Hola from Helsinki!

We had a great weekend in Helsinki.  What was the first thing we sought out upon arriving in Finland's capital city you may ask???  It was nothing other than a Mexican restaurant.  I have come to realize, that one of the things I miss most living here in Finland, is Mexico.  Imagine for a moment, a place with no decent chips, salsa, tacos, burritos or margaritas.  If this thought is harrowing for you, then maybe you can identify with me.  When we were given a tip of a Tex-Mex place in Helsinki, my hopes started to rise.  My excitement grew as I saw the beautiful sign glowing against the Helsinki city backdrop.  The Tex-Mex theme was carried over in the interior as well.  I spotted the outline of my beloved Lone Star State, faux cacti and sequin adorned sombreros.  The tiniest bowl of store-bought tortilla chips and salsa awaited us at our table.  Our friendly waitress, wearing something akin to a Texas Road House shirt, took our drink order.  I could hardly wait for my frozen concoction to arrive.  I savored every sip of my table-salt rimmed frozen margarita.  I also ate a least half of my chicken (with a hint of BBQ flavor) burrito.  Over all, it was more edible than our last Mexican experience in Finland.  The highlight was definitely the festive Finnish waiter in the sombrero.

Helsinki is a beautiful and modern city on the Baltic ocean.  There are also a lot of historic places to visit, which we did not fit in this trip.  We spent most of our time shopping.  Helsinki feels like a very safe and calm place.  It doesn't seem to have the hectic atmosphere that most large cities have.  You can pretty much cover the whole city on foot.  Sometime,  I would love to go back (sans the kiddos).  We passed a lot of pubs and nightclubs that looked like fun.  One place boasted of a sub zero ice bar where they loan you a fur coat to bundle up in.  I am definitely gonna have to check that place out.