Fishing part 1

For a frenetic moment, go fishing silakka (baltic herring) during the reproduction time next to Lauttasaari bridge. A line full of big fat hooks, lures or not, whatever and just remove these fishes as you were shoveling them out of the sea. They are so stupid and crazy that they will do anyting to get caught. It was funny to see the grand-ma bringing 10 fishes at each throw from their line and hear our young neighbour pesting while catching nothing!

Why are the fish so shiny, silvery? read the Kalevala to know everything!

I was there with Matthieu, what a fishing enthusiast. 10.05.2011

Last photo: a day full of wind, sun and hope but fishless. Troutless. Next time or another....

staying at the hut - or escaping HKI for a night

Walking in the Nuuksio National park after work with a few friends, sharing some food, makkara, eggplant and russian pickled fish. Wood sauna, dip into the ice hole and walk on the ice at night. Short night of sleep and sleep walking from 6h30 am to go back to work.

Thanks to Cédric for making the video! 07.04.2011


Finland - Sauna at Espoo - April 2011 by TheToto


URL of the vide
Info about staying overnight in Nuuksio

J'écoutais la glace et...

On ne s’attend pas qu’un élément aussi figé que la glace puisse nous réserver autant de surprise sonore. L’année dernière, un beau jour où il faisait -14°C, j’avais shooté dans un morceau de neige compactée et j’en étais resté baba devant le son que ce bout de glace rendait. Comme s’il était creux, comme si c’était une mousse de métal qui rendait un tintement très claire qui remplissait tout l’air le temps d’un instant.

Cet après-midi, je suis allé me balader avec une amie au bord de la mer. La bonne surprise était que pour la plus grande partie, le large était libéré des glaces et il s’agit d’une sensation étrangement rassurante de retrouver au printemps la mer libre, parcourue de vague, et un peu d’écume. Mais aujourd’hui, elle n’avait pas encore complètement décidée son camp. Une pellicule de gel de moins d’un centimètre se forme par les nuits sans vent et quand les vagues reprennent, cette couverture parfaites est brisées en autant de plaques qui poussées dans les anses par le vent s’accumulent pour former des lamelles de glace qui se chevauchent et ajoute de la lourdeur à l’eau. Et un bruit étrange. Ces milliers de plaquettes se frottent paresseusement à chaque vague et produisent un bruissement qui semble provenir d’un million d’insectes.

Les surfaces gelées sont aussi riches en musique, un lac fraichement gelé est parcouru à une vitesse phénoménale par des bruits effrayant qui semble vous dire que c’est la fin. C’est pourtant parfaitement normal. Lorsque je skiais sur une glace de 60 centimètres, j’avais l’impression d’entendre des coups de feu dans le lointain. Il s’agissait de la glace qui devait travailler sous l’effet de la dilatation, du vent et des courants.

Sea cycling II

New bike cycling trip on the sea. Combining this two obvious things not to combine: a surface of water and a bicycle. The perfect state of the ice made it possible to drive fast on this mirror-like surface. However the sea had heavily gone away nad we couldn't go far. The ice is actually pin pointed by some small islands south of Lauttasaari and beyond them is the water free. Good sight to see this water alive again, small waves and their smooth sound. 08.03.2011

Helsinki by ski III

Strange surprise, the thin layer of snow had melted over the day and frozen again, leaving bare ice behind. Not the best ground for skiing but definitely worth to see as strange ice forms were all along my way making this world so peticular. The last surprise of the day was that huge pieces of sea ice were gone over the week-end, I had to shorten my trip. 07.03.2011

Sea jacuzzi. The water is kept bubbly to avoid ice formation to allow people to take a dip. Obvious, isn't it?

Sea cycling I

It is a story of a god and a man. God made the sea that freezes everywinter, man just had to invent the wheel and the spike tires.

Then I just had to head right south from Lautasaari, the playground of the week, and cycles as far as I could. At some point it felt like the end of the world and there was a high navigation sign. I used its ladder and I could see that ahead of me were the first large patches of open water.

GPS track.

The small light spot, it's my bike light. Beloved bike.

Helsinki by ski II

Going out from work, I waxed my skis, met a friend and went on the frozen sea. The day was ending, the sky packed with a dense layer of cloud, there was an indoor atmosphere with the light of day fading. We left the bright, glassy buildings of Technopolis to go south of Lautasaari. The landscape became lonely and almost untouched by humans. Some mökki (summer cottage) well integrated in the forests of the island, a vast plain of ice with a perfect snow for skating. Exactly what I like about this capital, half an hour of skiing and there is absolutely nobody around you. Approching the centre of Helsinki, the islands around became more urbanized and suddenly one of the ferries to Tallinn popped up from behind an island. Covered in bright light it was like a fantastic kind of a phantom ship. 01.03.2011.

The GPS track.