Kiitos and moikka!

I'm sitting in the Helsinki-Vantaa airport, waiting to board the first of three planes that will take me home.  I'm still surprised that my summer in Suomi passed by so quickly.  Though it was cold and rainy when I arrived in Helsinki in early June (and is now cold and rainy again), I was eager and excited to begin this Finnish adventure. 

I had no idea that, during these three months, I'd face a record breaking heat wave, get locked in an outhouse, hang out at the President of Finland's summer home, eat so many potatoes, travel so much, and have tons of fun while doing all of this and more.  I didn't get to finish everything on my to do list, but all the more reason to come back again someday. 

Now, they're announcing that all passengers must "hurry up to the gate!"  Kiitos, Suomi -- it's been a hyvä summer!

Finland's Hillary Clinton

Earlier this summer, I almost met the President of Finland, Tarja Halonen.  When that opportunity didn't really materialize, my next goal was to meet the Foreign Minister, Alexander Stubb, aka Finland's Hillary Clinton.  I'm happy to report that this mission was accomplished (with the help of several gung-ho coworkers who shared my determination).

Foreign Minister, Intern, Ambassador

Korkeasaari

Though I'm sad and in disbelief that I'll be leaving Finland in less than one week, this past weekend has definitely been one of the best so far.  (Fo sho!)  Perhaps it was because it started on Thursday night or because I primarily stayed in Helsinki.  Either way, it's been a wonderful weekend -- filled with choir concerts, sightseeing, walking down someone else's memory lane, laughing on beer boats, adventures in transportation, tasty hummus, successful shopping, free samples of chocolate, inventing bluebarb muffins (blueberries & rhubarb), polishing off a bottle of wine, impromptu sleepovers, wandering the streets of Helsinki sans contacts and eyeglasses, and a long awaited trip to the zoo.

I've wanted to go to Helsinki's zoo since I moved to Kulosaari for many reasons:
- because I like zoos & animals
- because I live within walking distance to the zoo and have been past it so many times without entering
- because I hoped there would be a nice view since the zoo is on Korkeasaari -- a separate island that faces Helsinki's city center
- and because I put it on my to do list

It was a bit too cloudy and windy at times, but the trip to Korkeasaari was really nice.  It felt like it was possible to get closer to the animals than you can in zoos in the US.  The zoo seemed to focus more on animals found in this region of the world and in going from one animal exhibit to another, I got a pretty tour of the island with nice views of the city.  And, I even learned a few things about the red wallaby.

 

Road Trip: Finland Style II

I recently took a day trip to Turku -- Finland's first capital.  Though the journey was intended to be a day trip (and I did stay in Turku for only one day), due to transportation glitches, it felt more like a classic road trip where you intend to be on the road for longer periods of time.

The morning began with a bit of a hiccup as Helsinki's typically wonderful journey planner suggested that I should leave my house at 8:14 to catch my 9 o'clock train.  I'm usually out the door at this time anyway, so no big deal.  But, I arrived nearly 30 minutes early and had nothing to do but stand around, wait, and think of all the things I could have done at home with this extra time.

Nine o'clock came around, we boarded the train, and it departed as scheduled.  Yet, 30 minutes into the journey, the train came to an unexpected halt.  The conductor makes an announcement in Finnish and I wait for my traveling companion to translate.  Apparently, one of the train's attendants (sidenote: what are they called? do they have a specific name like flight attendants?) has been summoned and will be walking through the cars to count the passengers.  Not a good sign.  After more lengthy announcements in Finnish and shortened versions in English, I learn that all of the passengers are getting off the train (in the middle of nowhere), will board a bus that will take us to another train station, and from there, we'll get on another train and continue the journey to Turku. 

Once off the train, we stand around for a while -- a big group of confused passengers.  Then, someone starts walking towards the road, and naturally, the large mass of people follow.  However, in order to get to the road, you have to climb down a hill which made for a comical sight -- an entire train-full of people trying to climb down a steep hill, some with bikes, strollers, and suitcases.  We get down the hill and board a couple of buses.  After a 20 minute bus ride, we arrive at another train station and re-board.  It was smooth sailing to Turku from there, despite being an hour late.  

Passengers emerging from the woods

Fast forward to the end of the day when we're heading back to Helsinki.  We decided to take an earlier train back, which forced us to make a mad dash to the station.  But, after power walking down Turku's streets, we realized that we would never make it to the train station now, especially since one of us now had a large suitcase (we picked up another traveling companion along the way and became a trio).  We quickly hailed a taxi and zipped to the train station.  On the morning train, I noticed that there were some private cabin which looked really nice.  Since we were now three, we asked to be seated in one of those special cabins so we could talk and relax without disturbing other passengers. 

Our request was granted, yet upon boarding the train and locating our private cabin, we found a man settled there -- an unexpected and somewhat unwelcome addition to our trio.  For whatever reason, we did not ask the man to relocate -- perhaps its Finnish politeness or just our expectation that he would volunteer to leave.  Yet, he did no such thing and so we endured a 2 hour ride back to Helsinki with a quirky man who offered chocolate to me (but only to me), showed us his photoshopped pictures, and upon departure thanked us for our "elegant and educated" English.

Types of transportation used between leaving mi casa and returning 16 hours later:
- 4 buses
- 3 trains
- 1 metro
- 1 taxi

Return to Uppsala

Since Finland is really just Eastern Sweden (just kidding...), it's been really easy to travel back and forth.  So easy, in fact, that you might not have to show your passport to anyone -- not even at the check-in counter (if you use the electronic kiosks) or at security.

Ekeby

Passport commentary aside, I was happy and excited to take another trip to Sweden a couple of weeks ago because this time, I returned to Uppsala, where I lived as an exchange student for six months.  It was very surreal to be there again.  Mostly, Uppsala was the same way I left it four years ago -- a small, but beautiful city, dominated by the Cathedral, castle and university.  There were some unexpected changes -- the train station received a complete overhaul and now has several tracks and escalators!  And, there are lots of new shops in the city center and new apartment buildings near where I used to live.  But, so much of the city remained the same.  I walked around all day, feeling nostalgic and reliving all of the good memories -- attempting to learn Swedish, coping with sharing a kitchen with 12 people, adapting to the extreme winter with long hours of darkness and extreme summer with long hours of daylight, navigating the grocery stores and laughing at foiled attempts to buy milk, visiting the Systembolaget, having fikas, experimenting with baked goods, learning from language foibles and being lost in translation, celebrating birthdays, national days and everything in between, meeting wonderful people and making lifelong friends.  Uppsala will always be a special place and I'm looking forward to returning in 2016 for a ten year reunion!

2006

2010

Art goes Kapakka

Helsinki Cathedral

On Thursday night, "art went to the bars" in Helsinki -- resulting in a choir tour meets pub crawl, with tons of choirs singing in more than 30 bars and restaurants throughout the night.  The event started with a huge concert in the Senate Square, where, unfortunately, none of the songs were in English, so I felt a bit left out when all of the choirs and most of the audience belted out Finnish songs in unison.  And, though I coveted event shirts worn by the bartenders, it was a great night, complete with a tasty margarita and performances of ABBA (with choreography), Sister Sledge's "We are Family" sung by a Finland's only female barbershop chorus, and "It's Raining Men."

Redemption

This is what chocolate chip cookies are supposed to look like.  Not like this. 

 

Street Signs

People with afros, pony tails, and cats crossing streets in Uppsala, Sweden

Road Trip: Finland Style

Highlights from a weekend trip to Hanko, Tammisaari, and Fiskars in the southernmost part of Finland:

- Visited a real bunker from the war between Russia and Finland.  Nearly got lost in the woods due to missing ribbons (aka caution tape) along the path.  

- Edited museum brochures in English as necessary.   

- Coastal cities are really windy.  Especially when on the top of a water tower.
- Be prepared to be asked to leave the store if you're shopping right before closing time.  Just because you're a tourist, it doesn't mean that you'll be catered to.

- Fiskars is a lot more more than just scissors.  It's a really cute & scenic village to visit.
- Museum guides in Fiskars are friendly, and ensure that Finns don't misplace their American tourist friends.
- Finnish hares are big!  Bigger than Baron.

- Don't neglect music for the car, even if you aren't the driver. 

- Finnish eateries at rest stops provide real silverware and plates, not plastic and paper.  Not to mention real, balanced, not-fried meals. 
- Homer Simpson makes an unexpected, yet entertaining, road trip companion.

Kulosaari II

Living on the island of Kulosaari for the past two months has had its pros and cons.  I'm neighbors with the Iranian Embassy and diplomats from many other countries -- a departure from my typical kind of neighbors.  I'm walking distance to Mustikkamaa and the zoo (which I still need to visit), but not walking distance to downtown or work.  There's a casino nearby (which I don't plan on visiting), but no pharmacy, gas station, or shopping center.  The bus stops right across the street from my house and the metro stop is less than a 10 minute walk away, but it's been closed since June 7.  There's a small grocery store for (overpriced) essentials, with a consistently poor selection of bananas.  I can buy stamps at the convenience store, but there's no post office.  The island is beautiful, safe, quiet and there are lots of gorgeous homes with waterfront views.  Unfortunately, mine is not one of them.  And though I'd prefer to live in the heart of downtown, I really can't complain too much about living for free in Helsinki!

Backyard neighbor

Finland's Hawaii

Cookie Misadventures

Chocolate chip wafers or crackers, perhaps?

In preparation for a short weekend trip, I thought it would be nice to make some chocolate chip cookies for the road -- and to check something off of my to do list.  Armed with a bag of chocolate chips and a bottle of vanilla extract (which I searched for in five different grocery stores), I was prepared to follow the trusty recipe on the back of the bag... until I realized there was no brown sugar.  But, a new Swedish recipe presented itself that didn't need the kind of brown sugar that I'm familiar with (or the coveted vanilla extract) and instead called for lime.  Intrigued, I thought chocolate chip cookies with lime would be an interesting departure from the norm.

In hindsight, combining Swedish and American style chocolate chip cookies wasn't the best idea.  The recipe stated that the cookie dough should be put in the freezer for 30 minutes and then sliced off, like the nearly-ready slice and bake cookies that you buy from the grocery store that have little flavor.  But, I didn't want to freeze the dough and do the slice and bake style.  Instead, I wanted to make the cookies the only way I know how: use two teaspoons to form cookie blobs and plop them on the tray.

The goal was to create cookies that were big, soft and round, that easily break apart to reveal gooey chocolate goodness -- but with a Swedish-inspired twist of lime.  The result was less than desirable -- too large, too thin and not-at-all gooey.  The center of the cookies were more cake like, while the edges were crunchy like a cracker.  The lime flavor was distinct, and may have been tastier with a properly baked cookie.  Clearly, I am not a baker and there's a reason why recipes & directions exist.

To Do List

My summer in Suomi has flown by.  One month from now, I'll be returning to the US to finish school and figure out what comes next.

Bubble blowing clown

But, before that happens, I still have several goals:
- use the sauna in my house
- make a kladdkaka
- make chocolate chip cookies
- eat (more) Diam ice cream
- go to the zoo
- watch the sunset from Suomenlinna
- send another round of postcards -- which will have to happen soon so that I don't beat them home
- enter the Finnish Orthodox Church, instead of just looking at it from a distance
- expand my Finnish vocabulary -- shouldn't be hard to do since I've only "mastered" two words: moi (hi/bye and pronounced like soy with an m) and kiitos (thank you)

In the meantime, must start planning for this weekend's trip to the southernmost town in Finland!

(Almost) Meeting the President

My photo with (most of) President Halonen

I had high hopes that today I would meet the President of Finland, Tarja Halonen.  This hope wasn't completely unreasonable as I attended a press briefing at the President's summer residence at Kultaranta -- in Naantali, a little more than a two hour drive from Helsinki -- and the Ambassador was one of her guests. 

An astronaut and a President

After a few wrong turns, my press companion from the Embassy and I made it to the President's residence and waited outside of the gate with other reporters, photographers, and assorted camera crews.  Once inside the gate, we were served Pepsi Max and Fazer candies, courtesy of the President.  While waiting for the briefing to begin, we tried to devise a plan to enable me to meet the President without doing anything embarrassing or anything that resulted in possible deportation. 

Presidential Pepsi Max

Suddenly, the President and her guests of honor arrived.  Cameras went off like crazy and medals/gifts/compliments/jokes were exchanged, and a few minutes after the briefing began, I was pulled to the aside by a photographer who planned to snap a picture of me as the President exited the room.  In theory, this seemed like a good plan since it quickly became clear that I wasn't going to become one of the guests of honor and have a real opportunity to meet and greet the President.  However, in practice, it's difficult to get a picture with someone who doesn't know that they're supposed to be part of the picture.  So, the result is a series of photos of me and various parts of the President -- half an arm, part of her back, most of her torso...  Guess I'll always have my Presidential Pepsi Max.

Tallinn, Eesti

On Monday, I took a day trip to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia (Eesti) on the Linda Line cruise ship.  I traveled in "Linda class" aka business class and though the journey only took an hour and a half, I was served a coffee/tea, Coke/Pepsi/Sprite, beer/cider/wine, and a snack.  All at the same time.  And all at 8:00am.  The cider went into my backpack to enjoy at a later time.  Normally, I would have traveled in "tourist class" but there was a special deal and I enjoyed the cheaper and fancier Linda class even though it wasn't as exciting as the time I was upgraded to first class for free from Stockholm to Chicago. 

Linda Class

My first impression of Estonia was confusion.  All I could see was a big, rectangle, unattractive concrete building and a big set of concrete stairs that seemed to have no clear destination.

Tallinn Harbor

After finding the tourist info center and procuring more than enough maps, I spent most of the day in Tallinn's beautiful old town -- walking up cobblestone paths, following the herds of tourists, wandering in and out of souvenir ships, and avoiding the "Oh La La" jewelry store girls passing out fliers.

Tallinn

Want to buy an apartment?

Knitter and sleeper

The day quickly came to an end and it was back on the boat and to Linda class, where I received another coffee/tea, Coke/Pepsi/Sprite, beer/cider/wine, and a snack to sustain me on my return to Helsinki.

Old Towns

Stockholm, Sweden -- July 4, 2010

Tallinn, Estonia -- July 19, 2010

Loviisa II

Highlights from my 3 day getaway to Loviisa (aka "the Valley of Silence)."

Loviisa summer home

- Floated in the Gulf of Finland.
- Made rice krispie treats and a yellow cake with dark chocolate fudge frosting.
- Constantly filled up water bottles.
- Walked 25 minutes to the mailbox -- round trip.
- Swatted away countless bees, flies, mosquitoes, and "breaks."
- Ate lots of wonderful food.  And then ate more.
- Slept on the top bunk.
- Sweated in my first Finnish sauna.
- Got locked in the outhouse.
- Showered with a hose and bucket.
- Laughed, relaxed, and got a bit of a tan too.

Porvoo and Loviisa

Porvoo Church

Last weekend, I escaped the heat of Helsinki to the Finnish countryside and visited the small towns of Porvoo and Loviisa.  Though it was hot in both of those towns too -- highest temperature in 75 years! -- it was nice to see more of Finland and experience life at a traditional Finnish summer home.

Loviisa

The weekend started with a car ride to Porvoo, Finland's second oldest town.  The first site of interest was the McDonald's where 3 people were recently murdered.  Quite shocking considering Finland has such a low crime-rate.  However, the murders didn't appear to deter anyone from visiting the drive-through as the place looked pretty busy from a distance.  On a lighter note, I also checked out all of the obligatory tourist destinations in Porvoo, visiting the church that was recently restored after being burnt down by teenage hooligans, the old town lined by cute boat houses along the water, and the famous Brunberg candy & chocolate factory.

I'm a huge fan of samples and definitely had my fill of at Brunberg - truffles, mint toffee bars, chocolate rice cakes, orange chips (not a fan), marmalade candies, and more!  After spending nearly 20 Euros on assorted chocolates (intended to bring back to the States for friends and family), I ended up at a cafe eating a great piece of rhubarb cake with vanilla sauce.

After stuffing myself with chocolates and cake, it was back in the car to head to Loviisa -- the destination for the night.  I've anticipated visiting the Finnish countryside and staying at a summer home since my arrival 6 weeks ago.  My first impression: it's like camping but with a roof and four walls.  The house was so cozy, cute and right on the water with a private dock.  The only thing missing was a toilet with running water and a shower.  I was informed about the outhouse prior to my arrival, but wasn't told how far it was from the house.

With my tiny bladder, I made the trek up to the outhouse more often than I would have liked.  Especially after seeing a mouse along the way.  But, I couldn't muster the courage to relieve myself in the woods (like everyone else) knowing that a clean, composting toilet with toilet paper and view of the forest & water was just a short walk away. 

Swedish pancakes - dessert style

Restroom predicaments aside, I had a great time.  The water was chilly -- a mix of the Atlantic Ocean and fresh water, but it was nice to be one of the only people in the water or on the dock just enjoying the peace and quiet of the woods.  Plus, there was a grill so I ate well!  The weekend menu included garlic-marinated beef, grilled mushrooms stuffed with blue cheese, corn on the cob, a strange but tasty glue-like Finnish yogurt-type breakfast, Swedish pancakes for dessert with all of the toppings for dessert, and of course, the staple of many Finnish meals -- potatoes. 

Late night sunset

Unfortunately, my short escape from the city ended on a less than positive note due to an incredibly long and hot bus ride back to Helsinki with lots of sweaty people and no air conditioning.  And, to make matters worse, my chocolates became really warm and gushy, leaving them looking less than desirable (but still tasty!). 

This weekend will be the true challenge for my bladder and desire for a daily shower as I'll return to the Loviisa summer house for 3 days and 2 nights.  And, it's supposed to be hot, hot, hot -- by Finnish standards at least: in the high 80s with not-so-pleasant humidity and no air conditioning.  Good thing the water is close by.  In fact, it's even closer than the outhouse.

Instrumentarium

It's hard to find contact solution in Finland.  I brought a small supply with me that I hoped would last three months.  Unfortunately, it was my only toiletry item that didn't survive the plane ride across the Atlantic. 

After several failed attempts, I learned that you can't buy contact solution in the grocery stores.  Per the suggestion of a very handy friend, I checked a pharmacy.  But, this isn't a Walgreens-esque pharmacy where you can buy your milk, birthday cards, and mascara too.  The first pharmacy only sold one type of contact solution, with all-Finnish packaging.  I was very leery of buying it because I've had issues with unfamiliar brands of contact solution in the past.  Plus, I thought if I can find  Listerine, Visine, Colgate, Dove, and Venus razors in Finland, then I was determined to find a familiar brand of contact solution.  The second pharmacy crushed this hope.  Not only did this pharmacy just sell one type of contact solution (the Finnish kind), but it was only available in a tiny, airport-approved 3 ounces or less sized bottle. 

As the saying goes, three's a charm and it proved to be true in my quest to find contact solution.  After being directed to the Instrumentarium, I had low expectations.  Though I was immediately intrigued by the name of the shop, I had no idea what an Instrumentarium was -- only that you can also go there to find things for sore muscles or for people who need custom-fit shoes.  This didn't sound promising.  Yet, lo and behold, there it was -- an entire shelf of contact solution!  Multiple brands, too.  And, lots and lots of eyeglasses, which adds even more intrigue to the complex world of the Instrumentarium, where you can buy eyeglasses, special shoes, compression bandages, and contact solution.

Moral of the story: if you're looking for contact solution in Helsinki, visit the Instrumentarium at Stockmann on the 7th floor.

Webcam with Ollie