Random thoughts

Things I've learned:

Can the moose read this?

There are moose crossing signs everywhere -- but no one we've talked to has actually seen a moose. And how do the moose know to cross the road where the signs are? Can they read?

Also, there are moose-hunting stations near the power plant. These are really rickety contraptions, and my thought was, do you really want to be on this thing if a moose is charging toward you?

We went to a "Mexican" restaurant in Turku on Saturday. It's the only one around here. While it is a very cute place, the wait staff was great, and the beer was cold, they don't serve Tex-Mex food as we are used to. Which is fine. It's just not what we have been craving. They have things on the menu like crispy tortillas topped with lettuce, crab ceviche and aioli (they love mayonnaise in Europe, you know) and ostrich skewer with sweet potatoes, fried vegetables and coconut-mint sauce. Our waiter said they used to have antelope on the menu, but they removed it because the meat is so tough. I will say they had fajitas and burritos, but we wanted basic enchiladas and tacos, which were not available. We ordered chips and salsa and mini quesadillas from the appetizer menu. The red sauce that came with the chips was bland, and the habanero sauce was too fiery. The mini quesadillas came with delicious guacamole, but we just couldn't figure out what was in the quesadilla filling. 

Cantina Azteca in Turku

I later figured out what the problem with the mini quesadillas probably was when I went looking for Mexican-style cheese in the grocery store. They don't have it. The funny thing is, I love Emmental cheese, which is expensive in the U.S. and you can only buy in slabs. Here, Emmental is the MAIN cheese -- you can buy it shredded, sliced, diced and in slabs. There's also plenty of Gouda and Mozzarella (pizza cheese), but no Colby, Monterey Jack or anything related. We're going to be very sad if we can't get Mexican cheese. Next time I go to Turku, I'm going to look for it in the big grocery store there -- perhaps they import it.

We came across this on Saturday

Another random thing -- Never totally trust your GPS device. We bought a Garmin to help us navigate around here. I drove to Turku by myself last week, and the Garmin directed me onto a pedestrian-only street before I even realized it. I almost freaked out, because all of a sudden, my car was surrounded by pedestrians and bikers. I had to drive very, very slowly until I could make my escape.

Later, I found out from one of Tom's co-workers that the same thing had happened to him, so that at least made me feel a little better. But it was very scary.

I've already mentioned how expensive everything is here. We have been shopping for a bicycle, but the price tags are ridiculous. Just a basic, no-speed bike will set you back 240 Euros -- about $320! I want a three-speed bike, and that will probably cost around $400.

We also have been car shopping. A small Peugeot, 1.6-liter engine, four doors, about the size of a Honda Fit, will cost around $20,000. We want the Peugeot 308, which is a bit bigger. A 2008 with about 70,000 miles will cost about $22,000. A new one is closer to $30,000. These are small cars! We thought about getting a diesel, but you have to pay a very steep diesel tax every year. Several car dealers told us that unless you plan to drive between 18,000 to 20,000 miles every year, it won't be worth the cost.

Moose-tracking station -- doesn't look safe

That's enough for now. Until next time!

Pam