Ceremony

Fra's uncle Mario is a priest. When 25 years had passed since he became one, we celebrated him. This was last Sunday. If someone tells you, that you have to sit in a catholic church for a few hours to celebrate a 25 year anniversary of a priest, you probably think "*sigh* how boring!". I was at least prepared to entertain myself by making holiday plans and shopping lists in my mind.

I was so wrong.

The party was groovy :) Mario made the whole ceremony to a nice and tight family feast, even though we were probably a few hundred in the church celebrating him. How he did it? No idea, he is just so amazing.

He got gifts and the other priests kept speeches for him and all kinds of pictures were taking by the altar. And the speeches were not any kind of lectures about sins, oh no, they were more like bestman-having-a-speech-about-the-groom's-embarrasing-but-cute-youth kind of speeches. And Mario's thank you-speech was the best one. He got the whole church to laugh.

And afterwards we ate and drunk. How often do you get to sit behind the church by long tables with priests and get served a 3 course lunch? It was all very cute.

Recco

Fra och jag spenderade lördagen i Recco. Vi simmade och solade hela dagen och åt naturligtvis Foccacia. Underbart!

@ Klappe 2

So... yesterday evening I met Ania in the centre. She had with her 2 of her Swiss students and the four of us had dinner together. After the dinner the Swiss guys had to go home and we found company of my colleagues Ralf, Pirmin and Ralf's roomate Mr. Manu. We had a great time... I guess you can see from this picture that it was a hilarious evening :)

Mr. Manu, Pirmin, Ania, Ralf.

Vi har en ny motorcykel :)

THE guitar hero

Last Sunday we celebrated Milo's Birthday. He is now 1 year old :) Fra and I gave the best present. As Milo loves music and every time he is with me we go together to the computer and put music on from Youtube. He starts to dance and sing to the music and when it stops he makes a face and demands for more. So Fra's and my gift was a guitar that has a lot of buttons and when you push them you can hear different music. He was in ecstasy about the gift (duh! obviously) and played it like a professional :) The party was held in a park. Fra's parents, Noemi (his sister, remember), Fra and I cooked for the whole weekend food to bring there. We also put up a tent, tables and blankets and it all looked very nice :)

Jellyfish invasion

On Saturday there was a party in Milan called Via Padova è meglio di Milano. Via Padova is a road in Milan that used to be very beautiful. Via Padova has a lot to offer but in the last years the place became restless. It is not considered secure anymore and people from many different nationalities live in that area bringing very versatile cultures into the place. So a committee decided to start this campaign to make the area known in Milan again as a nice place and one of these plans was to have a whole-weekend-long-party, where different "artistical institutions" of Via Padova could make an contribution.

There was the possibility to listen to different concerts, see open air movies, art exhibitions etc. The lighting studio Fra works for is situated in that area and they also decided to make something for the party. Thea wanted to use as little money as possible and make something a bit spectacular to draw attention and the outcome was the Jellyfish Invasion :) :) They build Jellyfishes of umbrellas and tulle and placed some black lights (you know the uv-light they use in discos that makes your teeth and white t-shirt very bright?) under the creations to make them shine up in the dark. Then they used some dmx-controlled LEDs to make the jellyfishes blue, like they would be in a sea. And some classical music was played out loud. For a low-budjet quick installation, it was very very nice!!!!!!!! It also draw a lot of attention and many people stopped to watch it.

The view

Jag var i Milano under veckoslutet. Oftast kör jag rakt efter arbetet och tänker endast på att komma fram till destinationen, men denna gång började jag köra efter min fysioterapi... så var så avslappnad att jag stannade till och med vid sidan av vägen för att i lugn och ro ta några bilder. Bergena är bara så vackra och det känns som om jag aldrig riktigt blir van med dem! Varje gång jag ser de stora bergen omringa mig andas jag en aning djupare och tänker på hur mäktiga och stora de är. Jag njuter lika om inte mer av att stirra på havet men havet har jag ju levt med hela livet så det förvånar mig inte mera på samma sätt.

I was in Milan during the weekend. Usually I drive straight after work to my destination without even blinking my eyes but this time I was so relaxed after my physiotherapy that I even stopped by the road to photograph a bit. I think I never really get used to the mountains, they amaze me all the time. I cannot really get it, how big and mighty they are. I always start to breathe a bit deeper and forget the time, when I stare at them. I guess the sea has the same impact on me, if not even a bigger but the sea I am already so used to as I lived with it my whole life, that I don't stop to wonder about the amount of water.

Tällaisena iltana

Eilen Sisutownin asukkaat kokoontuivat Bierlokaaliin juomaan olutta ja . . . olemaan suomalaisia. Skoolattiin kunnolla Suomen maailmanmestaruudelle, pistettiin muutaman-liian-kauan-suomesta-pois-olleen slangivarastot uusiksi, opeteltiin uusia juomalauluja ja Jemppa jopa esiinty meille :D Ukkonenkin piti juhlistamme ja tuli visiitille rumpaliksi. Paikalla oli siis Lohjalainen Jenni (johon voi tutustua täällä),Suomenruotsalainen, Espoolainen ekonomi Heidi, Helsinkiläinen (nyt eläkkeellä oleva) matkaopas Krista, Jyväskyläläinen puusepää Sami, Suomenruotsalais-Saksalainen Bianca (joka pyörittelee pyllyänsä Jennin ja mun kanssa Zumbassa viikottain) hoitaja Pirjo, jonka sanavarasto on nyt astetta . . . pervompi sekä Mia, joka on Jennin naapuri ja Miasta, Jennistä ja niiden miehistä on täällä kylässämme vaikka mitä sekaavia juoruja. Jenniä siis luultiin toimistossaan Mian miehen tyttöystäväksi (asuvat samalla tiellä ja kuinka monella Thomaksella on suomalainen tyttöystävä?) mutta josta sitten kehittyi entistä mehukkaampi tarina, koska täällä asuu kaksi muutakin saman etu- ja sukunimen omaavaa Thomasta ja Jenni on nyt sitten vaikka kuinka monen Thomaksen tyttöystävä.. ja okei. Liian monimutkaista kertoa kaikkia yksityiskohtia; juorut ovat pahemmat kuin Kauniiden ja Rohkeiden käänteet yheksänkymmentäluvulta, mutta olemme saaneet nauraa ja paljon :) Suomalaisilla kun pruukaa olemaan tota huumorintajua, nääs.

Pirjo, Sami, Jenni.

Sami, Heidi. 

Bianca, minä. 

Krista. 

Mia.

Dagens Outfit

Vi har haft i en vecka nu regnit och kallt väder. Så på morgonen drog jag på mig denna outfit, vilket var en big mistake. Vi fick 27 grader varmt till dagen och solsken rakt in till mitt arbetsbord... på en arbetsplats utan luftkonditiomnering är detta inte så behagligt. Speciellt om man är van med nordiska temperaturer. Måste komma hem i tid bara för att inte svimma av hettan. Imorgon blir det årets första arbetsdag med kjol utan strumpbyxor!!

Ballrinor: Lolita, Milano

Jeans: oVs

Korallfärgad topp: Marknad, Milano

Vit topp: H&M

Kavaj: Zara

Smycke: Gåva av Fra

Me yhtenäistämme

Jenni on vaan niin mahtava. Ennen kun tapasin Jennin, en uskonut ikinä löytäväni toista suomalaista Vorarlbergin alueelta, täällä Itävallassa. Kun kuulin Jennin olemassaolosta, pidin asiaa aivan suunnattoman ihmeellisenä, että toinen suomalainen, täällä! Kuka on edes kuullut tästä paikasta ennen?

Mutta Jenni löytää lisää täällä asuvia suomalaisia vähän samalla nopeudella kun suomalaiset tekivät maaleja maailmanmestaruusfinaalissa (hah :) pidittekö vertailustani? hihi). Siis täällä on ihan mielettömästi suomalaisia!

Niin Jemppa keksi, että mehän voitaisiin kaikki muuttaa samalle alueelle, ylläpitää sillä alueella suomalaista kulttuuria, vähän niinkuin monessa isossa kaupungissa on Chinatown. Tässä juuri näin päiväunta, että sieltä löytyuisi ainakin leipomo, josta saisi juuri leivottuja karjalanpiirakoita. Ja muutama Suomi-baari. Ja ainakin Marimekon ja Artekin kauppa. Ja kirjakauppa. Tai kirjastokin olisi ihan hauska :) Ja muutama sauna. Ja keskiviikkosin ja lauantaisin olisi illalla hulinaa. (Muuten täällä mennään ulos aina torstaisin). Ja niinä öinä saisi vapaasti örveltää. Ja jos sinne saisi tuoda vähän suomenruotsalaista kulttuuria, niin snapsilaulut olis aika pop :) Voiskohan sinne istuttaa myös muutama koivu. Ainiin ja Fazerin karkkikauppa!

Mutta mahtavinta tässä kaikessa on se, että Jemppa keksi tälle paikalle nimenkin. Sisutown. Eks olis ihan maailman paras paikka? Sisutown!

My weekend in details

What a fun weekend, guys!

- On Friday eve Fra and I were having a date. Dinner in the city and an evening walk down town. (Funny thing to say, as we have here one main centre street and one market place and that’s it. The centre is adorable, though!).

- On Saturday I finally got the change to buy groceries on the morning market! My town has every Saturday morning a market and I always forget to go. This time I anyway planned my day around that. So we ate breakfast in a cafeteria on the main square and bought potatoes, zucchini, an artichoke, fresh spinaches, onions and bread.

- Fra bought white roses for me too <3 My favorites.

- Fra’s sister Noemi and her boyfriend Edo drove up to Austria. They, we, Jenni and Ania spend a wonderful evening in Lindau! We ate in a very nicely designed restaurant, laughed so it still hurts in my stomach muscles and watched the Eurovision Song Contest in a bar. The bar owner was happy, because he was Italian and he got some Italians in his cheering troops. Jenni and me cheered more loud for Finland though! And we even got the Germans in the bar to cheer for Finland :) Ania liked Bosnia & Herzegovina most, so she cheered for them. She was so adorable that she even got free drinks :) Even if we didn’t win we had a great eve!

- On Sunday Noemi, Edo, Fra and I escaped the rain and went to Ravensburg in Germany. Just to have a coffee and keep our feet dry.

- We returned to Austria, when the weather got better and had a nice barbeque.

- When my dearest ones from Italy returned to their nest, I went to Jenni to watch the finals in icehockey. Finland won Sweden 6-1 and I could not be happier for this! It felt so good to hear the national hymn. I was so incredibly proud!

Noemi behind my white roses

I made a pyttipannu for Fra with a heart-shaped egg on top :)

Edoardo. Handsome and happy.

The gang having dinner in Lindau.

Ania, who is always so adorable.

Noemi had painted her finger nails in a way, that it was not unclear for anyone what country she wanted to win the Eurovision Song Contest.

Jenni had the coolest hip flask with 5 small glasses :)

Ravensburg is so beautiful.

Noems and Edo.

Ravensburg has amazing towers.

The cafeteria had herbs as flowers. I liked it a lot. 

I liked the green tower too :)

Suolaista kahvia

Kävimme tänään Jempan kanssa lounaalla ihan H&M:n naapurissa ja siitähän tuli hyvää ruuansulattelutoimintaa: mennä Henkkamaukkaostoksille. Ostin aurinkolasit, pantoja, perustoppeja ja pitsitopin. Ihan hyvä piristys viikonlopuksi :) :)

Aurinkolasit pääsivät jo käyttöön kun kävimme Fran kanssa keskustassa iltapäiväkahvilla, tosin en tiedä lasien toimivuudesta kun laitoin espressoihimme suolaa sokerin sijasta.... hyi yök! :)

Dagens Outfit

Jeans: Sisley

Bälte: 2nd hand

Topp: Odd Molly

Tröja: Vero Moda

Smycke: 2nd hand

Voihan kuivattu karpalo!

Onnistuin sitten saamaan leukani tulehtuneeksi liiallisella leukaluitten jyrsimisellä. Luulisi ihmisellä olevan hauskempaakin tekemistä öisin kuin omien hampaiden syöminen :) Makoilin sängyssä kipeänä koko eilisen ja tämän päivän hammaslääkärin, normilääkärin ja fysioterapeutin käyntien jälkeen päätin, että nytpäs piristyn.

Kylmensin siis päätäni jäätelöannoksella, johon ripottelin kuivattuja karpaloita ja käytin ekaa kertaa Marimekon Oiva-sarjan tuota kuppia. Kahvikin maistui erikoisen hyvältä, kun sen sai nauttia kivasta kupista. Kyllä tämä tästä :) 

2ndhand shopping with Nadra

Nadra 

This is Nadra. Besides being the wife of Fra's brother she is also one of the most beautiful women I have ever met and she also has an amazing, playful, chic and adorable style. So when Nadra called me last Sunday to ask if I want to join for some second hand shopping, I was so up for it!

Nadra always have fun scarves and nice cuts on her tunics.

très chic.

How can an Italian woman, with parents from USA and Tunisia, look like something out of an amazing Eskimo-fashion-magazine on a beach in America? :)

In Finland I used to go almost every Sunday to the flea market "Valtteri" at Vallilan Makasiinit. It happens to be the biggest flea market in Finland and there is even a weekly a tv-program about it! They have inside about 200 tables and outside about a 100 and you can easily book them through Internet. I have also been selling my old clothes there several times and you actually make fast money! The good thing about the place is, that people seldom come to sell something valuable (nor something with sentimental value...) and you can easily find a few times worn jeans for 5 euro, last seasons summer dresses for 3 euro and a bunch of jewellery for 50 cents.

I told you Valtteri is famous! :)

In Finland we have also another great flea market, but that one is active only in summertime. It is called Hietalahden kirpputori and takes place on a market square close to the sea. There you can also spot celebrities selling their stuff, I have spotted some Finnish models and designers at least.

Hietalahden tori

I wear my clothes very much according to my mood so I like it if I can get a bunch of new colours and patterns to my wardrobe and not spend much at all. Don't get me wrong- if I find a piece of cloth that costs a fortune but is perfect for me, I can easily eat porridge every day for a month to save up to it and buy it. But I have absolutely no need to have an Armani sign on my ass or a Burberry tag on my trench coat. I like more what it looks like and how I feel in it than some kind of status symbol.

A woolen sweater and a top I bought for 2 euro (together) and wore almost every day for a year, because I loved the combination of the dots in the ribbon and the stripes in the top...

What if the clothes I buy do not fit me? Well, then I ask around my friends and my mum if they want it or then I sew something out of it... like this top I once did of a flower dress and this top that was originally meant as linen curtains for my kitchen :) :)

The jacket I bought 2 weeks ago in Finland on a flea market. 10 euro.

So, what I have really missed living in Austria has been the Flea Market Sundays. The flea markets that I have found here are mostly smelly and disgusting (except the big yearly thing in the exhibition centre!) and when I ask around people seem to hate the idea of used things. In Milan there is a few 2nd hand shops but they are also much more expensive to what I am used to.

In the village in Austria I live in I find some used furniture though :)

But Nadra took me to a place called Di Mano in Mano where was also the stylist Nadia Gozzini. Nadia makes all kinds of changes on your old clothes, so that they feel new and exciting. She had also a few pieces there to show and I got very inspirated. Nadra had also taken Nadia's sewing course and told that it was great!

A top from Zara. I'm loving the colours.

small purse.

Nadra and I walked around slowly and found all kinds of fun stuff. I bought a skirt to wear on our motorbike trip to Corsica next summer (No, I will absolutely not sit on a motorbike in just a skirt, I am not suicidal, but to wear to the beach. If it gets dirty or broken, it doesn't matter as it cost 5 euro), a top from Zara in 3 colours, another beige top and a small bag/purse.

 The other top

The skirt.

So re-inspired by Nadra, I will visit some webpages and search for some patterns and start to sew something fun :)