Florence, Italy: Naked David!

Florence: our last Italian city before flying back to reality (sad!) We arrived at Kursaal hotel just a few blocks away from the train station and dropped off our bags. One block away was the Italian leather outdoor market. We toured the city stopping for pizza, coffee, and views of the naked David. The David statue is regal as ever even though it is only a replica of the real deal statue--now located in Academia Gallery. This was also the coldest day of our trip as the wind cut right through our bones, so we popped in and out of cafes and stores all day long. After visiting the beautiful Ponte Vecchio (old bridge) we headed back to the hotel, exchanged photos with Dan and Julie and then bid farewell to them as they hopped a train back to Pisa. When I live outside of Colorado, it is always hard to say goodbye to my family members. Normally I get this sinking feeling deep in my throat that reverberates down into my chest and abdominal area (yes, it is a very physical goodbye). In this case, I could not even say, "See you in..." because we are unsure as to when we will be back in the States. Oh well, there will always be Italy.

Siena, Italy: Train strike, laundry, and dance party

It was a BIG surprise when we arrived at the Lucca train station to catch our train to Siena. A train strike?!...which means most trains do not operate. Hmmmmm, what do we do, we have a (non-refundable) hotel booked in Siena. We could:
A.) be ugly Americans and start yelling and screaming at the ticket dude, demanding that "our" train take us to Siena NOW or
B.) set up our own strike, like an "Occupy" protest right there in the train station. Imagine all of our clothes tied together to make a hippie encampment (I have always secretly dreamed of being a hippie) with signs that say, "nobody puts baby in a corner." Awesome...or
C.) turn on the positive vibes and think creatively.
We chose C!  Next thing we knew we were on a bus with very loud individuals, headed to Florence. The bus weaved through town and at one bus-stop a screaming match ensued between a passenger and the bus driver. Charlie and I looked at each other with the same thought in our minds...can we please just get to Siena? We arrive in Florence, without blood shed, and the train station is a mad house--we find out that maybe a train will come and maybe it will not (oh, the joys of an Italian train strike!) I park myself in front of the train departure times and Charlie goes on a scavenger hunt for the bus station. Good news, 15 minutes later he comes back with two tickets to Siena in his hand. Ah yeah, that's my man!

Piazza del Campo

Siena is wonderful; it is rightfully recognized as a UNESCO world heritage centre. When you enter the Piazza del Campo you say to yourself, yep this city totally deserves the UNESCO honor...it is spectacular! When we finally arrived in Siena, Charlie and I checked into Hotel Chiusarelli, our home for two nights. Julie and Dan met us in Siena the following day and shared their train strike story with us (we weren't the only ones stranded). They were supposed to visit Cinque Terre, but no such luck. Boo!

Oh well, we were, once again, all together again in Italy...life was GOOD! Our day was spent walking through the narrow cobblestone streets, doing laundry, eating delicious Italian food with a waiter that very loudly made fun of my very bad Italian language, and Charlie even tried on some beautiful Italian suits. Before dinner we rendezvoused in our hotel room and before you knew it the music was pumping and the crazy Americans (that's us!) were shaking booty--dance party style!

Lucca, Italy: Home of Puccini & Tuscan Food Ecstacy!

A 20-minute train through the Tuscan countryside brought us to the famous city and commune of Lucca; a quaint city known for the Renaissance wall that still encircles the old city center. Charlie and I stayed at the sweetest little bed and breakfast right in the center of town: Al Tuscany, with a host who totally hooked us up with information on where to eat (like a local). I have one word for Lucca: delicious! Seriously, we ate the best meals here...or at least I think so: farinata (cornmeal porridge), zuppa di farro (spelt and bean soup), cannelloni, a savory pumpkin crostata (tart) yummy-ness, tiramisu, and torta di fichi e noci (fig and walnut tart). We went to two restaurants where we ate typical Lucchese cuisine: Trattoria da Leo and Trattoria da Giulio (both highly recommended). It is funny that all I can talk about is the food! Well, considering that we are back in Finland now and I am faced with very limited restaurant options...it is no wonder I am obsessed with the great cuisine in Italy.

 In addition to eating, we relished in good conversation as we walked around the city wall and even climbed the Tower, Torre Guinigi, (all 230 steps) for an incredible panoramic view of Tuscany. After dinner, Julie and Dan went back to Pisa (where they stayed the whole week) and we nestled into our cozy little B&B. Tomorrow: Charlie & I travel to Siena (2 hours and 40 minutes on the train from Lucca).

Italy: The Leaning Tower of Pizza!

We arrived in Pisa late in the evening and made our way to the antiquated and ornately decorated Royal Victoria Hotel nestled right up against the Arno river. (We highly recommend this hotel for it's old-style Tuscan feeling.) The plan was to meet Julie and Dan at their hotel in the morning...woohoo!

Picnic under the leaning Tower of Pisa.

Inside the Duomo (grandiose is an understatement!)

With the alarm clock came sunshine and an amazing buffet breakfast at our hotel. After a joyful reunion with my big sis and bro-in-law we were off to explore the city. First, the leaning Tower! We spent a few hours walking around and before you knew it a photo session ensued (shocker!): jumping photos and trying to straighten the leaning Tower with every body part imaginable (hands, feet, and even the booty). Soon our tummies began talking and we found a typical little Italian butcher shop in the narrow cobblestone streets where we purchased fresca frommage (fresh, local cheese), bresaola, prosciutto, pesto, and melt-in- your-mouth freshly baked focaccia bread (yes, Charlie and I agreed to splurge and go not-so-vegan this trip). We bathed in the sunshine and beautiful blue skies while enjoying a picnic lunch on the greens under the grandiose Medieval architecture of the Piazza del Duomo and the leaning Tower of Pisa.

Dinner was amazing...we just so happened to stumble on a local's favorite pizza place called Officina. When in Italy, eat pizza, pizza, pizza! Tomorrow: the walled city of Lucca.

To Italy, We Go!

Charlie and I will rendezvous at the Helsinki Vantaa airport today to fly to Germany (layover) and then onto Italy. We are meeting my amazing sister and her husband for a week of Italian adventures. We even packed our sunglasses (hoping for a little sunshine down South)! More details, photos, and stories soon...but until then enjoy a photo of sliced reindeer salami (available at Vantaa airport.)

More Research (and Snow) in Helsinki

Another week in Helsinki, I have four interviews scheduled, a doctor's appointment, and meetings with a few of my colleagues--so it should be a  productive week. I arrived on the 19th in the crux of a winter snowstorm. One thing I have realized is that Helsinki has a tougher time dealing with snow compared to Jyväskylä because it is a large dense city and where do you put all of the snow when it falls? In the Sea (1/3 of all snow that falls in Helsinki ends up in the Sea!)--see video.

What's up with the Ladders?

It is common to see big ladders permanently affixed to buildings in Jyväskylä. But, why?

Many of the campus buildings (seen here) have ladders. But, why?

Answer: They receive so much snow that sometimes they need to climb the ladders to clear the snow from the roof.

The Snow Dump

Parking garage on campus.

Ever wonder what happens to all of the snow on the top level of a parking garage?Answer: they dump it below...

Now, we must investigate the follow-up question...where do they take the snow?

A Happy Hour Dedicated to Skiing!

The local ski hill, Laajavuori, about 3 miles from our apartment hosts a happy hour on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. This is a four-hour time period when you can buy a lift-pass (for the tow rope) for 8€ and rent (good Volkl) skis for 7€. You know we are all over this screamin' deal! So, the opening week we decided to check it out with our friends from Greece (see photo to left). When we arrived the line was long for the one tow rope  at the bottom of the ski hill (yes, this is a very small ski hill). Once arriving at the top of the tow rope the journey down the hill was a quick, but very enjoyable, 5-second experience.

I will be the first to admit...I am a ski snob. I like champagne powder snow, I hate ice, and I love big mountain skiing! I realize that I was very spoiled growing up in Colorado where the skiing is excellent. With that being said, I have become more realistic with skiing expectations and experiences out of Colorado and this (pseudo) ski experience was great! Sometimes simply being in the elements with skis strapped to my feet is enough to put a perma-grin on my face.

2012 Intentions

 1.) More yoga...at least 3 hours/week.

2.) Sit up straight (lengthened spine) especially when on my computer.

3.) Finish my dissertation! Just do it, those three letters are so close I can taste them.

4.) Continue to live life with a positive attitude, levity, and the Nikon camera strapped around my neck.

5.) Make time for creativity: blogging, videos, photos, dancing, and being silly.

Lake Jyväsjärvi covered in snow.

6.) Shorter blog posts: maybe a photo with caption (dissertation needs more attention).

7.) Melt into vulnerabilities, love, and compassion and then find peace.

8.) Positive vibes for what's next: after the Finnish gig ends in June.

The children's park right across the street from our apartment.

9.) Dance party once a week with Charlie (he does not know this yet, but he will after reading this blog post.) 

10.) Be more intentional about UNPLUGGING and enjoying life.

Reflections: Top 10 of 2011

Senatesquare in Helsinki all snowed in.

The cool thing about having a blog is that it becomes a life chronicle of sorts and when you want to reflect on something you simply look up the date and waaaaa laaa photos, thoughts, etc. (Confession: sorry, not every experience is on my blog, duh!) For me, life reflection is something I enjoy. Past experiences (both good and bad) shape who you are at this present moment. Some prefer to let go of the past, which I understand--especially the bad memories--but, I like to cherish and learn from them. Here we go:

Top 10 Highlights of 2011:

1.) Love: Did I tell you that I have a superboyfriend? He is amazing and he never ceases to amaze me with his love and commitment. In 2011, he resigned his job, sold many of his worldly belongings, and moved to Europe, so that we could both experience a life together in a foreign country. Certainly, it has not been without it's challenges, but it has all been worth the moving hell we went through to get here. 

House of the Estates, Helsinki.

2.) PhD "Candidacy": In January I defended my comprehensive exams and officially became "ABD" (all but dissertation). This is very hard to believe, as my first year was so challenging I thought I would be a PhD drop-out, but here I am a 4th year PhD Candidate collecting data for my dissertation in Finland. Awesome!

3.) Fulbright, fulbright, fulbright! Ah, the fabulous letter that came in early April notifying me that I was selected for a Fulbright grant--a dream come true. And, here we are in Finland...living the Fulbright dream. (Pinch me!)

Winter time in Helsinki.

4.) Death: one of my dear professors fought a long and hard battle with cancer and finally found peace in May. He taught me so much, but mostly he reinforced my love for experiencing life through travel and positive attitude.

5.) Health: this year has not been my healthiest. Some pesky little parasites from Costa Rica hitched a ride into the U.S. by way of my colon, which resulted in about two months of hell.  In addition, since September I have been battling discomfort in my esophagus and I still do not have resolution with the Finnish doctors diagnosis. It has all made me realize that health is a precious thing not to be taken for granted. (No blog post on this latest health impairment, but let me just tell you there has been a stool sample and BIG female Baltic Doctor involved...more on this later.)

More Helsinki.

6.) Travels: a year would not be complete without planes, trains, and automobiles. This year I visited 12 countries including Costa Rica (again), South Africa (again), Canada, Hungary, and Norway.

7.) Friends: the biggest joy in traveling is the shared experience that you have with others. Costa Rica was with Charlie and a group of amazing UGA students, South Africa with a group of amazing UGA colleagues, in Norway I met up with all of my favorites still living in Oslo (Kristi, Jason, Shane...), and in Brussels, I spent four days living with my former and favorite Brazilian roommate.

Little kids with sleds...YEAH!

8.) Family: in April my parents, sister, and brother visited us in Athens, Georgia. It was so nice to show them where I have been living the past three years. Then, in August I spent almost a month in Colorado--lots of family quality time! Charlie and I also visited his parents in Ohio and spent July 4 in Chicago with his brother and nephews.

9.) Finland (again): I have rediscovered my love for this country, the culture, the Finnish sauna, the forest, and YES, cold-water lake swimming. I feel like we are much more immersed into the local culture, than when I lived here in 2007. Our Finnish friends and colleagues Ilkka, Terhi, David, Jussi and our adopted Finnish family have all shown us the true Finnish spirit and we are so appreciative of the intercultural experiences.

10.) Positive vibes...what more do you need in life?

New Year's Eve--Ricky Martin Style!

WDC Helsinki 2012: New Year's Eve of Design from WDC Helsinki 2012 on Vimeo.

The Finnish Ricky Martin on stage!

Ringin' in 2012 was better than expected! We are staying in Helsinki for a week before heading home, so we decided to check out the annual new years celebration in SenateSquare (about a 10 minute walk from where we are staying). Little did we know that we were part of a GRAND celebration this year because of two special events: 1.) Helsinki celebrates it's 200th year of being the Capital of Finland (1812-2012), and 2.) Helsinki is the designated Design Capital of the World in 2012. 

Yep, that is a giant rubix cube.

The Helsinki Cathedral all lit up!

Happy New Year!

We arrived in Senatesquare just in time for the kick off of the live TV version of the celebration. Now this is the kind of new years celebration I can get down with (long are the days that I want to fight drunk crowds of people), this crowd was (in typical Finn style) chilled out, well-mannered, and for the most part sober. I guess it helped that the demographics included families and many middle-aged people and a HUGE group of crazy Canadians waving their flags (gotta love the Canadians when you travel--they are not shy about showing off their flag.) Plus, the roped off area was strictly "no alcohol" until the fireworks went off, of course, and everyone pulled out their champagne bottles and plastic cups. Why didn't we get that memo to pack champagne?...oh well, next time. . Not only was the crowd impressive, but the live music selection was, well, classic! Jari Sillanpää is his name and singing like Ricky Martin is his game. Seriously, this dude was a crack-up and the Finns absolutely loved him! Imagine a Ricky Martin look-a-like with frumpy back-up singers and dancers in the background singing (with a Finnish accent) "She bangs, she bangs...", how can you not giggle at that? Suffice it to say, it was entertaining, but I kept asking Charlie...do you think another band will take the stage? Answer: NO...they were the headliner! While all of this was great, the best part was the light show and the fireworks. There were beams of light radiating on all of the surrounding buildings and the fireworks at midnight did not disappoint.

Happy 2012! Now we must remember to write "2" instead of "1"...good luck with that.

Tallinn, Estonia & the Drunk Ferry to Helsinki

Tallinn Christmas Markets.

Wool sweaters & socks for sale.

Whenever I travel outside of Finland I like to check out the happycow, a website that lists and reviews all local restaurants serving up vegan and vegetarian offerings. There was actually a good list of recommended eateries in Riga and Tallinn. In Riga, we checked out the Raw Garden and grabbed some takeaway items for our bus ride. With tubs of wheat-grass growing in the windows, we entered the little restaurant and asked if we could order takeaway. The lady behind the counter spoke very good English and told us, in detail, all about the menu. We ordered two veggie sandwiches on dried pumpkin bread and grabbed a few munchies that were beautifully displayed on the counter, a cashew-coconut ball and two pieces of dried bread (one zucchini and the other carrot).  At 12:40, the Lux Express 4-hour bus to Tallinn rolled up and off we went into the countryside. While the ride through the countryside was beautiful, the wireless kept us busy, and the food from Raw Garden was amazingly delicious. (Good review posted on happy.cow!)

Charlie waiting to board "drunk" ferry.

You see a lot of this on the ferry.

Our cozy spot on the ferry...until the drunks sat below us.

Vomit bags on the ferry, just in case.

It was a short adventure in Tallinn, as we had tickets for the 9 p.m. drunk ferry to Helsinki. But, that did not stop us from exploring the Christmas markets and eating at the BEST rated restaurant in Tallinn--no joke. We found Aed, the restaurant, on happycow too and then after further investigation found that it was rated as the BEST restaurant in Tallinn by Tripadvisor. (Yes, I am an investigator of sorts, as I like to read people's reviews of restaurants, hotels, etc.--blame it on dreamy rational choice theory.) After eating the delicious pumpkin soup, linguine pasta, and chocolate cake, we walked to the drunk ferry and by first glance of the queue we knew we were in for an entertaining 2 hour ferry across the Gulf of Finland. People, not only the young people, people of all ages had *stacks of* cases of beers ready to bring back home to expensive Finland. The alcohol is obviously less expensive in Tallinn and so Finns make the mad dash across the pond to buy their goods. Luckily, we were upwind from the loud, obnoxious (and yes, drunk) teenagers who decided to party in our cozy location on the ferry.

Ah, it's nice to be back in Finland!

Riga: the "Little Paris" with a Coupon!

Riga Christmas Markets.

It was like a ghost town, except for inside the shopping malls, on Boxing Day (December 26) in London. We discovered that the Tube was closed because the employees wanted more pay on the national holiday--makes sense. What a better way to send this message than to strike on the BIGGEST shopping day in London? Way to stick it to the man and stick it to capitalism! Boxing day was also the day we were slated to fly to Riga, Latvia. After visiting the Tube station by our hotel and seeing all of the "closed" signs, we managed to find a bus that would take us to central London. We got off the bus at Shepard's Bush and discovered that ONE Tube line had just opened up at the very stop we got off...talk about good timing!


Ryanair to Riga...a flight where all of the passengers clapped after we landed...why do people do that?  Anyway, we walked out of the airport and waaaaah-laaaaa there was a Baltic Air hotel shuttle waiting for passengers. Good timing, again. We were dropped off at our hotel, Hotel Albert, where we checked in and explored the city by night.

Gingerbread cookies.

The House of Blackheads...what a name!

Let me tell you the best part of this trip...we got a SCREAMIN' deal! So, anyone who knows me, knows that I love a bargain and I love coupons. Yes, I am one of those crazy coupon clippers. But, in the past few years I have discovered the bliss of on-line groupon coupons. In Athens, Georgia I first stumbled on the groupon concept and since then I have been addicted! The good thing is that the groupon coupon concept has gone international, just in time for us to move to Europe. So, I signed up for CityDealiä (same as groupon--different name) in Helsinki, Tampere, and Jyväskylä and began receiving coupon deals by email. In addition to boob jobs, restaurants, and beauty treatments, there are even travel coupons...this is where it gets good! The coupon we used for our trip to Riga was 90€ and included 2 nights at the 4-star Hotel Albert, free wireless internet, breakfast buffet, and a 30€ dinner coupon and 2 welcome drinks. Cool!


Overall, Riga is a sweet and quaint little, or shall I say not so little, town. It is the largest city in the Baltic States and 1/3 of Latvia's population lives in Riga. We were lucky because most of Europe has an extensive Christmas holiday season, thus the Christmas markets in Old Riga were still open and selling gingerbread cookies, wool socks, warm hats and gloves, and handicrafts. Our exploration of the city took us to the bustling city market located in five converted zeppelin hangars where we bought fresh walnuts and tigerbalm, an 'authentic' medieval basement restaurant (only lit by candles) called Rozengrals, and Charlie experienced a Latvian beer tasting at Queens Public House.

Go to Riga, you will not be disappointed!

"Happy Christmas" as the Brits Say...from London.

Many of you were asking, 'why London for Christmas'?  Good question! London is certainly not known for good sunny weather during the Christmas holiday season, so why the heck would we choose London?

Top 10 Reasons to Go to London for Christmas:
1.) The flight was much more affordable than a trip from Finland to Colorado or Ohio; plus Charlie experienced his first (and probably his last) Ryanair flight (truly a cultural experience with the queue, fight for seats, and capitalism on board).
2.) London all dressed, and lit, up for the holidays (even without snow) is a very festive place during Christmas time.
3.) There are multiple Whole Foods stores in London, one of our favorite places to eat a plants-based dream meal and buy good food.
4.) London is famous for the West End theater shows and it just so happened that we both bought each other the same Christmas gift: a ticket to see Les Misérables. (The tickets were located right next to each other...maybe not such a coincidence.)
5.) The Tube (London subway) and all public transportation was closed on Christmas day, thus facilitating a beautiful Christmas walk into Central London (12.7 miles of a beautiful walk).


6.) Where else can you enjoy a Christmas day evensong in an UNESCO World Heritage Site that dates back to 960? In London, of course, at the Westminster Abbey. Okay, I am not a religious person, but I have developed a real love for evensong (ever since living in Oxford)--the sounds of the choir are spiritual and beautiful. It makes me want to break out my yoga mat right there in the middle of praying people and have my own spiritual experience. Namaste.
7.) Eye & Mouth Candy: red payphone booths, fish n chips,Big Ben, red double-decker buses, GOOD Indian food, mince pies, Christmas pudding, affordable cider and beer, Tower bridge, warm scones, and afternoon tea.
8.) The British accent is like 80% dark chocolate with cocoa nibs and a little cinnamon sprinkled on top--it is music to the ears! I want everyone to speak with that beautiful accent. Seriously, I love it!
9.) Where else you walk out of the subway and be fully immersed in a live music sensation? Paddington train station, of course, on Friday nights! The Great Western Paddington Railway Band played Christmas favorites as we sipped on our tea, enjoyed the music and the ambiance of the train station Christmas hustle and bustle. Some travelers would stop for a little blissful sounds to the ears--sometimes just enough to warm their heart and compliment the bad with a smile.
10.) Sunshine...for at least one day!