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Another year is over. As this is my sixth time working as a volunteer at the Midnight Sun Film Festival, I realised that my years don't end anymore on the 31st of December, but rather at the end of the festival. This year's festival has been special for many reason. It was the 25th festival, and the one I spent the most time at, arriving well before the beginning and leaving well after the end. That is, I had the chance to feel the pressure of the start-up, the 24-hour long activities during the real days, and the relaxation and melancholy of the end. In a few days the feelings of a whole life. That recreates itself once a year, in the midnight sun that never sets, in an unique atmosphere of togetherness that only Lapland, the magic of the films on a big screens, and over 200 people of any age working together can create. In the picture you can see Aino, Niilo in a "cloth-switching" act at around 3 in the night.

Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow I'll switch back to my cycling trip. I have some translations to do and I'm afraid to lose my 3G connection once I leave Sodankylä. And there will be also some surprises about the route I will take. This will be an unforgettable sun in a summer that never ends (and it has just started).

Asunto varattu

We shall revitalise this blog, shan't we?

After a long time, the last December I managed to organise a real down-on-the-road trip (by train) getting to the Netherlands and northern Germany, in places I have never visited before, except one: Berlin, where I've been once 15 years ago.

It was that kind of journey I always long for, just travelling on local trains, watching people and places. And what a nice feeling to meet also people I know living in many different places. That was what gave me the most of the whole trip, that was a real fun everyday everywhere I have been!

I got to Amsterdam by plane and then started to travel by train making my way through most of the main towns in Holland, and then I shifted to to visit the winter markets (and not only) of many German towns. All the way to Berlin, which I have to mention separately.

I've been just once in Berlin before, in the summer of 1995, and I really have to say i couldn't recognise it, so much it has changed after all these years. Still, the atmosphere is so particular, I couldn't avoid to get involved in the night life, full of people at any time. Without much chaos, it looked also quite safe, a big town where maybe life is not that bad, after all.

Here below the full route of my Dutch-German trip, and I've also taken some pictures.

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Asunto varattu

And there you go! As of 7th June 2009, I have finally driven 100 000 km with my Aprilia Pegaso Cube 1997!!! It is really a great satisfaction, if you think that the engine has never been opened!

So here we go with the 100 000 km maintenance:

• Cooling liquid replaced
• Air filter replaced

And here some other pictures:

There should be at least one known person in this video…

Update (23.3.2009): also on the ABC:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=7071701&page=1

… and I made it home by bike anyway

After many years without having a proper biking trip, this summer I tried to get back the feeling of long journeys. And I have to say I managed to do it pretty well.

With a total amount of 2224 km spanned in ten days, the trip day by day was as follows:

• 18.7. Oulu – Virrat – Tampere
• 19.7. Stay in Tampere for the Iron Maiden’s gig
• 20.7. Tampere – Hämeenlinna – Helsinki
• 21.7. Trip to Suomenlinna (not by bike)
• 22.7. Helsinki-Porvoo-Helsinki
• 23.7. Helsinki-(ferry)-Tallin-Haapsalu (Estonia)
• 24.7. Haapsalu-(ferry)-Kärdla-Kiudja-Kõpu-Ristna
• 25.7. Kiudja-Sõru-(ferry)-Triigi-Kurressaare-Mändjala
• 26.7. Mändjala-Kuivastu-(ferry)-Virtsu-Tallin-(ferry)-Helsinki
• 27.7. Helsinki-Valkeakoski-Oulu (almost 700 km in one day!)

So basically the journey was half in Finland and half in Estonia, including five ferries to get also to the island of Hiiumaa and Saaremaa. If you count on top of this that 800 km have been done in two people with tent and mattresses on the back, it was really a good seikkailu!

I have to say really enjoyed Estonia, still quite cheap (but I wonder for how long), wonderful sand beaches and nice people.

And, by the way, on the way back to Oulu, the Pegaso overtook 97000 km, just 3000 to the sixth figure!

Here below the detailed map of the journey, it might take a while to load: be patient, I said it was a long trip!

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I’m quite sure if I get this cable connected…

… I can make the radio work!!!

 SR51 receiver working at 14.207 MHz [0:16m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

And if you can’t get it, the voice says: “Hello, this is EA3JE [it actually says: 'echo apple three juliet echo'], ehm, good evening and thank you for getting back to my call, you are five and eight, your signal report here in Barcelona, Spain, you’re five and eight”.

My dad found some pictures dating back 1994, the last year of my high school, when we organised a “worker management” situation, that is we occupied the school, not letting the teachers in, and taking lectures by ourselves.

Some pictures have apparently been taken, and developed by some of us. That’s why they look like they have been taken a hundred years ago. If it weren’t for the clothes, it’d make the trick. I’ll try to upload some more later on. And yes, I’m also in that picture, but guess if I tell you who I am!

Beautiful memories, a teardrop on the fire.