13 Gypsies

An Online Journal of the Life and Times of Inci & Mark

(...and a crossroads for travellers everywhere)

Finland

Land of the 1 O'clock in the Morning Sun *************
It just so happens that Inci has a little sister who's married to a big Finn. Affectionately known as Jussi and Sibel, this couple resides in Turku, Finland. We dropped by to see them in the summer of 2001. Jussi ( pronounced Yus-Si) happens to be like a brother to me, and Inci and I had not seen them in several years.
At the time, Sibel was pregnant with Selim, who has since grown into a beautiful young child (see misc. photo section). We spent the majority of our stay in Turku, walking around the quiet medieval looking town, drinking beer at bars, shopping, drinking beer at cafes, eating, drinking beer in saunas, people watching, and drinking beer at nightclubs. The Finns, apparently, are quite fond of drinking beer. I didn't mind at all.
The most interesting part of the town was the "riverfront". The river itself while picturesque, was quite small. Along the sides of the river, apparently permanently docked, are yacht sized boats that are used as cafes. One of the boats, aptly named Sauna Bar, actually had a working sauna built below down deck. Ah, cold beer on the inside, hot steam on the outside. I didn't want to leave. Had I been wearing a depends undergarment, I may not have.
Did I mention that the Finns like beer?
Well they also like to role-play whilst throwing back a few. The first bar we went to, approximately 12 minutes after we arrived in Turku, was called "School", and it didn't disappoint. Basically, the bar was "transformed" from a schoolhouse, and when I say transformed, I mean they just took an existing schoolhouse and added a bar and some tables. The desks, books, and learning materials were all intact, including a very large map of South America. The best thing about "School" was the fact that they made their very own brews. There were several varities and they were all pretty damn tasty. When it came time to go to the little boys room, I was not suprised to see that I was actually in the little boys room, replete with the long communal trough-like urinal from my elementary school days. I received quite an education at "School".
The next day we went into a bar called "Toilet". This was the smallest bar I have ever been in, sort of an enclosed walk-up counter. Room was sparse, you see, because at one time in the not too distant past "Toilet" was just that. Now, just as then, you have to pay, only this time you are paying to bring liquid into your body. The first thing I did, and I noticed others do it also, was to test my olifactory sense, and give an investigative sniff. Having noticed no particuarly foul odor, we sauntered up to the counter and cautiously ordered 3 pints, specifying and hoping for beer. The pints were served in ceramic turn of the century style bedpans. Drinking the yellow liquid from such a vessel reminded me of every sophomoric joke I had ever thought of, and we all grinned as we delighted in disgusting each other and ourselves. As I finished the last of my suds, I thought of a great slogan for "Toilet": " Get Pissed at Toilet" hehe.
We also went to another theme bar the next day called "Bank", where we made a few withdrawls.

Apparently Finns love being in the woods just as much as the like drinking beer, or being in the sauna. Seems every other Finn has their very own summer house in the forest, where they like to get naked, and drink beer in the sauna, while in the woods. So, we did that for a few days. Oh, yeah. We went fishing too. We didn't catch anything, but we had the forethought, or the lack of confidence, to bring our own store bought salmon. Warning: Don't ever, no matter how hungry you are, handle raw salmon with your bare hands. It took several days, unknown amounts of soap, and countless saunas (and beer) to remove that God awful stench from my hands. It was tasty, though. Next time I will make Jussi do it.

Me and Jussi at the river in Turku.

Getting "pissed" at "Toilet"

Not catchin' anything in the Baltic Sea

"Once upon a time in Finland....."

"What's my Mom's van doing in Finland?"

Can you pick out the Turk?

Right before I was smote

Future mom Sibel and Aunt Inci

This photo needs no caption.... *************

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