Last modified 15.3.2011 at 13:17

Must clubs and pubs

Text and photos: Susanna Siironen

Somewhere in the middle of their studying students also want to relax. Good idea is to go out with your friends. In Oulu there founds many kinds of coffee places, pubs and bars where to go. Just pick one. Two students, Julia and Irina propose their favourite places.

Irina (left) and Julia tells that Onnela is popular place among foreign students.

Julia Frygina, 21, and Irina Kuzmicheva, 20, are studying Business Information Technology in Oulu UAS. Julia has now lived two years in Finland and Irina has her second year going on. Girls came in Oulu because it is not too north and it is quite a big city. So here are enough places to go.

- I think it is a good combination that you can have international experience and international degree here and still education is free, Irina also justifies.

Nightlife is waiting

In Oulu there are lots of different kinds of bars, pubs and coffee places. Girls tell that the most popular dancing place is nightclub Onnela.

- It is a good place because it has several dance floors, Julia explains.

In Onnela there are different parts for Rock and Heavy music, Finnish music, 80’s disco music and today’s dance music.

- I think every time when we are having some kind of school event or something, or we are going somewhere with classmates, we always end up to queue on Onnela, Irina laughs.

Julia and Irina say that other good places have a lot. They list for example nightclub Cabaret, which has come latest in Oulu and Hevimesta where they play heavy music.

- And one nice place is 45-Special. I like the gigs on there, and the atmosphere is so like… special! And there are three different floors and you may choose which one you like better, Julia says.

Tired Thursday mornings

Girls tell that usually they go outside on Wednesday evening.

- It has been traditionally Wednesday night. But I do not know why, why not on Friday, Irina wonders.

-Or why not at least Thursday. It is middle on the week when you go somewhere and on Thursday it is a little bit uncomfortable to wake up because you have come home so late, Julia laughs.

Julia and Irina tell that usually they go first to some friends place and then they continue to the club from there.

- It is a very Finnish way to do things, because in all the other countries if people want to go to a club they go there and if they are visiting their friends they are staying there, Irina says.

Irina (left) and Julia likes to go out and have a cup of coffee with their friends.

Coffee, please!

Life is not always partying and sometimes girls like to go to have a cup of coffee with their friends.

- It is really nice to go to Café Kuluma. It is so cute and cosy and music is nice and people are nice. There is always somebody you know and it is really nice to stay there, Julia says.

Café Kuluma name is Oulus dialect and word Kuluma means corner. And surprising cafeteria is set on the corner. In the Café Kuluma different kind of drinks are also served.

- They have really cool fire shows! I have not tried those drinks but I have seen them making those and it is really amazing, she continues.

- Also A cool café is Bisketti. They have so much nice tarts and biscuits, Julia says.

- You can stand like whole day there choosing which one I should take and which one looks most attractive because they all really do. But it is also quite crowded there and it is quite hard to find a place, Irina tells.

But where should a student who has just arrived in Finland go?