Bomb Attack?

This summer Helsinki city center has many times resembled a war zone.

There has been a lot of work with the tram tracks as a new line 9 has started.

Ferry Watching

Big ferries need to go through a narrow Kustaanmiekka strait.

The people in the photo are visiting Suomenlinna sea fortress.

Autumn Colors

Is it autumn already?

Gates Are Open for Autumn

Yellow and red takes over from green.

Dark Clouds

Dark clouds over residential buildings of Suomenlinna sea fortress.

Siiri Nordin at Espa

Siiri Nordin at Espa stage during carless day.

Some people were upset a few years ago when Siiri Nordin was at the president’s independence day reception. The lead singer of The Rasmus band was invited and he took Siiri with him although they are not a couple. Some people have too much free time.

You can listen yourself what her music is like.

Carless Day

Critical mass cyclists on one of the streets that was closed during the event.

On Monday some streets around Esplanadi park were closed because of a carless day. For example, public transportation tickets were cheaper than usually. It is a great idea to close some of the streets for a day but during the next years I hope to see more things for people to do. There wasn’t much for us who have to spend the day at an office.

I first though about posting a photo of a Finnish flag in half mast. There are lots of them here today because of the Kauhajoki school shooting. There is just so much about it in the media that I can’t stop thinking that maybe there wouldn’t be so many of these mass murders if they wouldn’t get so much attention. These sick people have clearly been copying each other. There will be a Kauhajoki shooter copycat. In Finland or in some other country. There has been so much about him in the Finnish and foreign media.

If today the main tv news here in Finland have no other topics than the shooting, that is sick too!

Kauhajoki Shooting

Finns are in disbelief.

Today atleast 11 people have died in Finland in a school shooting. Only a year ago Finns felt that this is a very safe country and absurd school shootings couldn’t happen here. Last year there was one in Jokela pretty close to Helsinki and now in Kauhajoki near the west coast.

Earlier Finnish violence was mostly targeted against very close aquintances but now there have been also some other cases of totally random violence against unknown people.

The police had questioned the shooter only yesterday because of worrying YouTube videos. People are now asking why didn’t they see this coming.

False Start for Autumn

Maple leaves are among the first ones to have autumn colors.

Mostly Helsinki is still green but other trees and plants are catching up.

100th Anniversary of Mika Waltari’s Birth

Flowers left on Mika Waltari memorial on the day of the 100th anniversary 19th September 2008.

Mika Waltari is one of the most translated Finnish authors and also loved by the locals as well. His best known work is The Egyptian (Sinuhe egyptiläinen), which is a very entertaining tale from the Egypt of pharaohs. Even egyptologists appreciate the book as his facts are pretty much correct even though he never visited Egypt. A Hollywood movie starring Elisabeth Taylor has also been made from the book.

Waltari was incredibly productive and he mastered several genres. His gigantic historical novels are loved as much as his Inspector Palmu (Komissaario Palmu) detective stories.

It is a shame his memorial is not of the same quality as his writing. I have walked past the memorial without realizing that the strange rocks are there to honor our greatest author.