Note: I wrote most of this long before publishing; sometime in early September. I don't know if blogger will publish it according to the correct date of the original writing, so if it comes up as the 28th just know it was actually intended for a few weeks ago.
Last Friday I went to a fireworks competition. A full-blown, sky-is-raining-fire, apocalytpic-warzone-oh-no-I-can't-find-the-bunker fireworks competition. My past in fireworks and general explosives mostly involves backyard firecrackers, and is punctuated with the annual Fourth celebration at Fort Worden. Proportionally as Fort Worden is to downtown Helsinki, so the Fourth of July to Helsinki fireworks competition.
Probably the most interesting thing was seeing the Finnish police walk through the crowd. Everyone there (almost literally everyone) was drinking something alcoholic or smoking, and almost everyone there were under 18. But the handful of police just walked through and looked around. I knew the drinking laws were lax but not THAT lax.
Between earth-shaking gouts of sky-fire (AAAH! MY EARS!) we (meaning me and friends) hit one of the high-points in our careers as people-watchers. As I said, most all of the many thousands of people there were drinking. Some were drinking and watching the fireworks. Some were even trying to make out, drink, and watch the fireworks. 'Nuff said.
The fireworks were quite spectacular, and walking around nocturnal Helsinki went well; although it was quiet. Fortunately my hearing returned to normal in the morning.
Last Friday I went to a fireworks competition. A full-blown, sky-is-raining-fire, apocalytpic-warzone-oh-no-I-can't-find-the-bunker fireworks competition. My past in fireworks and general explosives mostly involves backyard firecrackers, and is punctuated with the annual Fourth celebration at Fort Worden. Proportionally as Fort Worden is to downtown Helsinki, so the Fourth of July to Helsinki fireworks competition.
Probably the most interesting thing was seeing the Finnish police walk through the crowd. Everyone there (almost literally everyone) was drinking something alcoholic or smoking, and almost everyone there were under 18. But the handful of police just walked through and looked around. I knew the drinking laws were lax but not THAT lax.
Between earth-shaking gouts of sky-fire (AAAH! MY EARS!) we (meaning me and friends) hit one of the high-points in our careers as people-watchers. As I said, most all of the many thousands of people there were drinking. Some were drinking and watching the fireworks. Some were even trying to make out, drink, and watch the fireworks. 'Nuff said.
The fireworks were quite spectacular, and walking around nocturnal Helsinki went well; although it was quiet. Fortunately my hearing returned to normal in the morning.
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