The summer often means people will disperse around the city, the country and even the world to work, chill and see their families who’ve been asking for a visit from their prodigal sons and daughters for months. So if one sunny afternoon you find yourself with an aching desire to see our webzine’s staff during the long and lonely weeks of summer vacation, here’s where you’ll find them and why they’ve chosen to go to these must-see spots. Judas Priest – Epitaph Tour @ Sauna Open Air, Tampere, June 11th A foolproof way to meet BTSB journalist Esko Suoranta this summer is to head for Tampere in mid-June. There, in beautiful Eteläpuisto, he can be found, hell bent for leather, screaming for vengeance and ready to break the law. Apparently, British heavy metal pioneers Judas Priest will be there for their farewell world tour.
Mr. Suoranta was unavailable for comment at this time, but frantically scribbled notes found on his desk reveal that he has become a ‟victim of changes”, joined some nefarious cult of ‟metal gods” and has promoted himself to the office of ‟turbo lover”. Mr. Suoranta was last seen crashing a mock-Harley motorcycle in front of his residence in Helsinki, but managed to escape before the police could take him to custody. People named ‟Halford” are advised to exercise caution while the journalist is at large. BTSB would appreciate all sightings of Mr. Suoranta.
Niko Pasanen’s plan for June consists of sitting on his very own sweet brown leather sofa reading American Literature. Why? Because he’ll rather take a month of suffering now instead of the six months of lectures next year, when he might actually have something close to a "life". His plan for July consists of sitting on his very own sweet brown leather sofa reading for the Victorian Literature exam. Why? “Because I'm an idiot,” he says. Why should others do this as well? Umm, they shouldn’t.
The chief editor of Better Than Sliced Bread can easily be spotted working from nine to five in the lovely suburb of Tapiola, Espoo. He can found spending most of his time working behind the register at McDonald's or in the kitchen thereof. However, in early September this majestic beast will take flight towards Berlin, Germany, for Drop Dead Festival. A DIY music festival that features musical 'genres' as varied as mutant wave, deathrock and post-punk, Drop Dead is either an indie festival for goths or a goth festival for hipsters. If you're at all into dark and weird music, consider attending, as the tickets are cheap and flights to Berlin are of negligible price.
For more information, visit http://www.dropdeadfestival.com/
Another plane trip away, Scotland awaits. Our dearest comic artist Kaisa can be found in Edinburgh in August, rummaging around pubs and hunting the monster of Loch Lomond (or what was it again...). Edinburgh is known for its handsome kilt-wearing men, cool castle, whiskey and also Fringe, a theatre festival lasting the whole of August. Fringe hosts a versatile variation of stand-up shows, amateur theatre pieces, musicals and so on. Edinburgh hostels are all booked in August because of the festival, but this beautiful city is also at its best in autumn.
Back to Finland. The Finnish Archipelago of Turku and Åland is the place where she would happily spend all her summers. If she weren't busy working as a mailwoman in Itäkeskus, she would definitely go there this year, too. The sea, the fresh air, the endless peace and quiet only to be occasionally distracted by seagulls flying by; where could one find a better place for relaxing after a busy year at the University? There is something different about the Archipelago. Kerttu has spent most of her summers so far sailing around the area and many of my relatives have summer cottages there so the Finnish Archipelago will always have a special place in her heart. That’s plenty of reason for anyone to go check it out.
And the very jobless yours truly will mostly be spending her summer in Helsinki, lounging lazily in the sun with a book as she is kind of taking summer exams. But occasionally, I will make a trip to the north to my original hoods in the heart of Kainuu, the town of Kajaani with a population of some 40,000 people. The town center is small and easily seen on foot. Picnics by the river may get visits from intoxicated men asking you to get something for them from the liquor store, but hey, shooing them away is quite easy. In June, the main street will be taken over by a traditional market where you can get anything from canned fish to knitwear. (A protip: buy your food from the Thai food tent, it’s cheap and the best you can get at the market.) I always go there, even with the very real possibility of running into people I knew in my life there. Oh, and there’s a big lake as well. You can swim in it. But if none of that tickles your fancy: I’ve got a terrace, an ice cube machine and a sun chair or two. And I just might be willing to share.