End of summer? Time to party!

The Finns do not have a Labor Day weekend to mark the end of summer, and don't have an excuse to throw a party. Therefore, they have a 3-week festival so that everyone knows that the end of summer is here. It started sometime this week and has been mostly plays, obscure musicals, and classical music concerts in tiny theaters around town. One of the events on Thursday night was interesting: there was a giant set of concrete dominoes set up around town that they knocked over. Unfortunately, I forgot all about it and so didn't see it in person. Here is a link to the end of the track in Cathedral Square:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_9cwybLnsU

On Saturday, we attended the Finnish food festival: Herkkujen Suomi. There were stands set up, representing different regions around Finland. Here, we finally were able to try reindeer! It was served as a stew over mashed potatoes, with lingon berries and baked cheese (juusto) on the side. The reindeer was tender and reminiscent of beef, and was just slightly gamey-tasting. The cheese was chewy, and is sometimes called squeaky cheese. I now know why. It was all very good.

We also had some smoked salmon, served with new potatoes and a carrot and apple hash. The sauce was a creamy dill with a hint of nutmeg, and was delicious. Oh, and the fish was good, too.

Outside of the festival, we visited the permanent, indoor market, Hakaniemi. It was an old brick building and on the first floor, there were stalls with refrigerator cases set up. Here, people sold cheeses, lots of different kinds of meat, produce, and baked goods. On the second floor, there were other shops, such as Merrimeko. Unfortunately, it was rather crowded and I didn't get a picture of the inside. Here is the outside of the building.

Just outside of the indoor market was a seasonal outdoor market with stands selling produce, bakery items, and fresh fish. These two are the markets where the locals do their shopping.

Summer is indeed coming to an end. In the 20 days that we have been here, the day has shortened by 90 minutes! We have started seeing pumpkins and apples at the markets. I am not sure when to expect the first snow, but the native Finns in my lab have been talking about it already. Certainly we have at least 2 more weeks of summer as the Helsinki Festival continues through then.  :)

Fact or fiction?

Before we moved to Finland, we read every book and ex-pat website, and watched every travel show about the place so that we knew what to expect. And as expected, we found several inconsistencies:

1) Finnish people are introverted and will avoid making eye contact at all costs.
Not true at all! Coming across strangers in the hall or while outside for exercise, plenty of people make eye contact. It doesn't feel very different from home.

2) Finnish people work in the crayfish industry, but they wouldn't know how to eat them, c/o Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods. Also false, my bosses have been discussing that they celebrate the end of summer with a crayfish boil.

3) The Finns LOVE Conan O'Brien. True. If you haven't seen the episodes, track them down on YouTube. He bears a striking resemblance to their last president, female president: Tarja Halonen. I am not sure whom to feel bad for in this case. In fact, one of my new co-workers spent her 3-week honeymoon in the U.S., trying out all of the American eateries and foods that Conan talked about. This meant that they ate at Wendy's, White Castle, and Dunkin' Donuts, to name a few. Her impression of American food was not favorable.

4) Going to sauna also involves a blood-letting ritual, c/o Anthony Bourdain of No Reservations. Um, no. I haven't been to a sauna yet, but I am certain that this disgusting habit only happens at one location. If you saw the episode, you know how unsanitary that was, and if you haven't seen it, don't go looking for it.

I am sure that I will have more fun facts to share as our time here continues. Stay tuned!

Finnished

Since my last post, I've begun working in my new lab. My coworkers are nice and have been very welcoming. I am spending these first few days talking with everyone to learn their projects and the nuances of how this lab operates. There are 20 people who work in this lab, so it is bigger than to what I am accustomed. And I am not the only foreigner, about half the lab is from somewhere other than Finland. The campus is not in walking distance of where we live, and so I take a bus there and back. It is a nice change during the day as it is in the middle of a field and I have time during the commute to read a book. Here are a few shots of some of the buildings:

Outside of work, we are still becoming Finnish. We have registered for Finnish language courses in hopes of being able to say more than "thank you" (kiitos) and "excuse me" (anteeksi), and relying on pictures on the containers at the grocery shop. At the market we were tempted by the bright red lingonberries (puolukkaa) and brought home half a liter:

On their own, they are a little tart on their own, reminiscent of cranberries. So, we added water and sugar and made a jam to eat with pork chops.

We visited another museum which is housed in the Hakasalmi Villa. It was built in 1843 and was a residence until 1902. It has been a museum since 1906. The exhibit on display was "Made in Helsinki", in honor of Helsinki's designation as the 2012 World Design Capital. We wandered through 2 floors of things that were made in Helsinki, some were original to Finland: Iittala, Arabia, Opa, and Easy Beasy. Other things were not, but they were noted for their style: piano makers, mirror gilders, sign-makers and a decorative rope factory.

On our way home, we happened upon the beginning of the Helsinki City Marathon. We happened to catch the lead car, and they were only 10 minutes into the race. The race must have started around 3 p.m., which I think is later in the day than the major marathons run in the U.S. We postulated that this was due to the cooler weather here. However, it did reach about 75°F the day of the race.

Today was a grey and drizzly day, but that didn't stop us from experiencing Restaurant Day (www.restaurantday.org). This was started in Helsinki in May 2011 and has since become world wide. It is held every 3 months and is a day where anyone can have a restaurant anywhere for a day. People list a restaurant which can serve anything and be open any time of day. Some people turn their apartment into a restaurant. We were not yet that brave, but instead we tried out a few outdoor cafés. Unfortunately, we did not find any traditional Finnish food. However, we were not disappointed with what we did find. We started with dessert at a German bakery and had apple strudel and their version of Sachertorte:

We stopped by another tent for a Spanish tortilla, a dish of pieces of potato cooked into eggs, like a quiche, but without the crust:

Finally, we went to a tent serving an organic creation: pork kebabs with an improvised paella. 

The concept of Restaurant Day was cool, and the rain wasn't a deterrent to people. I think we are becoming Finnish in that aspect: rain or sun, get outside while the temperature is nice! Hyvästi until the next post! 

But you still gotta work...

These are words that I muttered on a family ski vacation many years ago while my parents were daydreaming about moving to a slope-side locale. Luckily, I was able to put this thought out of my head the last few days before I started work today.

In my last day of freedom, we visited The National Museum of Finland, or Kansallismuseo.

I am not sure what this guy had to do with the national history of Finland, but he was sitting outside the door:

Inside there were permanent exhibits of artifacts from pre-history through the mid-20th century, as well as armor and weapons, and currency. We were allowed to take pictures inside and these are a few highlights...

Oldest skis in the world found (in Finland!), dated to 3200BC:

A sledge, used for travel and hauling, dated around the same time:

A typical Finnish fireplace from Rococo period (mid-18th Century): 

That took most of the day and we aren't feeling pressed to see all of the sights in a short period of time since we live here. However, days in Finland are hovering around 16 hours, and so we had plenty of daylight left. We decided to go where apparently everyone else in Helsinki decided to go: kauppatori (the market) to see the sights, pick up some fresh produce, and take in the sun. It was very busy in the late afternoon compared to the morning. 

I've thoroughly enjoyed my lengthy vacation. But even in exotic locations, people work and carry on life. And so will I, with the goal to squeeze in some exploring on the side.

Last Days of Vacation

We are still feeling like tourists in the time I have left before I begin working. What to do in Helsinki on a Monday? Most of the museums were closed, so that really limited our options. We poured over our maps and travel books and settled on Church in the Rock and walking the Esplanade and Cathedral Square.

Church in the Rock, or Temppeliaukio in Finnish, was a beautiful church, carved into natural rock in the city. The outside was not much to look at:

But the inside was beautiful:

And the ceiling has a copper disc, made up of 14 miles of copper wire. My camera could not get the whole of the disc in it. 

It was time for lunch and so we returned to the market at the city center (kauppatori, for those of you keeping up with the Finnish) for some fresh fish. I had salmon on rye and Brent had salmon with vegetables. The photo does not do the meal justice, but it was so good that I was several bites into my sandwich before I thought to take a picture. 

After lunch, we spent the afternoon walking along the esplanade, which is somewhat comparable to Rodeo Drive. There are two streets (Pohjoisesplanadi and Esteläesplanadi, for North and South Esplanadi) which border a large park where many people were enjoying the beautiful weather. Along the esplanade there were stores such as Laura Ashley, Louis Vuitton, Iittala, and Marimekko, just to name a few. At the end of the street is the large department store, Stockmann. There were also many restaurants and cafes along the way, absolutely packed with people, soaking up the sun and people-watching.

With the continued long days (16 hours of daylight, still), we have plenty of time in the evenings to enjoy the outdoors. After dinner we went exploring our neighborhood some more and came across a beach! Ever since I got over my fear of drowning in an ocean, I wanted to live near a beach, and here we are! I just didn't think that it'd be in Helsinki, at 60°N latitude where the high temps only reach 70-75°F. But there were plenty of people enjoying the beach earlier in the day according to Brent, nonetheless. We happened upon the beach around 8:30 pm. Maybe someday I will work up the nerve to take my shoes and socks off to dip a toe in this part of the Baltic Sea.

Touring Helsinki

We had the chance this weekend to act as tourists in our new home and we took advantage of the beautiful weather.

On Saturday we visited the market square, or kauppatori, where there is a perpetual market. There were vendors selling fruit (blueberries, strawberries, cherries, apricots, plums, and lingonberries), vegetables (carrots, peas, new potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, onions, and chanterelle mushrooms), flowers, and lots of hand-made goods. We picked up some fresh veggies which I used to make shepherd's pie for supper. What about the market in the winter? I hear that they move it inside.

After that we took the ferry out to one of Finland's fortresses, Suomenlinna. It is a great source of pride as it was never lost in a battle. We spent the day walking on the old cobblestone paths to see the church, the living quarters, and the King's special entrance. The old buildings had been converted into museums, restaurants, cafes, and apartments. There is even a minimum security prison out there where the prisoners are made to maintain the island. Here is a link: http://www.suomenlinna.fi/en/ 

Today we went sight-seeing again in the city center. We hit the market again for some of the irresistible fruit. I am not sure what will be available for fresh fruit once fall and winter come, so we are taking advantage of this produce availability now. Near the market we went to two churches, the first pictured is an Evangelical Lutheran Cathedral, the Helsinki Cathedral, and the second is an Eastern Orthodox Cathedral, the Uspenski Cathedral. Services for both were just ending when we arrived and there were a handful of beggars lined up outside of the Uspenski Cathedral -- the only ones we've seen since our arrival in Helsinki. Perhaps the Lutherans are more stingy with their hand-outs than the Orthodox???

We went home for some lunch and a quick nap to recharge and spent the afternoon exploring the new neighborhood where we will live in a few weeks, and riding the tram. It was a great way to continue to sight-see with tired legs and decide what to do next.

I hear that Rick Steves Europe on PBS aired a Helsinki/Tallin episode this weekend -- did anyone catch it???

Who are you?

Greetings from Finland, where it is a cool 64F, with a breeze and overcast skies. There is very little need for air conditioning here, and in fact, we have not seen or felt any. 

We have spent the last two days settling in to life here. All of the lists said that the first order of business was to register with the 'local authority' to obtain a personal identification number. So, we marched straight to the local authority (the word translates to magistrate) to fill out the paper work and to get this number. From this visit we learned two things: 1) our American marriage certificate is not legal in Finland (my witty husband told me that I was not allowed to start seeing other people...), and 2) the application for this personal identification number takes a few weeks. In all, we were happy to have arrived when the line was short and to have this process started.

However, we have since found out that you are nobody in Finland without a personal identification number. Unfortunately, we will have to wait to register for insurance, obtain permanent bus passes and library cards, and to start cell phone service.

Things aren't all bad here. Helsinki is very urban with tall buildings and in some places, lots of people. The city has a very park-like feel with trees and plants everywhere. So, despite the dense population, it is quiet and green. The modes of transportation around the city also contribute to the quiet. For a city this large, there are few cars. People get around using the bus, metro (subway), or tram. People also bike and walk. There are designated bike paths on every street. I found out the hard way that bikers and walkers share the same path, designated only by a change in color of the sidewalk, or by painted characters. Who pays attention to the ground when there are so many other things to look at? Guess I will have to start before I offend another biker!

Settling In

Welcome to Finland! After spending a lot of time with both of our families and some tearful good-byes, we were on our way to Helsinki. I'll make a short advertisement here for Icelandair: both of our flights were on time, the planes were quite comfortable (we did manage to get exit aisle seats on both flights), and they didn't lose any of our six checked bags.

We dropped our luggage at our apartment and explored our neighborhood. We dropped into one of the many grocery stores in the area called Alepa. Nothing was in English, but there were pictures on the packages, and of course the produce was easily distinguishable. Here, you are to weigh and print your own sticker for the produce. We also have to take our own bags, or purchase a plastic sack to carry our groceries. The country is quite environmentally friendly, and this is one way to cut down on waste. The store was small with a small selection -- on par with markets found in large U.S. cities, and much smaller than the supermarkets that are common in the midwest.

Next we found an R-Kioski. Here we purchased bus passes and a SIM card to use in our quad-band phone until we start cell phone service.

In our short venture about our close surroundings, we found Helsinki to be clean and well-kept, save the homeless man I saw urinating next to an utility box. From what I have read, I expect this to be an exception to the rule of the Finns's tidiness. Below I have posted photos of the surroundings that I have left, as well as a photo of my new surroundings.