Kengät - Boots!

Hers

So Christian and I have both bought a pair of boots!  I purchased mine about two weeks ago because it had been raining about 3-4 days out of each week and I was sick of walking in wet sneakers.  A lot of people where wellies or small mid-calf boots made by Nokia! (Yes Nokia was a rubber manufacturer before they turned to electronics)  So I found a pair I liked, they are Viking brand, not sure if it is any relation to the Viking ferry company that runs back and forth from Helsinki to Tallin and Stockholm but at any rate I haven't gotten to wear them! It has not rained a single day in two weeks and has been absolutely sunny and gorgeous, not that I am complaining but I would like to go puddle jumping before it gets too cold.  Christian on the other hand took his for a test spin last night when went to go get pizza.  His are made by Jalas a heavy workman's shoe company that specializes in boots for fire fighters.  Christian is quiet pleased with the purchase.  They are aluminum toed, water repellent leather, and insulated for winter, so he can wear them in the foundry and just about everywhere else too. 

His

Maaseutu - Countryside

In Finland it is the custom to escape from midsummer (June 21st the summer solstice) through August to a summer home located usually on a lake or the sea.  This was near the town of Porvoo about 70k (43 miles) from Helsinki. It was a rainy day and the air was clean and crisp and smelled of fresh apples from the trees nearby.    

Easy Transport

Here are some pictures of the walking and biking paths I was talking about.  This is in the middle of one of the main east west roads that cuts across the city. And when you get to the highway there are specific pedestrian and bike over passes and under passes!  

Herkkusieni - Mushroom

There are several markets in Helsinki each offering something a little different;  Hietaniemen tori is a flee market with spray painted grids over the cobble stones delineating the boundaries of each seller  Kauppatori - the main market is a mix of produce stands, souvenir tents, coffee shops and bakery stands along the central harbor  and Hakaniemen tori is mostly a local produce market where I chanced on a wonderful surprise!!!! I was hoping to find fresh vegetables at half the price of those in the supermarket and was a little disappointed to find similiar quantities for 5 Euros.  Seeing that my Finnish is not quite good enough to haggle I roamed aimlessly around until I spotted these huge bins of mushrooms marked kantrelli.  I wondered if they could be Chantrelles but for 1 liter for 4 euros I thought they couldn't possibly be the delicacy that foodies rave about in the states but are ridiculously priced.  But curiousity got the best of me and so I bought some.   Having only had chantrelles on two occasions that I can remember once in Montana from a friend whose hobby was mushroom picking and another at the upscale restaraunt Salt in Baltimore I remembered that they were quiet tasty almost mouthwatering tasty.  I have cooked three meals with my liter of mushrooms and each has been awesome!!!  I only wish there was crabmeat around here and I could combine my two favorite foods cooked in butter!!!!  I will try to take some better pictures of things and add them to the post. 

Laiva - Boat

So we have been here not even a week and I feel quite comfortable getting around the city.  We have bought travel cards and can come and go as we please without having to pay the 2,50 Euro charge every time we want to take a tram or bus.  Tomorrow we are going to try and find used bikes, which will be great because there are bike lanes and trails everywhere!!! The public transit system is really integrated into the city planning and is not an after thought which really makes getting around easy. Now if only the language was as simple!!!     

Höpöhöpö - Nonsense!

That so far is my favorite Finnish word.  So we have been in Finland for 3 (kolme) days and are settling in nicely.  Our accommodations are efficient but comfortable and are not too far outside of the city. Yesterday we had a great lunch at the Finnish Art Museum but got drenched on our way there.  Needless to say we spent the rest of the day in wet socks and pants. Last night we visited the US Embassy for a party which was pretty swanky and went on a tour of the city this morning.  We saw this sculpture in Sibelius park by artist Eila Hiltunen. The weather has been cold enough for me to have to wear my winter coat! And it has rained on and off since we have been here. Today I skipped the second half of Christian's orientation to come back and use the Internet.