Sprachliche Seltsamkeiten beim Thema „Krieg“ 1

Irgendetwas an der Art, wie über Krieg geschrieben und gesprochen wird, löst in mir Fragezeichen aus. Auf LinkedIn steht im Profil von Ursula von der Leyen zum Beispiel: „Russia is waging a cruel, ruthless war, also against Ukraine’s civilian population.“ Also „Russland führt einen grausamen, rücksichtslosen Krieg, auch gegen die Zivilbevölkerung der Ukraine.“ … Diese…

Do they bite?

I just had to take a picture of these cute little kids, sitting in Helsinki at the estuary of the Vantaa river, so-called “Vanhankaupunki” (the place where Helsinki was founded in 1550 by Swedish king Gustav Vaasa I), learning how to fish. There was a pretty cold wind on that day, but hey, they are…

Details

I love details. Spending one summer in Ullanlinna and walking around the “real” Helsinki after work, it’s almost inevitable that I happen upon many small details that shop owners so carefully put out onto the streets, many of them probably unnoticed. I loved this little “wind-powered” fish installation, the ideal alternative if you like the mesmerising…

Denis Matsuev in Helsinki

One day he spent in Helsinki and offered a piano recital in Helsinki Musiikkitalo. I absolutely had to go, I mean, Steinway Grand piano + Matsuev + Musiikkitalo is a safe bet for a wonderful evening, even though he didn’t play Rachmaninoff, but instead Beethoven and Tschaikovsky. Together with a large number of fans (the…

Midsummer – Juhannus

Midsummer in Helsinki is a curious experience.The city is pretty much deserted, as everybody is in the countryside spending time with friends and family, visiting sauna all night long, drinking lots of beer and Sima etc.. Shops, museums, almost everything is closed and cycling through the empty, quiet streets has a feel of “alien on…

It’s the little things…

…that illustrate the difference between a first-class and “normal class” venue. I work as one of the moderators for Sibelius Finland Experience during the summer months – a beautiful, one-hour concert event in Helsinki where young master students and musicians present music composed by Jean Sibelius to guests from all over the world (piano-violin). This…

Royals in Helsinki

Even if you don’t know what’s going on, an empty marketplace in Helsinki is a sure sign that something is going on, because the marketplace is “never” empty, unless of course, the place is needed for spectators who want to get a glimpse of the nordic heads of state: the three Nordic royals, the president…

Sisu Day

I have registered for using the city bike. Still, I picked up my ancient (read: even unlocked nobody will steal it) bike from a friend where it had hibernated while I was gone. Being a Finn, even she wasn’t sure whether laughing or getting depressed would be the more appropriate reaction to the weather. You…