Along the way
We Support Oulu2026: Portrait of Leverkusen
Leverkusen: Less than one hundred years old but known worldwide Leverkusen is young, much younger than most other towns in Germany –the town became only 90 years in 2020: officially founded in 1930,...
A tour through Europe: Bergen 2000
Bergen was one of the nine European Capitals of Culture (ECoC) in 2000. The city is located on the western coast of Norway and has a population of over 280 000, making it the country’s second...
A tour through Europe: Rotterdam 2001
The Dutch city of Rotterdam, which has a population of around 600 000 and is located in the province of South Holland, was European Capital of Culture (ECoC) in 2001 together with Porto of...
A tour through Europe: Bruges 2002
Bruges was a culturally rich city long before they became European Capital of Culture (ECoC) for 2002. Bruges was founded by Vikings in the 9th century and very soon it became a major...
A tour through Europe: Salamanca 2002
In 2002 Salamanca, located in western Spain, became the country’s third European Capital of Culture (ECoC), following Madrid (1992) and Santiago de Compostela (2000). Salamanca is known for...
A tour through Europe: Graz 2003
Graz, a city in South-East Austria with a population of around 300 000, was the European Capital of Culture (ECoC) in 2003. Graz has been a cultural town for hundreds of years, one...
Christmas in Finland
When I decided to move to Oulu from London without my family for a year, I made a deal with my children that we wouldn’t be away from each other for more than 50% of the time. That was before any of...
We support Oulu: Boden, Sweden
Boden is one of Oulus Twin Cities. In Boden we live by the terms of Närhetsliv. By that we mean the life where you are close to everything that is important and a little more - the children's...
Year-in-review
As we’re approaching Christmas and the end of 2020, it’s time to take stock. It’s been an exceptional year, with a global pandemic messing with all of our lives in a big way. But here in Oulu,...
A tour through Europe: Genoa 2004
Genoa, the capital of the Liguria region in northwest Italy, was European Capital of Culture (ECoC) in 2004, together with Lille from France. Like many other former industrial cities, Genoa...