Home sweet home

Last year I saw a newspaper article about a play about mothers and daughters with three brilliant Finnish actresses. I instantly thought that would be the perfect Mothers' Day gift and when the tickets came out I bought them for a show in September. Then things happened and in just few weeks I found myself moving to Bratislava. But I decided I would not miss this night with my mum so on my first week at my new job I booked flights home for September.

What I didn't think quite through was the fact that Budapest is not as conveniently located from Bratislava as Vienna is. Instead of buses going every half an hour they only went couple times a day (and in very inconvenient times) as well as the travel time being much longer than what it is to Vienna. So, even though I booked an evening flight so I wouldn't miss a day's work I had to leave at 11am so I missed a whole day's work. Anyway, despite the panick, shaking and a technical problem with the bus I got all the way to Finland just fine. Where mum had packed me a "lunch" box for the drive from Helsinki to Turku: hot chocolate and a sandwich <3

Favourite restaurant

On Friday I worked from home. My first ever home office-day!! I was so excited. After some technical problems (the wifi switch) we managed to get the internet up and I was able to work. The lunch hour I obviously used to go to the hair dresser and in the evening we went to see the play with mum. In just few months I've managed to forget how expensive Finland is. Well, I was swiftly reminded when we found ourselves by the bar looking at the menu... Oh dear. Despite the prices the play was brilliant! So funny! But what else could it be with someone as great as Miitta Sorvali playing in it! I laughed so much it probably looked as if I was crying.

Saturday I had dedicated to my friends. I was so happy we were able to all get together (because pretty much half of them live in Helsinki) and have a lazy day. In the morning we had a brunch in the lobby café of the Aboa Vetus museum. Such a beautiful setting to have a brunch in. And so much food! First we decided to eat outside because the weather was so lovely but for some reason this summer has seen a huge increase in carnivore-bees that are extremely violent so we  moved back inside rather quickly. Needless to say we ate too much!

I've told you before there is one place in Turku that is the best place for hanging around in the world and you won't get it until you know it: Jokiranta! (google it) Fortunately the weather was great and some of the river boats were still open so I got a chance to have a glass of bubbly on one of them. Something I was shocked to realize I hadn't done at all this summer! And what a coincidence: there was something happening as well!

A guy called Pekka Hyysalo is just a regular guy from Turku who had a terrible accident in 2010 while making a movie about downhill skiing. He got tetraplegia and was told that for the rest of his life he would be pretty close to being a vegetable. He decided he didn't fancy being a vegetable (I wonder if he was one of those kids who never ate their vegetables) but instead trained like hell: he had to learn everything all over again from eating to walking. And now, four years later, he arranged this Fight Back Run. The point was that he challenges himself as well as everybody who ever wants to take part, to run a certain distance and every year the distance gets longer. This year was the first Fight Back Run and the distance only 2,6 km but for someone who few years ago couldn't even stand the distance was almost too much. We had front row seats on the river boat deck and seriously, it was unbelievably moving to see him run past. It looked painful but he did it. And some of my friends cried like little babies <3 Pekka was just chosen as the most positive person in Finland and I can't imagine anyone else deserving that title! He's the one on the picture below in a green shirt leading the pack. Tough guy.

I WON!! Me!! I never win!!

Sunday was all about packing all my winter clothes and shoes into my one suitcase. Obviously I couldn't fit everything I wanted in there. Especially cause I also wanted to pack my friends and family there. A weekend wasn't enough time to see everybody I wanted to see and do everything I wanted to do. Thankfully my boss was pretty much terrified that I had only stayed in Finland for couple of days and insisted that next time I must stay with my family longer! No problem I think, so I just booked a flight back home again in December for two weeks :D And in couple of weeks my darling-baby-girls are coming here and a month from that my parents will come for a visit so I'll be juuust fine.

Even though the weekend was absolutely wonderful it's good to be back. Mum asked me on Sunday whether I felt like I was going home or leaving from home. I felt like leaving home to go home. Bratislava is my home and it's always good to come home, but there's nothing that would ever replace Turku for me. I love my Turku.