Fall

 

So that's it, the summer has come to an end: September 22nd was the first day of fall.



I will take a moment to look around at the trees, see each leaf change their color and turn into orange, red and yellow.



 

I'll stay home, lit the candles, eat mushrooms (picked by Mum) and bake apple pies. 

 



 

I'll even find my wellies, make multicoloured leaf piles and jump into them! Fall doesn't sound bad, does it?

Crayfish galore

We had our traditional girls crayfish party. Once again had a great time and laughed plenty!

 

 

As you should do, we ate crayfish, sang schnaps songs and toasted with schnaps a few time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Finland, crayfish parties are held in August-September to mark the end of the summer.

This popular tradition originates from Swedish hight society.

 

 

 

I you are around during that period, try to get an invite, it's worth the detour (and the headache)!

Hanko





In Hanko, port town on the south coast of Finland -130km west of Helsinki- the sun shines more often than elsewhere in Finland!

Hanko is wooden houses and buildings, sandy beaches (30km), leisure harbours and a beautiful archipelago with over 90 islands and islets within the city limits.

The city of Hanko was founded when the port and the railway line were built in 1874. Hanko Spa brought then splendid villas and boarding houses for the Russian nobility on summer holidays.

During the Hangon Regatta, major summer event in Hanko, sailing enthusiasts compete and not so sailing enthusiasts party.

Porvoo Old Town

Porvoo, one of Finland's six medieval town, is just an hour drive away from Helsinki, or in the summer a few hours by steamboat through the archipelago.

The Old Porvoo is a pituresque city with its medieval cobblestoned alleys, its brightly colored red wooden shore houses, the beautiful Cathedral as well as its antique & craft shops lining on the main roads Välikatu and Kirkkokatu.

Porvoo Old Town was mostly built after the Great Fire of 1760. It has been an important centre of trade and the shore were once used to store goods. Many are now Porvoo's prime residential area. Originally, the shore houses were painted red in honor of the arrival of Gustav III, the king of Sweden.

Porvoo Cathedral was built at the turn of the 14th century. It has been burnt down five times, most recently in 2006.




Have a stroll in the streets East of the Cathedral; Itäinen Pitkäkatu is one of the nicest.



 

 

 

I Love Porvoo. It's the most beautiful city in Finland! I don't count the times I have wandered its streets and for sure I will return!

-c-

Vintage/Retro/Secondhand & a twist of modern

Entering the Doris & Duke secondhand shop located in Porvoo is like entering a world of its own.
 

The colours, the decoration, the setup, the clothes, the shoes... everything made it bewitching.

What you'll find: selected vintage/secondhand shoes and clothes, hats and belts as well as new jewels and gift items -not forgetting very friendly service!

You'll Love It!

-c-            
      

I hate mosquitoes, they suck!

 

Finland is called the land of a thousand lakes -nowhere else you will find as many lakes in relation to the country's size. Also 2/3 of Finland's surface area is forest -mostly pine, spruce and birch. In numbers that is a surface of little less than 338500 square kilometers and over 180000 lakes. Population is about 5,4 million.

  

I found that all that fact surfing on the web, where I was actually looking for facts on mosquitoes -after a mosquitoes attack. I thought I would share some of the facts and my own findings.

-When are the mosquitoes live and kicking? During the summer all the mosquitoes are out looking for you. In spring and autumn in smaller groups (and I am pretty sure that some hide in the houses in the winter)

-Where do they hunt? In cities, country side, forest, by the lake, in the houses-cottages-flats. Mosquitoes are everywhere!

-How many of them? After some home maths and some time sitting outdoor, I came to the conlusion that there are about 20-40 mosquitoes by person ...that makes a lot of them!

-Do mosquitoes exhibit blood-sucking preferences? Yes!

-Do the mosquitoes prefer foreigners? Yes!

-Why? Foreigners are like exotic food for the mosquitoes.
-Is there any efficient mosquito trap or repellent: I doubt, mosquitoes have been around for over 30 million years already. It looks like they are not going to disappear anytime soon

 

 

  

It was not surprising to find out that in Finland is held the World Mosquito Killing Championships (WMKC) every year. The participants smash as many mosquitoes as possible in 5 minutes. I suppose the best bait being your own flesh. In the WMKC webpages, the record is 21 mosquitoes.

I am sure I could do better...





I will end on an inspirational note: if you think you are too small to make a difference, you haven't spent a night with a mosquito!

 -c-

 

Juhannus - Midsummer

Today is Juhannus in Finland – a celebration of the Summer Solstice and its nightless night as well as of John the Baptist. Juhannus is one of the most important holidays and held on Saturday between 20 – 26 June.

The celebration starts on the Friday with most of the Finns travelling to their mökki (summer cottage) in the countryside together with family and/or friends.

The mökki is decorated with birch branches to insure future happiness and flowers to welcome the summer.

On the menu are new potatoes, grilled sausages & meat and strawberries. Then it’s time to enjoy your sauna, not forgetting to gently beat yourself with the vihta (leafy boughs of birch). Traditional Finnish songs are played all night long.

Closer to midnight, everyone heads to see the star of the night, the kokko (bonfire).

Happy Juhannus to all and let’s welcome the summer!

-c-

Sibelius Monument

On a very warm Saturday we decided to go for a picnic to the park by the Sibelius monument, one of the landmarks of Helsinki which honors the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.

This abstract monument designed by Eila Hiltunen looks like an organ with its 600 hollow steel pipes welded together. It is 8,5m tall and 10,5m wide. By its side lies the bust of the composer.
Impressive piece of work!

If you pass by Helsinki, it's worth having a walk in the park and see the monument (wait for the tourists bus to go so you may really enjoy the place) and just around the corner indulge yourself with an ice cream or a cup of coffe by the sea. The grown up as well as the little ones will enjoy the spot.

-c-

 

Helsinki: Drink and Dine

Thanks to a young colleague, I had an amazingly tasteful and different dinner. Place to go is called Shanghai Cowboy, mexican fusion spot opened by a californian expat. Located in the heart of Helsinki (Erottajankatu 15-17), it took us a moment to find it as the sign is pretty small - or maybe we were too busy talking and not concentrating in finding the restaurant.

The interior is quite simple and stripped down but cozy. The atmosphere is trendy and cool with the clients ranging from twenties to hip forties – the latter being me ;)

 

The service was brilliantly simple and taken care by friendly young waiters. The music was quite loud but did not bother me.

So now, let’s come to the drinks and dishes– drinks list has exciting and mysterious names. The ones we tasted were awesome. The dishes, mixtures of fresh ingredients take you to all the way to Mexico with a pinch of Asia. Coriander fans: you wanna eat there!

I thought I knew what is a nacho with guacamole and salsa. I did not! The lima pacific chalupa was just the right size of a mixture of amazing tastes including prawns, scallops, chili, lemon and avocado just to name a few. Coke and chocolate ribs: I will have it next time! The grilled banana: succulent.

Do I want to go again? Yes! Yes! Yes! It is from now on my favorite restaurant in Helsinki!

If you call it Vappu, that's what you get

It is Vappu (Walpurgis day) - a traditional spring festival and one of the biggest holiday in Finland.
Celebration starts on the evening of 30 April and continues to 1 May. All upper seconday school get to wear the white cap and you can imagine how its white colour get a darker shade every year! I would imagine the darker/dirtier it gets, the more respect you get  ;)
On 1 May, all generations party and picnic in the parks consuming sima (mead) and sparkling wine.

On Vappu's eve, I got to get together with a few friends and even though we have still cold weather it felt as summer is around the corner - maybe due to the buffet table's rainbow of colors and tastes.

 

 

Hyvää Vappua!
-c-