Category Archives: Uncategorized

When winter is coming

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We all know that it gets cold in Finland in the winter. The temperateness varies considerably between the southern coastal regions and the extreme north.

Since October in Oulu, the cold had settled down. At this period I wore my gloves and my big scarf. But since the beginning of November the snow appeared and covered the streets and trees. It makes actullement very cold. Thus we go every morning to the university with -11 degrees. It is not easy everyday because there are snow on our saddles so our buttocks are wet. And something else, our hair and eyelashes freeze outside. But it’s very invigorative, especially when the sun is present and it reflects on the snow.

The most annoying point on this change, it’s the passage at the time of winter. Now, the night come between 15:30 and 16:00. Knowing that the sun gets up between 8:30 and 9:00, we see very few the sun. And that is going to go only by worsening till the middle of December (where it’s plans only 3 hours of sunshine per day).

 

But it’s not a reason to stay indoors, so just make the most of the fresh white season and enjoy it !!

 

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Snow in the forests of Oulu

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Very cold temperatures and sunset at 15:30

Six things to do in Madrid

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Last time i told you that you can’t be bored in Madrid and I advised you six things to see. But there are much more than only several places to visit. Today I want to share my experience and especially the things that you just CAN’T missed in Madrid.

  1. Go for a run in Retiro
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    Retiro Park

Retiro Park is the lungs of Madrid with 125 hectares and more than 15000 trees. It is situated in the center of the city. It offers cultural, leisure and sport activities to all people. For me it’s the perfect place to do a little sport like jogging or cycling while benefit from its beautiful gardens.

2.   Go to the Bernabeu Stadium tour

The Santiago Bernabéu Stadium is the current home of Real Madrid. Even if you are not a fan of football you should visit the stadium, it is one of the world’s most famous and prestigious football venue. And if you are lucky enough to get a place for a football match it will be impressive!

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Casa Botín restaurant

   3.   Take a selfie in front of La Casa Botín

Before coming to Spain, I didn’t know that Madrid was the place where the oldest operating restaurant in the world was. It was founded in 1725 by a French man Jean Botin. Generally people take pictures of the storefront but you may also go inside to eat the Spanish and Castilian cuisine traditional recipes.

 

 

 

4.   Eat tapas in La Plaza Mayor

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Plaza Mayor

Plaza Mayor it’s i think the most touristic place in Madrid but it is also the best site for eating tapas with friends and family. The calamari sandwiches and croquetas are my favourite ones!

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San Ginés chocolaterie

5.   Eat chocolate con churros in San Ginés

San Ginés chocolaterie is the perfect place to go in Madrid to enjoy the local’s favourite breakfast: chocolate con churros. Open 24 hours every day, it’s definitely worth a visit even if it’s almost always full. If you are still hungry you can also stop at La Mallorquina patisserie, just a few blocks away, to get some napolitanas (a kind of pastry similar to the French pain au chocolat).

 

 

6.   Go for shopping in El Rastro

Every Sunday it seems like the whole of Madrid is in one place. There are dozens of stalls set up selling second-hand clothes, vinyl records, jewellery and just about any object you can imagine. This is the most famous and oldest flea market in town.

Obviously these are for me the best things to do when coming visiting this city. But it’s a small overview of what offers the Capital of Spain…

See you !!

Koitelinkoski

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One Saturday, we decided with others exchange students to take our bike and go to Koitelinkoski situated at 24 kilometre from Oulu (we cyclied during 3 hours to go there). Koitelinkoski is an outdoor recreation area located along the Kiiminkijoki river in the Kiiminki district. This place is nicknamed “Rapids” and are about four kilometres from downtown Kiiminki. The area consists of a small islands dividing the free-flowing river into smaller streams and rapids. It’s a beautiful place for people who love nature, and visiting tourists. The Koiteli region is surrounded by rich vegetation, and its many islands provide excellent opportunities for fishing, canoeing and kayaking, and trekking. The Koitelinkoski rapids are an excellent fishing spot for the whole family. During the summer, it’s possible to take a guided canoe or Kayak tour along the river. On the other hand in the winter, we can exploring the area with ski or by snowmobile.

 

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The larger islands are connected with a suspension bridges. We can find on the site a summer café “the Tunnelmatupa” on Sahasaari island and several campfire sites where we can prepare our food and enjoy some refreshments. We took the opportunity to burnt marshmallow ;)!

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Lofoten trip

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ESN (Erasmus student Network) organizes a lot of trips. I booked one of them: The Lofoten trip. Lofoten is a Norway archipelago, located well above the Arctic Circle. This jewel of nature offers landscapes that are difficult to forget. Breathtaking mountains, wonderful fjords and beautiful beaches are unforgettable memories. The schedule of the trip was varied: group excursion around the fjords and hiking, boat trip on Trollfjorden, two nights in cottages, frozen bath, visit of the cities and ice bar… This trip gave us an opportunity to meet new people and just enjoy being together. Strong ties of friendship were cultivated during this week. If you ever get a chance to do your Erasmus in Oulu, one advice: book for this magic trip.

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Final Stretch at NHH…

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Beginning of the Norwegian November, first temperatures below zero and finally we embark upon a new phase of our semester: exams. In Norway, this month is dedicated to exam, which means no more parties, busy library, tension and stress. To access to these exams, on the first part of the semester, we had to deliver assignments and term papers. Most of them were pass/fail, some represent half of the grade. In my case, I had several oral presentations, case study analysis on companies regarding my various courses and so forth.

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NHH is one of the best place I have ever experienced to study: big study rooms well equipped, cosy library where you can discuss with groups, separated group rooms that you have to book in advance through the website… These very rooms have different spirits that make them even more appreciated. Furthermore, we can also access to NHH 24/7 thanks to our student card and codes. In short, you can study anytime, in couches, soft chairs, relaxing rooms…

No excuses to miss the exams then…

 

6 cosas que ver en Madrid

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Today I will speak in Spanish because I would like to share with you a little bit more of my Spanish experience and make you feel like in Spain for a moment.

En Madrid, no puede aburrirse! Es una enorme pero accesible capital con fabulosas cosas que ver y hacer. Hice una lista de los monumentos y lugares que tenéis que ver en esta ciudad.

1.  El Palacio RealIMG_6466

El Palacio Real de Madrid es la residencia oficial del Rey, aunque no vive allí y básicamente se usa para ceremonias de Estado. Con 135.000 metros cuadrados y 3.418 habitaciones es el Palacio Real más grande de toda la Europa Occidental.

2.  La Plaza de Cibeles

Está situada en el centro de la ciudad y es uno de los espacios más representativos de Madrid. La Fuente de Cibeles es desde hace mucho tiempo el lugar de celebración de las victorias del Real Madrid. El Palacio de Comunicaciones que se sitúa al lado de la fuente es uno de los edificios más representativos del Madrid histórico. Hoy sirve para albergar el Ayuntamiento.

3.  El museo del Prado02-Museo-del-Prado

Este museo es el más importante del país. Dentro hay más de 7.600 cuadros y 1.000 esculturas del arte clásico. La colección de pintura española se considera como la mejor del mundo. Dentro hay las obras de Goya o de Velázquez, como por ejemplo las famosas “Meninas”.

4.  El Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina SofíaMuseo-Reina-Sofia

En este museo se trata del arte contemporáneo. Es un antiguo hospital neoclásico del siglo XVIII. En su colección permanente hay muchas cosas que ver, obras de grandes artistas españoles del siglo XX como Picasso con Gernika, Dalí, Miró o Gargallo.

 

5.  El Templo de DebodIMG_6439

El Templo de Debod es un templo egipcio de 2200 años dedicado a Amón de Isis. Se dice que hay las más bellas puestas de sol de Madrid. Se puede ver desde este lugar el Palacio Real y la Catedral de la Almudena.

6.  La Catedral de la Almudena0146e7301e94e84014cec1d87d9a1fc669c8243608

La Catedral de la Almudena es el edificio religioso más importante de Madrid. Es una catedral muy diferente de las otras: el exterior es del estilo clásico pero el interior tiene colores vivos y líneas rectas.

 

See you next week for the rest! 😉

Trip in Nordkapp

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In 1664, the first space tourist was Francesco Negri, an Italian priest. Since, many people travelled to the North Cape to experience Europe’s northernmost point. Last week, it was my turn. From the top of the cliff, the view is fantastic. Nordkapphallen is a visitor center which propose different activities: The Nordkapp Panoramafilm presenting the Nordkapp region in four seasons, souvenirs shop and restaurant.

The six-hour hike to the Cape Knivskjellodden is one of my best experiences. The beauty of the landscape, cliff and the sight are largely worth to fair a turning there. Upon arriving on the Cap, we signed our names in the log book and took pictures. We did it, looking straight at the north pole!

Nordkapp is also one of the best place in the world to see Northern Light. One night, we took the car, and the sky was filled with stars and northern light. My head is full of memories.

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El Corte Inglés

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Today I will introduce you an economic aspect of Spain. Specifically, I want to talk about a famous industry which hold an important impact in the Spanish economic fabric: the EL CORTE INGLES.photo 4

El Corte Inglés it’s the biggest department store group in Europe and ranks fourth worldwide. It is also the largest department store chain in Spain. Its corporation’s registered office is situated in Madrid. It is present in the majority of big cities in Spain and Portugal. We can compare it with Galeries Lafayettes in France.

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El Corte Inglés of Castellana in Madrid

History

Ramón Areces Rodríguez purchased a tailor’s shop in 1934 in Madrid that was bearing the name El Corte Inglés (“The English Cut”) and decided to keep it. In 1995, El Corte Inglés bought out its only serious competitor, Galerías Preciados, which had entered bankruptcy. In 2001, it started its international expansion in Portugal.

Key figures

The El Corte Inglés Group ended 2015 with a consolidated turnover of € 15,219,84 million.   The three activities which have made the greatest contribution to this result are the department stores, hypermarkets and travel agencies. 

Gross operating profit was 912.51 million euros and consolidated net profit was 158.13 million euros.  

 

El Corte Inglés is Spain’s only remaining department store chain, as well as owner of several associated businesses.

Its main original feature is that it provides everything you need to live: foods, clothes, cars, trips, electronics and much more. For example, you also may find hair salons, insurance and estate agencies. Its retail stores are always situated in city centres and in huge buildings with underground car parks. El Corte Inglés offers goods and services with medium to high quality. Prices are generally high but it focuses on relationships with customers.

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El Corte Inglés’s terrace and its rooftop’s view

 

In fact, one of the reasons for its success is that it offers a « satisfied or your money back » warranty. Clients can return their defective item

or inappropriate purchases against refund. El Corte Inglés was the first warehouse doing that in Spain, today all high consumption stores are doing this.

In Madrid, I usually go there for shopping because it’s really easy to find everything you need and it’s close to my flat. You should test the Gourmet Experience. It’s a huge food hall with stunning views of Madrid’s Gran Vía and the emblematic Shweppes sign. There is a variety of food stalls serving anything you want: sushi, pizza, hamburguesas, quesadillas,… all in the same place. On the same floor, there’s also a supermarket specializing in international gourmet products, like sauces, jams and olive oïl!

Have a nice week!

Ice Hockey game

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One of the most popular sport in Oulu is the ice hockey. The Kärpät Oulu (Oulu Stoats) is a Professional ice hockey club based in Oulu, Finland. The club was founded in 1946. Indeed, in the first annual meeting in January 1947, an ice hockey section was established. At the beginning of the new decade, Kärpät was somewhat successful in ice hockey and it became the main sport of the club.

The club has won so far the league five times, in 1981, 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2008. Kärpät have claimed the Finnish championship title seven times, and have been the most successful Finnish ice hockey team in the 2000s and 2010s.

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I went on the Oulun Energia Areena to see a game of the champions hockey league with others Erasmus students. This areena can welcome more than 6500 peoples and the show was good. The game was the team of Oulu (Kärpät) vs Germany (Krefeld Pinguine). It was the first time for me, and I almost understood the rules. The ice hockey take place in 3 rounds. The teams can change players without stopping game and it’s made in an impressive speed. What it suprised me on this game, is the violence that players made against an other player on the plexiglas. A match lasts three periods of 20 minutes each, the clock being stopped in every stoppage time. Between two periods, a break takes place and one or several surfacers smooth the ice.

After this game, Oulun won the game with 5 points while the german team had only 3 points.

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80s party

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“Dust off your leg warmers and tease up your hair, because it’s time to party !!!”. When ESN announced it party, my friend and I went to the second hand shop to find the perfect 80s clothes. I found a funny jacket that you can see on the pictures. Everyone played the game, it was a great success and will remain a long and pleasant memory for all participants.

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