United Kingdom

All pics by me.

I went to England and came back. Like always, it was exactly what I needed. When ever I feel overwhelmed about my life, or have far too much things going on(mainly in my head), all I need to do is to go to England to visit my sister.


I went to the Helsinki-Vantaa airport really early so I could have my breakfast there. It has become a little routine of mine that I want to go through everytime. I love the airport atmosphere. I love looking at people on their holiday moods, or with their laptops, looking really important flying to a business meeting somewhere in Europe.

I bought a book from the airport, that I started in the plane, and ended on my way back. I recommend it to everyone! It's been a long time since a book has got me this excited about reading! It's called "The truth about Melody Browne" and it's written by Lisa Jewell. It was a random pick, I just went to the bookstore looked at the top 10 list and picked out the one that had the nicest looking cover. Read it!! It's a book you can't put down even if you wanted to...I read it every night before going to sleep, and I never wanted to stop. No matter how tired I was I tried to read it atleast one eye open. So go and find it, read it.


One thing I have to say about Finnish people at airports is...about queuing.
Easy Jet (that I use, 'cause it ridicilously cheap!!100€ round trip to the UK and back) has this boarding system at the gate where they ask passengers to board in groups. You get to know your group at the check-in desk. They announce about that system at the gate...every time. They are very specific about how the boarding will proceed. First Speedy Boarding pass holders, then parents traveling with kids, then group A and B and so on. Simple, right?

But what does the Finns do...EVERYTIME. Right the second they hear the first word of the announcement that might indicate that it's time to board the plane, they get up and go for a que. No one listens to what the flight attendand is saying, they just push and shove around and stand in a que. Then they stand there for half an hour or more for no reason. Why is that?? Why are Finns like that? I'm sure no one believes that they will be left out from the plane if they don't stand in a que straight away...or is it about that they are afraid they won't get good seats in the plane?(Easy Jet has free seating) It can't be that either 'cause even though how hard they que they won't be let in the plane before it's their groups time to board!! I'm ridicilously annyoed everytime I have to watch this happen! You'd think it's not my problem, and it isn't but as it happens everytime, it's strated to annoy me more and more and yet some more. I feel like shouting at them, to tell them to go and SIT BACK DOWN!!! Haven't done that yet...but with this rate I will someday :D.


When we landed to the Gatwick airport, my sister was there waiting for me with their two kids. E is 3 years old and H is 1 year old. Can't help but love them. They are one of the most innovative, active and well-behaved little girls. A credit to their parents.


My holiday consisted mainly of food, walking around, playing with the children and taking pics. My goal was to relax and forget my life for a while. No internet, no phone no nothing. Just the English air and my sister and her family. Absolutely fabulous.

Covent Garden Market

My sister lives in Maindenhead, which is located on the west side of London, 20 minutes by train to the Paddington Station. We were supposed to go to National Photography Gallery in London, but when we got there, there was a note on the door saying the exhibition had moved to another location. We had the children with us so we really didn't wan't to go and look for it...as it turned out to be quite far away. We had just came by train and bus and the kids were really fed up with all the traveling so we had to come up with something else. Fortunately I had seen an add about an Irving Penn exhibition in the London Portrait Gallery! I had thought to myself that maybe I would have wanted to go there instead anyway, so I was happy that we were only a block away from the Portrait Gallery so we decided to go there!

Irving Penn is my new idol. He's done work to Vogue since 1940's. He's other work is amazing too. He's got a style of his own that makes his work very recognizable. I walked through the exhibition with my jaw dropped to the groung, stars and hearts flying from my eyes...great work.
I got really ispired of his work...so now I've got many new photography ideas that I can't wait to try! Just need to find the right models for them!

I bought a poster of one of his photographs. Now I need to get it framed, then I'll always have a piece of him hanging on my wall. One of my favourite pics of his was about Truman Capote, it's not the one I got, since they didn't have it (and I couldn't find it in the internet) but THIS gives a good idea about what his work is like.



Otherwise I spent time on the sofa, reading books to the children, blowing soap bubbles outside and soaking in the sun and warmth of the English spring.


Other place worth mentioning, that we visited, is a National Trust owned manor house called Cliveden. It has been used as a hunting "hut"...a real hut or cottage indeed...it was HUGE. We walked around the gardens (there were many) and the next day me and my sister went for a high tea inside the house. A proper afternoon tea. I'm so sorry that I didn't bring my camera with me there...I thought it wouldn't be appropriate 'cause my camera is so big and clumsy. But now I regret it...the house was so awesome! The carpets, paintings, furniture, chandeliers and everything else was pure magic. I could see and hear the history of the place..see how the people living in the house have looked like, what they've done there. Maybe sat by the fire doing some nitting in their gorgeous gownds and posh wigs.

And there we were, drinking tea, eating finger breads and skons with clotted cream and jam just like they have, a few hundred years ago. Marvellous.



I think I'll never get bored of going to England. There's something about the atmosphere there that makes me feel like I'm home everytime. It's good to have a place like that.


Rest of the pics can be found here: click click.
My suggestion is that you put it on Slideshow and listen to "Oasis - Wonderwall" while watching.