Dan we went to run on top of a mountain and ended up crossing one current by swimming and jumping from a bridge =).

Next week I'm planning of attending a rafting guide school..


21.6.2008 I'm writing from the lobby of my new workplace, Voss vandrarheim -hostel

Oslo was nice. After missing the plane by one day and paying 160€ extra... Way to go Joonas!

sunnuntai, 18. toukokuu 2008

A Dolmus trip 18.5.2008

I was on my way to Odtu (Middle East Technical University) campus with a haste and after running from the computer labs to the last Dolmus I managed to hop in. I wanted to write this trip down...

First of all the Dolmus stayed for a while waiting for more passengers in the calm evening. I asked some directions from the driver. After a while the driver started talking with two of the passengers and he told a joke about a German guy marrying a turkish girl. The trip started.

While driving out from bilkent the driver was talking with the us and reminded to get our ID's from the gate while honking his horn. At the next stop he was calculating guys who came in and instructing some other guy how to get to a place he wanted to go. Quite straight after the stop there was a guy walking next to the road and the driver slowed down the dolmus and was inviting (yelling) to the guy to come in to dolmus, the guy said something that he's going to a hospital nearby but the driver was insisting and said that he'll take him there and so the guy hopped in. Now the dolmus was full of young guys and the dolmus driver was rolling his yellow old dolmus with a quite a speed. At the hospital the guy hopped out and another guy asked from the driver if the dolmus goes to his destination. It didn't so the driver instructed him to take a bus and the dolmus carried on and made a U turn in the yard in order to get back to road. While passign the guy at the stop again he slowed down and yelled to the guy that there was no more buses and that he would need to turn back up etc etc. One guy from Hacettepe started a small talk with me and was interested where I came from. After a while I fell half asleep and the driver woke me up at Odtu.

Now think about a finnish bus driver and a finnish bus. =)  Interesting differences =)

perjantai, 16. toukokuu 2008

Last thoughts and preparing for last trips

I was struck by a taisteluväsymys while writing these blogs. Life has already turned into a normal way of life and the streets of Ankara start to feel my own. All the stupid kids, dirty alleys, beggars, modern -out-of-this-world-office-buildings- and working traffic system are all already a daily life. Now when the time to go is closing up I start to feel again like travelling and seeing more places... Izmir and Alacati, Kars and mount Ararat, Istanbul... These would be names in my mind at the moment.

In the meantime I've been silent there has been of course loads of happening from travelling to roaming the streets and nights of Ankara. I've also gained the 4th place in interuniversity orienteering competitions and had "most sympathic player" -award from the same races.. Normally they give these prices to the most pathetic players... Anyway, this weekend I'm attending a 2 km orienteering race in Ulus (sometimes even feared old part of Ankara). There's some stuff about the area already in the block.

maanantai, 8. lokakuu 2007

The turkish hospitality and way of life, 2nd greatest Roman city and the last salvage of St. Mary: Ýzmir, Ephesos, Maryamana and alacatý.

New and old friends in the windless always windy bay and surroundings. Next week!

maanantai, 8. lokakuu 2007

The mixture of continents, religion and chaos: Ýstanbul

Taking part into a prayer in the blue mosque during prayer time, seeing sultans palace, and getting to know istanbul while seeing old friends.

Added 7.11.2007, Bilkent, Computer lab

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You can Find everything from Ýstanbul. This cutie was found around the bay of Aegean sea in Ýstanbul. Ýt was behind a pittoresque fish selling small street with tables and chairs suitable for midgets. But my friends told that the fish and food was really good there. 22.10.2007, Somewhere in the small streets of the bay of Ýstanbul.

Ýstanbulissa on kaikkea: Tallainen löyty pienilta kujilta sataman lahelta kalakojujen ja -'ravintoloiden' takaa. Mut ruoka siella kuulemma todella hyvaa! 22.10.2007, Jossain Ýstanbulin sataman kujien laheisyydessa.

 

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HAA, as a sharp-eyed reader can notice it's our friend from Antalya: Antonio! The day we were tavelling around Ýstanbul trying to find a non-touristic Hamam with my turkish. We used nearly all the transportation methods Ýstanbul has and we managed to cover a big area in Ýstanbul. Ýn the evening the ferries over the bay were an experience. Sitting in a cool and fresh, transparent air on the deck with the ligths of Ýstanbul and the lights of the bridge between two continents surrounding you. And a trip with this luxury costs only 1-2 YTL (under a euro). And it's a normal transportation method! BTW, that day Ý got strange virus... Ýt started in the morning from the stomache and travelled on towards the head. But small details shouldn't affect the trip! And at least Ý finally learnt how to use the 'a la Turca' Turkish toilet.. 24.10.2007, Travelling around Ýstanbul.

 

Added 8.19.2007, Bilkent, Computer lab.

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Normal view in Ýstanbul. Saturday morning we arrived to Ýstanbul. You need a cab? (or maybe walk)

Lauantai aamuna saavuttiin Ýstanbuliin isolla porukalla. Ensimmainen nakyma laivamatkan jalkeen. Ýstanbulissa voi liikkua ratikalla, bussilla, laivalla, taksilla tai metrolla. 22.10.2007, Harbour of Ýstanbul.

 

 

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One of the Sultan's ceremonial swords in Topkapý palace. Huge place with Harem's, jewellery and even the hand and the skull of St. John the Baptist. 22.10.2007, Topkapý palace.

Yksi eraan sulttaanin seremonia miekoista Topkapý palatsissa, Ýstanbulissa. Se oli kunnollinen tarujen palatsi Haaremineen ja rikkauksineen. Jopa Pyha John the Baptist:in (Taisi olla yksi Jeesuksen lahikavereista, en muista) kullattu kasi ja paakallo loytyývat kalleuksien joukosta. 22.10.2007, Topkapý palace.

 

 

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Blue mosque and surprising meeting with friends behind (Didn't know they were there..=)). After that -me and Sam - we accidentally went in to the mosque past the guards during prayer time. Ýnside an old man (Ýmam?) was sitting on a throne like chair telling something intensively to the public. Ý had the image of a speaker in the war movies but in the waving light of the religious chandelliers that nearly swept the Arabian-looking washed reddish carpets. The chandellier-like electric lights were hanging from the blueish decorated roof by long thin and black wires. 22.10.2007, Ýn front of Blue Mosque.