This blue marble

– and yet it spins

Monthly Archives: October 2018


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So long, Europe

businessclassToday (yesterday, technically), after two days of intense packing and wrapping and preparing, I closed the door to the apartment for a long while. So long, Lauttasaari island. You have been wonderful to me. On Monday they will begin to tear out the bathroom and the pipes in the entire co-op building.

It is now 2.30 am, I have dug out my blue elephant harem pants, and am about to take off to Singapore after a 3-hour delay. Vacation, thank goodness. And new adventures after that – somewhere else than Finland.cloudsky(Helsinki, Finland; July 2018)


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A wooden town

porvooPerhaps once this was a busy street, crowded with horse-drawn carriages, pedestrians in fine suits and long dresses, and dogs and children running around? Now it is simply quiet and idyllic, with greens shooting up between the cobblestones that get to rest most of the day.

Porvoo was founded in the 13th century but has probably burned down many times since. Most of the houses currently standing are from the 19th century. As it is once again fashionable to cherish old houses, perhaps these houses could survive longer than most wooden buildings used to do (before they happened to burn down into ashes)?

(Porvoo old town, Finland; July 2018)


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Look down

milan-3How often do you look down when you walk? Probably every day. And how often do you actually see what is right down there in front of your nose? If you are in Italy, it is highly likely you are missing out on something much more beautiful than just asphalt and pavement. Italian floors are exquisite. The one above is in the Duomo but I walked over so many beauties outdoors in Genoa.

Floors are made to last, and it is good they have no feelings: people trample over them without noticing what they walk on. Without noticing how smooth and troublefree the surface is to cross, even in high heels. Without noticing how their steps get a determined snap and echo that emphasizes the importance of their stride. Without noticing the painstakingly intricate stonework that made someone to crouch down for days or weeks while working to complete the surface.

If you think it is too much trouble to look up, look down – and if you pay attention you might be delighted. At least in Italy.milan-2(Milan, Italy; July 2018)


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A day without rain in Milan

milan-4In the midst of showers there was a day without rain in Milan. A late afternoon where the tables were waiting for dinner decking and where the shoppers had already gone home for a quick siesta before aperitifs.

Some cities resonate with us as individuals, while others do not. Some places make us feel like good friends while others make us feel like visitors, guests at best. It is as if the life and energy of a city made of concrete and asphalt must match our inner workings made of nerves and gray matter. It matters not even the city itself is considered beautiful or interesting. Some  Some love Milan and I do not. Even if Brera is quaint with its impossibly wobbly cobblestones, boutiques, and wine bars, it is only a tiny area and the rest of Milan is noisy, busy, dusty, and filled with shops to consume and keep me thinking I need something more in my life (like the latest fashion).

Although perhaps I only need to look down and discover the beautiful mosaique floors of the galleries, instead of the shop windows. And perhaps I should be grateful I get to visit Milan. After all, it is a luxury to widen one’s views so much once can distinguish between places and cultures that resonate and those that do not.

milan-1(Milan, Italy; July 2018)