en Finlandia

1 & 2 Finnish Euro-cent coins

Tuesday June 15th, 2010. 10:11 AM.[Finland culture].

2 years ago, we were in Barcelona for a touristic visit. A couple of days visiting the typical highlights: Sagrada Familia, Ramblas, shops in Avenida Diagonal, Raval, Gaudí and finally also Montjuic. There we stopped in a terrace to have a break. The waiter was nice and later on she asked where we were from (yes, many times they considered me also foreigner). When we said she was from Finland, she couldn’t avoid to get excited:

- Yeah? Could be that you have some Finnish cents coins? 1 and 2 cents of euros, that are the only ones that I’m missing to complete my collection.

And no, we didn’t have.

Finland doesn’t have 1 and 2 cents coins. In Finland (and later Netherlands), they thought it didn’t have too much sense to have them, because it costs more to produce them than their value and usefulness. So they use the Swedish rounding system: 1,2 cents are round down to 0, and 3 and 4 cents round up to 5.

Sometimes it happened that I had 1 and 2 cents coins from Spain and I when I tried to use them in Finland they have accept them, but they told me that the rule is that can accept them, but not return these kind of coins.

And if that Barcelona waiter would want, it’s possible to buy these kind of Finnish coins for collectionists.

Gazpacho

Friday June 11th, 2010. 11:33 AM.[Photos, helsinki].

Spanish temptation in K Market, Ruoholahti.

Estepona

Monday June 7th, 2010. 11:46 AM.[Music, Photos, Spain, Winter].

A couple of pics from Estepona, my hometown. It was great to go see family and friends. It’s definitely the hardest part of being away.

Green Kaivopuisto

Monday June 7th, 2010. 11:26 AM.[Photos, Spring, Summer, helsinki].

This is Kaivopuisto, an old Helsinki park, close to the Embassys and the harbour. Perfect place for a picnic… maybe in some days, still is 15-18º only.

Only 3 months ago, kids where in the same place sledding with their “pulkkas” on Laskiaissunnuntai.

Delicious Korvapuusti, that Päivi and me prepared at home this Sunday. Yum!

Winter Finishing

Monday April 12th, 2010. 09:54 AM.[Photos, Winter, helsinki].

At least in Helsinki. Very few snow left in the streets. Still there is ice pieces floating in the sea. Sunset at 20:00, 21:00… and temperatures about 10º. Yes. plus ten degrees.

Finnish people like ice cream, they are leading consumer of ice cream in Europe. And they start early in the year. You can see already long queues on Sundays in ice cream shops in the harbour. They wear cap and gloves.. but eating ice cream. Such a contrast.

Now the good weather is coming. Spring is just around the corner.

Funny signs

Saturday March 27th, 2010. 04:38 AM.[Quotes, helsinki].

From the window display of the Day shop, in Bulevardi street, Helsinki.

More:

Instead of Cleaning the house, I just turn off the lights.

Tired parents and happy kids live here

A golfer and a normal person live here. Guess who is home

A dirty house is a sign of A Brilliant Party!

The first 50 years of Marriage are Always the hardest.

You don’t have to be mad to live here but it helps.

I can please one person per day. Today I choose me.

Beer is cheaper than therapy.

We serve only the finest French wine, did you bring any?

Nobody is perfect, but I’m pretty close!

A clean house is a sign of a wasted life.

Related: Top 10 funniest one-liners

Karhu, one litre can beer

Wednesday March 24th, 2010. 12:49 PM.[Finland culture, Funny, Photos].

Beginning this year Karhu (bear in Finnish) had started to sell in Finland 1 litre-cans.

You can see a normal size can next to it. And also a taller 0.5l format.

Like my friend Stefan already told me, perfect to make jokes with sentences that include “Only one beer and…”

Fernando Alonso leading Formula 1 2010

Wednesday March 17th, 2010. 03:10 PM.[Spain].

Last Sunday Spanish Fernando Alonso won the Bahrain Grand Prix F1 2010. It was his debut in Ferrari and I didn’t miss it. It was his dream during many years to become Ferrari´s driver. I watched in laSexta (Spanish Channel) who is broadcasting whole Formula 1 season live .

I enjoyed watching it, but I understand also the Finnish point of view. Alonso was signed in the offseason to replace Finnish Kimi Raikkonen.

Finnish people don’t celebrate anymore.

In the inside article they give a “dry” description of the race and says that Alonso did what Raikkonen did 3 years ago, who also won on his Ferrari debut.

Let’s see what happens next race (28th of March, Australia)

Snow Plow skidding

Saturday March 6th, 2010. 11:02 AM.[Videos, Winter, helsinki].

Small snow plow in a street of Helsinki.

Quite related: List of last 30 years winners of World Rally Championship (WRC).

Finnish super stick

Sunday February 28th, 2010. 02:53 PM.[Funny, Photos].

WTF? It’s not a boomerang, is not a baby’s hockey stick.. it’s a 50€ stick for “relaxing” your back.