Hietaniemi Jewish Cemetery, Helsinki, Finland

This is my first Jewish cemetery. I was so excited to find it because I had not been expecting to locate a Jewish cemetery on my trip to Helsinki. Hietaniemi is very famous for its cemeteries, but I had no idea that so many different cemeteries existed there.  Although I have never been to a Jewish cemetery before, I'm sure that this is one of the most beautiful and elaborate ones I could have found for a first impression.

So, a Jewish cemetery has some very obvious differences from a Christian cemetery. As you may notice, the Star of David is omnipresent. That's the first clue and you are in a Jewish cemetery. Another key difference is that with  the exception of the person's name, the tombstone inscriptions are all in Hebrew.


In this photograph, every single tombstone bares the Star of David. 

Another interesting image is the Jewish Kohanim hands, (see on the left side of the image below) which are a peace blessing. This symbol was found on many tombstones.

Identical family graves were beautiful and well-maintained, as with these images below.

A stone tree motif.

The tombstones were all very about the same size and shape, which gave the cemetery a very sleek, modern look.

This photo was taken with an iPhone.

Mexico Journey 2010

View Full Size Travel Map at Travellerspoint

Last December in 2010, I visited Mexico for the first time. My trip was a happy balance of typical American tourist activities, and Mexican tourist activities.

First Stop: Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco 
(click for photo diary)

I first landed in beautiful Puerto Vallarta, where the main activities included, sleeping until noon, bobbing in the ocean for a few hours, taking a nap, waking up at 9:00 pm, and drinking and dancing until 2:00 (sometimes 4:00 am). As I lay on the sand beaches with my friend, I expressed my contentment by saying, "this is the first real vacation I've ever had."

When I travel, I usually spend my time frantically running around some urban metropolis, trying desperately to see and do everything I planned. 

No so in Puerto Vallarta. My only to do list was to sample every Mexican cocktail and eat my way through the food carts. I had an abundance of free time on my hands and absolutely no schedule. 

It was awesome.

Second Stop: Guanajuato, Guanajuato

(click for photo diary)

Next we boarded a luxury bus and journeyed six hours into central Mexico to the region of Guanajuato. 

This was my friend's natal home, so I feel like I got to experience Mexico very authentically in this city through him. The city of Guanajuato is also a very popular tourist destination, especially for Mexican tourists. Many of the tours I found were only in Spanish, and the people I encountered spoke little English. It was a very old and colorful town, though I don't think I'll be spending another six hours on a bus to go back. 

Photo Diary: Best of Nagoya

More "Fall 2011": Couldn't help myself

Apparently the sewing frenzy began just as I posted my "complete" Fall 2011 collection. Here's a couple pieces I managed to add to the collection before things got real crazy over in Asia-Studies-thesis land...

The purple suede pants I've been meaning to make for years...

Faux leather shorts

Yes, that is a mustache dress.

Deli de Luca, Coffee in Oslo

It's no secret that Oslo is one of the most expensive cities in Europe, and the world, for that matter. A latte at a typical cafe could easily cost $8-10 USD.

That is why I rejoiced when I discovered Deli de Luca.

Well, "discovered" might be the wrong word...there is basically a Deli de Luca on every street corner of the city, so I don't know how anyone could miss it.

From the outside, it looks like it could be another 7-11 so it is easy to write this place off as another convenience store, oh but it is so much cooler.

So the coolest thing about Deli de Luca is the $4 USD self serve latte section. The machine there can make them as good or better than some cafes, and for half the price. 

The machine could make hot and cold drinks.

Deli de Luca also served food, though these cupcakes looked better than they tasted...

All in all, if you happen to be in Oslo and on a seriously tight budget, you will probably be living in Deli de Luca. Though, a couple sandwiches and some drinks could easily cost you $30 USD.

They also had an assortment of lunch items of Chinese, Italian, and Middle Eastern variety.

Photo Diary: Best of Kyoto