The world of Vappu
In my country, the 30th of April is not a particularly special day anymore since Queen’s day changed into King’s day and changed dates. In Finland, they go all out. Vappu, or Walpurgis night, is a big celebration in the streets and parks where people dress up and party. Students…
Spring is here
I’m back in The Netherlands and last time I was here I promised myself I would see and do more in my little country. South East Asia was very exotic and coming back home I feel a bit of reversed culture shock. It’s a week later now and at times…
Love from the Finnish
In the south of the Netherlands we celebrate carnaval at the start of the traditional fast before Easter. In Finland they’ve got their own way of celebrating: Laskiainen. The day I celebrated Laskiainen coincided with valentine’s day or ystäväpäivä. The university I went to had a cool program for exchange…
A quick tour through our royal history
Along with winter come all the markets. Winter may not have arrived yet, but we all need to prepare and it seems like the best way to prepare is to go shopping. Together with my mum I stroll past a bunch of different stalls. You can find thick, fluffy blankets,…
Walking into the stereotype
Kinderdijk, Zaanse schans, Keukenhof, Volendam. These are just a few of the places in The Netherlands that get bus loads of tourists each day, but which I haven’t seen. While I was having dinner with my friends I mentioned I really wanted to see some classic Dutch hot spots, starting…
Exploring the home turf
I established a long time ago that the country I grew up in is not the country I want to grow old in. I just don’t fit in and there are many places I’d rather live. But if you insult my country, you still insult me. I grew up there…
Weekly Photo Challenge: Chaos
The old Jewish cemetery in Prague felt somewhat chaotic to me.
The perfect run, walk or ride
Close to the border with Austria lies the cute Slovenian town of Bled. I had always wanted to visit Slovenia and last summer I was lucky enough to go there for a short visit. Now I just want more. Even though Bled is only a small town, it is an…
Photos of home
It’s nearly time to go home, or at least move on. In less than a month I’ll be leaving this incredible place. For a few more weeks I am surrounded by mountains. Snow is starting to fall on the peaks. The leaves are changing colors in the valley. I’ve got a…