kelper's recent photos

kelper's photo

2009-08-25T18:43:00Z

Some scaffolding that actually fits in nicely with the style of the spires.

2009-08-25T22:34:15Z

kelper
Some scaffolding that actually fits in nicely with the style of the spires.

Taken for the little green ladders stretching up to the top. I would go insane with vertigo if I found myself on one of those.

2009-08-25T22:34:15Z

kelper
Taken for the little green ladders stretching up to the top. I would go insane with vertigo if I found myself on one of those.

Pin Bear. Bless.

2009-08-25T22:34:15Z

kelper
Pin Bear. Bless.

I wonder when they realised that the big padlock was not going to fit through the mesh of the fence.

2009-08-25T22:34:15Z

kelper
I wonder when they realised that the big padlock was not going to fit through the mesh of the fence.

The one at the bottom is the most ornate one I saw.

2009-08-25T22:34:15Z

kelper
The one at the bottom is the most ornate one I saw.

A particularly elaborate one.

2009-08-25T22:34:15Z

kelper
A particularly elaborate one.

Two bicycle locks here.

2009-08-25T22:34:15Z

kelper
Two bicycle locks here.

This one was commemorating a group tour. Most of them were from 2009, and the earliest date I noticed was 2003. I don't know if this is a new custom, or if they prune them every few years.

2009-08-25T22:34:15Z

kelper
This one was commemorating a group tour. Most of them were from 2009, and the earliest date I noticed was 2003. I don't know if this is a new custom, or if they prune them every few years.

On the train in, when we were crossing the Hohenzollern Bridge just before the railway station, I'd seen that the fence by the walkway was covered with... well, "things". The next morning I ...

2009-08-25T22:34:15Z

kelper
On the train in, when we were crossing the Hohenzollern Bridge just before the railway station, I'd seen that the fence by the walkway was covered with... well, "things". The next morning I ...

It isn't possible, in a photograph, to convey the audacious, neck-craning scale of the Dom when you're standing in the main square looking up at it. I decided to settle for having it loom.

2009-08-25T22:34:15Z

kelper
It isn't possible, in a photograph, to convey the audacious, neck-craning scale of the Dom when you're standing in the main square looking up at it. I decided to settle for having it loom.

As I said, the hotel did not have a promising exterior.

2009-08-25T22:34:15Z

kelper
As I said, the hotel did not have a promising exterior.

The stairway in the hotel, with Turkish (I think) brassware. The place was a nicely-judged mixture of the personal and the cleanly-modern, and felt like a real find.

2009-08-25T22:34:15Z

kelper
The stairway in the hotel, with Turkish (I think) brassware. The place was a nicely-judged mixture of the personal and the cleanly-modern, and felt like a real find.

The breakfast room in the hotel, with a shelf with a fascinating mixture of Che Guevara pictures and African carvings.

2009-08-25T22:34:15Z

kelper
The breakfast room in the hotel, with a shelf with a fascinating mixture of Che Guevara pictures and African carvings.

On my holiday in India in February of 2008, we'd spent the last few days at a beach resort that turned out to be full of Germans taking ayurvedic health treatments (and taking them very, ver ...

2009-08-25T22:34:15Z

kelper
On my holiday in India in February of 2008, we'd spent the last few days at a beach resort that turned out to be full of Germans taking ayurvedic health treatments (and taking them very, ver ...

My hotel didn't look very promising from the outside or the lobby, but I was enchanted with my room. Small, but very elegant. [It's the City Hotel on Clemensstr.]

2009-08-25T22:35:40Z

kelper
My hotel didn't look very promising from the outside or the lobby, but I was enchanted with my room. Small, but very elegant. [It's the City Hotel on Clemensstr.]

Another workman outside the Glyptotek, again with unusual footwear.

2009-08-25T22:13:20Z

kelper
Another workman outside the Glyptotek, again with unusual footwear.

Inside the train to Hamburg, before I had encountered the elderly German man from hell (it was a five hour trip, without functioning air conditioning). I believe the drawings are by a Max Br ...

2009-08-25T22:13:20Z

kelper
Inside the train to Hamburg, before I had encountered the elderly German man from hell (it was a five hour trip, without functioning air conditioning). I believe the drawings are by a Max Br ...

Inside the railway station, with chandeliers.

2009-08-25T22:13:20Z

kelper
Inside the railway station, with chandeliers.

The main entrance to the railway station.

2009-08-25T22:13:20Z

kelper
The main entrance to the railway station.

An unusual "mechanical" thermometer.

2009-08-25T22:13:20Z

kelper
An unusual "mechanical" thermometer.

A statue outside the Glyptotek. I don't think this is representing an individual, but a trade (I liked the clogs).

2009-08-25T22:13:20Z

kelper
A statue outside the Glyptotek. I don't think this is representing an individual, but a trade (I liked the clogs).

A detail of the Glyptotek.

2009-08-25T22:13:20Z

kelper
A detail of the Glyptotek.

A block from my hotel: the roof of the Glyptotek Museum, with one of the rides of the Tivoli amusement park behind it.

2009-08-25T22:13:20Z

kelper
A block from my hotel: the roof of the Glyptotek Museum, with one of the rides of the Tivoli amusement park behind it.

From just around the corner from my hotel: some lovely little balconies.

2009-08-25T22:13:20Z

kelper
From just around the corner from my hotel: some lovely little balconies.

kelper's photo

2009-08-25T22:01:22Z

kelper

kelper's photo

2009-08-25T22:01:22Z

kelper

In a town full of bicycles, this was the oddest one I saw.

2009-08-25T22:13:20Z

kelper
In a town full of bicycles, this was the oddest one I saw.

Rune stones. I had no idea they were so big.

2009-08-25T22:13:20Z

kelper
Rune stones. I had no idea they were so big.

From the National Museum: a case of ceremonial Lur Horns.

2009-08-25T22:13:20Z

kelper
From the National Museum: a case of ceremonial Lur Horns.

From the X2000 high-speed train from Goteborg. Taken mainly to show the sheaf of refuse bags that hangs by every pair of seats. You pull the topmost bag open, and the whole bag can later be ...

2009-08-25T22:13:20Z

kelper
From the X2000 high-speed train from Goteborg. Taken mainly to show the sheaf of refuse bags that hangs by every pair of seats. You pull the topmost bag open, and the whole bag can later be ...

The restaurant car at breakfast time. I hadn't been there the night before and had been expecting something done mostly in plastic, but it was really very classy (like a gentlemen's club).

2009-08-25T22:00:52Z

kelper
The restaurant car at breakfast time. I hadn't been there the night before and had been expecting something done mostly in plastic, but it was really very classy (like a gentlemen's club).

My three-berth sleeper compartment, in daytime mode. I had it to myself for about five hours, until Umea.

2009-08-25T22:00:52Z

kelper
My three-berth sleeper compartment, in daytime mode. I had it to myself for about five hours, until Umea.

This area of Sweden had a lot of churches with very pointed steeples that didn't cover the full area of the tower.

2009-08-25T22:00:52Z

kelper
This area of Sweden had a lot of churches with very pointed steeples that didn't cover the full area of the tower.

From the bus down to Lulea. Almost every house in the countryside had a Swedish flag outside it, usually in the form of a pennant. I'd seen this a lot in Aland, too, but hardly at all in Fin ...

2009-08-25T22:00:52Z

kelper
From the bus down to Lulea. Almost every house in the countryside had a Swedish flag outside it, usually in the form of a pennant. I'd seen this a lot in Aland, too, but hardly at all in Fin ...

From the bus from Kemi railway in Finland to just over the border into Sweden. We are just about to cross the border, and what should be waiting there but an IKEA!

2009-08-25T22:00:52Z

kelper
From the bus from Kemi railway in Finland to just over the border into Sweden. We are just about to cross the border, and what should be waiting there but an IKEA!

To show you what Finnish regional trains are like. As well as smoking and non-smoking compartments, they also have dog and no-dog compartments.

2009-08-25T21:48:23Z

kelper
To show you what Finnish regional trains are like. As well as smoking and non-smoking compartments, they also have dog and no-dog compartments.

Back in Rovaniemi. Finnish railway stations all seem to have excellent cafes, which are open throughout the day even if the station only has four trains a day. The one Rovaniemi also include ...

2009-08-25T21:48:23Z

kelper
Back in Rovaniemi. Finnish railway stations all seem to have excellent cafes, which are open throughout the day even if the station only has four trains a day. The one Rovaniemi also include ...

Four in the morning in late August, north of the Arctic Circle.

2009-08-25T21:48:23Z

kelper
Four in the morning in late August, north of the Arctic Circle.

Downtown Kemijarvi, with my hotel in the background.

2009-08-25T21:48:23Z

kelper
Downtown Kemijarvi, with my hotel in the background.

I thought this was one of Kemijarvi's famous lakes but it turned out to be the village pond. Still, it's an exceptionally lovely pond, and easier to capture in a photograph.

2009-08-25T21:48:23Z

kelper
I thought this was one of Kemijarvi's famous lakes but it turned out to be the village pond. Still, it's an exceptionally lovely pond, and easier to capture in a photograph.

The intensity of that green!

2009-08-25T21:48:23Z

kelper
The intensity of that green!

A lovely bench, with a rowing boat hiding on the other side.

2009-08-25T21:48:23Z

kelper
A lovely bench, with a rowing boat hiding on the other side.

Across a narrow stretch of land between one lake and another, for hauling boats across. I know I've come across the name for one of these, but I can't remember it.

2009-08-25T21:48:23Z

kelper
Across a narrow stretch of land between one lake and another, for hauling boats across. I know I've come across the name for one of these, but I can't remember it.

I was passing some moorings and heard thumping sounds. I assumed they were from the boats, but after a while realised that they were from a skateboard park a bit closer to town.

2009-08-25T21:48:23Z

kelper
I was passing some moorings and heard thumping sounds. I assumed they were from the boats, but after a while realised that they were from a skateboard park a bit closer to town.

Just outside of town there was a group of sculptures.

2009-08-25T21:48:23Z

kelper
Just outside of town there was a group of sculptures.

In Kemijarvi, from the start of a walk by the lakes.

2009-08-25T21:48:23Z

kelper
In Kemijarvi, from the start of a walk by the lakes.

My hotel room in Kemijarvi had its own sauna!

2009-08-25T21:48:23Z

kelper
My hotel room in Kemijarvi had its own sauna!

About 6 km outside Roveniemi is Santa Claus's Village, right on the Arctic Circle. I didn't manage to get a picture of the complex itself, but this is a sign a few kilometers before it.

2009-08-25T21:48:23Z

kelper
About 6 km outside Roveniemi is Santa Claus's Village, right on the Arctic Circle. I didn't manage to get a picture of the complex itself, but this is a sign a few kilometers before it.

Taken from the bus, for the Alko logo. Alko is the state-controlled chain of off-licenses, and the only place in Finland where you can buy wine and spirits. Though beer is available in the s ...

2009-08-25T21:48:23Z

kelper
Taken from the bus, for the Alko logo. Alko is the state-controlled chain of off-licenses, and the only place in Finland where you can buy wine and spirits. Though beer is available in the s ...

I always assume that Goths regard themselves as non-conformists, but it is possible that they're fully aware of how narrowly and rigidly defined their uniform is.

2009-08-25T21:27:42Z

kelper
I always assume that Goths regard themselves as non-conformists, but it is possible that they're fully aware of how narrowly and rigidly defined their uniform is.

In Central Oulu, about one block in every four is a little park, most with interesting features.

2009-08-25T21:27:42Z

kelper
In Central Oulu, about one block in every four is a little park, most with interesting features.

A few doors down, a fraternal twin to the first gate.

2009-08-25T21:27:42Z

kelper
A few doors down, a fraternal twin to the first gate.

Seen downtown: an unusual, carefully-painted gate.

2009-08-25T21:27:42Z

kelper
Seen downtown: an unusual, carefully-painted gate.

"Only on Post Office Business". I don't think I've ever seen parking-restrictions for bicycles in the UK.

2009-08-25T21:27:42Z

kelper
"Only on Post Office Business". I don't think I've ever seen parking-restrictions for bicycles in the UK.

From a sporting goods shop. I saw a lot of people around doing Nordic walking with these rubber-tipped poles.

2009-08-25T21:27:42Z

kelper
From a sporting goods shop. I saw a lot of people around doing Nordic walking with these rubber-tipped poles.

Downtown Oulu, looking towards the harbour.

2009-08-25T21:27:42Z

kelper
Downtown Oulu, looking towards the harbour.

Also from the park. I had dinner in a restaurant a few minutes away, sitting outside looking across the water to the city.

2009-08-25T21:27:42Z

kelper
Also from the park. I had dinner in a restaurant a few minutes away, sitting outside looking across the water to the city.

Oulu, from a park in an island just across from the main harbour.

2009-08-25T21:27:42Z

kelper
Oulu, from a park in an island just across from the main harbour.

A block away from the previous picture. I liked Kajaani a lot.

2009-08-25T21:27:42Z

kelper
A block away from the previous picture. I liked Kajaani a lot.

Central Kajaani, to give another perspective on the place.

2009-08-25T21:27:42Z

kelper
Central Kajaani, to give another perspective on the place.

From outside the restaurant. I understand that red squirrels do still exist in Britain but I have never seen one.

2009-08-25T21:27:42Z

kelper
From outside the restaurant. I understand that red squirrels do still exist in Britain but I have never seen one.

From the wonderful Sirius restaurant in Kajaani, where I had lunch.

2009-08-25T21:27:42Z

kelper
From the wonderful Sirius restaurant in Kajaani, where I had lunch.

Kajaani town square, with town hall and fountain.

2009-08-25T21:27:42Z

kelper
Kajaani town square, with town hall and fountain.

In Kajaani, and taken for the glazed balconies, which are a wonderful thing. Strangely, the further north I went in Finland, the more likely I was to see unglazed balconies: in Helsinki, the ...

2009-08-25T21:27:42Z

kelper
In Kajaani, and taken for the glazed balconies, which are a wonderful thing. Strangely, the further north I went in Finland, the more likely I was to see unglazed balconies: in Helsinki, the ...

From the bus to Kajaani. The first sign that this area might be popular for winter sports.

2009-08-25T21:27:42Z

kelper
From the bus to Kajaani. The first sign that this area might be popular for winter sports.

From a New Age shop in a shopping centre at the bus station. A Three-Dimensional Photon Energy Pillow, eh? Alas, the shop was shut.

2009-08-25T21:04:13Z

kelper
From a New Age shop in a shopping centre at the bus station. A Three-Dimensional Photon Energy Pillow, eh? Alas, the shop was shut.

A poster down at the beach.

2009-08-25T21:04:13Z

kelper
A poster down at the beach.

Nurmes train station, which has two trains a day, neither at a time that was convenient for me on this trip.

2009-08-25T21:04:13Z

kelper
Nurmes train station, which has two trains a day, neither at a time that was convenient for me on this trip.

The Nurmes beach was a few blocks away from the hotel.

2009-08-25T21:04:13Z

kelper
The Nurmes beach was a few blocks away from the hotel.

From inside my hotel. The bedrooms were nice, and modern, but the public areas were... I would say: "North Wales in the 1970s".

2009-08-25T21:04:13Z

kelper
From inside my hotel. The bedrooms were nice, and modern, but the public areas were... I would say: "North Wales in the 1970s".

The Nurmes village square. When I headed off to Bomba House the evening before, about half an hour after some heavy rain had finished, there was a small band on the stage, playing doggedly a ...

2009-08-25T21:04:13Z

kelper
The Nurmes village square. When I headed off to Bomba House the evening before, about half an hour after some heavy rain had finished, there was a small band on the stage, playing doggedly a ...

Seen on a village noticeboard on the way back onto town. I have no idea what type of entertainment or event this is about, and that is one of my main incentives for learning more Finnish.

2009-08-25T21:04:13Z

kelper
Seen on a village noticeboard on the way back onto town. I have no idea what type of entertainment or event this is about, and that is one of my main incentives for learning more Finnish.

Bomba House, seen from the entrance to the village. It has a beer terrace as well as a restaurant, but I think it was too late in the season for that to be open.

2009-08-25T21:04:13Z

kelper
Bomba House, seen from the entrance to the village. It has a beer terrace as well as a restaurant, but I think it was too late in the season for that to be open.

A cooking area just in front of the sauna. In good weather, wouldn't this be a lovely place to spend a few days?

2009-08-25T21:04:13Z

kelper
A cooking area just in front of the sauna. In good weather, wouldn't this be a lovely place to spend a few days?

The lakeside sauna, with separate halves for men and women. [Presumably part of the spa.]

2009-08-25T21:04:13Z

kelper
The lakeside sauna, with separate halves for men and women. [Presumably part of the spa.]

One of the traditional houses. Some of them are holiday cottages, part of a spa complex, but I think this one is just for show.

2009-08-25T21:04:13Z

kelper
One of the traditional houses. Some of them are holiday cottages, part of a spa complex, but I think this one is just for show.

What people do for fun in Nurmes.

2009-08-25T21:04:13Z

kelper
What people do for fun in Nurmes.

Inside Bomba House, a large building where I arrived just in time to have the buffet.

2009-08-25T21:09:06Z

kelper
Inside Bomba House, a large building where I arrived just in time to have the buffet.

Signs pointing to two different sawmills.

2009-08-25T21:04:13Z

kelper
Signs pointing to two different sawmills.

From Joensuu, I got a bus north to Nurmes, a small town with a recreation of a traditional Karelian village just outside it, and with a hell of a lot of sawmills. This is from the beginning ...

2009-08-25T21:08:20Z

kelper
From Joensuu, I got a bus north to Nurmes, a small town with a recreation of a traditional Karelian village just outside it, and with a hell of a lot of sawmills. This is from the beginning ...

From a new development from the far side of the river, a few blocks from the railway station. Taken for the fact that part of the sign is in Russian.

2009-08-25T21:04:13Z

kelper
From a new development from the far side of the river, a few blocks from the railway station. Taken for the fact that part of the sign is in Russian.

One of the more traditional-looking streets in Joensuu.

2009-08-25T21:04:13Z

kelper
One of the more traditional-looking streets in Joensuu.

The town hall at Joensuu, by the architect who design the main railway station in Helsinki.

2009-08-25T21:04:13Z

kelper
The town hall at Joensuu, by the architect who design the main railway station in Helsinki.

It's five hours on the train from Helsinki to Joensuu ("River's Mouth"), the main town in Karelia. I didn't realise until I got off the train at Joensuu that it had a Richard Scarry characte ...

2009-08-25T21:06:45Z

kelper
It's five hours on the train from Helsinki to Joensuu ("River's Mouth"), the main town in Karelia. I didn't realise until I got off the train at Joensuu that it had a Richard Scarry characte ...

Also from Kiasma.

2009-08-25T20:40:15Z

kelper
Also from Kiasma.

Also from Kiasma. The McDonalds piece on the far wall is a version of the story of the man who goes to the doctor complaining of acute depression (life seems grim and pointless), and is told ...

2009-08-25T20:40:15Z

kelper
Also from Kiasma. The McDonalds piece on the far wall is a version of the story of the man who goes to the doctor complaining of acute depression (life seems grim and pointless), and is told ...

From the wonderful Kiasma modern art gallery. This was a train-set, where the train scuttled between these "islands". There was a woman with a little brush who had the job of grooming the tr ...

2009-08-25T20:40:15Z

kelper
From the wonderful Kiasma modern art gallery. This was a train-set, where the train scuttled between these "islands". There was a woman with a little brush who had the job of grooming the tr ...

Walking home, we had to wait for a break in the marathon before we could cross the road.

2009-08-25T20:40:15Z

kelper
Walking home, we had to wait for a break in the marathon before we could cross the road.

The tower of the main railway station, not looking quite as it should. I love the fact that they've included a digital clock, since the real one is currently hidden.

2009-08-25T20:40:15Z

kelper
The tower of the main railway station, not looking quite as it should. I love the fact that they've included a digital clock, since the real one is currently hidden.

At the market, I'd bought a small picture of an architectual detail in the form of a bat. The photographer said that it was from this building, which is the Swedish-speaking students' union, ...

2009-08-25T20:40:15Z

kelper
At the market, I'd bought a small picture of an architectual detail in the form of a bat. The photographer said that it was from this building, which is the Swedish-speaking students' union, ...

A building in town, with frog.

2009-08-25T20:40:57Z

kelper
A building in town, with frog.

Turku station, with a swine flu poster outside it.

2009-08-25T20:42:45Z

kelper
Turku station, with a swine flu poster outside it.

A sign for the Galtby cafe, seen from inside one of the local ferries. Taken for the "nice and needful".

2009-08-25T20:25:14Z

kelper
A sign for the Galtby cafe, seen from inside one of the local ferries. Taken for the "nice and needful".

The bus ride from Galtby to Turku involved several short ferry-crossings. I think these might be cable-ferries.

2009-08-25T20:25:14Z

kelper
The bus ride from Galtby to Turku involved several short ferry-crossings. I think these might be cable-ferries.

The ferry landing at Galtby. I was expecting a waiting room and toilets, at most, but Galtby is also the landing for a couple of other, much busier ferry services (there are, at most, two bo ...

2009-08-25T20:41:56Z

kelper
The ferry landing at Galtby. I was expecting a waiting room and toilets, at most, but Galtby is also the landing for a couple of other, much busier ferry services (there are, at most, two bo ...

From the ferry to mainland Finland the next morning. The young man up front in the cap had a spectacular waxed moustache. He seemed to spend about half the trip maintaining and reshaping it, ...

2009-08-25T20:25:14Z

kelper
From the ferry to mainland Finland the next morning. The young man up front in the cap had a spectacular waxed moustache. He seemed to spend about half the trip maintaining and reshaping it, ...

Back at the hotel:the view from the guest-moorings.

2009-08-25T20:25:14Z

kelper
Back at the hotel:the view from the guest-moorings.

Aland is very popular for cycle touring because it's so flat, but this was actually the only group of "cyclists clearly on holiday" that I saw while in the islands.

2009-08-25T20:25:14Z

kelper
Aland is very popular for cycle touring because it's so flat, but this was actually the only group of "cyclists clearly on holiday" that I saw while in the islands.

Just inland from the not-beach was a sheltered picnic-spot (with tables and swing) and with a rock that showed some of the clearest signs of glacier-scouring that I'd seen yet.

2009-08-25T20:25:14Z

kelper
Just inland from the not-beach was a sheltered picnic-spot (with tables and swing) and with a rock that showed some of the clearest signs of glacier-scouring that I'd seen yet.