I had toyed with the idea of riding a train or tram out of the city, but as I'm still finding my way I might leave that for a few day's time.
As I left my digs this morning I rounded the corner and there in front of me was a big market, the sort that pops up every Sunday morning in most decently sized towns around the world.
I just loved wandering up and down the rows seeing what was on offer. So much food and wares, and just watching and listening to people (although I couldn't understand them!) was perfect.
The funny thing about the foods was that everything was written in Finnish and Russian, so I couldn't tell what the food was, or if I could vaguely recognise it, what had been done to it.
As it was bitterly cold again (not complaining at all, it is what it is) I caught the wiff of some food cooking that smelled beautiful. It turned out to be hot dogs. Big deal I hear you thinking, but when one is chattering with cold, any hot food is appealing.
I ordered one and was asked if I wanted the standard, the spicy or the Moose hot dog ( Yeah, I thought she was joking too!). I initially played it safe and went for the standard, but at the last minute thought "Hang it, let's live dangerously here" and opted for the Moose dog. Those who know me well would know why I avoided the spicy one. Although I love the spicy flavour, I break out in a mean sweat whenever I eat spicy food, which still doesn't stop me. Maybe in this cold the spicy could have been a good option?
Possibly the nicest hot dog I've eaten.
The next few hours were spent roaming the streets looking for pressies for the family. Also high on the agenda were some new gloves, as my hands are still cold even when I have my mittens on and they are in my coat pockets. Thankfully I snagged a good pair fairly quickly.
The snow doesn't put a stop to soccer training.
Boot cleaning brushes are everywhere.
If you can't find a shop, just look for a sign on the building outside.
And our heatwave has begun, one degree at a time. This is 2.00 p.m. this afternoon.
Now when I was at the market this morning I saw lots of weird and wacky dishes (by my standards!) being made, and I had resolved to try some while I was here. After my moose dog, I was pretty full (plus I must confess I snuck in a sneaky pastry as well!!)
I saw quite a few stalls preparing this fish dish in large woks, fascinating to watch and the smells were divine. It must be a popular dish because so many people were eating it.
The fish looked like small sardines, about 6cm long.
When I was coming back to my digs late this afternoon the stalls were packing up, so I just had another meander through. I stopped and asked one stallholder if they do this every Sunday, and he said that it was only once a month.
Alarm bells are going off in my head. I had to do the fish now or it would be too late, and I didn't want to leave Finland without trying some of their cultural delights.
I was still full from my moose dog (and that sneaky pastry!) but thought, what the heck, and dived straight in.
My first taste was somewhat cautious, but after that it was head in the trough stuff. It was beautiful!!
My fish dish, still couldn't find out what sort of fish they were.
So, as I'm wandering out of the market chowing down on my new best friends, I came across a similar stall selling the same thing, only their fish were a bit bigger. Seeing me looking at their fish, and then back at mine the blokes in the stall had a bit of a laugh and asked if I'd like to try one of theirs, which I did. Mine were nice, but theirs were a few notches higher on the 'nice pole'.
I asked them what was the difference between what they were selling and what I had bought, and their reply, in broken English was something like "We cut off the heads and take out the guts". They even got some out to show me, then let me eat them. Delish!!
After thanking them for their time (and free samples) I wandered off feeling a tad sick at the thought of what I was eating....but finished it anyway!!
From seeing a few markets and shops I can already see that there is a huge culture of fish eating here, and you can get all sorts of fish prepared in all sorts of ways, either fresh or in jars in the supermarkets. I even saw one stall with these huge fillets being grilled on a hotplate. They could be my next target.
As well as fish, the bakeries are pretty cool here as well, probably too cool for my liking. As I was in the supermarket this afternoon getting stuff for tea (not much needed I can assure you!) I was approaching the cabinets where the pastries are kept. One part of me was saying "Please may the good ones be there" while the other part of me was saying "Don't go there mate". Thankfully their stocks had pretty much run dry, but I can't honestly say I would have been super strong had the ones that I have taken a fancy too been there.
As I write this I'm ensconced in a very comfy chair in the hotel restaurant downstairs while my room gets cleaned. I told them not to worry about it as it only needs the bed made and I'm happy to do that, but they insisted. They are fantastic here. Just ordered a coffee and out comes a jug of coffee that is unbelievably beautiful. Drinking hot coffee in a beautiful room overlooking a frozen canal while the snow falls. Life is good at the moment, it would be great to be sharing these moments with others.
A boat has just made a pathway through the ice.
Rugged up. When I took my glove off to do this photo I could not believe how quickly I felt the cold.
Don't think these boats will be going far soon.
Looking towards my digs. That's me on the bottom floor drinking coffee, and my room is on the 5th floor looking back this way.
Well, my room is done and after what I have put in my body today I am off to the gym to work it off. With my knee still dodgy, and my shoulder giving me grief, I might just roll around on the floor and make the occasional grunting sounds to make it look like I'm really working out.
Until my next post...
Cheers!!
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