Some belated flavors of October @ Tampere

I know it's been ages since I managed to scribble anything here. Sorry about that... Somehow I just felt that I need bit of distance from some stuff that happened in October.

I had my breather and I finally feel ready to share some cool things that happened within the duration of my stay.

The cider

I went to a bar called Konttori with a friend of mine and did some sampling of British ciders. Each one that followed was stronger than the previous one, and also more expensive as it occurred. After a not so long a while I was happily tipsy =)

The two below were my favorites of the lot I sampled. Both of them are somewhat oaky and round in taste and don't have excessive amount of bubbles. One ice cube does the trick, they both loose all flavor if too cold.

Thatcher's Katy

Weston's Vintage 2008 Special Reserve Cider

Beautiful scenery

I got invited to a house warming party in Tahmela, on the slopes of Pispala. This is one of the most prestigious areas of the city with architecturally the most interesting (and also most expensive) real estate. Friends of friends had landed themselves a half of a double house over there with some impressive 180 m2 and open view over the Pyhäjärvi lake. We went there by the time sun was just setting and had a chance to admire one very nationally romantic view from their back yard. A view with blue sky, pine trees and sunshine glittering on the waves.

First I was bit dubious about going there, since I wasn't invited personally in the first place, but then I decided to go. This proved to be a good idea, because, as it turned out to be, I knew pretty much everybody at the party. They are all old friends with whom I used to hang out in the student parties in mid-nineties. And the house, OMG, it's beautiful!!!

House itself was quite special also, as just said. It has been built on 60's in a very functional and minimalistic style and looks still very airy and modern, but not in the 60's style modernism. I could easily imagine myself living in a house like this one, but unfortunately it's not likely that I can ever afford one =) But a girl is allowed to admire and dream, right? Anyhow, I'm very happy fro these friends, that they found and got what they were looking for.

Only thing missing is the blue-white flag on the pole.

The day Tampere disappeared

There was a day that Tampere simply wasn't there. The fog was so thick that I could barely see the next building. Somehow ghostly feeling since all sounds seemed also muffled.

Not really there. Nope.

Over the Rainbow

My dear friend Jyri invited me to go with him to listen to a band called "Over the Rainbow" at Pakkahuone. This is a band of Joe Lynn Turner,  Bobby Rondinelli, Greg Smith and Paul Morris who all used to play in Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow and Jurgen "J.R." Blackmore who is the son of Ritchie Blackmore.

I had no clear idea what I would be, but I was very curious. I know the old Rainbow pretty well and have always considered Blackmore being the only true guitarist for Deep Purple. Well, whatsoever.

That national warm up act was not much to say about, but OTR opened their set up strong. The guys sound pretty amazing still over all the years and the prodigal son plays guitarist with as steady hands as daddy. Pleasant experience.

The only unresolved questions concerning this band and this evening are the following:
1) Is Lynn Turner wearing a wig???
2) Why and how the heck Jurgen manages to look as old as the rest of the gang?
Go figure, cool concert anyway.

Halloween masquerade

On Halloween my friend Ulla celebrated her birthday and invited us all to a costume party. The theme was movies an television series. Pretty broad concept, which still managed to produce three nuns in a crowd of twenty people =)

I dressed up as Lara Croft, because I didn't want to invest in something "pink with fringes" or something, that eventually end up collecting dust in the back of the closet. Combat boots, t-shirt, boobs and the hair I already had, so I just needed to get some skimpy shorts and some gun straps with street credibility. It turned out pretty ok, but unfortunately I can't prove it to you guys just yet. I have to wait the photos from the birthday girl's camera... But I promise to post some as soon as I get some, seriously!

As a teaser for the mean time, I post the bartender's shot list. The bloody Sambuca was my favorite. For the Finnish reader's there is a dilemma to solve: What d'ya suppose it is supposed to read on the middle row bottom? Karannut? Kärynnyt? Both interesting choices, I'd say.

Everybody surely finds their cup of tea?

For the last but not least I want to post something I found pretty peculiar. I guess it's just one result of this dumb smoking legislation in Finland nowadays. The proprietor must designate the poor smokers to go somewhere, right? Preferably somewhere out of sight, out of mind... This is the result:

Storage for liquid gas and an ashtray, yep.