old tiger's Blog

The Kalevala..ask any Finn..is an epos..a mythology..
full of Scandinavian spirit and feelings..written by a doctor...
full of poetry,folks stories and old legends..
it's all about the battle of good and evil..
it's translated in many languages..I've never been a book reader..
I lack the patience but..anyway...
have a peep at this link..
Tiger
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalevala

This Finnish architect was far ahead of his time..
I only saw buildings of him in the town of Rovaniemi(North Finland)
I think this bloke..deserves some attention..therefore this link..
Scandinavian designs are ultra modern..and often futuristically designed..
IP
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvar_Aalto

I travelled a lot through Finland once..yes..I recall..
the lakes..the nature..the Finnish people are a funny lot..
to me..they are very different to Swedes,Norvegians or Danish..
their soul is very attached to nature..apart from the bigger cities..
Finland is nature..lakes,forests,tundra,polarcirkel,bloody mosquito's..
the language..I couldn't speak it even with a hot potatoe in my mouth..
the bad words..one learns first..like *perkele* *vittuu* *hellevetti*
slang is slang..now..marimekko..is Finnish fashion..very bright colours..
even in the 60's the Finnish created their own fashion designs..
I'll see if I can find a link?Finnish vodka is called Finlandia..
drinking age is 18 years..I recall Helsinki one day in the summer..
some youngsters apparently under the age for drinking..
approached me to get a bottle of Finlandia in a shop..
as a tourist..I can buy this..I did..they just wanted to get stoned..
Finnish society is having a problem with alcoholism..suicide rates in Finland
are very high as well..their dark winters..and maybe the solitude..
drive them into depression...in summer..everybody revives..
everybody wants to live..the sun..nature..joy and merriment..
I can understand them..on my 8 years on the road..
one sees..how people expect their life to be..
travelling was not always a bed of roses for myself..it was not 8 years of
holiday..I did have my black days as well..and I learned my lessons from them..
in these days..I'm talking of 1969 to 1976..the attitudes of people
were very different then today..today..it's technology..
people travel with a laptop..computer age..I don't blame them for it..
in Finland beginning 70's..the youngsters were living on the aftermath of Woodstock..music..was very much appreciated..
I recall a baari in central Finland..where the local youngsters were hanging around..
ahah..the Finnish..they drink themselves under the table..
they make a competition of it..I was in a village once near Jyvaskyla..
middle of nowhere..but..there was some kind of disco tent..and I went in there..
did not speak a bloody word of Finnish..
Finnish folks are very curious..they wanna know..who you are??
what you represent in life..I told them..I was a traveller..
I was kinda accepted by a little group on a table..drinking..boozing..
having a laugh really..Finnish moods at its best...
I recall they even played Andre Brasseur music there=a Belgian...
his music was instrumental..it surprised me to hear *early bird*there..
the music was all kinds of rock..I saw a fight with high heels there..2 girls fighting for a bloke...well..well..reminds me of the binge drinking scenes in U.K towns nowadays..anyway..never try to separate 2 chicks fighting with high heels..
you might get a scar in your face??apart from that..
Finland is such a marvell of nature..oh the sauna bit..ahah..yeah..
I got a ride with a Finnish student between Helsinki towards Kotka..
it was around midsummer celebration..kind of a solstice summer event..
we went into a campsite where they were preparing for the evening..
polser..fish..roasted grill etc...and a bloody typical Finnish sauna..
I never did a real Finnish sauna..there was a stove like stuff..
with pebbles...birch twigs to stimulate blood circulation..a lake in front..
to jump in naked..so..I bloody could not breathe when they poured water on these hot pebbles..and then..a swim..but..these peeps..had put 3 crats of beer inbetween the sauna entrance and the lake just believe me..one should not combine alcohol with sauna..did you know?that every midsummer..about 15 youngsters...drown around midsummer..because they bloody get stoned into the sauna..then simply drown in a lake..Finnish folks are crazy..but still..I bloody liked them..hope I did not bore you peeps??we're living in 2008..things are wee bit different now..
Tiger
P.S..I'll put a posting on Alvar Aalto,Sibelius,Kalevalla etc..later on..

http://www.marimekko.com/ENG/interio.../frontpage.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg4sHQoj0i4
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As we all know..Norway is very expensive to most of our standards..
best travell time=I would suggest between 10 june-15 august..
you can never be sure about climatic conditions in Norway..
often they get lots of rain..accomodation=hotels=too expensive..
either stick to youth hostels...and even these are not cheap..
best option are campsites..take a tent..often campsites offer *hytter*
if you could travel with 4 persons..this will be a good bargain..
take a sleeping bag along for this option..further information on campings,hytter etc.. http://www.camping.no/index_eng.html
Norvegians speak English quite well..also to consider is*wild camping*
*allemansretten*is a Norvegian term indicating that anyone can camp
free up till 2 days..but stay about 200 meters from the nearest habitation
if there is any..and don't leave any litter or rubbish..don't make a fire..
watch out with speed limits on Norvegian roads..fines are very high..
take a decent money budget with you..and travel with good road maps..
I recommend Cappelen maps..available in the better travel bookshops..
always take some warm clothes with you..it can get chilly on ferries..
try to witness midsummer festival..around middle June..it's really something..
http://www.scandinavica.com/culture/tradition/midsummer.htm
I would also recommend travelling above the polarcirkel and see this famous
midnight sun scenery..simply unforgettable..the trip too Northcape is maybe
worthwhile..I never made it..I got stuck in Honningsvag..consider also..
that the North cape island=Mageroy..is very touristic...and it costs a bit..
just to visit Northcape anyway.. http://www.nordkapp.no/
for me...the real Norway..are the fjords...damn..I loved it..
I'll think about more tips in a next thread..
Tiger

Norvegian myths,trolls,folk tales etc...
Anybody visiting Norway will see trolls one day..
it has become a trademark item for Norway tourism..
what's a troll??NO,not an internet troll??no way..
trolls are mostly ugly looking creatures..a troll..
is scared of bells ringing..particulary church bells..
mostly trolls don't harm people..despite their ugly and fearful outlook..
the tourist industry made troll keyhangers,bottle openers,
figures to hang in your car..big money game again..
if you wanna learn more about Norvegian folktales..
just try to read some tales from Asbjornsen&Moe..
Asbjornsen was a forest inspector,while Moe was a priest..
both of them gave birth to a vivid Norvegian folk tale history..
ask any Norvegian about nisse,hulder,fossegrime,tusse or deildegast...
they will smile...and tell you what it all means..
it's part of their schooldays..their youth..Mikkel the fox..
Bamsen the bear,trolls,etc...a*nisse*=a gnome like figure..
around Yule(Christmas time)a glass of strong akvavit is put at the farm..
for the nisse...a*huldre or gyger*=this is a lady with a cow's tail,send by
trolls to seduce young men..well..never met one of these while in Norway..
a*fossegrime*=a spirit living in a foss=waterfall=they play very good violin..
a*tusse*=a small spirit..they live behind the wall or beyond the floor of farms
nobody can determine whether they have a good or bad influence...
a*deildegast*=this is a farmers story..this one stole land from his neighbour,
and replaced that land by stones..this one is doomed..
because he wanted to put the stones back in place..
but can't find the bloody correct border..
I was once a guest in Tretten in a Norvegian family..they were telling me it's
all bullshit..well..maybe it is..don't know..the Vikings had their mythology..
how about the Icelandic Edda??one should investigate deeper??
trolls cannot stand sunlight..they turn to stone..they like darkness..
I'll try to find you peeps some links or pictures of trolls etc
http://www.travbuddy.com/travel-blogs/16233/Norwegian-Trolls-travel-blogs-and-reviews-1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/authors/asbjornsen_moe.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_mythology
http://www.sunnyway.com/runes/gods2.html
Tiger