Christmas in Europe - Colone (Köln)

En route to Berlin we took to a train to Colone (Köln) to catch some Christmas spirit the German way. Clearly, it was available in abundance.

The other reason to see Köln was the Dom - the monstrous cathedral that appears to dominate the center of the city. While beautiful, it is also made somewhat more accessible during the holidays by the multitudes of stalls dotted around its base, all selling delicious German fried foods, warm knitted items, and random fruits and marshmallows dipped in abundant layers of chocolate. What's not to like?



The Dom did have some quirks, like this one statue that appears to be trying to escape from the wall of the cathedral, much like an alien bursting from the stomach of its host. You might have to click on the picture for the larger view to get the full, rather startling, effect.



However, I guess these things have to be expected from a building that took 632 years to build. People can get quirky with these long-term projects.



One quirkiness example - this stained glass. Where is the traditional religious scene done up in colored shards? Instead, we have a modern example of what looks like a computer screen that can't quite render the screen correctly so just gives up and displays its favorite colors instead. Maybe this is just what happens when the real stained glass is sent out for cleaning.



One final anachronism I noticed -- the nearby "Chicago Steakhouse" within sight of the Dom. I guess it's true that no matter how far you travel, you can find a way to feel at home.

Christmas in Europe - Amsterdam

Apparently, Finland shuts down for the Christmas holidays. Everyone spends time with their families, which means that lonely expats such as myself would be left with no movie theaters, restaurants, or gyms to entertain us from December 24-26th. However, since I was already in Europe, traveling someplace else (someplace warm, for example) wouldn't make much sense either -- or at least, that's what I was told -- so Aaron and I are spending Christmas in Europe.

Our trip started in Amsterdam on December 17th. It got off to a particularly bad start when Aaron's messenger bag was stolen on the train from the airport to Central Station. Fortunately, the most valuable (and difficult to replace) item was his passport, but the bag also contained a multitude of gifts to Aaron from previous years: an ipod and camera (from my parents), a book and leather gloves (from me -- as well as the bag itself). Also, the customized christmas cards I was supposed to write in Amsterdam and mail in time for Xmas were in the bag, so no xmas wishes from me to my friends -- though at least that provided a handy excuse.

Anyway, the net result was that our first couple of days were spend either dealing with crime bureaucracy at the Police Station or the American Consulate (both of which were great and very helpful, incidentally) or consumed with anger/frustration at being taken advantage of by random petty criminals who didn't understand the meaning of Christmas. But then we knew we had to get over it so we could actually start to explore Amsterdam.

First thing we noticed -- lots of water! (See one of our many canal pictures, above). Second thing we found -- the Bloemenmarkt. Basically one long set of stalls on a canal bank which is probably beautiful in the summer, but in the winter sells primarily tulip bulbs, cacti, orchids, and various touristy knicknacks.

Interestingly, in Amsterdam one such touristy knicknack is...Cannabis. Aaron posed with a display of what claimed to be ten different kinds, as well as an easy "grow it yourself!" starter kit.


Another easy-to-identify difference about Amsterdam -- bicycles. They are everywhere. It was a glorious testament to a non-car culture which we would have participated in had it not been so freakin' cold. Amsterdammers are brave and hearty people, clearly, for even the snow flurries and rain didn't seem to stop them. Bikes were lined up on every canal edge and propped in front of every storefront, and apparently they even make for a handy way to walk your dog.


The canals are definitely the centerpiece of Amsterdam, though. Some people like them so much they live on them all year round, as evidenced by the number of houseboats we passed.


I also liked the idea of canal intersections, though there was a noticeable lack of canal traffic lights. Are there ever canal accidents? Aaron is sure there are, but more due to the number of cars parked right on the edge of the canal with no protective barrier to keep them on land. In a city known for an active bar life, it does seem likely that a car takes a tumble in every once in a while, though sadly there was no evidence available to back this up.

We also admired the many large windows on all the canal houses, while also being impressed by the heating bills these windows surely generate. Apparently the windows are an architectural necessity because the ground cannot support the weight of these heavy brick multi-story houses, so large windows are carved into the buildings to lighten the overall load. Either way, the windows help to open up buildings which might otherwise look rather oppressive if all this tall brickwork was combined with very small windows -- I think that would actually look rather jail-like. Of course, it still looks a little oppressive if one of the windows appears to be holding Homer Simpson prisoner.



Of course, we saw all the typical Amsterdam sights as well. The Riksmuseum (currently being renovated so only the "highlights" are available), the Van Gogh Museum (fabulous for showing the range of work Van Gogh actually produced rather than just sunflowers - I would never have known he also painted a skull with a cigarette dangling from its mouth), and the Anne Frank House, among other things. But it is the canals, the bicycles, and of course the delicious pastries sold conveniently on street corners which I will remember most. So far, it ranks as one of my favorite cities, which says a lot given how miserably cold I was for the full four nights were were there.

Helsinki Christmas Market

As is common in many European cities, Helsinki has a Christmas market which ran through December 23rd. There were a multitude of little brown stalls each selling hand-knitted gloves, scarves, hats, sweaters, and shawls, as well as kiosks with traditional Christmas ornaments. Of course, they also sold traditional Christmas food and drink (ginger cookies, spiced mulled wine) and some not-traditional-outside-the-Nordics Christmas items (pickled herring, smoked salmon, fish pastries).

All the lighting on the stalls, trees, and nearby shops made everything look especially festive since there was barely any daylight to compete with the twinkle twinkle of holiday-induced electricity. Unfortunately, that made it hard to take very good pictures -- this was the best I could do.




The store lighting came out especially poorly...

Snow

Despite the mental images conjured by places like "Helsinki" or "Nordic countries", to date there hasn't actually been much snow in Helsinki. Mostly just flurries that turn to rain, or which get quickly stomped into ice after landing on a sidewalk.

I took some pictures from my apartment window of one of the more significant snowfalls -- it was maybe 2 inches.



Lack of snow doesn't mean lack of preparation. Check out the serious snowplowing machinery they have just for the sidewalks!



The snowplow doesn't mean that all sidewalks are safe, unfortunately. I thought snow and ice would be cleared off walking areas much faster than they are back home in Chicago, but this isn't true. In order to be more environmentally responsible, they use gravel instead of salt on the sidewalks so walking around can still be quite dangerous.

However, on the main downtown streets it is quite safe because the sidewalks are heated. All the easier for hordes of Christmas shoppers to descend.

Working Without Windows

I have recently learned about some very interesting differences between work environments in the U.S. and Finland:

• In Finland you need special permission to be open on Sundays. Generally this means only food stores under a certain size (e.g., the corner mini-marts) can stay open. Exceptions are made during the summer and the winter holidays, when Downtown becomes a shopping bonanza filled with people who are either eager to do their Xmas shopping, or just eager to get out and do their errands on a day when they are normally consigned to sitting at home and watching soccer.
  
  
• Stores that stay open on Sunday have to pay workers double. Someone at work told me this so I'm not sure if it's true, but it does fit in with the general trend of "be nice to workers at all costs".
  
  
• It is illegal to give someone office space without windows or other access to natural light. Interestingly, I learned this from a client who popped his head into the conference room which has become the de facto BCG work area. Needless to say, no windows or natural light of any kind. Apparently, even factory foremen with working space in the middle of the shop floor must have some kind of "window" from which they must be able to see the actual window of the factory and thereby get at least indirect access to sunlight. No such consideration for the overpaid consultants, of course.
  

Despite the evidence of the care given to workers here (and I haven't even begun talking about the vacation time, maternity leave, paternity leave, tax-free lunch coupons, or other benefits of being a working professional in Finland), there are some behaviors which don't seem to fit in. Like the number of emails I get from clients on Sunday night -- apparently logging back in to get stuff done for the week ahead is pretty much standard, at least with middle management and above. Or the number of people who have told me how much they wish that stores would be open on Sunday all year round, even if it clearly means that people would have to work the weekend to serve them.

I think that some of the Sunday rules actually result from the not-separated relationship between government and the church, itself somewhat ironic given how very very few people actually head to church on Sundays here. Makes me wonder if these aspects of Finnish society will change in ten or twenty years -- continuing the progression towards increased productivity and convenience at the expense of work-life balance and a "standard" 40-hour work week.

Viva Paris!

A month ago (because I am lazy about updating this blog) a group of women from the Helsinki office headed to Paris for the weekend and I joined. Why?



Because...well, it shouldn't take much of an excuse to head to Paris! Home of beautiful art...



...and truly extraordinary cookies!



I found these in Le Marais a short while before heading back to Helsinki, at a bakery called Pain de Sucre. They helped me to recover from a truly miserable flight experience. What kind of sadomasochistic airport shunts you into a gate area with neither food nor bathrooms? Charles De Gaulle, that's who. But back to the interesting stuff...

We found a fabulously affordable place to stay in the 5th arrondisement called the Hotel de L'Esperance -- only 71 euros per night with my own bathroom! And near a subway! The street was quiet --
but not too quiet to have that all-important French accessory -- the bakery! Unfortunately, that bakery wasn't quite as creative as this one...



I spent Saturday morning walking around with my "TimeOut Paris" guide and, of course, getting lost. For example, I don't think this church was exactly on my itinerary -- I was actually trying to find a recommended tea house -- but I was glad to come across it just the same.



I also stumbled (literally) across a set of bike racks for the much publicized public bike rental scheme. The Velib program has 750 locations across the city and lets you rent a bike for a euro per half hour and return the bike to any other location. Perfect as an alternative form of public transportation, or the only form when all the bus and train drivers go on strike as they did again two days after I left.



Despite the seemingly random meandering, my actual goal continued to elude me: the Sacre Coeur church in Montmartre. Then, a couple of hours (and one pot of tea and two scones) later I hiked up a few dozen stairs to the church itself.



Unfortunately pictures aren't allowed at all inside the cathedral - presumably that would impact the sales at the gift shop. They actively practice herding inside as well. Proctors of some kind quickly gather people as they enter, chastise them for being loud or camera-wielding or just tourists, then not-so-gently guide people to the left and tell everyone to follow the arrows as they encourage you to take a quick pass-through on your way back to the exit.

Despite the general air of disapproval I got from anyone associated with the church itself, the experience was...wonderful. Easily one of the most beautiful cathedrals (technically a basilica) I have ever been in, mostly because it was so accessible. Most cathedrals are long and narrow in an effort to inspire awe and knee-dropping in loyal church subjects. But the Sacre Coeur is just one large dome with another square area in the front, leading to an overall feeling of community and sharing rather than "bow before me, weaklings!" attitude.

This generally peaceful feeling I left with helped convince me that paying 5 euros to climb to the top of the Basilica was a good deal. Nearly 300 steps later I still thought it was a good deal but I would regret it the next day when my legs essentially stopped functioning. However, it was worth it for the incredible views...





...though the stairwell itself could use some loving care, or at least a paint job in a brighter and more church-like color.



Other notable sights that day included the River Seine (where we took a rather unspectacular tour boat cruise)...



...and a street sign that instantly helped convince me that Harry Potter is not fiction after all. Nicholas Flamel lives (or, lived)! He was a real person! With a real street named after him!



This blog entry is now becoming quite long, so rather than bore you with the rest of the details, I will finish with some unusual sights from the Botanical Gardens I accidentally happened across while lost on my way to yet another subway station:

Dinosaurs!


And even better...dragons! Oh, those kooky Parisians!

Images from other Helsinki landmarks taken on cold November days

After a recent increase in time spent wandering about Helsinki, I finally managed to squeeze in visits to some of the last official landmarks (as noted by the Lonely Planet and my occasional local guides, anyway).

Most notable landmark I continued to miss for the first 3.5 months of my Finland stay: the Orthodox Cathedral. Rather pathetically, I managed to somehow not find it even though it sits high on a hill a mere four blocks from where I work. Yes, apparently I really am that clueless.

The cathedral boasts an imposing deep-red brick external facade which unfortunately means that most visitors who end up seeing the inside of the cathedral are cruelly disappointed. Or at least, I was. On the inside the cathedral is rather dark, drab, heavy and overly-ornate with dark paintings and cluttered decorations surrounding a small square internal area. Worth a visit for the outside, though.



Another landmark was even closer -- a mere two blocks from my home and yet routinely ignored by me for weeks. Temppeliaukio Church was build about 45 years ago directly into rock, with the walls rising above the rock line to let light into the church from all directions. I thought this church beautiful and am looking forward to maybe hearing music played there sometime. The relatively low ceiling (compared to cathedrals, anyway), excellent light and contrast between traditional materials (rock) and modern (the copper strands composing the ceiling) were fabulous. Unfortunately, my picture (below) can in no way do it any justice - you're better off checking out the pictures on the websiteinstead.



Another landmark missed until quite recently - the Olympic tower. Though perhaps not that impressive to other Chicago-ites used to peering up at the Sears Tower, the 72m of the Olympic Tower do offer nice views of Helsinki. Plus, at 2 euros, it's considerably cheaper to access than the Sears Tower or other similar landmarks.







One last thing worth noting -- the houses on what is apparently the most expensive street in Helsinki. While somewhat more colorful than the other row-houses that seem to make up 95% of residences here, I think this street's status primarily comes from proximity to the ocean. The house on the end is just across the street from the water. Not that exciting in November, but during the four weeks of summer it is probably quite nice.

Finnish and Swedish

Despite what one might think, Finnish is not the official language of Finland. It is one of the two official languages - the other is Swedish.

Apparently a small but vocal (and wealthy and politically influential) Swedish minority in Finland continues to maintain the importance of speaking Swedish in Finland. Learning Swedish in school is mandatory, and it appears that most or all official signage gets displayed in both languages.

Street signs are a good example - all are shown with Finnish on top and Swedish immediately below. For the native English-speaking expat, this can actually be a good thing. Oftentimes the Swedish version has roots closer to familiar English words and can also be shorter overall, though this isn't true nearly often enough given the difficulty of the long street names...



And other street names only show minor differences between the languages...

Viva Malta!

One of the benefits of joining an international office (even temporarily) is that you get to go along on their office outings, which are...a little more exotic than the (every nice) outings for a traditional US office. This year, the Nordic offices all banded together to go to...MALTA!

Below, some scenes of the harbor from the capital city of Valetta...





While peering over one of the stone walls, we caught a regatta kicking off.



Malta has some beautiful churches...



And also some rather unorthodox ones...


Though pretty, there actually wasn't much to see or do in Malta other than wander around the capital and maybe sit on the beach. I got the distinct impression that most visitors come to hang out in nightclubs, which seems like rather a long way to go for a cocktail and to hang out with some foreign tourists.

Of course, not everyone comes to stay for even a night. While exploring Valetta we managed a few calm minutes...



...before one of the cruise ships regurgitated its contents onto the city for a few hours.



Below, something that hasn't seen much use in modern times, but which I think could be aimed at a cruise ship or two with few ill effects...



And of course, there are always some familiar signs of home.