This year, yet again, Annika and I ate somewhere else other than the Chinese food stands at Lasipalatsi. We may never know how the food tastes because we won’t ever have the patience nor the strength to elbow against other people wanting to sample Chinese food at the venue.
With the usual entertainment happening on stage and the huge screen beaming live telecast from China and the throng of people from all walks of life, the place has always a festive mood.
Because we were interested only in the fireworks, which was going to start in about an hour, we started heading towards Töölö Bay in order to get a good view when the sky lights up. This year, we chose to view it at the far end of the Töölö Bay. I just wanted to see what kind of effect this distance will have on Annika. The previous years we were always very close to where the fireworks were, and it always overwhelmed her with emotions everytime.
Then we heard a salvo of fireworks at Lasipalatsi. The countdown has just commenced. It means that the dragon will soon dance its way towards Finlandia Hall with the throng of people accompanying it and ultimately watch the main fireworks.
As I started setting up my camera equipment, we could see that people have begun arriving at the far side of the bay. No sooner, the fireworks began.
It didn’t have the same emotional impact on Annika as in the previous years. Maybe it’s because we were quite far away that we were also emotionally removed. It felt like we were watching it from tv or a giant screen. It just didn’t feel the same. Now we know where to go next year. But on the other hand, my pictures of the fireworks were much better.
