Solmukohta - Part B
For all of those in interest, and those who can't get me to stop talking about it. The second part out of three.
Part B, The Solmukohta continues.
Wednesday 02.04.2008 - Bar-Hopping across the universe…
So, chocolate factory day started with a strange fluke about locking a poor folk outside of Benita with only a towel and soap to keep him company. Me and a couple of guys rushed back to the apartment and missed the bus. Apparently cab drivers are the same everywhere, when we bargained 5 euros out of the price. Fazer chocolate factory was the next stop. All you can eat chocolate and singing the umpa-lumpa in the corridors. Fun little trip there.
We went back to Benita from there, sitting on the porch and talking politics with a charming Danish girl. Balancing out the smoke around me with the trusty flask filled with spicy rum, it was a fine evening. Even though some moaned and nagged about being tired we went to the bar-hopping.
Now THAT was an experience. I can't quite recall all of it - but it had a few highpoints. But first a brief explanation - the entire ordeal was about splitting the AWiF group to four sub-groups, each headed by a local and go on a tour through Helsinki via tram. For each drink we had, one point, for each drink the guide had, two points. Each pub has a task, and something interesting to tell about it. Seven pubs all in all for each group, and of course - the less sober the guide, the more chances he would miscalculate the points…
I'm not going to recall everything from the episode at the gay-bar and the search for the lubricant… Along with more then enough drinks, chasing tram cabs with zeal or entering small pubs for a second just to get some more points. Of course, to get our guide so drunk he couldn't guide us anywhere.
All accounted, 13 pubs in a single evening, and that's after dumping a pub I haven't been too because I wanted to go to sleep. As far as I'm concerned, my group won. Yey us!
Sleeeeeeep.
Thursday 03.04.2008 - The show must go on!
Cooked bacon and eggs for the bunch in Benita. Good to last us a long day.
So, nothing to do today except the countdown party to Solmukohta 2008 ah? Well, running around the city, seeking gifts and the likes to all sorts of people and all sorts of things. Another knife at the shop near Rock Chapel, some snow-globe and a keychain completed this little part. A quick stop-and-stare session at the local Apple Shop for us web-designers satisfied that urge for the trip. A rather calm day all in all, eating a three course lunch at some Chinese restaurant. The judgment on that joint was - Chinese is great food and very filling, but they fall face-first where it comes to desert.
T'was a good party that evening - loads of new people to meet and talk with about all sorts of LARPish things.
Question of the day: How hard can it be to get still-water in a Kmarket? Harder then it seems, three shops we had to gamble.
AWiF is dead, loaded with good things, and tomorrow we set-sail.
Friday 04.04.2008 - To the stars and then some - Solmukohta 2008!
Well, we reached the place via bus, loaded and happy with participants. A quick opening ceremony, a hop to the frozen lake behind the hotel (beautiful sight - took a bunch of pictures there) and then back inside. The entire feeling of the convention, and I'm going to repeat myself, was the fact you could step to everyone and start talking. Those name-tags and calling cards where a brilliant idea, I spent all of mine pretty easily and had to book some mails in my notebook. I figure they had that before, and I think it's a useful tool for everyone in such an international convention. The lectures that day where on-and-off, with the Pointy-Teeth workshop nice and cute, making orky tusks for myself from some plastic thingy while the others made all sorts of deadly fangs and troll gore-mauls. The rockstar lecture was funny, but way to short, I don't think they delivered what they meant to, but every volley is bound to have its duds.
Lest lecture that day "Beer - it's not just for breakfast anymore" however delivered in full and then some. A great show made by the German cadre headed by Judge Peter and Stefan Jordan commenting and presenting all sorts of beers smuggled over by the various participants. A really interesting lecture for those of us who like the bitter drop and they even got enough so everyone could taste. After almost a week of Strongbow cider… that was salvation.
Next Part - of Solmukohta and Budapest.
Part B, The Solmukohta continues.
Wednesday 02.04.2008 - Bar-Hopping across the universe…
So, chocolate factory day started with a strange fluke about locking a poor folk outside of Benita with only a towel and soap to keep him company. Me and a couple of guys rushed back to the apartment and missed the bus. Apparently cab drivers are the same everywhere, when we bargained 5 euros out of the price. Fazer chocolate factory was the next stop. All you can eat chocolate and singing the umpa-lumpa in the corridors. Fun little trip there.
We went back to Benita from there, sitting on the porch and talking politics with a charming Danish girl. Balancing out the smoke around me with the trusty flask filled with spicy rum, it was a fine evening. Even though some moaned and nagged about being tired we went to the bar-hopping.
Now THAT was an experience. I can't quite recall all of it - but it had a few highpoints. But first a brief explanation - the entire ordeal was about splitting the AWiF group to four sub-groups, each headed by a local and go on a tour through Helsinki via tram. For each drink we had, one point, for each drink the guide had, two points. Each pub has a task, and something interesting to tell about it. Seven pubs all in all for each group, and of course - the less sober the guide, the more chances he would miscalculate the points…
I'm not going to recall everything from the episode at the gay-bar and the search for the lubricant… Along with more then enough drinks, chasing tram cabs with zeal or entering small pubs for a second just to get some more points. Of course, to get our guide so drunk he couldn't guide us anywhere.
All accounted, 13 pubs in a single evening, and that's after dumping a pub I haven't been too because I wanted to go to sleep. As far as I'm concerned, my group won. Yey us!
Sleeeeeeep.
Thursday 03.04.2008 - The show must go on!
Cooked bacon and eggs for the bunch in Benita. Good to last us a long day.
So, nothing to do today except the countdown party to Solmukohta 2008 ah? Well, running around the city, seeking gifts and the likes to all sorts of people and all sorts of things. Another knife at the shop near Rock Chapel, some snow-globe and a keychain completed this little part. A quick stop-and-stare session at the local Apple Shop for us web-designers satisfied that urge for the trip. A rather calm day all in all, eating a three course lunch at some Chinese restaurant. The judgment on that joint was - Chinese is great food and very filling, but they fall face-first where it comes to desert.
T'was a good party that evening - loads of new people to meet and talk with about all sorts of LARPish things.
Question of the day: How hard can it be to get still-water in a Kmarket? Harder then it seems, three shops we had to gamble.
AWiF is dead, loaded with good things, and tomorrow we set-sail.
Friday 04.04.2008 - To the stars and then some - Solmukohta 2008!
Well, we reached the place via bus, loaded and happy with participants. A quick opening ceremony, a hop to the frozen lake behind the hotel (beautiful sight - took a bunch of pictures there) and then back inside. The entire feeling of the convention, and I'm going to repeat myself, was the fact you could step to everyone and start talking. Those name-tags and calling cards where a brilliant idea, I spent all of mine pretty easily and had to book some mails in my notebook. I figure they had that before, and I think it's a useful tool for everyone in such an international convention. The lectures that day where on-and-off, with the Pointy-Teeth workshop nice and cute, making orky tusks for myself from some plastic thingy while the others made all sorts of deadly fangs and troll gore-mauls. The rockstar lecture was funny, but way to short, I don't think they delivered what they meant to, but every volley is bound to have its duds.
Lest lecture that day "Beer - it's not just for breakfast anymore" however delivered in full and then some. A great show made by the German cadre headed by Judge Peter and Stefan Jordan commenting and presenting all sorts of beers smuggled over by the various participants. A really interesting lecture for those of us who like the bitter drop and they even got enough so everyone could taste. After almost a week of Strongbow cider… that was salvation.
Next Part - of Solmukohta and Budapest.