Aiport Cafe

Ok.. one more of the airport cafe. This is the last. I like the sunflowers on thwe counters.. Can you see them?

R Kioski

Still at the departure hall. Last minute souvenir shopping, a magazine to read on the long flights and maybe sending your postcards out.

R Kioski has over 600 branches all over Finland. They are like 7-Elevens expect that they aren't open 24hours a day. But they are usually have longer hours than other shops and open on sundays. Most supermarkets are closed on Sundays in Finland and R-Kioski is the only option if you are suddenly out of sugar.

R Kioski is the official sponsor of the Finnish version of Big Brother.

R Kioski homepage

Departure Hall

Here's the deperature hall (2nd floor) of the international terminal. I think this is the only floor with this huge board, displaying the departure times. Just beneath the board is the security checkpoint.

Sisko, this is something defintely familiar to you. How else did you leave Finland? ;-)

kiddie ride

I wonder if you spotted this pink car in the previous post. It was near the huge wooden structure. I like the bright pink. Very attractive and enticing the kids. Well of cos, the departure and arrival screens overhead.

Arrival Hall Sculpture

Now, one level up to the arrival hall, This huge wooden sculpture is not to be missed. (Sisko, I'm sure you'll rememeber seeing this) Unfortunately, there wasn't any info about the artist or name of the work. It looks like it may be the solar system, or dish utensils, i even see something like a baseball bat... Any other views??

The Kiss

Here's the much awaited Kiss. Wonder if this is what you expected? This sculpture is found at the basement of the international terminal of the airport. Two matchsticks in 'embrace' and their heads kissing. The dining area belongs to Cesar´s Food Market & Pizza

The Kiss Closeup
Name of the artist

Airport Bear

This bear is found in the basement carpark of Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Thought I'll start the week of airport photos from the basement.
Tomorrow The Kiss.

What a Bagel?

Sorry, I havent been able to capture anything today. Here's one from my stock. I was awed by this clear, delicious shot of the bagel. It looks so good... Sorry, I haven't tried it so am unable to comment on the taste. But the ad is good, isn't it?
Täytetty bagel + virvoitusjuoma 0,4l means Stuffed bagel + soft drinks for 4.50€

PÄIVÄN KOHOKOHTA = SPECIAL OF THE DAY

red, yellow and orange

it ain't all that gloomy during the day. I love the bright colours of the maple trees.

cold, windy

and of cos dark. it's the end of long summer days. This was taken today at 9.45pm. I was hoping to capture something beautiful but the skies were dark and gloomy. Also, I ain't a good photographer. ;-)
Those interested in the gasoline prices. The price of gasoline (95E) has gone down this month to 1.276€(1.63USD) per litre. It used to be 1.39€ last month. 98E is 1.316€ and the last one is price of diesel

Prelude to 'The Kiss'

The above sculpture is found at the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Will post the sculpture next week when i'll be doing a Week of Airport Photos. Meanwhile, jus imagine/wonder what 'The Kiss' might be...

Welcome 'home'

Came across this 'home entrance' by chance at the Tikkurila Railway Station. It is situated in the the underpass of the station. Sorry, I'm not sure who has created it or why it is placed there.

nordic walking on skates

This was taken yesterday afternoon. It was sunny and the temperature still hovers between 15-18 degree celsius. Here the man has taken Nordic Walking to another level by moving about on his skates.
Nordic Walking or "ski walking" is a sport consisting in walking with modified ski poles. Nordic Walking evolved from an off-season ski-training activity known as ski walking to become a way of exercising year-round. It has been practiced for years as dryland training for professional nordic skiers. It is quite popular in Finland (where it is known as sauvakävely, "pole walking") and has become an exercise activity of many.
Nordic Walking info in wikipedia

moose ahead..

I know no one likes road signs but this is something new for me which i don't get to see in Singapore. The sign warns drivers that they might be mooses crossing ahead. This is often true during autumn and early spring in places where it is forested.
This sign is along Kehä III which is now lined with commercial buildings and less forest. So it is rather unlikely that there might any ahead and i do not hope to see one. Mooses often become victims of roadkill.

Are there animal warning signs like this in your country?

Colours of Autumn

I took this photos this afternoon. It was sunny and warm today. Autumn has been slow to come this year. Some yellow leaves amidst the bountiful green leaves.

KKK

no, it's not the Klan, it's just a supermarket. The more Ks the market has, the bigger it is. The biggest one has four Ks and it is called Citymarket.

Tikkurilan kirkko (church)

This is Tikkurila church located opposite the Vantaa City Hall. It was built in the 1950s.It was originally built to serve the christian community of Helsinki Pitäjä. It was initially called Tikkurila Work Centre as it was used as a meeting place by the rapidly growing population in Vantaa. Later on, the work centre was known as the Christian Community Centre and currently it is known as Tikkurila Church.

Here you see the church tower against some other building. The entrance to the church is on the right hand side. You can't see it in this picture.

Vantaa City Hall (Kaupungin Talo)

This is Vantaa City Hall in Tikkurlia. The coat of arms of Vantaa is seen here. It was designed by Kullervo Telamaa in 1951. The official explanation is such that with the blue fields underneath, a silver wave sails with a golden fish tail pointed towards the right.

(Virallisen selityksen mukaan vaakunassa on ”sinisessä kentässä alainen, aaltokoroinen hopeahirsi, josta oikealle kaartuva kultainen kalanpyrstö”.)

Coat of Arms enlarged view

stopped in the track..

This lone shoe caught me eye this morning on my way to school. It looked out of place on the train tracks. Wonder what's its story..

need a caravan?

This was taken at noon yesterday. This is Max Caravan and it is situated along Kehä III. Going around Finland with a RV or a carriage attached to the car is a popular summer-time activity. There are camping areas all over Finland that cater to the needs of those travelling in caravans. In Max Caravan, one get rent or buy a caravan.

p.s. I'm a WINNER, thanx to Kathrine(Copenhagen DP)

The Tallest

Previously i mentioned that the apartment blocks in Finland are usually 4 to 6 stories high. Here's an exception, Vantaan Kielotorni in Tikkurila. As far as i know, this is the tallest apartment block in Vantaa.
Built in 2005, it is 16 stories high and has a rooftop terrace. The apartments have own saunas and the balconies have glass windows. These are lacking in older apartments.

More details in finnish only

Bus Stop

Jus a stop to wait for the bus

plane sighting...

Planes are always flying by near where i live. But i dont seem to catch them at the right time. Or if it is the right time, the weather conditions don't agree. well, can u spot the plane here amidist the rowan tree?
If u enlarge the photo and look close enough, you can make out a country's flag.

Any guesses?? (will reveal the comments later)

graffiti

This was done by the Taikalamppu Vantaan Kuvataide Koulu. (Vantaa Art School) Taikalamppu literal translation is Magiclamp

land of saunas

Finland is the land of the sauna and the Finns are a nation of sauna-enthusiasts. Finland has a population of 5.1 million and 1.7 million saunas — one for every three inhabitants. The sauna is considered an age-old Finnish feature, although it is not a Finnish invention and certainly not the private property of the Finns. Read more...

The above is an electric sauna found in the basement of a block of apartment. Residents have to reserve a weekly time slot (usually an hour) to use it. Here you see the shower room and the hot room of the sauna. Nowadays, apartments have their own individual saunas. sauna by the lake in my other blog.

Also read more in
The Finnish Sauna Society

traffic lights..

red for stop... same everywhere.

Lordi Cola

Eurovision 2006 winners Lordi have their own cola now. The passionate cola fan Mr. Lordi has designed six different labels featuring the members of the group. 5 are individual shots and is a group shot.

The above is Mr Lordi himself. Click here to see an ad featuring all the members of the group. Lordi Cola is out on shelves in Finland starting today.

Lordi Cola Regular group label
Lordi Cola Light group label

p.s. it is produced by local drink maker Olvi Group.

Hotel Cumulus

Hotel Cumulus is one of the hotels nearest to the airport and is just a 5min drive away from Jumbo. SO if you are ever stuck for a day at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport, you might want to consider some shopping in Jumbo.

Gem Gallery in Jumbo

Beyond the doorways is this Gem Gallery. It is the first thing greeting you as you enter the second floor entrance. Jalokivi Galleria (Gem/Precious stone/Jewel Gallery) is a very colourful shop. They sell birthstones, mood rings, gems and dream catchers. As you can see, they even have unique, bright and lovely lamps. There is always something interesting to browse through here. One of my fav. stop and see shop. With this ends my jumbo theme week...
p.s. the second photo in jumbo-falls shows the location of this shop.

DP Theme Day: Doorways

Every 1st of the month is DP's Theme Day and for September it is Doorways. My first entry into the DP Theme Day! ;-)
Keeping in theme with my Jumbo week and this month's theme, here is the entrance to the second floor of the shopping mall. Doorways to a shopping paradise.

Here are the other cities participating in the theme day! Mine was a late entry so i might not be on others' webpages.
1 -2 -3 -4 -5 -6 -7 -8 -9 -10 -11 -12 -13 -14 -15 -16 -17 -18 -19 -20 -21 -22 -23 -24 -25 -26 -27 -28 -29 -30-31 -32 -33 -34 -35 -36 -37 -38 -39 -40 -41 -42-43 tat's mine!!-44-45