Holiday mood, feeling sehr good

Action! Relax! Be where you are supposed to be! And surely I was. Have to say that holiday makes really good to body and soul.  

The king in the North

The King

All though Game of Thrones speaks about The king in the North, the real king in the real North is reindeer. Before this Summers holiday week up North I thought this species of animals are just stupid when hunging out on the roads. But oh no, they own the roads. They know their worth and position: they are too valuable and expensive to drive over. 

Pikku-Syöte point of view

These kings were also everywhere where i was training. So actually my Lapland holiday week was a training week. I was so happy after an injury (I sprained my leg pretty badly twice in 9 days) to run, to rollerski, to drive my bike and to practise orienteering. Despite the hard training sessions, reindeers were always on the top of the hills before me. They’re fit!

 

On the way to Muonio around 10:30pm

Red sand beach, Pallas, Muonio

And some royal time to my soul too. Having my own car (and these days it is dark blue Nissan) makes it possible to see many beautiful spots and find the way to the people who makes me happy. My neigbours at Syöte and the extreme ones at Muonio and Sodankylä. And nice timing for track and field World Championships in London! Great: days outside and evenings inside watching how Norwegians do manage. 

Mysterious Montenegro

Herceg Novi

Or it is not. Or hard to describe. My friend Yugo had invited the coolest theologians from my exchange year in the University of Bern. I didn’t know all of them well but for me it is ok to jump into these kind of adventures. Or take a taxi from Dubrovnik airport to Herceg Novi. Or not knowing what we are going to do and see. But I didn’t see that much. And at first only few activities made me a bit frustrated. But doing nothing was just what I needed. My injury wasn’t properly healed after all and I’m telling you, the heat was something huge: playing just one round darts made me sweat so much. 

  

Kotor

Some activities we had. We spent time at Yugos sisters Summer house in Herceg Novi and a tour in the old town of Kotor. On the other day a boat trip on the lake Skadar. And morning runs. Usually I run alone but this time I had company (annoying that guys who don’t train as much as me are in better shape anyway…) and glad I had. Human eater dog was pretty scary but the scariest was flying 2 meter long green snake. And I got the point why we didn’t do any hike: One and half hour later after this run we noticed that the hill where we ran was on fire. There were massive forest fires everywhere in Montenegro.

 

Forest fires

The most I enjoyed when we were eating together and playing games with dice in our Villa. The villa was really nice right next to the Mediterranean Sea. Usually I don’t like seas ’cause it is always windy and cold, but here I liked it. And the shore was amazing!  But still the people were the best. We spoke mostly in German and I was secretly smiling everytime when I understood a joke. In German! These theologians are maybe the coolest ones I know. I’m sure that as priests they will make parishes bloom. And thanks to them, I got back my interest in Theology.

Mysterious Montenegro. Thank you sweet Jesus for everything!

Our shore

Dinner time

Oh why, Switzerland?

Aarburg

I mean it was like 3 weeks +30 and when I arrived, it rained and it was half of the warmth. I had plans what I wanted to do, none of then I were happening. Mount Pilatus stays still unconquered and orienteering compatitions I missed. I’m so rarely late but everyday I was at least 1,5 hours late. Because of… I was lost. Would have been very nice time to practise orienteering, hehee. Anyhow, even many things were not what I wanted them to be, they were just what I needed to see or hear. I was there where I was supposed to be.

Swiss OlypicMedical Center

Instead of Pilatus I went to see Aarburg. It’s a castle between Bern and Zürich which I have seen so many times through train windows. And I like castles and outside it’s quite nice. But it was closed. Well, of course! Ok, then for a small hike in Biel. I wanted to reach Lés Pres d’Orvin just see how it looks like in the summertime. I couldn’t find it and I started to be really annoyed. Then, suddenly I found myself at Swiss Olympic Medical Center where they are testing athletes, meaning what is their current condition, how good they have trained. Very nice sport area, may I be tested there as well?

Luzern bridges

Oh beautiful Saturday morning, untill I was going for a run -> thunder and hard rain. Whatever. It was much easier to breathe in Switzerland than in Montenegro though and after 4 years nice to be at Gurten (the Mount of Bern). In the afternoon I went to Luzern for chocolate factory. But the factory is in Zürich, actually. Well I had more time to see the city, which I like and invented some dreams to happen in Luzern, besides Pilatus. But what really shaked me there was evening mass at Chatolic church. I was craving to attend to a some church thing and there it was just when found this church. The priest was so good, he got the right words for me, which I will use in my next speach too.

 

Luzern

Some things in Bern were different than before. Fellergut time is now officially over. There are many great memories but new ones are coming. My friends have very nice places where they live. Thank you God for bringing to my life such wonderful persons. And thanks for blessing them ’cause their blessing is my blessing too. Vau, I miss living in Bern. Oh why are you so far way from Finland, dear Switzerland?

Holiday weeks: SUCCESS.

Reformation

This year is remarkable at least in the Finnish perspective: Finland 100 years independent and our Lutheran faith is 500 years old. Allright! Let's go there where everything began, Germany. Me and my colleagues travelled to learn deeper what it is to be a Lutheran and be a servant in the Lutheran church. 3 days and among us happened also reformation.

Hardworking people wakes up early. Thanks Luther. It went very well until we reached our destination Leipzig. I Couldn't keep my eyes open anymore on our bus tour, so I'm not quite sure how Luther is linking to Leipzig but later we saw inside out Thomaskirche (Thomas church) by foot and it was the church where Bach trained and played.

On the second day we visited Luther's house in Wittenberg. Huge one and it concentrated on the life of Luther and his wife Katharina. Seemed nice to have so much nice people around and eating together. "What would Luther say? - Wed a nun."
The day continued to get to know Luther's birth place and where he died. All this in Eisleben. Cosy house to be born, beautiful church to be baptised and ok circumstances to die. There was in all these three places 'maybe'. Maybe it was this house or maybe it was that bowl and maybe it was this room where Luther was. He didn't carve "Luther was here" anywhere. But on the other hand, what we expected? After 500 years, after DDR, everything would be the same as back then?

The last day and back to Wittenberg. This was perhaps the most interesting day. What Luther thought and how Wittenberg was the starting spot of Reformation. Colourful city which lives through Luther. Tourists, Luther-stuff and beer which actually is good and good idea: Lohja-Luther beer 500 years, come and drink with a priest. Luther drank lots of beer to get rid of gallstones. Anyway, I'm sure Luther wouldn't want this hussle about himself but we should keep our eyes on Jesus.

So what I learned? Not that much about Luther or Lutherism. But this trip was reformation between us. We got to know each other a little better or way more better. I saw so many new sides of my colleagues, or not anymore just colleagues but friends or good pals. Oh, I had so much fun! What do you think, what priest, cantor and cook talks about? Well, hint: very everyday stuff ;)

And life continued very nice, beautiful and reformed back in Finland, jei!