So, how much was it?

I wanted to buy a camcorder. After two weeks of browsing the interweb, reading reviews and all that geeky non-sense that G.A.S. affected people do, I knew exactly what I wanted.

I also knew that I wanted to buy it in person and try it, because they are so tiny nowadays! And if you have big hands, you might need a toothpick to operate some cameras...

Then the trouble started. Some general knowledge:  Gigantti  is more expensive than Verkkokauppa; Musta Pörssi you never know; Stockmann is the most expensive and Konebox.fi relies on a dancing yellow robot. And as far as this experience goes, Vertaa.fi can't be trusted either.

Then let's see what happens when I check the camera I want in those websites:

• Vertaa.fi: hinnat alkaen (prices start) at 638,30 €
• Gigantti: they don't have it in their website
• Verkkokauppa: 506,90 €
• Musta Pörssi: they don't have it in their website
• Stockmann: 429,00 €
• Konebox: 499,00 €, but the picture is from a different product...

So I went to Tapiola Stockmann and asked for the camera, the price in the store was 399,00 €. Fantastic! Except that they were sold out, also in Stockmann Helsinki (figuring this out took half an hour and a great deal of patience). I didn't trust the information about Helsinki Stockmann because the guy was using the bar code from a different camera model to find out about stock (which took 20 minutes of very slow typing).

So I went to Helsinki Stockmann wishing for the best. In Kamppi though, I made a pit stop in Musta Pörssi, just in case... and there they had the camera! With a special Vappu offer for 399,00 €! That expired the day before...

I anyway looked closely at the offer price and it said: "now 399,00 €, before 599,00 €, so you save 33%!!". I asked for it, and since the price was still in display the sales man, very politely, offered me the "offer" price. They had only one left, in a special package which contained an SD card and a camera bag, for the same Vappu hinta! Fantastic!

Then he did put the real price in display, which was 499,00 €. Bazinga.

I'm still confused.

My first Vappu! (4 years ago)

I moved to Finland in March 2008.

Finland was snowed, cold, wet, dark, grey (brown at best), silent and empty (of people that is). And those people who were in the streets were shy, silent, minding their own business, not getting any close, respecting their personal space and not very lively.

Lappeenranta, February 2012

Anyway, that's the picture I gave to my sister who came to visit me in April. To be precise in the last day of April, vappuaatto (May day's eve). I kind of knew about the Vappu celebration but not really, so we went to Esplanadi in Helsinki.

The sun was shining, the air was warm, the streets were full, people were having fun, students with their colorful overalls, people wearing the student caps (or not wearing them yet if they are teekkarit as they wait until midnight), everybody smiling, bottles of sparking in hand (lots of cava!, Codorniu and Freixenet are definitely happy with the celebration) and you can feel the joy and fun!

To me Vappu, in addition of being a reminder of credibility lost with my sister, marks the beginning of the summer season. And if you're lucky enough, it starts with self made munkki! I recommend drinking sima with them.

Self made munkki by family. I'm happy to eat them! :)

And for those who didn't know, summers in Finland are perfect!