EUROTRIP 2013 PULA 1/2

Last summer we had one of the best trips we (we = Evi, Herminica and Sabi) have ever made. There were few setbacks and complications, but what would a trip without any adventures and inconvenient flashbacks be? They make every trip memorable. Traveling there took us almost 24 hours. First we had to take a bus from Mikkeli to Helsinki in the middle of the night, since our flight to Stockholm was at 7 Am. Once we arrived to Stockholm we had to wait for the next flight for 9 hours. We were so tired and bored, and because of H's leg pain, we couldn't move around much. We all took a little nap on that same bench, but we were mostly all doped with caffeine and just barely kept our eyes open. Those nine hours felt like forever and we were so relieved when the plane finally took off!

However, that was not the end of training our buttocks... or discomfort. We had rented an apartment beforehand and had the address on our phones. On our behalf we were well prepared. However our taxi driver didn't tell us he didn't know where our apartment was before we were already driving. The taxi meter was racing up while he was just driving without any destination. He stopped few times to ask directions and ended up leaving us in the middle of nowhere and not even close to where we were supposed to be. Unfortunately we did not now that before we had already paid him and he had driven away. Lucky us! Those first couple of hours in Pula were spent on phone trying to find the number of the new landlord. Thankfully she was very nice woman and offered to come to pick us up and drive us to the apartment since it was already dark and we were completely lost... It smelled like a dog poop in the place we were at that moment (Local Youth Hostel - never go there!). It was not the best first impression I have to say. I remember us almost crying that we were going to stay there for that one night and leave somewhere else first thing in the morning. Hungry as three stray dogs that nice lady showed us where is the nearest bank machine, grocery store and pizzeria! Our first pizza in Pula was funghi... but it was definitely not the last one!

After a good night sleep and with full and round stomachs we managed to calm down a little bit. We decided to give another chance to Pula and check out the beaches before completely hating the place and leaving it and as a result we were super happy we did. It isn't the most traditional place to go on a beach holiday, because the beaches are mainly cliffs. Getting in the water (unless you wanted to jump) and getting out was a real challenge, but we had never seen as bright and clear sea as in Pula. Once you got in the water you didn't want to leave. (Take this from a person who doesn't really like swimming. Honestly I may even hate it. Usually I only go "swimming" when I need cooling down and mostly just took a dip and came right back. But in Pula the water was like magic. The color was so bright and turquoise that it felt like out of this world. Swimming there felt like flying, like I weighted nothing more than a feather and like you could swim forever and you would never get tired. - Evi )

The funniest thing ever was to see Sabina, who is absolutely ridiculously scared of fish. You could see fish swimming from more than six meters below you to few cm's from you. It looked like you could reach them with your toes and Sabina would just freak out. The other really weird thing was when you spit in the water, the fish came and tried to eat it. We used to just sit on those rocks and spit in the water and watch fish swimming between our legs. Other people must have thought we were insane...

Sunbathing on those rocks was not the most convenient unless you had really thick yoga mat. But the wind was just amazing up there and you could do so much other stuff beside just laying down and be boring! Snorkeling in those kind of a glassy waters is amazing and you could even do cliff jumping. The best part was that there were no kids screaming and crying and the beach was never crowded. Sounds to us like a paradise!

Pizza in Croatia and Bosnia is really good! We ate fungi and vegetarian pizzas every day- mostly because they were so damn good and it was almost impossible to find any other meat besides pork in Pula. Pork is something we do not tend to eat. All that amount of pastry made us feel really uncomfortable- like three little balloons floating on the beach. We usually never eat wheat that much normally!

Check out this little grumpy fellow below. She/He is the most hilarious cat we have ever seen! :D

We used to walk every night for two kilometers to the city center. The old part of the town was bigger than any other old town we've ever visited. It didn't take us long to find our stamping ground where they just made the best coffees in the world! Our regular night out in Pula consisted of coffee at our regular spot, eating (pizza), souvenir shopping and few times clubbing. 

We think that fish in a resort cities is ridiculously overpriced, but still we wanted to eat some sea food. It had to be cheap so we ended up tasting squid, and it remained only tasting, because it tasted awful! It was slimy, smelled like raw fish and just had a rotten taste to it. We were so embarrassed to leave all that food on our plates so we wrapped the squid in napkins and smuggled it out in Sabina's hand bag. Guess what we did next? We made some stray cats the happiest cats in the world! And Sabina's bag smelled like a dumpster of a typical fish restaurant for the rest of our journey. That night we ended up leaving home with a pizza box... again. 

- Evi and Herminica

Random facts about me

I talk and make funny sounds at sleep. / Puhun ja ääntelen hassusti nukkuessani.

I tried smoking cigarette at the age of 6... I stole a cigarette from my uncle and ran quietly to the balcony where I tried to first inhale it... when I noticed that it was a bit too hard to do I blew air through it and managed to make a hole on my pretty little dress... But guess what that was my only time I have "smoked" a cigarette- I haven't even tried it after and I'm proud! / Kokeilin tupakanpolttoa hurjana 6- vuotiaana! Varastin sedän tupakan ja hävisin hiljaa parvekkeelle polttelemaan sitä. Ensimmäisen vedon jälkeen yskänpuuska oli melkoinen, siispä fiksuna tyttönä laskin yks yhteen että siihen pitää vaan puhaltaa. Onnistuin samalla tekemään reiän mekkooni- se sinetöi sen kokeilun ainoaksi ikinä koko elämäni aikana ja olen ylpeä siitä, etten ole kokenut painostusta tai tarvetta koskea siihen edes aikuisemmalla iällä!

One of the things I just can't handle are wet grapes! I just hate eating them if they come from store and they are still wet after I have washed and am about to eat them. Water doesn't bother me if they are from our own vine and the rain has watered them. But the ones from store... I just have to dry them first! :D / Asia mikä saa mut kavahtamaan on vedestä märät viinirypäleet. En vaan siedä märkiä kaupasta ostettuja ja pestyjä viinirypäleitä. Jos ne on omasta viiniköynnöksestä ja ne on sateen huuhtomia, niin kosteus on ihan fine. Mutta kaupan pestyt... ei ne on pakko vaan kuivata! :D 

The best way of getting chocolate that is melted is to put a peace of it on a aluminium folio and keep it on your laptop for a while... Quick and easy! / Paras tapa saada nopeasti sulaa suklaata, on laittaa pala sitä alumiinifoliolla läppärille... Nopeeta ja helppoa!

I tend to move my feet or toes all the time! They start moving from the second I woke up till the one I fall asleep... :D / Heiluttelen mun jalkoja tai varpaita ihan koko ajan. Ne visputtaa hetkestä jona herään siihen kun nukahdan :D

I'm totally hooked on a game called Animal Voyage... /Olen koukussa kännykkäpeliin Animal Voyage...

When I come home I have to tie my hair up and then change all my clothes! ...Even my socks and my underwear...! /Kun tulen kotiin, mun on pakko ensin sitoa tukka ylös nutturalle ja vaihtaa kaikki vaatteet toisiin myös alusvaatteita ja sukkia myöten!

World's definitely the best chocolates are raw chocolate, Fazer's Christmas and Ginger bread chocolates, Ferrero Rocher and... well actually many other ones too.  Chocolate is something this girl is really keen on. I eat it rarely but when I do I do it with all  my heart! / Maailman parasta suklaata on ehdottomasti raakasuklaa, mausteisen täydelliset Fazerin Joulusuklaa ja Piparisuklaa, Ferrero Rocherit ja oikeastaan moni muukin suklaa. Suklaa on tälle tytölle se yksi heikko kohta, mitä syödään harvoin mutta täydestä sydämestä!

My favourite breakfast consist almost always of berries and fruits. I can't eat anything too heavy or salty. Usually a croissant can still pass, but I always want at least a cup od hot chocolate or cappuchino with a smoothie or berry-protein pudding-oatmeal combo! /Mun ehdottomia lemppariaamiaisia on sellaiset, missä on marjoja ja hedelmiä jossakin muodossa. Mitään liian raskasta ja vain suolaista en aamupalallani halua. Yleensä vielä joku croissantti menee, mutta haluan siihen lähes poikkeuksetta aina mukaan kaakaon tai cappuchinon ja mm. smoothien tai marja-proteiinivanukas-kaurapuuro yhdistelmän!

I hate passing by big trucks and tractors. It just pumps my adrenaline levels to the clouds! I blame my childhood traumas... :D  / Inhoan rekkojen ja traktoreiden ohittamista. Ne saa mun adrenaliinitasot nousemaan aina pilviin! Syytän tästä lapsuuden traumoja... :D

I have always been equally good in every school subject and my motivation has always been good in every aspect. I have never had a subject that I hated but my list of favorite- ones is long. One excample of the ones from high school: chemistry, biology, health science, geology, psychology, languages, history and sports... Such a surprise from a nerd who instead of compliting compulsory 75 courses did 89 with the average of 9,0. :D / Olen aina ollut tasaisen hyvä kaikissa kouluaineissa, kiinnostustakin on riittänyt aina joka suuntaan. Eikä mulla ole koskaan ollut mitään inhokki-kouluainetta. Lemppareita taas esim. lukiossa on ollut jo melkein pieni miljoona esim. kemia, bilsa, mantsa, fysiikka, terveystieto, psyka, kielet, hissa ja liikunta... Ylläripylläri tältä nörtiltä, kursseja esim lukiossa suoritin 89 sen 75 pakollisen sijasta keskiarvolla 9,0. :D

I have always had many hobbies. My first and dearest one has always been contemporary dancing. Then I have also started bailatino, street and hip hop dancing. In addition to these I have also played a volleyball for a short time and played the acoustic guitar in the Music Institute for 4 years and completed theories of music. After that I also started going to the gym and jogging. One of my favourite things during the winters has always been skating on ice! / Mulla on elämäni varrella ollut monia harrastuksia. Niistä ensimmäinen ja rakkain oli nykytanssi. Sitten mukaan tuli muitakin tanssilajeja kuten bailatino, street ja hip hop. Tämän lisäksi harrastin myös hetken lentopalloa ja soitin n 4. vuotta akustista kitaraa Musiikkiopistolla, missä kävin myös ne musiikin teoriat. Sittemmin mukaan on liittynyt myös kuntosali ja lenkkeilly. Talvisin mun lempipuuhiin on aina kuulunut luistelu ulkona! 

I still sleep with my favourite stuffed animal- My purple bunny! She has a pink nose that is shaped like a heart and she is really dear to me. She is the only thing I have left from my early childhood. She has gone through war and a refugee camp with me, and been with me as a child and a teen. She has been there when I had my heart broken for the first time and slept next to me in my first own home after I moved away from home./  Nukun vieläkin mun lemppari pehmolelun- Lilan pupun kanssa! Sillä on vaaleanpunainen sydännenä ja se on mulle kovin rakas. Hän on ainoa asia mikä mulla on ollut siitä asti kun synnyin, mikä on ollut mun matkassa sodan, pakolaisleirin ja koko mun lapsuuden ja nuoruuden ajan. Se on lohduttanut läpi ekat sydänsurut ja pitänyt mulle seuraa mun ensimmäisessä omassa kodissa vietetyn yön. 

I tend to forget my hot chocolate in the microwave oven. I have travelled so many times to another town but my drink has ended up  to the sink instead of my belly after being the whole day in the microwave! :( / Unohdan aina mun kaakaot mikroon. Monesti oon lähtenyt jopa jo junalla toiseen kaupunkiin, mutta kaakao päätynyt mun masun sijasta koko päivän mikrossa seisomisen jälkeen viemäriin! :(

I love animals and all animal stuff! I'm the big fan of deers for excample. I have deers on my sheets, pillows, walls, as a cats eye, on my plates ans mugs... and all animal shows are a big must see! When I'm abroad I always carry cat and dog food in my bag and feed stray animals every single day. If I visit my friends who have pets my undivided detention goes to the little creatures :D / Oon ihan todella perso kaikille eläinjutuille. Fanitan Bambeja (peuroja) niin paljon että mulla on niitä mukeissa, kipoissa, lakanoissa, tyynyissä, tauluissa, heijastimena... ja kaikki eläinohjelmat on must see. Ulkomailla ollessani kannan laukussa aina koiran- ja kissan ruokaa ja ruokin kulkueläimiä päivittäin. Jos satun käymään kavereilla joilla on lemmikkejä, niin se mun jakamaton huomio menee automaattisesti niille pikkuotuksille. :D

I really need a pet or three... / Mun on aivan pakko saada taas lemmikki!

I'm a pretty good cook. I love cooking and I like my self made food the most. :D / Olen aika hyvä kokkailemaan ja tykkään ruuanlaitosta. Lemppariruuatkin sattuu yleensä poikkeuksetta olemaan omatekemiä :D

I'm a person who likes to live in a clean home. I keep my stuff in their right places and my clothes in order. Dishes have to be washed before the next morning. If I'm at the place where stuff is all over the place or I can see dust I just have to start cleaning! /Olen aika siisti ihminen. Tykkään siitä että koti on siivottu ja tavarat on paikoillaan ja vaatteet järjestyksessä. Astiat tulee olla puhtainta ennen seuraavaa aamua. Mulle tulee yleensä tarve siivota myös muiden ihmisten kämppiä jos ne on omasta mielestä on sotkuisia... tadaa. 

I love to edit photos, decorate, draw and paint. In my artistic side I consider also taking photos, playing the guitar and singing. / Tykkään kuvanmuokkauksesta, sisustuksesta, piirtelystä ja maalailusta. Tähän taiteelliseen puoleen kuuluu myös mulla valokuvailu, kitaran soittelu ja laulaminen. 

- Herminica

Light

1 & 2. I have celebrated Father's Day with my family, my sister and my new roommate Sabina in the picture with me ;) /Olen viettänyt isänpäivää perheen kanssa, kuvassa siskoni ja uusi kämppikseni Sabina ;) 3. Early morning before going to the Uni at my new home /Aikainen aamu uudessa kodissa ennen yliopistolle marssimista 4. Writing my Bachelor's thesis about Atopic dermatitis/ Kandidaatin tutkielman väsäilyä aiheesta atooppinen dermatiitti :)

Pictures about my parent's and my both own homes, paint jars, new awesome shoes, surprise chocolate after a long day, family dinner, sore legs after a work out, roses and a oatmeal made with apples. /Kuvia porukoilta ja kummastakin omasta kodistani, maalipurkeista, uusista parhaista nilkkureista, yllärisuklaasta pitkän päivä jälkeen, perheen yhteisestä päivällisestä, lepohetkestä salitreenin jälkeen, ruusuista ja omenaisesta aamupalapuurosta.

We are living the darkest season of the year now here in Finland. I thought I could share these pictures I took with my Lumia a month ago about this beautiful, colourful, cheerful and refreshing season of the year- the Autumn. When I think that I've got enough of the darkness during my days I always go back to those seasons that cheer me up. Why are autumn and spring in my mind more often than summer? I choose autumn because of it's colours and fresh air. It's that time of the year when nature has put on it's most beautiful dress on. Spring is the second one because it has hope in it and it symbols a new life, new beginnings and we all start waiting for the summer to start! It's just amazing how everything beautiful starts coming through the grey and white, making colours pop up so brightly everywhere around us. We notice them much better after a long winter. Birds come back to sing to us, sun starts shining more often making us all full of energy! Right now I'm missing that one thing that makes every season of the year beautiful and it's the Sun.

I got myself more than I year ago  a wake-up light from Philips that has also a radio integrated in it. I really don't know how I would cope without it during my mornings ans even evenings. I think I wouldn't. I have noticed that it has been the best buy I have ever made and the reason to that is simple. It is the thing that makes me more cheerful during the early mornings and my days, makes sure that I have enough energy to study and it really keeps me far away from the Winter Depression that is really in common in places where the amount of light is adequate. It really helps me to wake up at any time and the light it gives it just perfect as a make up- light too! It's the secret how to make sure that your make up looks good even when you have no real natural light to help you ;) Sometimes I think that I should get one to the toilet to keep me a company when I brush my teeth and another in the kitchen to light my breakfast up! If you have already started to make a wish list, this is something I recommend from the bottom of my heart :) !

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Koska nyt eletään sitä suomen ankeinta aikaa vuodessa valon suhteen. Ajattelin jakaa teille nämä omat otokseni, jotka otin puhelimellani sen kauniin värikkään, piristävän ja raikkaan syksyn tekeleistä. Itse palaan aina muistelemaan syksyä ja kevättä kun tuntuu että päivän aikana ei ehdi nähdä muuta kuin mustaa, sillä lumikaan ei ole vielä satanut maahan valaisemaan päiviä. Miksi juuri syksyä ja kevättä, mutta ei kesää? Syksyä sen väriloiston ja raikkauden vuoksi, se on sitä aikaa kun luonto on kaikkein kauneimmillaan kaikkine väreineen. Kevättä puolestaan sen toiveikkuuden ja uuden elämän vuoksi, kaikki kaunis alkaa pikkuhiljaa puskemaan ja kukkimaan harmauden ja loskan läpi. Kaikki värit havaitaan paljon helpommin- entistä kauniimpina, onhan edellisestä väriloistosta ollut jo aikaa!, linnut aloittavat viserryksen ja aurinko alkaa paistamaan vain useammin ja lämpimämmin saaden kaikkiin meihin virtaa. Juuri tällä hetkellä kaipaisin sitä yhtä asiaa mikä tekee kaikista vuodenajoista ja päivistä kauniita- huolimatta siitä mikä vuodenaika on kyseessä. Kyseessä on se energian tyyssija, kaiken pirteyden ja voiman valaja Äiti Aurinko. 

Hankin itselleni n. yli vuosi takaperin Philipsin kirkasvalolampun, missä on integroituna myös radio. En tiedä miten pärjäisin ilman sitä aamuisin ja joskus jopa iltaisin. Olen huomennut, että se on ollut ehkä elämäni paras ostos. Syy on yksinkertainen: Se on asia minkä avulla olen pirteämpi aamuisin ja päivisin, jaksan opiskella ja tunnen että pimeys ei vedä tätä tyttöä maahan mukanaan. Se auttaa heräämään vaikka aamu 5 pirteänä, sen antama valo on täydellinen meikkivalo, jolloin meikitkin saa pimeinä vuodenaikoina askarreltua nassulle sopiviksi. Välillä musta tuntuu, että haluaisin hommata noita valoja ympäri kämppää valaisemaan mieltä niin hampaidenpesun kuin aamupalankin ajaksi. Se on varma että jos jo mietitte mitä toivoisitte lahjaksi, en osaa ehdottaa mitään parempaa arkipäivän ystävää kuin kyseiset lamput. :)

Seuraa Bloglovinissa!

- Herminica

hazy mornings

Hello people, it's new week and new plans. I've been feeling sososo tired the last few days, since I've been keeping my promises and not been sleeping late. It also means I've been getting tons of school works done, so it has been worth it. I just wish I would get used to this rhythm and feel energetic in the mornings without having to pour a pot of hot coffee down my throat the second I get up out of bed. Well, maybe one morning I'll get to be surprised with that natural energy flow. The weekend that I was looking forward to in the last post I made was not that great after all. It was all work and zero fun, since H has tones and tones of stuff, and even those three days weren't enough for getting her and our little sister moved to a new apartment. So yes, I visited them in Kuopio and helped them move. The weirdest part is that last Thursday I was helping my friend to move (I should be a pro at that considering the amount of practice I've gotten the last week!) and there were four us girls to pack and move the boxes and it only took us around three hours. Honestly it was the easiest move I've ever done, and H's and Sabina's was the hardest.

Last weekend me and H were visiting Mikkeli. Mostly I saw my friends, but on Sunday we had a lovely day with just the family. Next Sunday it is the Fathers day, and unfortunately at least I (and I'm guessing neither H or S) wont be able to visit our parents that weekend. So we planned a little surprise for our father. We already bought him a card and gift and next Sunday I hope he wont notice us missing while receiving his gift. But more of that on Sunday, since we don't want to ruin the surprise, do we.

And to let you guys now, that we will be doing our summer trip 2013 posts soon. I don't remember if H already told that she (or someone) lost the memory card where most of our pictures were on, but we've now found it and will be doing trip posts shortly. 

- evi

Good morning dirty mirror!

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