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

 

Archipelago

It's been a Scandinavian heat wave during my weekend in Stockholm -- so warm, so sunny and perfect weather for a short road trip through Stockholm's archipelago.

Photo tour of Vaxholm, Rindö and Gustavsberg

Vaxholm

Vaxholm

Island ferry hopping

Docks in Rindö

Longhorns in Gustavsberg

Polis in Gustavsberg

Stockholm: Södermalm

Södermalm boats

Many months ago, before spending a summer in Suomi became a reality, there were many reasons why I added Finland to my list of possible destinations: I had been to Helsinki for one day and that brief visit wasn't sufficient to get a real feel for the city, to reunite with a good friend, and to be back in the Scandinavian/Nordic region and essentially neighbors to my family in Stockholm. 

Since my first visit to Stockholm nearly 15 years ago, I've always thought of this city as a special place.  I spent a lot of time in Stockholm while studying at Uppsala University 4 years ago and have been eager to return since my departure.  And now, I'm finally back!

View from Söder

After a quick flight from Helsinki yesterday, I arrived at Stockholm's central train station and was happy to immediately recognize my surroundings: it was same coffee shop in the train station and the same restaurant across the street.  Riding the bus through the city center prompted a quick trip down memory lane and I became even more excited to be back in a city that I really grew to know and love.  Yet, nothing was familiar when I arrived at my aunt's place.

Of course, this is because she's living in a different part of the city on another large island, Södermalm - the south side.  The Stockholm I knew isn't far away and is visible from Söder bridges.  Though it feels strange to be unfamiliar with everything in my immediate surroundings in a city that I once felt completely comfortable navigating, its nice to get a new perspective.

Determining my fate on Söder?

My first impression: Södermalm is really beautiful -- lots of boats and lots of nature with great views of several of my previous landmarks: City Hall, the Vasa Museum, and one of many churches.  After a long walk around the island, I was happy to tour a new part of Stockholm.  Today, the unfamiliarity of my surroundings continued during a great first visit to some of the islands in Stockholm's archipelago.  Yet, I'm really looking forward to tomorrow when I'll head to the heart of the city and truly put my memory of Stockholm to the test.

Yarn Art

Quirky art in Helsinki - keeping the staircase warm?

Juhannus

Photo tour of the Juhannus (midsummer) holiday weekend in Helsinki celebrated with family from Stockholm.
 

A rainy start to the weekend

Church in the Rock

Cafe Ursula

Family

Gaggle of geese

Love

Lettuce galore

Helpers

Suomenlinna from Mustikkamaa

Garden Explorations