It's Always Sunny in Finland

Hei Hei For Now, Finland

We may have been back from Finland for a few months now, but looking back it's still hard to think that the experience has already come and gone.  Just the other day Jordan said to me, "Can you believe that we lived in Finland? We just up and went!"  No, I can't believe it, but I'm so glad we did.

I just started at the beginning of our blog and skimmed through all of our posts over the past 9 months- all 53 of them- and it's pretty amazing to see all of the new experiences, friends and countries we discovered on (almost) the other side of the globe in less than a calendar year.  We added 6 new countries to our "been there" list (visited 7 in total), met dozens of new friends, experienced sub-zero temperatures and learned a handful of Finnish and Swedish phrases.  We learned the intricacies of Finnish culture, the small differences in Finnish English vs American English, that a traditional meal includes meat and potatoes, how to use  public transportation like a local, and that Finns love, LOVE to plan and schedule.  We cross-country skied in Finland, took a boat through ice in the middle of winter to Sweden and downhill skied in Norway.  We learned the hard way that European budget airlines are not equal to the American budget liners, that you're not supposed to get off the bus from the front, that Salmiakki is disgusting (sorry guys), and that Polish pierogi will make you feel full for a week.

But most of all, we experienced the warmth of Finland, its people, and eventually its bright, shining sun.  Finns are not cold and unwelcoming, which is what we read before arriving.  They're more active than many Americans despite the cold weather they deal with for most of the year, they travel more than Americans, they often have better English grammar than Americans, and they're extremely well-versed in American culture.  No offense, my American friends, but it's true.  That little country of 5 million people, up in what we think of as the North Pole (but don't really know where it is), knows what's up with the world. 

A few quick thank yous to some very special people we met in Helsinki: Laura and JP, who are our good friends and made our experience active, fun and introduced us to so many people; SeanKaan (Sean), our American friend who was sent to Finland during the same time as Jordan and gave us his extra adapter to use for our first few days (power!!!); Maria, who introduced us to Hotel Torni's fabulous rooftop bar and was a huge help during our last few days in town; Jukka, who was the sole Finn we knew when we landed and helped us get settled with electronic and grocery store items; and Skanska (including Jordan's boss, Ilkka and Skanska Texas, who recommended Jordan for the program), who enabled us to have this once-in-a-lifetime experience in the first place.  There are many others who were such gracious hosts to us- Annica and Lööbe, Jenni and Ed, Sakari and Mira- we could go on forever about all the wonderful people we met.  You know who you are, and we appreciate you!

What I think we'll take with us from this experience throughout our lives is the fact that our little corner of the globe that we think of as "normal" is infinitely smaller than the eye through which we view it.  Traveling is like what I hear from people who have tattoos- once you get one, you want another, and another and another.  Between meeting in Italy in college while touring Western Europe and our most recent European adventure, Jordan and I keep adding to the list.  We have to go to St. Petersburg at some point.  Actually, we could do that when we go to Eastern Europe.  And South America is a must.  We have to go to Brazil!  Travel has bonded us from the very beginning, and I hope we can infect our children, and maybe some of you, with the jet-setting bug!

I'll leave you with a photo I snapped in January of the first time the sun came out while we were in Helsinki, and also a quote by Mark Twain that has lived on our blog for the duration of our adventure.  We believe it to be truth, and can't wait for our next adventure; and for us, yes, it is always sunny in Finland!

Hei Hei/Hej då, Suomi! Me rakastamme sinua/Vi älskar dig!

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. -Mark Twain

Role Reversal

Fast forward a few months from the last post.  It's the end of July, and since we arrived stateside on July 6th we attended Bri's cousin Ashley's wedding in Philadelphia with the whole family, flew back to Texas and spent two weeks in the Homewood Suites in College Station while Jordan started work and we search for a new home.  I won't go into those details, but the important thing to know is that we moved into a new apartment just a few days before Laura, JP and Maria arrived in Texas!

Laura's cousin is married to an American, so she and JP already had a trip planned to Alabama before we even met; the majority of Maria's family lives in Vancouver, and she visits almost every year.  So when we became friends with them, we started thinking that they should come visit us while they were "in the area"!  After their individual trips, they rented a car from Alabama and drove through New Orleans to stay for a night, then onto *fabulous* College Station (if you detected sarcasm, you're correct- Austin, we miss you!).

Our visitors arrived in the afternoon on a Saturday, and we took them for the only first meal one should ever experience in Texas: TexMex.  I'm personally not a huge fan (AZ Mexican food is different), but it's a right of passage.  It was interesting, and actually a little challenging, to explain taco vs flauta vs taquito vs enchilada vs chimichanga vs burrito since we've been eating Mexican food practically since birth, but we got through it (and some margaritas).  They claimed it to be the best Mexican food they've probably ever had, so: success!

The next day, Sunday, we introduced them to the wonderful world of river floating.  We like to take our visitors to the river when they come in the summer, because A. it's so hot and humid that the only way to cool down is to stay inside or get in the water, and B. it's a very Texas experience, with a mix of intoxicated college students, loud music (usually country or rap, depending on the group), interesting families, pretty scenery and lots of sun.  San Marcos, which is about 5 minutes south of Austin, is where a lot of floating occurs, and my brother-in-law goes to school there at Texas State.  He lives RIGHT on the river, so instead of going to a commercial area we went to his house, drove with the tubes to the let-in area, and floated right back down to his house.  Laura, JP and Maria thought it was pretty awesome- and they got a ride in Zach's "river car" to complete the experience!

Black's BBQ

On our way back to CS we drove through Lockhart for some authentic BBQ at Black's Barbecue, which Zach had suggested.  It was delicious- Jordan and I hadn't ever been there- and a completely authentic experience!  We all slept well that night!

JP in meat heaven

On Monday I took them to Austin- Jordan had to work- so that we could show them where we've lived for the past 5 years.  We first went downtown and enjoyed Hula Hut on the water for lunch; then we drove through downtown, past Whole Foods HQ, all the new shiny condo buildings, the state capitol building and UT.  Then it was time for outlet shopping in Round Rock, aka their heaven!  They all brought practically empty suitcases in preparation for a money purge at the outlets, where they purchased the majority of their new clothing for the year!  Clothing (and nice, quality clothing) is very expensive in Helsinki, so it makes sense for them to go on a spree.  That night when we returned to CS, we met Jordan at Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner.  JP had been saying that he couldn't find hot (spicy) food like he thought he would in the South, so we guaranteed him a spicy experience!  He ordered the hottest on the menu and impressively got through them, even if it was with a LOT of Ranch!

Hula Hut on Lake Austin

Evidence of shopping

The last few days run together a bit since we were in College Station, but over those days we did some more outlet shopping (they love TJ Maxx), went down to the pool and on one night I made a home cooked meal of spicy baked macaroni, roasted asparagus and garlic bread :)  And on the day they departed for Finland, I drove them to Houston and we enjoyed the mother of all large American meals- The Cheesecake Factory- then sent them on their way!

We were so happy to share Texas with them, and look forward to visiting them, and them visiting us again, often!

Skanska Midsummer Celebration

I could have sworn that I wrote a post on this lovely evening, but I suppose it was left out in the midst of our Midsummer trip at the cottage!  This evening occured a few nights before Midsummer at the end of June.

After a full day conference just before Midsummer break, the BIM Competency Center group (Jordan and his co-workers) celebrated with a boat ride to Kaunissaari, the Beautiful Island.  Spouses and significant others weren't included in the trip, but Jordan's boss, Ilkka, was kind enough to invite the American guy's wife to come along :)

  Johan, Christopher and Jorma

We met at the harbour in late afternoon, then about twenty of us took a nice boat on a lengthy ride away from the mainland, past Finland's many small islands and arrived at Kaunissaari with plenty of daylight to spare.  I'm always amazed at how often the Finns eat for how small they are; on the way to the island, a small meal of sandwiches, drinks and of course kahvi (coffee) was served.  I think I was the only one who didn't have a sandwich- Aren't we eating within an hour or two?- and a few people suggested that I should have something since it was going to be a while before dinner.  But I just wasn't hungry!  I did, however, enjoy some Lonkero, so I was definitely comfortable :)

Our boat was the white one on the left

As I've probably mentioned before, the sauna experience is usually separate for men and women, so the men went first while we a small group of women and Ilkka played a game of darts.  I'm pretty sure the mosquitoes were about three times the size of those on the mainland, because I received some huge bites from them!

View from the window in the sauna dressing room- bonfire is ready for Midsummer!

Two of Jordan's female co-workers (or collEAUGES, for the Finns :)) and I were the only ones to "take" a sauna for the womens hour; we had an enjoyable sauna session, followed by a dip in the freezing sea water, followed by another session.  A few minutes later we heard noises in the main changing room, which turned out to be the group of men who were scheduled for the next hour of sauna time (yes, even though you're practically in the woods, they still schedule sauna sessions).  Thankfully we were all wearing bathing suits- I wasn't the weird American like I would be at the cottage a few days after this event- because the guys had no problem walking in and hitting on us as we gathered our stuff, redressed and got out of there!

Post-sauna walk to the boat

Side note: I'm not sure if I've mentioned it, but drinking while inside the sauna seems completely counterintuitive (and dangerous) to me.  In the States and England, there are warning signs outside sauna rooms that read something to the effect of  "Do not drink in here, do not go in here if you're pregnant". But the Finns?  No way.  The more beer and sauna sausage (seriously) the better!

Anyhow, after losing my bathing suit on the walk back to the boat, backtracking to find it, and finally getting back to the boat, we enjoyed a really nice meal!  I can't remember the full menu, but a meat and fish option was served, in addition to new potatoes with butter, lingonberry sauce (yum) and really good fresh bread.  And maybe some veggies?  Maybe Jordan remembers.  But it was good, and we spent the next hour and a half or so riding back to Helsinki as the sun set, enjoying the scenery, a few drinks and good company.

After dinner with the sun setting

Sometimes people don't know when to call it a night, as was the case on this evening!  After disembarking from the boat, a big group of us decided to go to a German beer garden to sing, dance and clink glasses just like zee Germans. I'll spare you the details of the rest of the night and just say that we had a fun one!  Thanks, Skanska!

A Finnish Wedding

The first time we heard about Jukka and Elina's wedding was about a year ago, before we had even left for Finland, when Jukka was in the States.  We certainly didn't expect to be invited as we had only known him for a short time (and hadn't even met Elina!), but he insisted that we come and experience a Finnish wedding.  Well in this case, a Swedish-Finnish wedding, but you get the point!

Elina's hometown is in Ilmajoki, Finland, which is about a three hour train ride north and a little west from Helsinki.  We took the Pendolino train (a new, nice one) on Saturday morning, July 3, the day after our farewell party on Suomenlinna.  The Finnish countryside is really beautiful and green, so it was a nice ride!

After arriving and being a little surprised at how warm it was (not near any water) in comparison with Helsinki, we walked to the hotel and ran into a few of Jukka's friends we had met on a few previous occasions.  After grabbing a bite to eat and getting ready, we hopped on the charter bus with dozens of Jukka and Elina's family and friends and headed to the church.

About 30 minutes later we arrived at the pretty traditional Lutheran church in Ilmajoki and waited for the ceremony to begin.  One of the differences we observed in this church in comparison with American churches was the shape of the church, which was in a cross with all pews facing toward the middle.  This setup was a little odd to us, because depending on where one sits in the church they might not be able to see the minister.  It wasn't an issue at the wedding, however, because there were only enough people (probably around 100) to fill the set of pews directly facing the couple and minister.  One of the other interesting elements was the fact that the service, and actually the entire night, was spoken in both Swedish and Finnish, because Jukka is a Swedish-Speaking Finn and Elina is Finnish.  Thankfully Jukka invited some other Swedes, Germans and French with whom he went to school; they all spoke fluent English, and Jukka's best man was nice enough to translate some of the night's communication to us.

The ceremony lasted about the same as an average one in the States- about 30 minutes- and although I didn't know exactly what was being said, I noticed that the order of the ceremony was different from that of an American wedding.  For example, the couple didn't kiss at the end of the service, but instead maybe about halfway through.  After the ceremony, we waited for the newlyweds to come out of the church, clapped for them as they took a few pictures, then sent them off to take pictures before the reception.

The reception was at a farmhouse-type building about 30 minutes from the church, so in order to give the newlyweds time to take pictures we boarded the charter and took a little tour around Ilmajoki to see Elina's childhood house and some local tourist attractions.  We drove past a park with some statues which have military significance, but the funniest part about it was the gathering of 20-something guys, many with their shirts (and some pants!) off, drinking in the middle of it all.  Those who were on the charter with us were all laughing; something tells me that the scene was humorous to them, too, because it's a typical Finnish summer all-male scene, not unlike that of Jukka's bachelor party just a few weeks prior.  One more sighting: a sign for the town of Koskenkorva, home of a very popular Finnish vodka!

Elina's childhood home

Cheeky Finnish guys

How to get to the vodka

When we arrived to the reception venue and waited for Jukka and Elina to arrive, we took in the countryside and talked with the fellow English-speaking invitees.  I think the pictures best describe the layout of the venue, both inside and out, so I won't go into that aspect.   However, there were a few unique elements to the Finnish/Swedish reception, too.

Reception hall

Dining space

In that region of Finland, it's common for people to carry a knife around on a daily basis on their belt (you know, like the country folk do with guns in the South).  At weddings, however, it is a sign of respect to remove your knife from your belt; to help aid in this act, a block of wood is placed at the door where everyone can stick their knives for the duration of the evening.  As you'll see in the picture below, this wedding was no exception!  Also, although the dress of the wedding party was similar to that of American weddings, Jukka and Elina's parents' garb was not!  Instead of wearing tuxes and evening gowns, they wore traditional Finnish (and maybe Swedish?) outfits, which are most easily described by the pictures following this paragraph.  I don't think Jukka's dad or Elina's parents speak fluent English, but Jukka's mom speaks English very well and was so sweet!

Wood for knives

Arriving at the reception (Elina's parents are in the traditional outfits next to her)

After welcoming Jukka and Elina, we went inside, sat in our assigned seats (we were with all the English speakers, thankfully), and listened to many speeches before dinner.  Honestly, this part is a bit of a blur for me since it was all in Finnish and Swedish, but we were able to observe a few parents and Jukka's best man all stand up to say a few words.  Following speeches was dinner, which was also different from an American-style meal.  Instead of a meat, potatoes and veggie dish like we typically do in the US (just one or two of each), this meal was laid out on a large table, buffet style, with many different dishes.  It was all good though!

Cake

Dancing and drinks were mostly handled outside, so we were in and out all evening; in for dinner, out to get some fresh air, in for more speeches, for Elina to get temporarily stolen from the wedding by three traditionally dressed men and to hear traditional music from those men.  After dessert was complete (we also had not only traditional cake, but many dishes for this course), we headed outside for the remainder of the evening for dancing and live music (and to hang out with giant mosquitoes that loved me)!

First dance

Elina and Jukka's dad; Jukka and Elina's mom; Jukka's mom and Elina's dad

I had anticipated that we would have a "late meal" at the event, both since the Finns drink a lot and need food in the wee hours and also because it's traditional in many European cultures to do so (my very Polish grandparents had a traditional meal for their reception, then another full meal in the middle of the night).  Well, it's a good thing we're not vegetarians, because the late meal was a sauna-smoked pig!  And I don't mean pork that showed up in trays from a caterer; I'm talking the whole pig, on a long table, that was cut in front of us.  It was fascinating, I have to say, but it was a little weird to thing about a pig roasting in a sauna for 3 days,then showing up on our table still intact.  But, was it delicious?  Unbelievably so!

Pig on the countryside

We retired early- after midnight, but still- since my allergies, even after Claritin, were absolutely killing me all night, exacerbated by being out in the countryside.  Regardless, we enjoyed experiencing a Finnish wedding, and are grateful to Jukka and Elina for including us in their big day!

Note: This wedding was four days after my stylist in Helsinki decided to go crazy on my hair.  The Suomenlinna pictures, which were taken the day before this event, seem to make me look somewhat normal.  But this photo?  This one shows the evidence of five straight days of toner to turn my hair from superhero yellow to blonde.  Bleached blonde.  Just for documentation purposes...

Farewell from the Finns

We met so many new friends during our 6 months in Finland, and I don't think they would have let us leave without a proper farewell!

Our friends, Laura and JP, organized the event, and although we didn't know details such as who was to attend, we were told to meet on a Friday at the harbor.  When we showed up, we were greeted by many of our friends: Laura, JP, Maria, Anna, Sakari, Jenni and Teemu.  Annica and Lööbe joined us a little later, despite the fact that there were important World Cup games occurring the same evening!

Once we got to Suomenlinna, the same sea fortress and set of islands I took my sisters-in-law to about a month before, we scoped out a spot to picnic.  But first, we enjoyed a round with Jenni and Teemu before they headed off to a wedding on the island (it's a very popular summer wedding location). I enjoyed a local apple cider, which was a little sweet but good; if I remember correctly and know him well enough, Jordan had the local Finnish brew.

The islands are so beautiful: various shades green, with peaks and valleys, sprinkled with retired cannons and other evidence of military presence.  Once we found our spot, we broke out the bubbly and food!  Each person brought an item; collectively, we feasted on vegetable quiche, fresh (Stockmann!) bread with spreads, peas and strawberries.  And what would a meal be without drinks and dessert?  Between the bottles of sparkling wine that were generously passed around and the delicious cake that Laura made, we were satisfied!

One of the funniest parts of the night was the interaction between Sakari and my brother-in-law, Jeff.  We had become accustomed to Sakari's engaging take on US culture, but Jeff's reaction to his jokes reminded us of the awesomeness of Sakari's expression.  For example, when one of our champagne bottles was emptied, Sakari turned it upside down and said, "This one is for my dead homeys" lol!  We love his in-depth knowledge of our pop culture and music and his interpretation of it in a classic Finnish accent.

Although it was certainly not necessary, we were also showered with some nice and thoughtful going away gifts, including a Finnish flag (which now resides in our office/guest bedroom) and a Finland shot glass, since I collect them from all the places where we travel.

Opening our gifts

After dinner, we took about an hour to walk around the perimeter of the big island, stopping to take pictures of each other, the gorgeous views and leftover military items and pathways.  When we arrived at the lighthouse end of the island, we sat in an old opening looking out to the sea and waved to the cruise-goers on the ship passing through the waterway.  It was picture perfect!

Jeff, Jordan and Bri

After catching the ferry back to the mainland, we decided we weren't finished with the evening just yet!  Just in from the harbour, there's a pretty outdoor/indoor bar and restaurant and it was hoppin', so we stopped in for one last drink.  Although Jordan and I didn't see him, Annica and Lööbe told us that a very popular Finnish pop star and singer of the song Social Butterfly was there, too! 

Although we never made it that night to the famous fish and chips stand we had been wanting to try, we had a fantastic night with great friends are are so incredibly grateful for the new friendships we've made this year.  And, since I haven't yet thanked Skanska, I should say that I am also so thankful for the Skanska Unlimited program, because without it Jordan and I never would have been able to experience such a wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Just one or two posts left- thanks for hanging in there with me while I complete this blog!  Oh, and many pictures were taken on this evening, but I think the majority are in an album I can no longer access (Lööbe?).  I was tagged in a few on Facebook, so I've included them here. I'll post some additional ones when I receive them!

Ferry on the way back from Suomenlinna

Added on 10/17/10: Here are additional pictures!

 

 

 

Midsummer Celebration

I have to be honest.  As you probably know by now, we're already back in the States.  Our last few weeks in Helsinki were very busy, so I didn't get to finish my last few posts!  Hopefully, they'll be just as good as if I was still sitting in our cute little flat in Helsingfors :)

Along with Vappu/Wappen, the May 1 celebration I previously wrote about, the Midsummer celebration is one of the biggest party days of the year for Finns and other Nordic countries alike.  In fact, my hairstylist- who recently turned my hair superhero yellow, which I'll write about in a subsequent post- asked me how Americans celebrated Midsummer.  I tried to explain to her that we don't celebrate Midsummer since we don't have the long summer days that they do, but that we do celebrate the 4th of July around that time of year.  I'm pretty sure she didn't understand and thought I was crazy; but hey, I think what she did to my hair was crazy too, so I suppose we're even.

We celebrated Midsummer weekend with the same people with whom we celebrated Vappu- 20 to 30, mostly Swedish-Speaking, Finns who have become our friends.  This time, the celebration was at the family cottage of one of the guys, Lööbe, and it was gorgeous!  There were several small houses, including one dedicated entirely to the sauna, and the various houses slept I think about 20 people.

Main House

Our home for the night- a traditional Finnish house- along with two other couples

When we arrived at about 2 pm on Friday, we went down to the deck to check out the scenery, which included a bonfire for that evening on the neighbors' land.  We weren't able to actually go to the bonfire that night due to shenanigans by the guys on previous years, but at least we got to see it!  As more people arrived throughout the afternoon, we relaxed, made sausages on the grill and eventually made our way to the sauna.

Bonfire at the neighbors' house

As you probably know by now, the Finnish Sauna is an important part of the Finns' culture, and for many, their daily life.  We experienced the sauna a few times while we were there, but I think this time was one of the best!  Typically the men and women have separate sauna times, usually about an hour each; since it's traditional to sauna naked, even the Europeans usually separate sauna time by gender.  Annica, Lööbe's wife, suggested that we do a traditional vihta for this sauna, which is a bundle of birch branches that is heated up in the sauna with which participants firmly hit themselves (or each other).  The intention is to increase circulation- although Jordan wasn't a fan, I'll take hot branches any day :)

After the first sauna round we took a dip in the lake, which was cold but felt good!  The other girls with me were proud of me for dipping into the cold water- see, even a Zonie can tolerate cold temperatures!  On the other hand, I am a little disappointed in myself for taking a sauna with my bathing suit on.  I just couldn't get used to the naked sauna, and although the girls were nice to me about it, I've since been told that they were just being nice and that it's really frowned upon, haha.  I'm not a prude, I swear, but we Americans just aren't used to being naked!  Very, very lame of me though (at least Jordan went naked)!

Sauna House

Deck

After the sauna, we started to prepare for a great dinner.  We sat outside (see picture above), and enjoyed three delicious courses!  The first was a green salad and bread and butter; the second, roast pork and boiled potatoes; and the third, vanilla ice cream with fruit syrup.  I think the best part of the meal, however, was the social aspect.  Swedish-Speaking Finns in particular sing throughout their holiday meals; although we didn't know the songs, we did know some of the melodies and they were gracious enough to tell us what was being said :)

Another common accompaniment of a holiday dinner in Finland is their most beloved alcohol, vodka!  They are really good at drinking it- someone even said to me, "We were drinking vodka in the womb," haha- but we are not well-skilled in taking vodka shots.  Our dinner started with a concoction of JP's, consisting of opened sausages filled with vodka (yes, we were all going to puke), and continued with cheers or "skål" with vodka shots after each song.  Jordan and I cheated- we were getting heartburn from the straight shots- but we participated nonetheless!

As the night grew longer, but not really much darker since it never truly gets dark during the Finnish summer, we ate, drank and danced the night away.  Our dance party was pretty awesome, I have to say; about ten of us danced (pretty badly) to a mixture of Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, some hard rock and Finnish pop.  When we noticed the sun getting lighter outside, we knew it was time for bed; you know you've had a good night when you see the sun come up!

Who knows what dance we were doing!

The next morning we got up, made some breakfast (JP was kind enough to share his awesome breakfast sandwiches with Jordan) and sat outside to enjoy the beautiful weather.  After breakfast, a group of people started to play a game with pegs in the yard; although I don't remember what it was called, it looked like fun!  

We only stayed for one night, but we had a great time and we're so thankful (once again) for our Finnish friends including us in their annual celebrations with their closest friends.  One more thing- plumbing isn't available in most areas where summer cottages are located, so they have outhouses.  Yes, I used an outhouse for 24 hours, and survived!  Only the Finns could make an outhouse look cute...

Fresh Herbs and Garlic Rock My World

This post is one I wrote for my other blog, Modern Brio; since it's about Finland, I thought I'd share on this blog as well :)  As I walked through Stockmann Delicatessen for one of the last times today, I got a little teary-eyed.  And yes, I picked up one last pot of basil :)  We're going to miss it here!

For the past few months, I've been able to experience the wonderful product that is the fresh herb plant.  You know how in the States, either you can't find fresh herbs at the grocery store, or if they're available they come in a plastic container?  Well, not in Finland, my friends.

When we first arrived in January, I thought it was really cool when I saw a select few herb plants available for purchase, such as basil and coriander (which is cilantro, for my US peeps who didn't know that it's the exact same thing).  Then I discovered Stockmann, the largest department/grocery store in the country, which took my love for herb plants to a whole new level!  There are shelves full of fresh herbs at Stockmann, including oregano, rosemary, dill and basically any other herb with which you can use to cook.  The best part about them is that they're still in their pot, with soil, and still alive.  They smell fantastic.

This is one thing about Finland that I'm really going to miss- weekly trips to Stockmann, when I return home with a pretty, big, reusable Stockmann grocery bag that emanates the fragrance of fresh basil or coriander, or both.  Not only does it make our kitchen smell beautifully, but I think it also has a way of inspiring fresh, delicious meals that don't originate from the freezer, microwave or the fast food shop on the corner.

I also have a bit of an obsession with garlic.  Sure, it's is a proven aphrodisiac, but I swear garlic has the power to make me happy.  The other day I was making a pasta dish that I make often during the summer, and when I tasted the corkscrew pasta mixed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh tomatoes, fresh basil and raw garlic, I swear, I was instantly happy.  It was as if it was the first, and best thing I had ever eaten in my life (and I'm not being dramatic).  So I'm wondering, am I alone in this love of garlic?  Or have you had the same experience?

I've actually heard that eating one clove of raw garlic every day is really good for you.  I'm thinking about trying it, as long as we're not going on a date that night ;)  Maybe you should try it too- and don't forget to seek out the fresh, potted herbs!

Are you hungry yet?!

Mediterranean Adventure, Part Quatre

Finally, the last installment of our trip!  I can't believe how long it has taken me to write on this vacation!

After our time in Rome, we arrived in Naples the following morning.  I have to say, this day was pretty uneventful; we decided not to take a trip to Pompeii, so we hung out in Naples all day.  If I had to do it over again I think we would have taken a tour, but oh well!

When we got off the ship, we were immediately introduced to Southern Italy, which is in stark contrast to Northern Italy both in people and architecture.  Within the first few minutes, we were approached by a handful of guys selling iPhones and other cell phones.  There's no doubt in our minds that they were freshly stolen from another tourists, so obviously we weren't interested!  Throughout the day we also witnessed street vendors- too many to count- selling "Prada" and "Gucci" bags. 

After walking around for a while, we came to a plaza with some shops, in addition to a street lined with clothing and shoe stores.  We went into a few, but didn't really find anything we liked, so we kept walking!

Cool shopping plaza

Yum

As we explored the city, we came across a plaque about margherita pizza; we have Naples to thank for this delicious dish!  Speaking of food, we decided we were hungry and found a place to have- you guessed it- pizza!  I can't remember what kind everyone had, but one part of the meal is permanently ingrained into my mind.  Jordan, aka the King of Cheese, got a Quatro Formaggi (four cheese) pizza, and about a quarter of the way through he said, "You know?  I think the Italians got me with this pizza.  There's too much cheese."  I never, ever though these words would come out of his mouth.  Jordan can't handle cheese like the Italians can ;)

Home of the margherita pizza

After lunch we wandered around the city some more and found a harbor where we relaxed for about an hour.  Like I said, Naples was pretty uneventful, but from what I did see it's much different (and much more run down) than Northern Italy.  Oh, and the men are much more forward about hitting on women, which I didn't think was possible after visiting Florence and Rome a few times! 

Naples coastline

____________

The next day was our only full day at sea, and although it was cloudy most of the day, we hung out on the deck and attempted to get a tan.  It was a nice, relaxing day!

Our last full day we were in port on the island of Palma de Mallorca, a Spanish island, part of the Balearic Islands.  It's gorgeous- that day we saw a fantastic, giant church, went to the beach, and enjoyed a nice lunch right on the boardwalk.  What a perfect day- we loved this island, and I hope we can go back someday!

The beach

 

Such an awesome cathedral

 

_____________________

Once we arrived back in Barcelona the following morning, we took a taxi to our hotel, made our way back to the city and decided to take the sightseeing bus to see more of the attractions.  It's really unfortunate that we were in Barcelona on two Sundays, since almost all retail shops and restaurants are closed that day.  However, we were able to see some awesome Gaudi buildings, including the giant cathedral that has yet to be completed, and the Olympic Stadium from when they hosted in the 90s.  For some reason we came across German restaurants/pubs that were open for both lunch and dinner, so ironically we ate German for both meals on our last day!  Too bad we couldn't find a good tapas place that was open.  At least we had another day to explore awesome Barcelona!

Awesome Gaudi building in Barcelona

This guy was so funny!  Selling donuts and entertaining the beach crowd

Gaudi cathedral, still under construction (the big one)

Thanks for hanging in there as I took several weeks to finish these posts.  Now I can move on to our closing days in Finland, including our recent Midsummer weekend!

Mediterranean Adventure, Part Tre

After our fun day in Monaco, we were off to Livorno, the port for Florence, Italy!

I have fond memories of Florence- gelato, a visit to the Gucci factory, and meeting up with my friend Nicole- so needless to say, I was glad to return.  Unfortunately, the port is about a 2 hour train ride from Florence, so by the time we disembarked, found the train station and waited for the next departure, we really didn't have too much time there.

When we arrived, we headed straight for Il Duomo, got in line to tour the church (which took much less waiting time than I had anticipated based on the winding line outside), then decided to climb to the top.  The climb itself was fine- just a lot of flights of stairs with cool windows looking out to the city on the way up- but once we got to the top, where the dome and famous painting is on the ceiling, I pretty much had a panic attack!  I have a fear of heights, and I had not anticipated that the three foot walkway around the dome would be lined with a rail of columns that I could see through down to the bottom.  Jordan took the camera, told me to close my eyes, and lead me around the walkway!

Small window in the staircase on the way up to the top

 

In front of the Duomo

Famous ceiling painting

At the top

After we went around the dome walkway, there was another set of stairs to climb to get to the very top.  In addition to my fear of heights, I can also be claustrophobic at times; considering I was already a little shaky from the first part, the castle-like walkway to get there was a challenge!  Eventually we all made it up, and I'm glad we did.  The views from the very top of the Cathedral are spectacular!

Once we climbed down from the top, we decided it was time for some food, so we found a cute little outdoor cafe in one of the squares a few blocks down.  The pizza and wine were delicious, which was to be expected!  Since we only had a little time left before we needed to catch the train, we took LauraLee and Julianne on a speed tour through the streets of Florence, made it to the water, and grabbed some delicious gelato before running back and missing our train by just a few minutes!  Thankfully, we still made it back to the ship before embarkation ended.

I love Florence!

Beautiful Florence

Hazelnut gelato is far superior to ice cream

_______________

The next day, we arrived in Civitavecchia, the port for Rome, Italy.  Since it was the girls' first time in Rome, they took a full day, guided tour through the city, so Jordan and I were on our own, in the city where we met!

After catching the train to Rome, we took the Metro to the Colosseum.  I have to say, at this point, Jordan and I were a little tired of tourist attractions- living in Europe will not only afford you more than enough chances to see new places and things, but will also turn you off to being around large groups of tourists.  Needless to say, the Colosseum is the heart of the city, and it's always fabulous to see!

Jordan and I met On An Evening In Roma- it was our first stop on our study abroad trip in college in '04- so instead of going back to the fabulous structures of the city, we decided to find the restaurant where we first met!  We had a hard time at first, because we thought our Metro stop was another one that started with an M.  After buying a map and finding the hotel we stayed at on the map, we found the stop (Manzoni in case we forget again)!  On our first night in Europe, we met in a little restaurant/bar near the hotel, so we found it and had a delicious lunch there!  I was really tempted to tell the nice, cheerful lady who worked there that this was the place we met, but before I could, Jordan said, "Don't tell the lady we met here, that's embarrassing" haha! 

Colosseum

Yum

Going back to the place from where we once came

 

After lunch, we walked around to structures such as Trevi Fountain and, Jordan's favorite, The Pantheon.  Like I said, we were a little tired of the touristy areas, so after a walk through the beautiful, narrow streets, we headed back to the train station a little early to get back to Civitavecchia.

We didn't have Internet the whole trip since it was so expensive on the ship, and that morning we happened to see a "Free Wifi" sign in the door of a little restaurant/bar.  Especially for Jordan, such a sign is like pure gold!  When we returned to Civitavecchia, we headed straight for this place and hung out for a few hours with Internet and very nice, energetic servers!  They not only helped us get our Internet going, but after we bought a few glasses of wine, one of them brought over a plate of tapas for free!  After being on a cruise ship, where they nickel and dime you for every little thing, this was also like gold to us!  It was a great, unconventional day in Rome!

Jordan, at the Pantheon, taking in the sunlight from his favorite rooftop hole

Fabulous Trevi

Free tapas!

Northern Italy rocks.

Mediterranean Adventure, Part Deux

Returning to the Mediterranean in Monte Carlo, Monaco, where the cheapest two-bedroom will cost you about one million dollars (for appx 1,000 sq ft)...

When we woke up after our first night on the ship, we sat up in bed and looked out our window to see a fabulous view of the Monte Carlo cliffs!  Because of the relatively small port in Monte Carlo- you'd think it would be much bigger after seeing the size of the hundreds of yachts docked there- we had to take a tender to land.  Tender boats are the ones passengers would get on if the ship was sinking; you know, like the ones they didn't have enough of on the Titanic.  Anyway, after breakfast we got ready, hopped on a tender and docked amongst multi-million dollar yachts and soaring cliffs filled with buildings, homes and lots of green!

This would be easy to wake up to each morning

Other than deciding against going to the famous casino (dress code is black tie), we didn't really have a plan as to what we were going to do in the city.  I have to say, this was one of my fatal flaws; I completely thought we'd have Internet access throughout the trip, but it was astronomically expensive, so if I would have known I would have done a much better job researching cities and planning for our various city stops.  Anyway, we winged it, and after walking along the harbor and seeing the Grand Prix route where they raced just days before, we found the path up to the top of one of the cliffs. Although I'm not entirely sure what all of the buildings represented, there were a lot of historical structures, lots of tourists, and fantastic views, all of which pictures do them the most justice.

Harbor- there are a lot more where this came from

 

Half way up the cliff

Top of the cliff

 

Cool street view

Historical area

After exploring, we took the hop on, hop off sightseeing bus and shortly after discovered the Oceanographic Aquarium.  Although I'm not big on animals, who are supposed to be in the wild (ocean), living their lives in a tank, I have to say that there were some awesome creatures!  There was also an art exhibit on the main floor, like a giant butterfly, maybe 12 ft high, made out of real butterflies, but unfortunately I wasn't allowed to take pictures of it.  Here are some cool pictures of the ocean creatures though!

Starfish

The underside of a shark, the scariest thing I've ever seen

After grabbing a delicious baguette sandwich from a snack stand, we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the city on the sightseeing bus, which took us from one end of the principality to the other (it's just a few miles wide)!  Here are some pics from the rest of the day.  Enjoy!

Advertising, still up from the Grand Prix

Plaza

Gorgeous Monaco- love it!

Mediterranean Adventure, Part 1

Since I have a feeling that writing one post on our entire Mediterranean trip would be really long, I'm going to split it into a few posts to be published over the next week or so.  Enjoy!

Not long after we returned from Warsaw, Jordan's sisters came to Helsinki for the week before we took off for Spain.  I'm sure it's rare for an American's first European country visit to be Finland, but this was the case for the twins!  The week they were here was really warm- it has since cooled down by maybe 10-15 F degrees- but still beautiful, perfect weather for seeing the city.  After jet lag wore off, we spent a lot of time in the city centre and even made it over to Suomenlinna, where the Finnish maritime fortress is located.

On the 4 Tram

On Suomenlinna

The following Saturday we took an early flight to Barcelona, where we stayed one night and saw a few Gaudi buildings, experienced a real Spanish tapas bar, dipped our feet in the Mediterranean, walked on the famous Las Ramblas street and even had some good Mexican food for dinner.  Barcelona is a fantastic city, and Jordan and I fully intend on returning there for a vacation!

Before we move on, I should note that the Spanish are everything you expect them to be- beautiful, talkative and very easy going.  Their pace and balance of life is something that I wish we had more of in America!

Really good tapas bar where we had lunch

One of the smaller Gaudi churches, still under construction, near Las Ramblas

Lively Saturday parade near the beach

 

At the beach

On Sunday morning, it was cruise time!  Embarkation began at noon, so after slowly getting ready in that morning (unfortunately no shops are open on Sunday!) we headed to the port, where we were greeted by Norwegian and experienced a very smooth embarkation.  The lines weren't long at all, and we were offered snacks and beverages before getting onto the ship with little wait.  We were fortunate to be able to stay in a nice, two bedroom suite with a separate deck and sunroom/small pool/gym/sauna/dining area for our floor, which really made the trip luxurious! 

Living area

On our way to dinner the first night

Deck 14 sunroom

Coming up next: Monte Carlo, Monaco and Florence and Rome, Italy!  Stay tuned!

Writer's Block

Although I was intellectually aware of the term "Writer's Block" prior to creating this blog, I am now fully aware of what it feels like.  I've been trying to get up the motivation to write about our big trip to Spain, etc we took a few weeks ago, but every time I try to start I come up with nothing.  Like, I'm staring at the page, waiting for words to form into sentences in Word.  But nothing comes.

I've been having the same problem with my other blog, Modern Brio.  I don't know what the deal is- I think I'm both happy and sad about leaving Helsinki, while also being happy and sad about going back to Texas (most likely College Station).  Anyway, I promise to give you some new content this week, including the details of our trip, and, eventually even a comparison of Finland and the US that I've been thinking about doing for a while.

Stay tuned, and thanks to all of  you who have read about our little journey over the past several months!

Five Stars, Celebrations, and Pierogi x 3

About three weeks ago we had the opportunity to visit Warsaw, Poland!  Although we had originally planned to visit Prague, we had trouble getting the right flights, and since Jordan and JP were going to Warsaw for work the following week anyway we decided to make a trip there instead.  By  the way, in case you didn't read my previous post, "we" is me, Jordan and our Finnish friends Laura and Jupe/JP.

Our mini vacation began on a Friday morning, on one of Finland's 57 holidays throughout the year when Finns don't have to work :).  Our early flight got us into Warsaw by 10 am, and from the airport we took a taxi to our hotel, the InterContinental Warsaw.

Although we've had good hotel luck throughout our European travel, I always keep my expectations low, partly because the star ranking system we go by in the States doesn't scale equally with star ratings in Europe,  and partly because every country is different.  The InterContinental is rated 5 stars, and although I'm certain it is indeed 5 star quality for Poland, I don't think I can quite say it's on the same level of the Ritz.  But don't get me wrong, we were thoroughly impressed with the hotel!  Everyone spoke good English (which we came to find out is rare in the City), the rooms were large and immaculate and the health club/pool/sauna was breathtaking at the very top of the 40-something story building.  I'd be happy to workout there every day!

View from our room at the InterContinental Warsaw

  


Standing on the health club level, above the pool, and, well, just about everything else

On our first evening, we were ready for some pierogi.  What is pierogi, you ask?  It is Poland's take on dumplings- every country seems to have their own version- and their version is delicious.  My mom's side is mostly Polish, and my family has had the rare fortune of growing up with traditional Polish dishes like pierogi.

With help from the concierge, we arrived at Zapiecek, aka Pierogiland.  Want them stuffed with buckwheat and cottage cheese? Poppy seeds and raisins?  Or maybe more traditionally with meat and cabbage?  Whatever pierogi you want, they've got it.  After the four of us consumed dozens of them, including ones filled with salmon and spinach, forest mushroom and meat and cabbage, we were up to our ears with pierogi.  But Jupe still had room for Polish sausage and onions!

Happy Polish girl + pierogi

Happy Finnish guy + Polish sausage

I must admit that we later found out that this restaurant is a chain, but I don't really think it matters.  To deny its authenticity would be like saying that any chain Mexican restaurant in the Southwest isn't authentic.  During our time in Warsaw I had it twice more, including once for an appetizer at Belvedere restaurant, and once more on our last day when we returned to Zapiecek.  Although it's delicious, it's very, very filling, and by the time we departed I felt like one giant pierogi!

Yum

We were really fortunate to visit on this particular weekend, as it was quite a festive one!  As we walked toward one of the main streets a few blocks from the hotel on Saturday, we noticed music, a lot of people and a parade.  It turned out to be the annual parade for graduating university students, and each uni had its own vehicle from which they danced, sang, chanted, threw candy and celebrated their liberation from formal schooling.

Festive Graduation Parade

As we continued our walk through Warsaw, we noticed a small Dutch festival/farmers' market.  We're not sure if it was an event to build relations between The Netherlands and Poland or something different, but the row of stands included handmade Dutch items, food and many attractions for the kids.  Throughout the day, we also noticed many weddings taking place at the plethora of Catholic churches in Warsaw.

Jordan, Jupe and Laura

After touring the beautiful Old Town area of Warsaw, during which we saw the Presidential Palace and memorial for the many officials killed in April's plane crash, we headed back to the hotel and made reservations for The Belvedere, one of the most well-known restaurants in the City.

At the memorial, just a few months old

Prior to our trip, I had scoped out restaurants for us to try; because of the extremely affordable prices in Poland (their currency is still the Polish Zloty), we were able to experience some of the nicest restaurants in town.  The one that stood out to me most was Belvedere, located in the Warsaw Royal Bath Gardens and perfect for both a quiet evening out and a small celebration.  Their menu offered a nice mix of Polish and international options, and although their service lacked due to the language barrier, we had an enjoyable meal for a fraction of the amount we would spend in other parts of Europe!

Dinner at Belvedere

 

On Sunday we laid low, especially because many stores in Poland aren't open due to religious and cultural reasons.  One of the things I wanted to do was experience Catholic mass in Polish, so Laura and I ventured over to the closest cathedral.  It was definitely a weekend for witnessing celebrations in Warsaw, as we happened to be there on the weekend when children were making their 1st Communion!  The feeling of community and joy was imminent, despite not being able to understand everything that was being said around us.  I'm glad I was able to have this experience, and I think my very Polish, Catholic Grammy would be happy about it too :)   After mass, we went to an excellent brunch at a restaurant called 99, and relaxed the rest of the day away at the pool and sauna!

The only thing I regret not being able to do while in Warsaw was see the Jewish cemetery we heard about from a Norwegian couple we met at the hotel.  The huge cemetery, the final resting place of an estimated 250,000 people, is now unfortunately in a state of decay due to the small number of remaining Jews in the region.  As a result, the couple told us that the space is extremely creepy, with overgrown greenery that is slowly destroying the graves.  I would have liked to experience this unique site; it's very sad that the space isn't being maintained, and in an ironic way it seems as though the atmosphere must feel like a physical representation of the immense suffering and loss of human, and particularly Jewish, life during World War II.

I bet Poland isn't the #1 place on your list to visit, but I highly recommend experiencing this Central European country.  Although quality customer service and English speakers aren't their strong points, the unique history, food, culture and mix of modern and traditional lifestyle make it another country that we're happy to put on our European resume!

Do widzenia!

Finland Beats US in the Quest for Movie Theatre Domination

I’m a little tardy on this post (this happened about 3 weeks ago), but I wanted to share anyway!

A few weeks ago, we realized that we hadn’t yet been to a movie in Finland, so we decided to see Date Night on a Saturday night when we didn’t have anything planned.  Although we figured that the film would be a little cliché, Tina Fey and Steve Carell are kind of awesome (we watch 30 Rock and The Office), so it seemed like the appropriate pick for evening.  And plus, Indy European movies weren’t striking our fancy, although I’m certain there are some great ones out there.

We arrived at Tennispalatsi in the city centre a few hours before show time, early enough for us to purchase tickets and grab some dinner.  As we walked into the theatre lobby and queued to purchase tickets (yes, que > line), at first glance, nothing about the scene was particularly different from that of a theater in the States.

However, once we reached the ticket counter, and from that point forward, we took notice of several differences regarding the Finnish versus US movie experience.  First, at the ticket counter, there was a digital screen display facing us, which showed all of the available seats for the movie we wanted to see.  We were asked to pick our seats and were then given our tickets as usual.  I know Americans are really smart, but is there some reason we haven’t thought of doing this yet in the US?  It makes perfect sense to me; pick your seats and enjoy your free time until about 10 minutes before the movie commences.  As an added bonus, no standing in line with movie junkies who have been in line since 4 pm for a 7 pm showing, with giant, butter-laden bags of popcorn and cups containing more soda than I drink in a year!

After dinner- which, by the way, “dinner and a movie” is just not the same in Helsinki because of the lack of affordable restaurants in the City- we headed back to the theatre and discovered the mecca of candy in the lobby.  It’s far superior to the snack stand in US outlets, with a candy section bigger than the entire food counter in your average American theater.  Gum drops, malted milk balls and sugar, oh my…

Just one of many rows of candy bins

In case my American readers are getting upset, don’t worry.  The Nordic theatre is still laden with groups of teenagers who are way cooler than me, and the bathrooms are still disgusting.  But I have to say, with a café/bar upstairs, the plethora of candy and assigned seating, Finland has us beat on this one.  But only by a hare.  Oh, and the movie was pretty funny, too!

P.S.   I can’t help but include this note.  I don’t know when I’ll have Internet access next (100 minutes is a whopping $55 USD on this cruise), but right now it’s May 24 at 10 pm, and I’m sitting on our floor’s pool and Jacuzzi deck after a long session in the hot tub.  I’m seriously spoiled.

Trips Galore!

We're about to embark on a few weeks of travel, both to Central and Southern Europe!  Our first trip begins tomorrow, when we'll visit Warsaw, Poland; Jordan and our friend Jupe are teaching a class there next week at Skanska Poland, so Jupe's wife, Laura, and I are tagging along to make a weekend out of it :)

We don't have a strict itinerary, although I have scoped out some areas (Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and restaurants (the well-known Belvedere), and I'm very excited to visit the country from which my family originated.  Although I am Dutch on my dad's side, I'm almost half Polish, with I think a touch of Czech sprinkled in, from my mom's side.  We're also very much looking forward to the affordability of the country's food and transportation; the cost of a three-course meal at Belvedere, one of the nicest restaurants in the city, is around a very reasonable $35 USD!  Laura and I will return on Monday, with Jordan and Jupe flying back on Wednesday evening, so I'll make sure to report on the trip early next week!

On Tuesday we have more fun coming to town, literally!  Jordan's sisters, who just finished their freshman year of college, are flying in to spend the week with us in Helsinki.  Then on Saturday, the four of us are flying to Barcelona to spend one night before we board for a seven night Mediterranean cruise :)  Our itinerary includes: Monte Carlo, Monaco; Livorno, Italy (port for Pisa and Florence); Civitavecchia, Italy (port for Rome); Naples, Italy; and Palma de Mallorca, one of the Spanish Balearic Islands.  In case you're wondering, yes, we're really excited!

We should have Internet access throughout our travels, so I'll update whenever possible.  And with that, I'll leave you with a gorgeous photo of Naples/Pompeii by Trey Ratcliff, my favorite HDR photographer and owner of Stuck in Customs.  If you're ever in a bad mood, I promise, his work will cheer you up!  Have a great weekend, everyone!

Cinco de Finnco

What happens when Americans are in a foreign country that doesn't have good Mexican food (sorry, guys) and doesn't celebrate Cinco de Mayo?  They bring Cinco to Finland!

If you don't already know, Cinco de Mayo is the day when Mexicans, but mostly Americans, celebrate Mexicans' victory over the French in the 19th century Battle of Puebla.  I know, I used to think it was Mexican Independence Day, too!  It's interesting that it is most widely celebrated by Americans in the West and Southwest; ironically, it's not a big deal in Mexico.

Doing a dinner party with Mexican food as authentic as possible in Helsinki was a challenge, mainly because the necessary ingredients aren't widely available here, but also because I don't make a lot of it at home.  You'd think that if you lived in Italy, you'd be able to make some great Italian food, right?  Maybe, but not if they're making the pasta from scratch daily on the next block over, and certainly not if it's cheaper to go out than make it yourself!  We hardly ever make Mexican at home!

After many hours of searching for recipes and ingredients, Cinco de Finnco was a success!  On the menu: roasted salsa, guacamole, chicken and shrimp enchiladas with what is very, very similar to Macayo's Baja Sauce, red rice, refried beans, Mexican wedding cookies, and margaritas!  All of it- from the tortillas to the roasted tomatoes- was from scratch, and therefore took a loooong time.  But I think it was worth it, since everyone seemed to have a good time and enjoyed the food.

I'm leaving it up to our Finnish friends to keeping the tradition going- who's cooking next year?!

Who needs a table, especially when you're eating Mexican?! (Clockwise, from Jordan: Jupe, Sean, Laura, Mira, Sakari, Maria, Elina, Jukka)

We didn't get a pre-dinner food pic, but here's what was left!

Mira & Sakari

 

Elina & Jukka

 

A Finnish Tailgate

After a long and busy holiday weekend in Helsinki, I think we've finally recovered!  May 1 is one of their largest celebration days of the year; it starts on the evening of April 30 and continues (almost non-stop) into May 1.  Vappu is the Finnish name for the day- it's Wappen in Swedish- and is essentially their version of Labor Day.  Decades ago it was also a day when Socialist and Communist groups would hold rallies, although from what I hear those demonstrations have dissipated over time (we did see an anti-fur demonstration, though).  Here's the Wiki entry if you'd like to read more; just scroll to the Finland section.

Our weekend began on Friday night, when we were invited to a big Wappen party by our Swedish-Speaking Finn friends.  Every single one we've met, which is in excess of thirty at this point, has been more than generous, kind and welcoming, inviting us to many events that we're told we wouldn't have been invited to if they didn't like us :)  The party consisted of a buffet dinner for about twenty-five people at a contemporary restaurant/bar called Nolla; shortly after dinner, the place turned into somewhat of a nightclub as we continued to socialize.  The distinctive visual of the evening was all of the white hats in the crowd; starting at 6 pm on April 30, anyone who has a high school degree puts on their white hat and wears it through May 1.  Overall, it was a great night, and we even made it home before 1 am!

Sorry about the bad quality of these photos- we were having a lot of trouble with lighting and were resisting using auto/flash :)

Wappen Dinner at Nolla

Maria (Jordan's colleague), Bri and Laura (and her white hat)

Ed and Jordan- Ed is British and married to Jenny, a Finn

Jordan, Jenny and Annica

The party didn't stop on Friday night, though- on Saturday morning, we woke up fairly early to get to Kaisaniemi Park, aka the Swedish-Speaking Finn park.  Yes, there are two separate parks, one for Finns and one for the Swedish-Speaking Finns.  I won't go into it here, but the most fascinating cultural aspect we've discovered in Finland is that of these two distinct, yet harmonious social and cultural groups.  I should note that Tippaleipa is the traditional pastry for the day, so we enjoyed one that morning before leaving the house.  It's like a funnel cake, and I really liked it (Jordan not so much)!

Tippaleipa

Unfortunately the weather was awful for this celebration day- I'm not sure it reached 50 F- and although at about 5 pm the sun came out, the morning was wet, cold and foggy.  It might have deterred a few people from coming to the park, but I have a feeling that the Finns don't let bad weather stop them.  The park was short-lived, but fun, and we witnessed some interesting and intoxicated characters!  Our friends here aren't very familiar with our huge tradition of American football tailgates, but we explained to them that the park scene was pretty much what a Saturday in the Fall looks like if you're anywhere close to a university with a football team.

A few things to note before I add pictures from the park... first, the overall-looking outfits you'll see are worn by first and second year university students, and each area of study has a different color.  From what I've gathered, it's both to help uni students identify each other by degree, and is also used as a hazing of sorts for new students.  Also, balloons are a big part of the celebration, and you're supposed to buy one for your loved one during the week; Jordan brought home a a big smiley flower one for me :)

Can you spot (drunk) Waldo?

A bunch of Swedish-Speaking Finns

After the brief park visit, we went to Kia's mom's flat, which has a really nice area on the top floor with a sauna and event space, in addition to a rooftop deck.  We were there for several hours and enjoyed food, sparkling wine and champagne- and eventually, even the sun!  Overall it was a great weekend, and we're thankful to everyone who included us in one of their biggest celebrations of the year!

Cool space with a sauna on the top of the building

The second the sun came out, we went out!

Nice view

iPad and i Love Food

If you don't know Jordan well, about 30% of him is Tech Geek (he would probably say that the other 70% is Pure Awesomeness).  After a week-long detour in London with his parents due to Eruption Disruption, he finally received his iPad!

iPad Unveiling

And here's a video from a few weeks ago, when we visited Kauppatori Market Hall at the harbor.  Yum!

Eruption Disruption

When a large problem arises-whether it be weather, political or something else- media outlets get the uncontrollable urge to name, have commentary on, and report as much as possible on the problem.  For example, in the beginning of 2007, Austin basically shut down because of a relatively big snow storm in the city; the local news stations named the storm "Ice Storm '07," and we laughed hysterically at their absurd labeling of the storm.  Oh, the drama!

Lake and trail at our apartment complex during Ice Storm '07

Should we have expected anything different from European outlets in 2010?  I suppose, no!  We've been watching a lot of a particular world news channel over the past few days to stay up to date on everything that's going on with the European transportation problems, but on Monday we noticed something different.

Now, each time they report on the situation- which is about every five minutes- there is an elementary graphic and title in the upper right or left corner of the screen.  The graphic is of a volcano and airplane next to each other, which I'm not sure is an accurate portrayal of the problem, considering the plane looks like it's either going down or about to go into the volcano.  With all of the comparisons they're making between the financial loss in this instance vs 9/11, and the fact that a volcano's ash might in fact cause a plane to go down, I'm thinking they could have picked another piece of clip art.

But the real kicker is the title: Eruption Disruption.  What?!  And the dramatic media strikes again.  Maybe, after so many days of reporting on the problem, reporters are tired of saying, "Volcanic ash cloud from Iceland."  Who knows.  But I think they should spare us the marketing package, including dedicated titles and graphics, and simply report the news.  And if not, at least we'll get in a good laugh!

Eruption Disruption over Helsinki on Monday

Crazy Travel and Crazy Days

Hello from Helsinki!  It's finally starting to warm up here (40s and 50s), although I'd like for it to be about 20 degrees warmer than that at this point :)  At least it's comfortable to run outside now!

This weekend went very differently from the way we thought it would go; Jordan's parents were supposed to visit for a few days before their vacation in Spain, but unfortunately they got caught up in the midst of the Iceland volcanic ash (literally).  On Thursday morning they arrived at London Heathrow, only to find out that travel restrictions had just been placed on UK airspace.  Since that was one of the first countries to be affected, it's possible that if they flew into another European city (Amsterdam, Paris, etc) that morning, they would have made it to Helsinki.  Who would have thought that something like this would happen!

As I write, they're still in London and trying to figure out how to get to Spain before the second part of their (organized) vacation begins.  The problem is that the airport is holding all luggage until the airport opens back up and the luggage can be re-routed based on new travel plans.  They even had to buy a few pieces of clothing to get them through the weekend.  We are bummed out that they couldn't make it, and just hope that they can make it to Spain in time to enjoy their trip!

In other news from Nordic land, the largest department store in the country, Stockmann, had their semi-annual "Hullut Paivat," or Crazy Days, event this week from Wednesday through today.  Since we now have a bunch of Swedish-Speaking Finn friends, I suppose I should also list the event as "Galna Dagar" :)  Anyhow, it's huge sale on everything in the store- electronics, food, clothing, cosmetics, Finnair flights, and even boats and cars- and let me tell you, it's crazy.  Think Black Friday for five days in a row.  I went three times this week and got some pretty good deals!  Some of the best bargains are in the delicatessen (grocery store), the huge candy section, and in clothing- I bought one skirt for 7 Euro for our upcoming cruise, and another Betsey Johnson-esque skirt for 23 Euro!

This morning we got up pretty early to stand in line at Stockmann with our friends, Laura and Jupe, to buy tickets to Prague for next month.  Finnair teams up with Stockmann for Hullut Paivat to offer discounted tickets, and one of today's five cities was Prague.  The guys have a meeting in Warsaw, Poland in the middle of May, and the week before that they have Thursday off work for a holiday; we thought it would be a fun to go to Prague first for the weekend, then they could take the train to Warsaw for work.  As it turned out, no Prague tickets for that weekend were available to begin with, so we compromised and decided to go to Warsaw instead.  If you don't already know, I'm almost entirely Polish on my mom's side, so I'm finally going to my homeland!!

In addition to Stockmann visits, we had a great social weekend!  Friday night we went out with Skanska people for dinner and drinks; we had really good burgers at Morrison's, then walked over to Hotel Torni.  It's obviously a tourist hotel/attraction, but the lounge at the top of the building offers an almost 360 degree view of Helsinki.  Here's a cool picture Jupe snapped on his phone, just after the rain:

Last night, Laura and Jupe invited us to come to their friends' house for a dinner party, and we had a great time!  Everything, from the company to the dinner, was really nice, and they even invited us to their Vappu/Wappen celebration!  April 30/May 1 is a big holiday weekend, so we're really looking forward to experiencing it with a big group!  We've really been fortunate to meet a lot of people, and Laura and Jupe have a lot to do with it :)  Thanks, guys!

One last item- I (Bri) just started a new young womens' lifestyle blog called Modern Brio, so be sure to check it out here: www.modernbrio.com.  What good would I be as a marketing professional if I didn't cross-promote blogs?! 

Have a great week- we hope you're having a great spring!