it's time to talk about and view the wonderful country of...
Finland!!!
we have been here for 2.5 days and
"yes, yes, yes, i'm well impressed"!
it's summer so it's brisk outside but not cold, the double double glazing on the wondows in the flat make it posible to trot around in jocks and socks (with an optional t-shirt) without a problem... if you don't mind the look on your kids faces. i don't give a shit so i'm ok jack! the people are friendly, the streets are cobbled, and the public transport is efficient and trusting! by this i mean you buy your ticket and there is no one likely to check if you have one. no guards and no turnstyles. this in my opinion is down to trust and cool dude attitudes. no one is a scamming dick because they dont have to be, their government and cultural ethic has them sorted!! nice one Finns.
we wandered through a park or two on our way to the 'white church' which is the usual sort of ostentatious catholic (lutheran in this case) shrine. in this country there is something different about it... in so many countries i am given to dislike the use of church funds for unnecessary ornamentation but in finland i feel they are looking after the masses so... hang on that's the government doing that. church beaurocracy is still fucking up. greedy pigs!! bugger it!
the white church does, however have an awesome pipe organ and that does count for something for a lover of gregorian chants, mike oldfield's tubular bells, goth music, modern munimalist music and sex in churches! there was no opportunity for that in peak tourist time so all is well as far as jail time goes.
i am a bit of a fan of Jean Sibelius born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius (8 December 1865 – 20 September 1957). he played the violin very well and was a very cool composer, probably best known for his nationalistic piece "finlandia". his violin concerto's also rock big time!
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| decorated luggage conveyors at the airport?! WOW! |
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| 40 decorated seals |
it's summer so it's brisk outside but not cold, the double double glazing on the wondows in the flat make it posible to trot around in jocks and socks (with an optional t-shirt) without a problem... if you don't mind the look on your kids faces. i don't give a shit so i'm ok jack! the people are friendly, the streets are cobbled, and the public transport is efficient and trusting! by this i mean you buy your ticket and there is no one likely to check if you have one. no guards and no turnstyles. this in my opinion is down to trust and cool dude attitudes. no one is a scamming dick because they dont have to be, their government and cultural ethic has them sorted!! nice one Finns.
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| park life in summer. |
we wandered through a park or two on our way to the 'white church' which is the usual sort of ostentatious catholic (lutheran in this case) shrine. in this country there is something different about it... in so many countries i am given to dislike the use of church funds for unnecessary ornamentation but in finland i feel they are looking after the masses so... hang on that's the government doing that. church beaurocracy is still fucking up. greedy pigs!! bugger it!
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| the 'white church' |
i am a bit of a fan of Jean Sibelius born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius (8 December 1865 – 20 September 1957). he played the violin very well and was a very cool composer, probably best known for his nationalistic piece "finlandia". his violin concerto's also rock big time!
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| sibelius (who is awesome). |
he has a whole park dedicated to him and that is only fair because artists of all kinds contribute to the well being of people and places and that's very cool.
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| this is one of the many island near helsinki |
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| not a hobbit home but an installation on suomenlinna a fortified series of islands, wild! |
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| more of the islands, a yacht too.
Suomenlinna is a fortified series of islands from the 1700's. while we were there we saw heaps of school groups checking out the place, mostly from lower primary school. thet were running amok!! it would have had the average australian teacher hellishly worried about accidents and litigation! not so the good teachers over here. it would seem they trust their younguns to develop and grow, to learn about their personal , intellectual and emotional limits. i saw kids feeding swooping seagulls uot of their hands and surviving!
no do not enter signs are almost non existant on the islands (there are signs asking you to not enter private resintial areas). it would seem they trust in peoples ability to not be a fool and be responsible for their own actions. hell on a stick i wish more countries were that sensible enough to trust the sensible and not reward the foolish!
here is a person standing in front of a gaping chasm and there is no barrier at all! how is she still alive!!!
my assessment is that despite having a current FIFA ranking of 108 (mens team) and 28 for the women ( there's your sports reference sports lovers, and it comes in the form of a factoid).
theWorld Economic Forum article http://www.businessinsider.com/wef-ranking-of-best-school-systems-in-the-world-2016-2016-11?r=UK&IR=T&IR=T rates their educational ststem no.1 in the world. aha now i'm starting to get the picture!
lets check out their Health Care System just for fun... http://thepatientfactor.com/canadian-health-care-information/world-health-organizations-ranking-of-the-worlds-health-systems/
if you can't be buggered opening the link it has finland at 31st out of 190 countries. not bad really. open the link to check out australia's possie if you want to.
well that's it for now good people. i will probably add bits to this as i usually do do feel free to come back in the future to see if there is anything new and exciting that wasn't here before. feel free, also, to comment in any way on my thoughts in any fashion at all... i love feedback and others opinions!!
may you all have soprting chance! love fred.
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