It’s snowing! Finland has welcomed us with a light snowfall every morning while in Elizabeth’s university town, and these snowflakes are more delicate and detailed than I have ever seen. North Carolina has large fluffy flakes that really have no definitive form, but Finland has snowflakes that truly look like exquisite miniature versions of hand crochet snowflakes. And by miniature, I mean the size of a pin head! We’ve arrived today in Helsinki as a layover stop for our jaunt to Munich, and I was fascinated to read that Helsinki is the kahvi (coffee) drinking capital of Europe. The Lonely Planet guide book is absolutely right about that. Cafes are as popular here as soda vending machines in the US. I like mine strong with kerma, so I blend in with the locals in that regard.
When in Finland……well, do as the Finns do, right? I’m loving the coffee and eagerly anticipating my first Finnish sauna. Elizabeth has the transportation systems on lock, and Austin checked out grilled reindeer with a deliciously rich sauce for dinner.
So, what have we seen that entertains us? Well, clothes lines with frozen clothes, people riding bikes on snowy hills, luxury cars like Mercedes and BMWs as taxis, and what seems like 90% of the populations dressed in black.
Glad y'all had a good time visiting Finland!! :) I read some crazy statistics in my plane's free magazine that while the average European drank 5 kg of coffee in 2006, the average Finn drank 12 kg!
ReplyDeleteAny chance you saw little kids dressed as witches on Sunday? The magazine also had an article about a Finnish custom I'd never heard of, which was kids dressing up as witches on Palm Sunday and going door-to-door for candy, just like we do on Halloween. It said they may recite a traditional poem, and offer a tree branch decorated with ribbons and feathers in return for treats.
Have a wonderful time in Munich!!
Did you take your bike? (-8
ReplyDeleteSee you next weekend!
AllenR
i enjoyed the guest post, quite refreshing! hope yall are having fun!
ReplyDeleteNice job Susie!!
ReplyDeleteFSC