TAMPERE, FINLAND - This is it, really. One last bleary European morning, waking to pick up the pieces of the previous night's revelry. Went for broke, quite literally, last night, taking everything from Absinthe (yes, the real stuff, from Estonia) to cider to salamari and even some Finnish homegrown. "All in" as Grits 'n' Gravy would say with a mid-western drawl.
Assuming I won't have internet access during my mind-numbing 16-hour London layover, guess it's time to sum up. Met six friends from my time in Spain, including one I just bumped into in Stockholm, small world and all. Marieke, Andreas, Annika, Marcus, Tiina and Raikku showcased their respective countries with a lot of pride, at least more than I'd have for my hometown. What the hell would I do with any of these people if they came to visit me? Take them to, uh, Phil's and St. Jacobs?
Hard to rank where we've been as the German stage of the Tour de Farce was more touristy and chaotic with the football and such. Berlin, though, sticks out as my favourite city from the biased perspective of having been there for the end of the World Cup. Could just wander around and stumble into all kinds of kinder surprises - a beach party here, Cold War history there and the best Döner Kebabs this side of Istanbul. Plus, it's the home of the Buddy Bär, adorable little buggers.
Nightlife, somewhat surprisingly, I'd have to say Finland. Maybe the crew I was rolling with just knew the scene really well, but it seemed there'd be something novel at every bar we visited. A band playing old clothing racks, some flaming licorice shot that Raikku concocted, multi-level theme bars, people getting seriously shitfaced. Perpetual daylight too, so you never know what time it is, if you should be coming or going or what. Took a look at the atlas, and we're up around the 60th parallel, which in Canada would put us in the southern Northwest Territories.
Seems stupid to evaluate entire countries, having seen so little of them, but Sweden was probably the most fun of all, though that has more to do with my friends there than the place itself. You know, like the cheesy Rogers commercial says, 'The best place in the world is where your friends are.' That was what the post-WC part of the trip was all about, really.
1 comment:
Thanks for blogging throughout your trip Brandon! I enjoyed checking up on what you'd been doing. Living vicariously through your Euro-experiences. You're so damn lucky!
BUT - just so you know - things got CRAZY on Saturday night, at Emilie's Bachelorette. It was the craziest shit ever. Too bad you missed it.
Post a Comment