Monthly Archives: June 2014

Six Picks: Summer Festivals in Finland

29 Sunday Jun 2014

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Six images selected from the archives at www.timbirdphotography.com in a weekly photo blog.

It’s Glastonbury weekend in England, which brings to mind Helsinki’s own festive fare. Summer in Finland is when the place comes alive with music and dance festivals of just about every imaginable kind, from chamber music to opera, to jazz to samba, from world music to heavy metal. Small sleepy towns spring into life as they’re invaded for a few wild summer days with festival fans. Helsinki has its fair share of the summer festivals too. There really is something for everyone. Here you have six quick visits to festive summer Finland:

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Elbow’s Guy Garvey at Turku’s Ruisrock.

The now sadly deceased Gil Scott Heron at Pori Jazz.

The now sadly deceased Gil Scott Heron at Pori Jazz.

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Chinese dancers at the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival.

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3D spectacles in place for Kraftwerk at Helsinki’s Flow.

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“Giving it the horn” at the Tuska Metal Festival, Helsinki.

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Dancers ready for the procession at Helsinki’s Samba Carnaval

These are just the tip of Finland’s festival iceberg (and in case you were wondering, no icebergs here in winter or any other time, although if your idea of a good festival is rolling around in mud, you’ll probably find somewhere to do that). Literature, dance, visual art, movies… you name it. To find out more, visit the Finland Festivals website: http://www.festivals.fi/en

Individual Festival links for those mentioned above:

Ruisrock: www.ruisrock.fi

Kaustinen: www.kaustinen.net

Pori Jazz: www.porijazz.fi

Flow: www.flowfestival.com

Tuska: www.tuska-festival.fi

Helsinki Samba Carnaval: www.helsinkisambacarnaval.fi

If you enjoyed visiting, do some back! Share with friends, but remember that copyright remains with the photographer, that is, Tim Bird, that is, me! Take a look at my website at www.timbirdphotography.com for more travel photos from around the world.

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Six Picks: Tribute to Costa Rica from an Englishman

21 Saturday Jun 2014

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Six images from the travel photography archives at www.timbirdphotography.com

One of the best things about Costa Rica in Central America is that it doesn’t have an army. It has a surprisingly good football team, though, and they’ve just sealed the fate of my national team, England, by beating Italy. Thank you, Costa Rica, for getting the pain out of the way sooner rather than later.

Costa Rica has a lot more going for it than just a decent football team. The abundant concentration of wildlife in a relatively small area and the ease with which visitors can witness it are unequalled pretty much anywhere. It has Caribbean and Pacific shores, clean sandy beaches, surf, cool cloud forests, clammy jungles, volcanoes and friendly, easy-going people, known as Ticos, whose motto – Pura vida! – meaning literally “pure life” but is used as an all-round greeting and positive exclamation, sums up a smiling and gently upbeat fatalism.

Here is a pictorial tribute in six visual highlights:

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Three-toed sloth in the Manuel Antonio National Park on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast. These astonishing tree-dwelling creatures sleep between 15 and 20 hours a day and have extra vertebrae in their necks, so they can turn their heads more than 250 degrees.

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Humming bird on the edge of the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Fifty-four species of humming bird have been identified in Costa Rica.

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The “Iguana Tree” near Fortuna is just off the main road and provides guaranteed sightings of these fabulous reptiles.

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Pura Vida! The friendly face of Costa Rica – a cheerful Tico.

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The active Arenal volcano and surrounding countryside.

ImageA red-eyed tree frog at the La Paz Waterfall Gardens.

If you’ve enjoyed visiting this blog, please send feedback using the comment form. Even if you haven’t it would be good to hear from you, and please share the blog link. If you want to re-use the pictures, though, please give credit where it’s due and remember copyright remains with Tim Bird, the photographer.

Six Picks: the mountains of Anja in Madagascar

15 Sunday Jun 2014

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Six themed shots from the archives at www.timbirdphotography.com

The Anja Community Reserve in Madagascar is known as one of the best places to encounter ring-tailed lemurs, but it’s also distinguished by its incredible scenery. Located about 15 kilometres south of the town of Ambalavao, itself the site of regular cattle markets, Anja covers about 30 hectares of wooded land around the base of spectacular outcrops where the caves were used as ancient Betsilao tribal tombs and are still sacred sites for the local community. That community is empowered with the responsibility to manage the reserve and the short but varied hiking trails that lead up to the rock faces and past the homes of the inquisitive lemurs.

We visited in autumn 2012 and watched the rocks glow in strange blue light as a storm approached in the evening and the following morning we saw the swirling mist pierced by the rising sunlight. Unforgettable.

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Six Picks: Summer scenes from Helsinki’s River Vantaa

09 Monday Jun 2014

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Six themed shots from the archives at www.timbirdphotography.com

The River Vantaa is one of the Finnish capital’s treasures, and one that visitors often don’t get to find out about. Leading upstream from the rapids at Vanhakaupunki – literally, old town – where Helsinki was founded in 1550 and arcing around the eastern side of the city to the northern edge of the forested Keskuspuisto (Central Park), the river takes its name from the city’s northern neighbour, Vantaa.

For me, the river, flowing a few hundred metres from our house, makes summer visits to the city centre a special pleasure, with cycle tracks leading through woods and meadows, past bathing beaches and rapids, as well as the occasional outdoor summer restaurant terrace. Canoe rental is an option near the bridge leading up to the old manor restaurant and stables and riding school at Tuomarinkylän kartano, fishing is popular near the rapids where the river cascades into the sea, and the beach at Pikkukoski (“Little Rapids”) is packed with bathers and partying kids once the holidays get under way. Haltiala farm to the north is popular with families, especially during the lambing season in spring, and anybody can join in with the traditional hay-making at Tuomarinkylän kartano. Sunflowers, flax and peas are grown in some of the fields adjacent to the river towards the Central Park and anybody can go and pick them.

Here are six shots of one of Helsinki’s best summer assets.

ImageHiking and cycle tracks run along both sides of the river, a fabulous scenic ride.

ImageThe rapids at Vanhakaupunki where the river meets the sea and where Helsinki was founded in 1550. The buildings on the left contain a small hydropower plant.

ImageFishing on the river, home to perch, pike, grayling, salmon, trout, and rainbow trout.

ImageModern developments creep closer to the river banks every year.

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Sunflowers are grown in some fields and once they’re in bloom anyone can pick and take them home.

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Dramatic sunsets are common on the river, but you have to wait until nearly midnight to see them on long light summer evenings.

Please feel free to get in touch – all feedback appreciated – and visit my website to see more pictures from all over the world: www.timbirdphotography.com. Feel free to share these links using social media but please ask permission before re-using any of the shots displayed here and on my website in any other way – copyright is mine for all photos.

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Six Picks: Midsummer feast on the Danish island, Bornholm

02 Monday Jun 2014

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Six themed shots from the archives at www.timbirdphotography.com

Sol over Gudhjem – Sun over Gudhjem – is a midsummer food festival (and the name of a local sandwich) on the Danish Baltic island of Bornholm, and my article with photos about last year’s festival and Bornholm’s other attractions is published in the just-published summer issue of Blue Wings, the Finnair inflight magazine. There are a few weeks left until midsummer proper, but here are six summer shots to get you in the mood.

Bornholm is an exquisite concentration of the best of the Nordic and Baltic character, its shores and meadows are dotted with charming fishing villages, rugged cliffs, churches, castles and forests. It’s also criss-crossed with excellent cycle routes and renting a bike is affordable and easy in the capital Rønne, where ferries and flights from the mainland arrive, and the other towns.

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Click here to find my article in Blue Wings.

If you’ve enjoyed dropping by or you’re interested in any of these photographs, why not drop me a line using the form below or on the ABOUT page (you’ll find the link above). Feedback and comments welcome!