No "Boo" for You!

Happy Halloween to my friends in the US.  The kids are already in bed asleep sans Trick-or-Treating.  I have missed Halloween; the scarecrows I would put in my yard, the mums, and the Jack-o-lanterns.  I am a little sad that we aren't Trick-or-Treating, we have always had a lot of fun on Halloween.  The kids really haven't said much about it though.  We haven't been totally deprived of Halloween here.  Some of the stores do offer a handful of the standard Halloween garb.  Lane was able to find yet another Grim Reaper costume.  Last week at school they had a big Halloween Conwat (Finnish term for a celebration).  Some of the kids dressed up and there was games, food and dancing.  The kids had fun.  Also, I think this Wednesday there is another "Halloween Party".  It is All Saints Day which is a holiday here.  We may get a chance to dress up and feast on candy and the like again.

This past week has been good.  We are trying to settle into a routine.  It is different again for us now that grandpa has returned home after being here for a month.  Mike and I had an enjoyable night out with friends for a wine tasting and dinner.  The company, the wine and the food was all great.  I have also joined a running club here.  I am looking forward to getting to know fellow runners and reaching new goals.

We are heading off on another adventure.  On Thursday, we will be embarking on a trip to Sweden.  We are really excited about it.  I think the kids will enjoy this trip more than the others.  They are looking forward to the cruise because they heard there is a swimming pool on the boat (world travel from a kid's perspective). I am looking forward to a real Swedish massage.  I am also excited to be treading along Lisbeth Salander's old haunts ;).  So now, instead of uploading pictures from Munich, I am planning our trip to Sweden.  My scrapbooking project seems insurmountable right now.  I am going to have to be more organized if I am going to keep up with it.

Godnatt!

Home Sweet Home

Hello to my blog followers!
I think returning "home" from any vacation is a drag but it is particularly hard when you are returning exhausted from  your vacation.  I must admit, it feels kind of strange to refer to Finland as "home".  This is the first time I have referred to Finland as such.  I realized from the time we landed back in Finland, and was greeted by signs that were posted in English as well.  In Munich, most signs and postings are in German, so it takes a little extra thought and time to decode information.  Munich is an amazing city with so much culture per square inch- it's overwhelming.  It is a happening place with smartly dressed people who seem to be making things happen.  I have been debating about how best to blog about our time in Bavaria.  Honestly, we saw and did so much, that I am still processing it.  There is so much history in Munich.  Standing amidst that level of history is... heavy.  I am still in the process of going through and organizing pictures; trying to remember what very important piece of history is in each picture. I plan to post pictures and details in my blog but I need time to get my pictures and facts straight.

Political Ambush

Being in Finland has been quite the political buffer.  I cringe to say this, but I don't really know what is going on in US politics, and it has been... refreshing.  Every now and again, I will catch a bit of US politics when surfing channels- we have an international CNN that is in English, but, most of the time I am oblivious.  Yesterday, I got a different kind of reminder.  I met some friends at a local cafe to catch up after our vacations.  We were only there 5 minutes when there was a commotion.  Apparently, one of the front runners for Finland's presidency, had planned a campaign speech for that exact same time and place.  I thought it was a novel experience... for about 5 minutes.  After about 30 minutes into the speech (that was all in Finnish), I was reminded of all the wonderful speeches I must be missing in the US.  I probably got as much out of this Finnish politician's speech as I do from a US a politician's... I didn't understand a thing!  I must do better if I am going to vote in the upcoming presidential election.

Also, today I participated in my first aerobics class in years, in Finnish I might add.  I wish I could blame my poor performance on the language barrier.  Unfortunately, my coordination is to blame.  It was fun though.  I am beginning to relish being outside my "comfort zone".  I'm afraid comfortable may feel a bit mundane now.

Finnish Traditions

Our weekdays are becoming more routine, which I look to be a good thing.  We do look for fun and excitement on the weekends though.  On Friday night, Mike and I were able to meet up with friends at a local pub.  It was a multi-cultural affair with Finland, England, Scotland, Canada and the US all being represented.  We enjoyed sharing our experiences and hearing from others about their experiences into the wee hours of the night.  The Finns know how to have a good time and sincerely enjoy good conversation.  The convivial atmosphere increased as the night went on; it only commenced when the doorman kindly asked us to leave at closing time. This makes two late weekends in a row for us.


On Saturday, Alayna's class had a sausage roast over a campfire.  This is a very Finnish affair as Finns are known for their love of the outdoors.  The kids had a great time playing and I was able to get to know some of the other parents better.  Alayna's teacher also made traditional Finnish pancakes over the campfire. They were very good!  She even sent some batter home with us.  I made the crepe style pancakes for breakfast this morning and they got rave reviews!  I must get that recipe.


We leave for Munich this week.  It is sure to be an interesting trip.  I am leaving with the kids and Bob on Tuesday.  Mike will not be able to get there until Thursday, so I will be the solo tour guide the first couple days.  Just escorting two kids and a senior citizen in a foreign country will be a trip in itself.  We will be very busy but I will try to post while I'm there.

Auf wiedersehen!

Welcome to Lovely Estonia!

Early Saturday morning, we were off to Helsinki to catch a ferry to the medieval town of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.  After a quick 2 hour ride, we seemed to have traveled hundreds of years back in time.  In fact, what was one of the first things we saw?  It was none other than Shrek.  

We spent the day strolling around town and taking in the sights.  Tallinn is a beautiful city that is perfect to tour by foot.  Most of the sight seeing is located in the "Old Town".  Surrounding Old Town, is the original medieval wall that is still mostly in tact.  Tallinn is a "town of two towns".  Inside the city wall, there is also another wall, that separated the feuding upper town from the lower town in medieval times.  

Estonia has seen more than its fair share of feuds.  Its prime location between Russia and Europe, has made it an alluring target for invasion by rulers (Danes, Swedes and more recently, Germans & Soviet Russia).  Estonia was occupied by the communistic government of Soviet Russia until 1991.  How the Estonians persevered during those dark years, is nothing short of amazing.  If you are interested in history, I highly recommend "The Singing Revolution".  It is a documentary (that can be downloaded from iTunes) that details the Estonian's long, hard struggle for independence.  It is pretty sobering to realize that people, not too different from myself, know what it is like to make themselves a human shield in the name of independence.

Today, Estonia emits a lively and energetic vibe.  It is eager for prosperity and the tourist dollar.  There are tons of shops and restaurants sprawling with workers dressed in traditional medieval garb.  The food is quite good too!  We enjoyed our first steak, since we have been abroad, and were tickled to see the meat was Angus beef imported from the US.  Tallinn also has plenty of nightclubs (and is still bustling at 3 a.m. I might add).  Thanks to Grandpa Bob, Mike and I were able to visit a few.  We couldn't stop laughing at the irony of being in Estonia, at an Irish pub, with a bunch of Finns, singing Karaoke to the likes of Bon Jovi and Jon Mellencamp.

Tallinn is a lovely city with a lot of culture.  One day was not enough for us to take in all that Tallinn has to offer.  We can't wait for our next visit.

Here is a great view of Tallinn's medieval architecture.  Some of these structures date back to the 15th and 16th centuries.

The tall tower in the background is the radio/TV tower that gave Estonians their only glimpse of the Western world during Soviet Occupation.  In the 1980's, most Estonians had no idea what a pineapple or banana looked like. (Scandinavia 12th ed, Rick Steves).  This is also the tower the Estonians guarded with their life during the harrowing days, in 1991, when they won their independence from the USSR.

Here is a picture of the wall.  This particular section is know as "Sweater Wall".  Tallinn is famous for its woolen goods as well as amber, linen, ceramics and iron decor.

A Hiking We Will Go!

Grandpa Bob is visiting us from Iowa so we have been sharing and exploring Finland with him.  For a fun weekend activity, we decided take advantage of the sunny day and go hiking.  Some American friends, who are familiar with the area, took us hiking up a mountain that is the highest point in South Karelia  (Karelia is the region of Finland we are in).  The lookout from the top of the mountain was beautiful.  As you can see, the leaves are already turning here.  Along the way, we saw landmarks from the early 1700's, such as the early border between Sweden and Russia which is now, of course, Finland.  We also stopped at a unique art exhibit situated in a garden along the road.  We had fun walking among the strange and eerie mud sculptures.  Some of them were a bit creepy with their all to realistic set of teeth. 

We are doing our best to explore Finland and find all it has to offer.  We take delight in discovering sites off the beaten path.

      Here we are on top of the mountain near the 1722 border between Russia and Sweden

                                                                        Nice Teeth!