I had a look at the weather forecasts for next week. They're predicting +36 C for Normandy and no more than +17 C for Northern Finland. It's been an exceptionally cold month of June - one of the coldest in 50 years in Finland, it seems. I don't mind it much though, since I spend most of my days cooped up in my research chamber anyway.
Trollius europaeus
This weekend, however, I decided it was time to enjoy some fresh (quite literally so!) air and so I took the train to Lapland. While the weather isn't so far exactly what you'd call summery (the temperature peeking at about +13 C) and the sky is cloudy and it's been raining for the last 24 hours, with the right gear (aka a raincoat and a pair of boots) you can still enjoy the beautiful little things out there.
So here's some flower power for us all - how many do you recognize? :)
(I confess, I had a little help from my all-knowing dad...)
I'm still very busy with my projects that often have me work late in the evenings (I would say until sunset, but the sun doesn't really set here at the moment...), hence the radio silence on this blog. Here's, however, a little gem I absolutely wanted to share with you.
Phillip Chbeeb and Renee Kester. Two young American dancers + a subway platform = one of the most beautiful dance videos I've seen in a while. See for yourself - it's simply mesmerizing!
I won't keep watching you
Dance around in your smoke
And flicker out
You're not the light I used to know
I don't believe in safety nets
Strung aloft, make it all right to let go
You gotta hold on
Or it's gonna slip, slip, slip though your
Slip, slip, slip through your hands
Or it's gonna slip, slip, slip though your
Slip, slip, slip through your hands
Or it's gonna slip, slip, slip though your
Slip, slip, slip through your hands
What's the matter?
You don't have enough rain
To make up your storm
Ooooh
What you look so sad for?
Where's the light I used to know-oh-oh
Or it's gonna slip, slip, slip though your
Slip, slip, slip through your hands
Whoa-whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
Or it's gonna slip, slip, slip though your
Slip, slip, slip through your hand
Where's that light I used to know
Where's that light I used to know
Where's that light I used to know
Where's the light I used to know-oh?
Slip Slip slip through your hands
Or it's gonna slip, slip, slip though your
Slip, slip, slip through your hands
Whoa-whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
Or it's gonna slip, slip, slip though your
Slip, slip, slip through your hands
Whoa-whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
Or it's gonna slip, slip, slip though your
Slip, slip, slip through your hands
It's Midsummer's Eve today and time to go dancing!
Here's some Finnish folk atmosphere for you... :)
PS. This Samuji video dates back a couple of years, but the current collection is on sale now - I'm trying hard not to crack for those mermaid dresses!
One of the things that'll strike you the most when living abroad: food.
For example, I'm still not used to the typical French petit déjeuner - a coffee and a croissant topped off with a bit of jam, or perhaps a pain au chocolat or pain au lait.
Mind you, I'm not saying it doesn't taste good. I have no trouble gobbling down an entire pain menthe chocolat in the morning. It's just that
for someone who's used to eating a simple and good-for-your-health rye porridge or a yoghurt with
some honest muesli in the morning, the sinful combination of fat and sugar of
the French cuisine simply doesn't feel like a proper breakfast, but more
like afternoon coffee break (and to earn a break you'll need to work
hard first!).
Anyway, the breakfast issues aside, France is great for eating out. Caen, for example, is a relatively small town, but - since we're in France - there is
a large number of restaurants to choose from and quite a few good ones,
too. There are even three restaurants with a Michelin star.
My favourite place, however, is still a rarity in France, a vegetarian & vegan restaurant called Greedy Guts.
It's a cosy place right in the centre of Caen, full of quirky little details. Besides serving inventive and tasty meals and delicious (and humongous) cakes for dessert, they also organize different kinds of workshops or Troc-tes-trucs days for giving away or exchanging the things that you no longer need yourself. Be sure to book a table ahead if you fancy a lunch on their little terrace!
As for me, I'm pretty sure this little restaurant will be one of things I'll miss when back in Finland. That and the pain menthe chocolat!
Here's a tip for my readers in Finland: the Finnish National Ballet is going on a summer tour!
I saw their evening show last Friday in Oulu and I have to say, it was fabulous - there were excerpts of classical ballets and original choreographies and an excellent surprise at the end of the show! The tickets to the evening show cost us only 10 euros per person and I think it was probably the best value I've ever got for that amount of money. Absolutely delightful!
The evening shows are now over, but the dancers continue their summer tour with free shows in 6 different cities. Here's when and where:
Wednesday 3.6. 18:00 Vaasa Thursday 4.6. 18:00 Turku
Friday 5.6. 18:00 Tampere Monday 8.6. 18:00 Lahti Tuesday 9.6. 18:00 Jyväskylä
While visiting the coast of Normandy, our next stop brought us to Trouville-sur-Mer, the favourite place of the French aristocracy before the first WW and still a popular destination today, especially among the Parisians. Once a fisherman village, nowadays a tourist attraction... Fortunately Trouville hasn't lost all of its charm, especially if you fancy a long seaside walk and beautiful villas. You can find a short history of Trouville here.
The fishermen used to live in small colourful houses...
...while the upper class enjoyed beautiful hotels and villas.
The signs lead to the famous seaside walk, les Planches.
The villas are impressive indeed.
Trouville Palace, built in 1910.
After an ice-cream and a long walk along the beach, we decided to have a look at our third destination for the day, Deauville. Trouville borders Deauville, so we simply drove across the bridge and we were already there. Deauville is probably the best known seaside resort in Normandy and most certainly one of the most famous ones in all of France. Nicknamed the Parisian Riviera - a very popular destination among the high society - it houses a Grand Casino, a horse race course, luxurious hotels and villas... And the Deauville American Film Festival, bringing there loads of international movie stars every year.
The enormous Hôtel Royal...
...and Normandy Barrière, a 5-star seaside hotel and its gardens.
The Deauville beach in the evening.
Each of the beach closets is dedicated to an actor.
Promenade des Planches, dating from 1923.
I have to say I preferred Trouville to Deauville which, with its overly
luxurious feel, big roads and lack of authenticity, left me rather
unimpressed. However, if you're in the neighbourhood, both of them do
deserve a visit - just don't go there in the middle of the summer
season...!
I'm back in Oulu where the temperature
is about + 5 C and the sky is grey and cloudy and rainy and the North
wind is blowing... I must say that the eight kilometres to the
university (by bike) did feel a bit long this Friday morning and there
really isn't that much to blog about a soaked knit cap and mittens.
But
earlier this week, while I was back in France and enjoying my day off
before heading back to Finland, I got a chance to visit some of the most
famous coastal towns in Normandy. So here's the destination number one: Honfleur!
Immortalised
by many Impressionist painters, like Monet or Boudin, Honfleur,
situated on the Southern estuary of the Seine, across from Le Havre, is
best known for its beautiful old harbour, but there is a lot more to see
and visit: the Church of Sainte-Catherine, Boudin Museum, Maisons
Satie... And if you fancy a little stroll, you can always climb up the
little hill behind the old town where you can enjoy a nice view to the
harbour.
The Church of Saint-Léonard
The famous wooden church tower of Sainte-Catherine.
Norman style houses. Honfleur is one of the few towns in Normandy to have escaped damage during the Second World War.
Once a favourite place for many a painter, Honfleur still boasts an impressive number of art galleries.
May in France is beautiful: there are flowers everywhere!
