Copenhagen

Nyhavn - the most photographed spot in Copenhagen

 

Copenhagen is a terrific city! I had a great time and want to go back! I flew from Turku to Copenhagen on Tuesday and returned on Thursday -- just in time to start packing for our trip home to the U.S. on Saturday.

At the Ice Bar in Copenhagen

 

It was easy to take the train from the airport to downtown, then it was a short walk to my hotel, First Hotel Twenty-Seven. Had a tiny room, but it was fine, nice view, fairly quiet. The coolest part was the Ice Bar next door. Every January, they create a new bar with ice brought in from the Arctic Circle. It's a complete room, and everything is made of ice -- the walls, a chandelier, decorations, the bar itself, even the glasses you drink out of. They made me put on this ridiculous parka-poncho and gloves, because the temperature inside the bar is -5 Centigrade (that's 23 Fahrenheit). I had one drink, took some photos, and that was plenty of time for me to stay in there. I was joking with the bartender that -5 C will be balmy compared to what the temperature can get to in Finland in the middle of winter!

Tivoli Gardens

One of my favorite things about Copenhagen was visiting Tivoli Gardens, the fantastic park built in the 1800s. Apparently, Tivoli was the inspiration for Walt Disney to create Disneyland. The park was beautifully decorated for Christmas (I went during the evening) and there was a very nice Christmas market going on. I had the best steak I've had in Europe in a restaurant in the park.

I must have walked at LEAST 50 miles during the day on Wednesday. I hit as many historical places and shopped as much as I could before I literally collapsed back in the hotel. There is a pedestrian-only shopping area called the Stroget, and I really enjoyed walking around there.

If you want to see all the pictures I took in Copenhagen, here's the link:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103069509757300719995/albums/5675974391876791265

Can't wait to come home and see everyone!





 


 

Ready for Winter

Our lovely winter studded tires

We are ready for winter! This morning, I took the car to the tire hotel, where they took off the summer tires and put on the studded winter tires. They stow our summer tires there -- that's why they call it the tire hotel. It took less than 10 minutes for the guy to change the tires, and I really didn't notice much difference when I drove the car back to the apartment.

We also purchased a shovel and long brush/scraper to keep in the car. We've heard stories from others who have returned from flights home to find their car buried in snow at the airport, being unable to get into the garage (we have a one-car garage space across the street from our apartment) because of overnight snow storms, and walking to the parking lot at the power plant after work to discover that the car is covered in ice.


Sounds like great fun, huh? Meanwhile, you wouldn't know winter is coming here, yet -- the weather is still very nice. Mostly sunny and in the 40s.

Baked goods we didn't need

We went grocery shopping at the big Prisma Saturday, and a group of very nice ladies were selling the most beautiful baked goods to raise money for their sons' hockey team to travel to Toronto next May. So of course, we bought 40 Euros worth of stuff that we didn't need. But Tom took it all to work today, so it's good to get it out of the apartment.

I am flying to Copenhagen tomorrow and will return Thursday. Then we are coming home on Saturday for a week -- yay! Once again, it's a roundabout route to get home -- Turku to Stockholm; Stockholm to Chicago, and Chicago to Charlotte. We have a 3-1/2 hour layover in Chicago, so that will give us plenty to time to find a restaurant and enjoy a decent American-style hamburger!

Tallinn and Helsinki

Old Town Tallinn

Tom and I took a nice weekend trip to Tallinn, Estonia, and Helsinki this weekend. We drove to Helsinki Friday evening and spent the night at the Radisson Blu Seaside, near the port in Helsinki. The next morning, we took the Tallink Silja ferry "Star" to Tallinn, which is 50 miles across the Baltic.

Old Town -- see Shrek bottom right?

Estonia has had a turbulent history. Like Finland, the country was ruled by Sweden, then Russia (from 1710 to 1918), then gained independence after WWI. They couldn't hold on, however, and when the Soviets expanded their territory during WWII, they took over Estonia for the next 50 years. Estonia joined the European Union in 2004.

The town has two markedly different parts -- the famous medieval Old Town, which dates back to the 13th century, and the new part of town, which has just come into being in the last 10 years or so (according to our tour guide). We stayed in the new part of town at the extremely modern 30-story skyscraper, the Swissotel, and it was very nice.

We took a combination bus and walking tour, since this was our first time in Tallinn. The bus part went outside of town, to various sights, including the famous Song Festival Grounds, where Estonians gather for a songfest every five years and which also hosts concerts. It is an important place in terms of Estonia's fight for independence, because in 1988, 300,000 Estonians gathered at these grounds to sing patriotic songs since they didn't have weapons or suitable means to fight the Soviets. In 1989, Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians made a 360-mile-long human chain to protest Soviet rule. As the USSR was falling apart, these three countries were finally able to assert independence and hold elections. 

Dragons guard Old Town Hall

Russian influence is still around, most notably in the concrete apartment buildings the Soviets built to house Russians they shipped in to Tallinn. There also are ornate buildings, such as the Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Old Town and the Kadriorg Palace, which Peter the Great built for his wife Catherine.

Anyway, it's a very interesting city, both the old and new parts, and we certainly didn't have enough time to explore it all. Guess we'll have to go back!

We took the ferry "Superstar" back to Helsinki on Sunday, and spent a couple hours walking around and checking out the casino before heading back to Rauma.

I'm going to fly to Copenhagen, Denmark, next week for a few days, and I can't wait to go to the Christmas Market at the famous Tivoli Gardens!


If you want to see more pictures from Tallinn and Helsinki, here's the link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/103069509757300719995/TallinnAndHelsinki1111?authkey=Gv1sRgCLOs8KqNwfGJ9wE

Hockey and biking

Took during my Sunday bike ride

 

Hi, all: I can't believe it, but the weather back home is colder than it is here in Finland. While we have enjoyed temperatures in the 40s and near 50 (which is actually very nice for this time of year), back in N.C., the weather has already dipped into the 30s!

The Rauma ice hockey arena

Figure skaters performed during time-outs

I will say that the wind here can make it seem colder than it is, and it can whip up at any time. I went bike riding Sunday, and by the harbor, the wind was pretty strong. I biked for an hour, and I really enjoyed it. It makes me more sympathetic to riders back home who don't have all the nice bike paths that we have here in Finland. I was also surprised at how many people were out walking, jogging and biking, when the temperature was 44 degrees. And most of those out and about were older people (even older than me -- ha, ha!). I know what you're thinking -- Pam, who is always cold, out bike riding in 44-degree weather?? Yes, it's true. The longer you're out in it, the more you get used to it. I actually like temps in the 40s now. Or, as we say in Europe, temps from 7 to 9 -- degrees Centigrade.

We went to our first hockey match this weekend with some friends. It was the big rivalry -- Rauma versus Pori. I'm happy to report that Rauma won 4-1. Hockey still isn't my favorite sport, but it was fairly entertaining. The best part was the figure skaters who performed during the time-outs. The arena was very nice and of course, was packed with local fans. 

Tom tried out the sauna this weekend, but I still haven't had any interest in sitting for 30 minutes in extreme heat and humidity. I know it's supposed to be good for your skin and all, but so far, the only time I've been in the sauna is to hang laundry. Yes, the sauna is multi-purpose.

I'm excited because we finally are going to Helsinki this coming weekend. The only time we have spent there is at the airport. We are staying at the Radisson Blu, near the town's only casino, so we will report back to Tom's poker buddies if we get brave enough to play.

Remind you of a certain movie?

Party Times

Lunch with our friends at the Talbo

We had a great time Saturday at our two get-togethers. First, we had lunch with some of the American expats and families/spouses/significant others. We ate at a restaurant in Old Town that surprisingly, Tom and I had not been to before. That's probably because it's only open until 4 p.m., and we were always trolling for food around 7 p.m.

Anyway, it was great fun. This was the first time in Finland I have seen French Onion Soup on a menu -- it's always either tomato or mushroom, mostly mushroom. Now, I love both the tomato and mushroom soups, but it was really nice to have something different.

Thanks to Jeremy for organizing the lunch.

That evening, we had dinner with over 60 mostly French expats at a local banquet facility in Old Town. The theme was French Creole, and the two volunteer chefs spent all day cooking. Tom and I actually stopped by that morning (to make sure we could find the place), and chatted with them while they cooked.

Pam, Severine and Julie at the Creole dinner

The menu certainly was eclectic -- for appetizers, there were "shooters" of various mixtures, such as guacamole or tomato/basil/some kind of white cheesy mousse, something that resembled and tasted like potstickers, and my favorite, pitted prunes wrapped in bacon. Yes, that might sound unappealing, but trust me, it was delicious. Even Tom, who is not the most adventurous eater, liked them.

The chefs made sure everyone was happy

The first course was a puffy potato and fish croquette, and the second course was a curry-type chicken with black beans and rice. Very good. 

Desserts were outstanding -- little shooters of vanilla milkshakes infused with Irish liqueur; berry parfaits;  skewers of fresh fruit, and the best chocolate brownie dessert ever. It was so good I brought two home in a napkin!

Tom says the Americans should host a similar dinner with either chili or Tex-Mex. Only we can't do Tex-Mex because we can't find Mexican cheese anywhere. Maybe Cincinnati Chili? I'm sure even some of the Americans have never had that!

In other exciting news (for me, anyway), we finally bought a bike. One of the local sporting goods stores put them on sale 40 percent off, which made the high price a bit easier to take. Now, we thinking about buying ice skates...

Dessert -- always the best part!

Very fancy appetizers

Finnish Food

Famous -- or infamous -- Finnish Karelian pasties

Hi, everyone!

The grocery stores cater to many cultures

 

We are getting settled into the new apartment. Had normal eggs, bacon and hashbrowns for breakfast this morning -- sounds mundane, but to us, it was wonderful! In restaurants and the hotels, the eggs are always runny and taste funny, the meats are strange sausages and cold cuts, and the potato product is the Finnish specialty, "Karelian pasties," which are bascially  crusts filled with either a rice and egg mixture or a mashed potato and egg mixture. The pasties would probably taste okay if they were hot, but they're always cold on the breakfast buffets.

The grocery stores have plenty of potatoes!

Picked up our new car yesterday -- a nice, gray-blue 2011 Peugeot. Hopefully, we're going to buy a clothes dryer today -- I washed a black sweater the other day, and it was sopping wet, so Tom put it in the sauna, turned the heat on and let it dry in there. We've heard lots of people use their saunas to dry clothes, but I still want a regular dryer.

My cart -- about $150 worth of stuff

 

I did my first big grocery shopping, and it was an experience, trying to figure out all the translations. I had to ask my Finnish teacher for some translations, like butter is "voi," and all the different kinds of meat and milk, etc. It's like they have a different word for everything! I wanted to make beef vegetable soup our first night in the apartment, and I could not figure out which was the lean ground beef. So I just guessed, and it worked out okay. The beef definitely has a different flavor here, and I think it is because it is all grass-fed and not shot up with hormones and additives, like much of the beef is in the U.S.


And, as you might expect, the prices are very high. I spent about $150 and didn't really get that much. Oh, well, that's why we get a cost-of-living adjustment, right?


We have two fun things today -- a lunch get-together with the American contingent, and a Creole dinner with a group of the French expats.


Pam

No, it's not my bike! But it does make a good beer carrier!

More Musings

Pretty fall flowers in Rauma

Hi, everyone! Still not in the apartment, but I have found plenty to do. Tom and I went shopping at IKEA in Turku for some furniture, and I plan to go back tomorrow for some more good stuff. By the way, here in Finland, they pronounce it "ick-ee-ah," while in the U.S., we prounounce it with a long "i" sound. At the Charlotte store, Kristen and I love the chicken fingers and fries; well, they don't have that in the Finland store's restaurant. Tom and I shared -- what else -- that Finnish favorite -- meatballs with lingonberry sauce and fries. Actually, it was very tasty.

I also have enjoyed other shopping forays to Turku. Last week, I visited the most wonderful store that sells clothes and accessories that are only made in Finland, something that I had been looking for. I bought myself a warm wool hat and some scarves for gifts. The things in the store were so beautiful, and the saleslady was so friendly and helpful. I had a hard time making up my mind; oh well, I'm sure I will go back! I also look forward to the big Christmas markets they have in Turku and Tampere to look for holiday gifts.

Kaisla, the Finnish store in Turku

I have met so many people from so many places, and I am very thankful for these experiences. In my Finnish language class, I have met and chatted with very nice people from South Korea, South Africa, Germany, Bulgaria and Poland. And last Thursday, we welcomed two lovely ladies from Arkansas (!) and Czech Republic. The girl from Arkansas is around Kristen's age, and she told me she spent last summer here, decided to stay and got a job teaching English to kindergartners. And she didn't need to be fluent in Finnish to do it! She said she also teaches a photography workshop. Hmmmm, I could teach English to little kids, too.

The woman from Czech Republic said she and her husband and daughter have lived here three years (!). Her husband works at OL3, same as Tom. And my South Korea friend said her husband works at the big shipyard here. It just amazes me that so many people from so many different countries end up in this little community in southwestern Finland.

My French friend, Julie, took me to a local fitness center today. It was so nice to get back to a gym to run on the treadmill, work out on the elliptical and lift some weights! I have really missed going to the Sportscenter at home (and I miss my Sportscenter buddies!).


Hope all is well with you all! I just hope that big volcano in Iceland doesn't erupt and wreak havoc with our travel plans to come home Thanksgiving week. Let's all hope the volcano decides to go back to sleep.