Biscuits, brie, blueberries

There was this thing called christmas. Hope yours was fabulous!! Mine passed rapidly. Was at work and then stuffed myself with biscuits, brie and blueberries. Had a bubblebath and a session of yoga. Yes, all on my own I was and it felt peacefull.

P.S. Got my new skis and loving 'em big time!!!
P.P.S. Now back to the usual: in other words, I catched a cold -of course. Curing myself with sleep, sleep and some more sleep.

Just keeps on snowing

And it did snow -and more just keeps on coming!

Been skiing now a bit: my second day up the mountain after four years was today and I, of course, went for the powder!! Fan-flippin-tastic, couldn't have asked for a better start for the season! Have to say I really suck though, few telemark turns in the powpow and I'm simply exhausted but.. it's just sooooooo good a feeling! All the snow, up to my waist, on my face, all around me. Oh yessss.

Much love from the mountains,
Martta

Getting there

I had forgotten how cute this country is. Down in the valley, all the houses with little towers and bay-windows, lofts and multiple skylight windows made me almost giggle. The train wiggling by the lake and the landscape getting steeper the further out from Geneva I got. I liked it, the familiar sound of places and feel of things. Around it all there was the French language flowing through everything like immaterial glue.


I grab a sandwich at the train station in Geneva. It’s nearly humours experience as well: hard times for vegetarians what comes to the otherwise impressive selection, I should have known this. I notice things I haven’t even thought of for such a long time –like viande sechée, or the mustard and cheese –combo. Or the hideously huge numbers in the price tags.

I manage to drag stuff nearly equivalent to my own weight to the train, into the train, out of the train, into another train, out of that one too and finally into the bus, the last leg of my journey. I wonder what the hell had I packed with. Skis are heavy ehh? And a snow bunny needs more things than a summer hippie? Either way, I was definitely at the limits of my ‘take what you can carry’ –rule. But I made it –and the following day I could feel it in my body, too.

It starts to rain somewhere after Montreaux. It’s still raining in Martigny, but from there on, the closer to the final destination I get, the rain gradually turns into something more solid. Snow. By the time I get up to the mountains, the landscape has turned to white. The bus driver has installed chains into his vehicle and the bus slides slightly in the turns on the serpentine road. While the bus does the usual turn around the village, I start to remember short cuts, recognize familiar chalets, spot places. Other notions: the village is even smaller than I remembered, I don’t get overly exhausted after walking uphill (credits to all the walking in Seville!) and my favourite muesli is more sugary than I remembered.

I buy my basic starter-pack form the grocery store: yogurt (raspberry and blueberry, respectively), muesli, olive oil, spaghetti, broccoli, cherry-tomatoes, bananas, toilet paper, green tea, herbal tea, salt, pepper and biscuits. The next day I go to get few necessities and some extras: sponges to wash the dishes, black bags for the bin, hand-soap, cheese, apples, nuts and natural yogurt, which I couldn´t find on the previous day.
 
Settling in.

Soon soon soon

Went through my archives and found a handfull of old skiing pics of me.

Now I'm evern more excited. More! Hah hah if it gets worse than this, I won't sleep until Monday -so incredibly happy to get back to my beloved mountains!

P.S. I think I know the skis I want. They are so pretty (the most important thing when choosing a pair, right..)

Let me telemark, now!!!!! And let it snow!

Turns and returns

THIS IS MY WINTER (full movie english) from TimeLine Film on Vimeo.

This is the most impressive riding movie I've seen in a long while. Breathtaking. Makes me all shaky just to watch.

***
I've returned twice to Sevilla this year.
I just returned back to Finland again on Saturday.
But this you knew already.

I got a busy week ahead, unpacking, washing and re-packing my life.

Then I'll have yet another return on my agenda: it's been four full years and I'm going back on Monday.

The Alps.
The Swiss Alps to be exact.
You'll find me there for the next five months or so.

Oh. Yes. Please.

Hoping to get few turns in the pow pow this season.
Actually, I'm just hoping I still remember how to ride in the first place.

Me: What if I get a fright already on Attelas and I start crying at you 'Minttu I'm afraid, I can't make it'.
Minttu: Well that's fine as long as you just come down.

...

I'm nearly hysterical.

Pretty damn happy lucky

Kiitos Sevilla! Thank you Seville! Gracias Sevilla!

I was little sad to leave you behind, yet so happy I got to spend all this time with you. I knew we'd be a good match and it was true. Hoping to see you again. The right time will come.

Special thanks to my lovely room-mates. What had I done without you gals!

***
Also, I learned a lot about this stay. Both personal- and work-related stuff. Some more Spanish, too. Progress, that's maybe the word I'm after here.

Highlights of the stay? My internship-placement: couldn't have been better (made me more focused). Yoga classes: perfection (never underestimate the power of meditation). And a couple of parties we went to: I've missed dancing like that and now I could do it the way it should be done (swallow the beat and sweat -some people go to the gym for this type of exercise). Also I must stress the importance of a climate: seriously, Finland's hardcore at this time of the year. I already said this to a friend but I think the people are few and far between who'd voluntarily change Seville to Finnish country-side in December. It's a constant night here in the North.

As a summary I'll just say that I'm pretty damn happy lucky. Let's finish off with that.

Cheers,
Martta

Emotional diary

Maanantaina todellisuus iski: viimeinen viikko. Ahdistuin.

Tiistaina kielsin.

Keskiviikkona hermoilin.

Torstaina teeskentelin normaalia.

Perjantaina ahdistuin, kielsin, hermoilin ja teeskentelin normaalia. Lopulta rentouduin, nautin ja hyväksyin. Kaikelle on aikansa ja paikkansa.

Lauantaina meidän tyttö-nelikko, kommuuni, ydinperhe matkusti Suomeen.

***

The reality knocked me down on Monday: the ultimate week. Got all anxious.

Tuesday denial.

Wednesday stress.

Thursday pretending everything's as usual.

On Friday I got it all: anxiety, denial, stress, pretending everything's as usual. Then finally I chilled, enjoyed and accepted. Everything has it's time and space.

On Saturday our quartet, commune, nuclear family traveled back to Finland.

Expiry date approaching

More at ease? Totally.

Yet it's the last full weekend at hand. I'm at the point of refusal what comes to the expiry date of this stay.

I will miss this city.

Busy silence

Today, I'm feeling distracted. All my thoughts just hanging in the air in a chaotic web, disturbing each other. Silence, but a busy one. I need to find a time-slot to do nothing. I need to find a space to be on my own for a second. Counting my breathe.

Come Tuesday, come Wednesday, come Thursday. Come yoga, come massage, come yoga. I shall feel more at ease on Friday.

Kaunista viikonloppua

Oho, perjantai.

Kaunista viikonloppua! Millainen sää on siellä, missä sinä olet? Niin, ja missä sinä olet? Tehdäänkö galluppi?

Voin aloittaa: +18 ja aurinkoista, ilmassa syksyistä kirpeyttä.
Muuta: Täydellinen sää yhdistää iso huivi, mekko ja lempipopot. Takkikaan ei ole liioittelua, on kosteaa.
Paikka: Sevilla, Espanja.

P.S. Olenhan jo esitellyt teoriani siitä, että ihmisillä on syksyisin parempi tyyli kuin muina vuodenaikoina?

Silent knowledge

I could hear the history whispering from the walls. Imagine what the palace has seen since it was build in 1366! Who has stepped across the same tresholds, wandered in the gardens. Not only the kings and queens and other remarcable beings, but also the ordinary people, the servants. Who's job has been sweeping the corridors, who has inserted the numerous tiles, who has carved all the details, who has cooked in there. So many unknown stories of people linked to it.

Just the tought of it. The place. The time. Impressive. Beautiful. Strong.

And there it still stands, holding on to those stories no one can trace back to. Only the palace knows.

Sight I've seen

Oh the glow.

Made a big effort yesterday after work and went to the Real Alcázar. Oh! Fantastic! It was worth a visit. And it was also quiet, just hour and half before the closing time, in the middle of the week, on a perfectly crispy and sunny autumn day.

The golden shine covered the ceilings, touched the leaves and circled up und down the stairs. It felt like a foreign land in the middle of the city.

Finally, I've seen a sight.

Randomities

I think I'm sitting in the middle of an energy circle again. I'm noticing random things that actually make so much sense. Makes me smile.

This also happened: I couldn't draw out cash today, I tried at different places. It was sort of strange. Then it was exactly 18:06 when I had my last try, happened to notice the time from the screen. And that's when it worked. Of course. I'm born on the 18th of June. (If it had worked before, I might have ended up having cake, so maybe definately yes this was ment to be too. Instead I got home where my room-mate had cooked yummy veggies.)

After the rain

Satoi. Sateen jälkeen oli kaunis valo ja hiljaiset kadut. Ilma tuntui pehmealtä ja puhtaalta.

Söin sipulikeiton. Siinä oli ihanasti juustoa ja leipäpaloja pinnalla. Baarissa tyttö teki läksyjä, pieni seurue pulisi, ulkona ihmiset kantoivat sateenvarjoja. Minulla ei ollut työpäivän jälkeen kiire mihinkään.

Sundays sound like jazz

Mondays start with a take-away coffee,
On Tuesdays I hurry to yoga after work,
Wednesdays are for chillaxing and mid-week exhaustion,
On Thursdays I hurry to yoga, too, and laze back home,
Fridays often turn into shopping,
Saturdays equal dancing,
and on Sundays, from now on, we listen jazz.

***
I've found my favorite chill-out zone. Gigs on weekends, relaxed ambiance and a cosy setting. Feels like somebody's living room.Yesterday we went for an amazing session of live jazz with one of my room-mates and had cake on the way home. Perfect way to finish off the weekend.