Kun matkoista aloitin niin täytyy niistä jorista vielä vähän.

Yksi ehdoton elämys, ekologinenkin (jopa tämän päivän mittapuulla), on Trans-Siperia junamatka. Itse tein reissun yksin 1998. Olin ollut Singaporessa harjoittelussa ja haaveeni oli palata sieltä maitse takaisin kotiin, vähän fuskasin kun lensin Bangkokista Hong Kongiin mutta muuten liikuin koko matkan junalla ja bussilla. Lähtisin kyllä milloin tahansa uudelleen, ja yksi hullu haave on ollut mennä maitse jenkkeihin asti! Ehkä sitten eläkkeellä…

Tein matkan Peking- Ulan Bataar (UB)- Irkutsk (ja sieltä bussilla pieneen kylään Baikaljärven rannalle, makee juttu!) – Jekaterinburg – Moskova – Helsinki. Peking – UB väli oli tuolloin täynnä kaupustelijoita ja kiinalaisia, UB-Moskova lähinnä venäläisiä. Juna muuttui venäläiseksi jossakin Mongolian ja Venäjän rajalla, Naushki nimisessä paikassa -sieltä ei saanut muuta kuin leipää ja muutenkin junan ravontilavaunun tarjonta väheni sitä mukaa kun Moskova läheni -ensin kanankoipia ja vetisiä vihanneksia, sitten loppuviikosta vaon kanakeittoa -ihan totta. Samovaarista sai aina kuumaa vetta ja pussikeitot yms olivat ihan hyviä. Ulan Batorissa viihdyin pari päivää mutten harmikseni ennättänyt pidemmälle. Siellä oli upea intialainen ravintola, aivan hassussa paikassa tosin asuinlähiön keskellä. Muuten baarit olivat aamusta asti täynnä hevosenmaitovotkaa litkiviä miehiä, ja ruoka taas tuota taattua venäläistyylistä. Tuolloin UBssa oli vain yksi valtion omistama tavaratalo, jossa tavarat olivat tiskien takana (säilykkeitä, villapaitoja, turistirihkamaa ja piraattilevyjä), tänä päivänä tilanne on varmasti toinen.   

Koska matkustin yksin olin ottanut pakettimatkan ja retket firmalta Monkey Business Shrine, näkyy olevan vieläkin voimissaan http://www.monkeyshrine.com/ Sivuilta voi löytyä jotain hyödyllistä / ideoita. Ongelma tuolloin 1998 oli että junasta ei periaatteessa saanut Venäjällä poistua kuin lyhyiden asemapysähdysten ajan 10-20 minuuttia, ellei sitten osallistunut järjestetyille retkille. Lyhyiden taukojen aikaan junaan tuli kuitenkin kaupustelijoita joilta pystyi ostamaan säilykkeitä, vihanneksia tms. Toisaalta pisin yhtä jaksoinen aika junassa oli vain 6 päivää, retkipysähdyksillähän pystyi täydentämään ruoka tms varastoja. Siperian koivumetsät alkavat jossain vaiheessa kyllästyttämään joten maisemien katselun varaan ei kannata koko kuuden päivän ohjelmaa rakentaa,  rentouttava lukeminen, pelit tms. on tuolloin tervetullutta.

Tätä ennen olin tullut periaatteessa junalla Singaporesta Malesian, Thaimaan, Hong Kongin ja Xianin kautta Pekingiin… enkä tietenkään vaihtaisi tuntiakaan pois syljeskelevien kiinalaisten ja hädin tuskin pari sanaa puhuvien venäläisten kanssa viettämistäni  junahetkistä… Oi muistoja!

Tyylikkään köyhäilyn taito on Alexander von Schönburgin kirjoittama kirja. Luin sen noin vuosi sitten, en muista edes miksi se kiinnosti. Ehkäpä ajatus juuri siitä että elämässä voi olla kauniita ja tyylikkäitä asioita ylivelkaantumatta…

Viehätyin erityisesti kahdesta ajatuksesta, toinen liittyi ystäville järjestettäviin illallisiin ja toinen matkusteluun. Matkustelussa kirjoittaja pohti sitä, kuinka on trendikkäämpää, taloudellisempaa ja ekologisesti kestävämpää vaikkapa jäädä kotimaisemiin tai pyrkiä asettumaan jonnekin pidemmäksi aikaa, kuin ryntäillä turistien suosimissa viikonloppukohteista toiseen pakollisia nähtävyyksiä bongailemassa. Voisin jopa allekirjoittaa tuon ajatuksen.

Ensimmäisen kerran kävin Italiassa 1987 tavallisella charter-matkalla vanhempieni kanssa. Noh, se oli ehkä eksoottista, sillä kaverini kävivät tyypillisesti Kanarian saarilla siihen aikaan, lukioikäisinä. En ollut ikinä nähnyt mitään niin ihanaa ja tunnelmallista kuin San Marinon kapeat kujat ja vanhat rakennukset, ihanan iltavalaistuksen. Sen jälkeen Italia Riviera (Alassio), Cannes, Nizza, Pariisi, Mont Saint-Michel (muistaakseni), Rooma, Wien, Venetsia, Bryssel, Lontoo… Kun vuosi sitten toukokuussa kävin Lissabonissa (ja sitä ennen Cascais) olin lähinnä ikävystynyt (juu, anteeksi jos loukkaan jotakuta). Kuljeksin ylös alas kapeita katuja “Miradouroja” etsien, hieno kirkko, hauskat kaakelit, maalauksellisesti ränsistynyt talo. Hoh-hoijaa, paras muisto jäi Vinho Verdestä ja turskasta -muuten vain vertailin näkemääni ja kokemaani kaikkeen aiemmin näkemääni ja yritin hampaat irvessä rentoutua ja kokea elämyksellisyyttä. Liikaa hyvää aiheuttaa vain tylsyyttä. Vaikka rehellisyyden nimissä on tietenkin sanottava että aurinko, ai että nautin valosta ja auringosta ja tuoksuvista kukista. Haluan aurinkoon!

Elämyksellinen matkailu tuntuu kaikilla aisteilla tai adrenaliinina.

Rooma on minulle ränsistynyt ja brutaali kaupunki turhamaisen kauniiseen Pariisiin verrattuna (ehdoton suosikkini), mutta minulle on ikuisiksi ajoiksi jäänyt mieleen hetki viilenevässä illassa, voin vieläkin haistaa sateen jälkeen vahvana tuoksuvan appelsiinipuun kukan, siispä kukkivan appelsiinipuun tuoksu = Rooma, aistillinen ja tumma. Makuaistit ja esteettiset ilot, upea moderni taide se on minulle Pariisi. Pariisin kokee maku ja näköaistilla, siksi viihdyin siellä vuoden ja itkin kun jouduin palaamaan takaisin kotiin (noh, parikymppisenä on ehkä  muutenkin herkässä iässä). Sardinia puhutteli kuuloaistia – en ole moneen vuoteen kuullut heinäsirkkoja kotirantani vadelmapuskissa, ja yht’äkkiä, hakiessani uimapaikkaa, ympärilläni raikui ja sirisi. Minun oli pakko soittaa kotiin puhelu riemuissani -jipii, kuulen kaskaat!  

Kairo, Kairo on adrenaliinia eksoottisuudessa ja ylväydessään, pitkässä historiassaan. Vaikutuin  aikoinani Sinuhe Egyptiläisen luettuani ja kirjoitin muistivihkot täyteen lainauksia Waltarin kirjasta.

Pidempi oleskelu jossakin kohteessa, lähellä arkea asettuminen, se olisi tämän päivän elämyksellistä matkailua minulle. Tai aurinko ja äänet Afrikassa, siinäpä haavetta! Velipuoleni vaimo on ratsastanut kirahvien kanssa safarilla, tarpeeksi monta ratsastustuntia niin pystyn ehkä samaan…

Enpä ole vähään aikaan kirjoittanut kun on ollut taas kiireinen yliopistosyksy. Nyt on kuitenkin aika lyhyesti referoida kaksi upeaa vaikkakin pikaista matkaa, Tallinnaan Trialogos-festivaaliin ja Tampereelle katolisen nuortenryhmän viikonlopunviettoon.

Yllä näkyy koulu, jossa pidettiin tänä vuonna Trialogos -festivaali Tallinnassa. (ks. www.trialogos.ee)
Ystäväni Varron kutsusta osallistuin toista vuotta peräkkäin tähän erikoiseen tapahtumaan. Vähän ihmisiä, paljon asiaa. Pari päivää, paljon iloa ja syvyyttä. Teemana oli ikoni, mutta aiheet vaihtelivat kulttuurista kreationismiin. Mielenkiintoisimmat vieraat tulivat USA:sta asti.

Sain tutustua elukultuuri-instituudin eli elämän kulttuurin instituutin tiloihin ja toimintaan, pääsin viemään juuri painosta tullutta paavin Omastatunnosta -kirjaa kirjavälitykseen. Tässä linkki instituutin blogiin, jossa myös kuva kirjasta: http://elukultuur.wordpress.com/ Ostin metodistien kirjakaupasta samalla Heprealaisen Raamatun. Yllä näkyy katedraali, jossa kävin messussa. Vironkielinen messu auttoi oppimaan kieltä yhtä hyvin kuin kirjastosta lainaamani oppikirja. Pääsin käyttämään viroa kohtuullisen paljon. Illalla koululla oli aina kivaa musiikkiohjelmaa, samoin kuin paluulaivalla. Paluuhalu on jo kova.

Sitten Tampereelle. Yllä p. Ristin kirkon seurakuntasalissa ollaan patjojen ja makuupussien kanssa – oli kuin yökoulussa konsanaan. Ohjelmaa oli kahtena päivänä, pe-la, ja porukka tuli tutuksi ja rakkaaksi siinä määrin, että kotiin palatessa oli jälleen jo ikävä. Mukana oli 10-15 ihmistä. Jotkut hurjastelijat menivät klo 3 yöllä lumisotaa ja heräsivät klo 6 tekemään aamupalaa tai rukoilemaan laudesta. Heihin kuului myös Iris…

… jonka huomasimme näyttävän aivan Kate Winsetilta. Kiitos myös Santerille taiteellisista mustavalkokuvista. Santeri Turusta ja Markku Helsingistä pitivät tulevina pappiskokelaina rukoushetket, ja itse pidin kaksi hieman opillisempaa alustusta, Raamatun ja paaviuden totuusväitteiden perusteista.

Muuta saldoa viikonlopusta: kävin vaateostoksilla ja Simpsons-donistilla ja teellä (!) mormonitutkija Kim Östmanin kanssa, juttelimme n. 3,5 tuntia. Löysin H&M:stä halvan pipon kadonneen piponi tilalle. Kävimme Rosso-ravintolassa tammerkosken rannalla, jonne tulivat myös Kannuksesta asti ajaneet Mika&Jonna.

Gradun ensimmäinen taustaluku pitäisi olla valmis ensi torstaina. Lukemattomien kirjojen kasa vain kasvaa. Että kiirettä pitää. Mutta mieluista kiirettä. Tänään on saanut viettää isänpäivää isän kanssa. Hyvää isänpäivää muillekin isille!

Joulun vietto ratkesi viimein edellisellä viikolla, sillä armottoman lentometsästyksen jälkeen varasimme lennot Malesiaan. Ihan ympäristöystävällisin ja vaivattomin reissu ei tullut, sillä  meillä on muutaman päivän “välilaskut” molempiin suuntiin Kiinassa.

Opettavaista metsästystä kyllä. Ensin jahdattiin usean eri verkkopalvelun kautta China Southern Airwaysin edullisia lentoja Kantoniin, mutta ne katosivat kuin pieru saharaan joka kerta varausvaiheessa, myös lentoyhtiön omalta sivulta. Lopulta pelastajaksi ilmestyi vanha kunnon Luftwaffe ja Aasian päässä halpalentoyhtiö AirAsia. Shanghain pää ei tosin ole ihan ongelmaton, koska AirAsia lentää sieltä 200 kilometrin päästä Hangzhoun kentältä eikä siltä varsinaiselta Shanghain kentältä, jonne LH saapuu. Nohh – pääsepä samalla katsomaan alkuperäistä the Great Lakea Hangzhoussa ja vähän ajelemaan kiinalaisilla busseilla.

Eli tyytyväistä matkakuumetta siis pukkaa. Kirjastosta löytyi onneksi ensi hätään Malesian ja Kiinan lounarit, Rough Guide on tilauksessa. Nyt yritetään tässä selvitellä, voiko paikallisissa rantakohteissa joulun aikaan vain marssia paikalle ja löytää jonkun katon pään päälle vai pitääkö tässä sortua varaamaan etukäteen. Tätä tietoa googlettaessa on tullut vastaan myös aika monta mahtavaa maailmanympärimatkablogia…

Meanwhile in Finland: pitäisi varmaan pikku hiljaa kaivaa kellarista talvitakit esille. Brr!

Postaan tässä kaksi viime aikoina pitämääni Powerpoint-esitystä.

Sukulaisille pidetty esitelmä Chisholmin-matkastani isoisän synnyinseudulle:

Chisholm

Katolisessa nuortenillassa pidetty alustus alkoholinkäytöstä:

juoma

Bulevardi Foorumissa pidetty luentotilaisuus “Paavali tulkintojen ristitulessa”

Paavaliristitulessa

Well it’s been a while since I finished my story on the US trip, and now it’s finally time to move on to the next one, namely, my trip to Rome, Italy. It was a very providential combination of two so far separate conferences/forums coming together in one place at the same time. On the one hand, there is the youth meeting organized by the Pastoral Care of Universities – the preparatory meetings of which I attended in Holland and Romania, as you might recall if you’ve been following the blog. On the other hand there’s the European Forum of University Students which has met in Belgium and Rome before, as also recounted earlier on this blog (see links by clicking the name of the place).

Amazingly enough members of both meetings were accommodated in the same place, Mondo Migliore in the municipality of Rocca di Papa just outside Rome. As you can see above, the location is stunningly beautiful, just opposite the Pope’s summer residence Castel Gandolfo, on the other side of a huge crater/lake. THe funny thing was, though, we arrived there 3 days early. Actually, both meetings were to start on the 9th, but we had been given ambiguous information on one of the meetings, which had a separate part for Italians only beginning from the 6th. In addition to a funny look from the reception we got some free time to spend in bella Italia!

The first thing we did was to get to know our municipality, Rocca di Papa. There was a steep hill which we had to walk up to reach the old square. We didn’t realise how long it’d take and how hard it’d be but we did it and the way back felt much shorter and easier, naturally:) At least we got to see some impressive sights. Above you can see the hill from the modern central square (see pic 1 below), now have a look down from the top of the hill (pic 2 below).

During the 2 days we could spend as “tourists”, we visited 3 of the pontifical basilicas: St. Paul Outside the Walls (just after the Pauline year and the publication of my book it was a special moment), St. Mary Major (where we went to Mass) and St. John Lateran (near where I went to the Paoline bookshop and got 2 great books for my master’s thesis). We also visited the Forum Romanum, where I and Mari obviously conversed in Latin.

We spotted some Finnish tourists who were typically Finnish (dull, quiet, not realising where they are and what lies before their eyes and under their feet etc). I went up to them (two groups on 2 occasions) and asked them in Latin to take a photo of me. They were initially confused but then realised what I was asking and took the photo. When I thanked them in Finnish, they found it slightly funny but said nothing back. Couldn’t change their Finnish ways.

On the 9th we met some familiar faces over breakfast. In addition to the usual European delegations we learned we were going to be joined by three Middle Eastern delegations: A Hebrew one from Haifa and two Arabic Christian ones from Jerusalem and Beirut. How happy I was to be able to be fully half-European and half-Arabic, as I really am! The Arabic delegations became good friends very soon (see photo above: Arabic delegations in front of Mondo Migliore). But there was an unfortunate incident as well – I lost my camera that morning on the way to the first meeting place (I am posting photos taken by friends). The only exception St. Anthony seems to make it cameras – it’s happened twice already.

Above you see the place of the first meeting of the Youth Forum of University Students. We went through the history of our meetings starting from Brussels, the meetings with the president of the EU parliament Pöttering and the goal of this meeting, which was to define more clearly our mission and sign a mission statement. This was accomplished in a later meeting. Below you see the happy group with the brand new Mission Statement.

If you’d like to read the document, see below. If you find it interesting and want to participate in future, let me know.

AESI_FORUM_Mission_Statement

One funny incident was that we were told a bus would get us to this important final meeting but no such bus appeared and so we were forced to order taxis, wait for an hour or more and pay for the ride ourselves. We arrived late and finished late and had to skip lunch but there was one advantage: I and Mari made use of the extra time and asked the Hungarian delegation to teach us some Hungarian. So we got a paper sheet full of words and expressions. Photo below in tribute and thanks to the girls.

But as I said earlier, this meeting was partly combined with the meeting designed for university students by the Pastoral Care of Rome and that of several European countries under the patronage of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences. I and Mari from Tampere were the Finnish delegation for both events, but from many countries (such as Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Spain) there were huge delegations sent to this event. The opening ceremony at the Lateran basilica was amazing, not only thanks to the presence of students from all around Europe but also because I got to carry the Finnish flag and sit right underneath the statue of St. Paul which is on the cover of my book (see post below on the book).

In the program of this meeting there were workshops where people would share their experiences and thoughts on different aspects of the Faith. The theme was “New Disciples of Emmaus – Being Christians in the University”. On the basis of the Emmaus story we reflected upon faith and science as well as the sacraments and evangelization. I got to speak a couple of times and a Russian Orthodox brother gave me a beautiful card of Sts. Peter and Andrew as a token of gratitude and admiration, which was a nice surprise, since I didn’t even know there were non-Catholics in the crowd. In the evenings we would have dinner together in huge groups and then gather outside to sing songs, play and dance in many languages.

Later on there was another big celebration at St. Peter’s Basilica. Before entering the World’s largest church we took some group photos. Then we started moving toward the entrance, where I accidentally or providentially met one of the flag carriers who reminded me I have to carry the Finnish flag. So I parted with the group, which anyways got to sit in the front row just behind us.

After the Mass we had a special audience with the Pope in the Apostolic Palace, which proved to be a very special event, for it was the first time that I got to shake hands with the Pope and look him in the eyes. He zig-zagged through the crowds and I had been smart enough to stay at the very back but closest possible to the central aisle where he’d walk.

Well then, on the last evening we had a great time at a concert just outside the University area of Tor Vergata, the university area where we had been having the workshops and dinners and songs and dances. It was also very near the location of the World Youth Day 2000 Cross. The concert was hosted by an Italian speaking in Italian, but other languages and countries got their share because of multilingual interviews and translations. There was both Christian and secular music in a good atmosphere. It was a celebration of multi-nationality, inter-culturality and catholicity. It ended in a beautiful show of fireworks.

The transportation was fairly well organized (buses took us there and back and we wandered in flocks to and fro singing songs as on pilgrimages:). The worst exception was an accident on the first night when Mari’s bus hit a car because of a stupid dog on the way, but luckily no one was hurt and the group arrived safely at the accommodation. At the concert we had fun with a Spanish group from Córdoba, singing Mala Persona etc (on the last night I saw the beginning of their Sunday Mass in Andalucían dialect:D). On the way back from the concert on the night bus we had fun with the Arabs while the others were already sleeping. We had been joined by an Iraqi Christian from Mosul (where my roots are, too!) and so we had fun with songs and jokes and all.

The most amazing thing, however, was the flight back home. It had already been an amazing providence that I got the ticket on the 6th, because the plane was very full and they said there was little chance of getting a seat with an ID ticket (stand-by). Many, including a couple on their way to their honeymoon trip, were turned down, but I (after a Rosary) and another Catholic girl (actually an old friend of my sister’s) were let on board. But this time, on the way back home, I was actually turned down at the gate (although they had let me through the check-in!) – there were no free seats left.

“No?”, I asked… a second of silence… with no more time to waste, I asked: “What about the jump seat?” – “Jump seat? Let me check”, came the answer. And the man checked, and the answer was positive! My dad had taught me to ask for the jump seat in such situations, this is the last resort, the seat in the cockpit right behind the pilot! But then they asked me for my ID card… oops. “No, it’s my dad who works for the airline… ” When they walked me to the plane, the same question came from the staff. “No, it’s my dad… but I learn fast and I’ll do whatever I’m told.” “Well, we can only take staff members… ” The door to the cockpit was opened and the pilot heard the news – I’m only the son of the mechanic. But again I told him I’d learn the required things and happily abide by all his commands. He let me in!

The flight was amazing. The scenery is so much more beautiful from the cockpit. Also, it was incredible to see how many petty details the pilots need to know and handle to make the plane fly safely. With the headphones on I heard all the conversations between different planes and was totally confused at all the codes and sounds and everything. I kept quiet and observed, but the pilots were surprisingly sociable (the nice kind of authentic and real Finns – rehti, reilu ja aito suomalainen).

They taught me stuff about the plane and flying and told me stories and asked me questions. I taught them to reply to the contacts made by the airports of countries we flew over in their own languages (many Slavonic countries, especially Poland, which the co-pilot addressed with a newly-learned “Jak leci?”). And we ended up talking about theology for much of the trip!

We talked about Jerusalem and peace in the Middle East, Reformation doctrines, female priests, salvation history, hypocrisy, and 9/11. The pilot told an anecdote – he was flying on 9/11 and he overheard a conversation between Helsinki-Vantaa and an Aeroflot plane on its way to the US. They told the plane they cannot go to the US because there has been a terrorist attack and the airspace in the US has been closed. After a moment of silence the answer came in a Russian accent: “Come again”. “Yes, there has been a massive terrorist attack in the US and they won’t accept any flights, you have to go somewhere else.” Again a silence. Another heavily accented Russian response: “Confirm USA closed?”

They had apparently not believed what they heard until they got the same message from Russia when they had already flown past Norway – then they turned back. Luckily my flight didn’t turn back but arrived safely in Helsinki-Vantaa. The most breathtaking sight was that of Helsinki by night from the sky – beautifully lit… I could see all the way up to Järvenpää and further. At the airport Mari surprised me and attacked me from behind – she had not seen me on the plane and had thought I had not made it and thus was happy to see I had come home too. All in all it was a wonderful week, many new friends, new encouragement in the faith and a lot of stories to share – some of which you’ve just enjoyed reading right here.

I finally got my long lost memory card from the US and so I can finish the story of my trip to America. We travel back in time to the evening of June 18th, as I say goodbye to the Hahn family in Steubenville, am driven to Pittsburgh by a neighbor of theirs and take another Greyhound bus toward Minnesota via Chicago, Illinois.

This must be the time to expand a little on my Greyhound experiences. I spent over 60 hours on those buses during my 2-week stay. I met all kinds of people you can see black people and a Jew below, as well as a nice black driver. The drivers changed every now and then (glad they did – I suddenly realized I could be in danger on those bus rides if a driver fell asleep in the night… many lives in one man’s hands…), and there was another black driver whose English was extremely fast and very hard to follow. One traveler wore a t-shirt that said “Wish I could kill every day”.

Every now and then we had stops and could get off the bus and stretch our legs, and oftentimes visit a nearby McDonald’s, as in Wisconsin in the photo below. I also noticed huge differences in the bus stations. For example, in St. Paul there was barely a parking lot for the bus plus a tiny building with a desk and a waiting room. By contrast, the station in Milwaukee was big, beautiful and modern. I remembered Milwaukee from my Super Nintendo baseball games, and now I got to stop there:) Obviously, sometimes you’d get to see some cool things through the windows – below you can see one – a double rainbow:)

Well fine then, it’s time to tell about my first days in Minnesota. My friend Jerry was expecting me on the bus stop in St. Paul, and had patiently been doing so for more than an hour – we were badly late. But we arrived, and it was a happy reunion – it had been some years since I last saw Jerry in the 5-3-1 juggling festival in Helsinki. Now he got to show me around St. Paul/Minneapolis. Here are the most important political and religious monuments (the latter we’ve already seen, but not in all its splendor):

We went out for an American dinner and finally headed home along peaceful, green parkways. It was an America wholly different from that of New York and Pittsburgh. It reminded me of Finland and I felt like I could live there. Then it was time for me to give Jerry some gifts: a traditional juggler’s hat and a booklet on what/who other than St. Paul, by who other than Scott Hahn:) Jerry also played me some mandolin:)

After a night well-slept (remember the previous night was spent on a bus) we drove to the American Swedish Institute to celebrate a true Finnish midsummer. No, just kidding, there was no Finnish midsummer celebration in Minnesota, only in Wisconsin, and so I opted for our beloved and hated western neighbors, which was good because Jerry has some Swedish blood in him too (although he’s lost all ties with Swedish culture – which might not be all that bad:). Putting a sticker with the Swedish and American flags on it onto my heart was like sticking a dagger in, but there I was trying to act happy and speak Swedish… but guess what – almost nobody knew any Swedish!

But soon the traditional dresses and summer hymns (I didn’t know they had Suvivirsi in Swedish!) brought me home to a very Nordic atmosphere. I attended a lecture on Swedish midsummer traditions and finally spoke some Swedish with the lecturer. I also got to speak Swedish with a girl from a choir that had come all the way from Sweden to Minnesota just to sing at this event (obviously they did some other things too since they were in the US now). There was another choir, too, a men’s choir, which reminded me of my grandfather and uncle who are well known in the family for involvement in men’s choirs.

The climax of the midsummer celebration was of course the midsummer pole which was decorated and raised around 1 pm. It was a very hot day but we danced around the pole anyway singing about smågrodorna and smågrisarna (pienet sammakot, pienet sammakot, ne lystikkäitä on jne på svenska:). I also offered some aunties some salmiak One of them remembered her grandfather used to have that… But they didn’t want to have any more:)

Then it was time to attend another festival, namely, World Juggling Day picnic by the river. There, it goes without saying, we juggled a bit and got to know some new people. I met Alan and his fiancée from Peru and had some interesting theological discussions with him. And of course we had something to eat. It was a nice, fun and peaceful afternoon.

In the evening we headed to the Mall of America, which I heard is the biggest shopping center in the world and hosts the biggest inside amusement park in the world. The tickets were ordinarily very expensive but since it was evening they were very cheap, so I got to take a ride on all kinds of fun machines, and they let Jerry on one for free, too! I also visited the Barnes and Noble bookshop and was amazed at the quality of the books they had on Christianity compared to, say, Stockmann in Helsinki… (the two books on the right are incidentally the precise ones Scott Hahn was reading back in Latrobe. I got and read the Pope’s book already but still need to find Wright’s book somewhere without paying too much for it:)

Well I guess that was pretty much it for America, then. I still haven’t written about my trips to Italy and the pilgrimage to Turku. Hope to do that sooner than later. Now it’s time to say goodnight… (with my bed in Minneapolis.)

It is time to tell about my 2 last days in the US. I took a Greyhound bus one more time from Hagerstown to New York via Philadelphia. I arrived in New York around 5 pm and headed to a beautiful chapel for a Saturday evening meditation, after which I had a nice get-together with some nice people. I got the chance to tell them about Finland and let them taste Finnish salmiakki (ammonium chloride, commonly eaten as candy in Finland), which about 90 % of all foreigners find disgusting:D

I had the privilege to stay with Tony, a friend of a friend of a friend, with Portuguese background. He had a nice flat on Manhattan with nice flatmates as well. We had a good evening with some good beer and excellent music as well. In the morning we headed to St. Patrick’s cathedral for Sunday morning Mass. It is one of the world’s biggest and most impressive churches and it was full of people.

After Mass we went to Central Park and took a ride around with a horse (and a rider who explained to us where all the famous movie scenes took place).

Then it was time to have lunch, after which I already had to take the bus from Grand Central to the airport. There I was reunited with my father and brother. We spent the last (little) money we had and got on the plane, which safely brought us home to Finland. Then I had only a week to recover from jet lag and prepare for my trip to Italy, about which I will be writing… soon.:)

Osmo Soininvaara bloggasi kesällä 2007 kuukauden ajan Helsingin Sanomille fillarireissultaan Tallinnasta Nizzaan. Viime vuonna Teos julkaisi blogiin pohjautuvan tekstin kirjana Fillarilla Nizzaan. Itse ajan polkupyörällä todella vähän, joten nimenomaan fillarireissun kuvaus ei minua sen erityisemmin kiinnostanut; sen sijaan tartuin opukseen siksi, että reitti näytti kulkevan monien mp-reissuilta tuttujen seutujen läpi.

Reissun lähtökohta oli vitsi tai vedonlöynti. Karkea arvio matkan pituudesta oli 3000 km eikä aikaa työkiireiden vuoksi ollut kuin kuukausi. Isoja teitä oli siis lähdettävä liikkeelle. En voi edes kuvitella, miten loppumattoman tylsältä viivasuora ja vilkasliikenteinen Via Baltica tuntuu fillarivauhdilla, kun se nopeammallakin vehkeellä on puuduttava. Eksymisiä sattui, aika paha kaatuminenkin, samoin vastatuulta, sadetta, hellettä ja joskus aika huonoja reittivalintoja; matkaakin kertyi lähes 400 km yli arvioidun kolmen tuhannen, mutta aika riitti, eikä mukaan mahtunut kuin yksi pieni fuskaus, 60 kilometrin pätkä junakyydillä Saksasta Itävaltaan.

Kirjaa lukiessani opin paitsi monta asiaa (matka)polkupyöräilystä myös sen, että samoja asioita muutkin suomalaiset Euroopan teitä reissatessaan miettivät: vertailevat kotimaataan ja matkailukohdettaaan, pohtien vaikkapa sitä, miten muissa maissa paitsi Suomessa pienessäkin kylässä (joka lisäksi usein on nätti, jollei jopa kaunis, toisin kuin ruma Suomi*) on tarjolla monenmoisia palveluita; taikka pohtivat raskaan liikenteen seassa tuskaillessaan, onko välttämätöntä rahdata niin monin miljoonin rekkakuormin tavaraa edestakaisiin pitkin Euroopan teitä – tyyliin Ramlösaa Ranskaan ja Eviania Ruotsiin.

Mielenkiintoinen, nopealukuinen kirja – myös muille kuin pyöräilijöille, matkailijoille ja/tai vihreille.

* Tarkennettakoon, että mielestäni Suomi on kaunis maa, muttei rakennuskantansa ansiosta, vaan siitä huolimatta.

Welcome to Washington DC and the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception! Now that was another amazingly beautiful sanctuary right there, one of my definite favorites! I visited Washington with Bob Sungenis, had some great Ethiopian food first and then went to Mass here on St. Josemaría’s feastday.

After Mass we visited the bookshop and had a good laugh when in the “saints” section there was first St. Therese of Lisieux and then next to her – Scott Hahn! As I was taking a photo, a woman walked by and informed me: “He’s not a saint!” Sungenis had a good laugh and what crowned it all was that the woman recognized Sungenis and said some kind words to him.

Next we visited some sights, including the natural history museum where Sungenis as a faithful young earth creationists informed me of all the mistakes of the datings and reconstructions of various dinosaur bones etc. It was fun and we had good discussions. Then we saw the white house but we were lucky enough not to see Obama though.

It was a very hot day and so we got a beer and sat down at a concert of Celtic music. Then suddenly it started pouring and we got all wet but found shelter in an Episcopalian church. We drove back home, talked and had some wine and salmiakki, went to sleep, got up early in the morning and it was time for another bus ride… and the last days in New York.