Rally!

August 1-4th marks the Neste Oil Rally happening in Jyv�skyl�.  This happens every summer and I still have not gone to see it.
Race cars or bikes are not my thing - sorry.

But if you're thinking of visiting Finland for the Rally - you may want to consider or note some things!

• Hotels are expensive so if you are able to find someone renting out their flat - try that!  There are TONNES of posts on the University "Tori" site - however, you now have to be a student in order to sign in.  This is due to the recent flood of spammers - thanks a lot jerks.
• You don't tip at restaurants here.  Nope - not even at caf�s.
• Taxes are included in the price you see.
• An individual bus fare is now 3,20�.  Cabs are super pricey too.
• Most restaurants are downtown - or if you're renting a flat or a room, perhaps you can hit up the local grocery store and cook your own food.
• When shopping at the grocery store - you require ID (like a Passport) if you use a credit card to make a purchase.
• You bring your own bags or pay for plastic bags here...ranging from 18 Euro Cents to 1� for the sturdy re-usable ones.
• You weigh most of the fruits and vegetables on a scale, print the label and stick it onto the food or onto the plastic bag so it can be scanned.
• There is a Forex Exchange Shop (to get local currency) located downtown.
• If you use your Visa card (and probably any other credit card) from your home country while visiting here - you will be charged an extra 2-3% (depends on your bank's conditions and terms) for the conversion to be printed out onto your bill.  
• If you intend to rent a car while in Finland - please note that MOST vehicles here (as in about 95% or more) are manual/standard driven.  NOT automatic.
• If you are in the downtown area and are looking for some places to eat that is "not a burger joint" - I'll list some recommendations and the approximate prices you'd be spending.  
• (� = Dirt Cheap, �� = Average Pricing, ���= Expensive)
• Harald's Restaurant ��� - a Viking Restaurant with huge portions of food and a wide range to suit almost any appetite!  (i.e. boar, reindeer, vegetarian, etc.)  This is located downtown across from Sokos Department store and up the hill a bit. 
• Lunch is quite nice and much more affordable than dinner.  You should probably call and book a reservation for any evening dining.
• Subway �� - Instead of 6 inches or a "Foot Long" - it's 15 centimeters or 30 centimeters.
• Shalimar Indian Restaurant ��-��� - the ONLY Indian-based cuisine in JKL is located in the train station with 2 separate entrances.  One through the train station and one outside leading directly into the restaurant.  Lunch is served from 11am-3pm and is quite reasonable in prices and just as delicious. (I linked their Facebook page for you).  They also offer 10% discount if you order take out (often known as "take away" here).
• Grilli 21 � -  There are 2 located downtown and serve typically greasy food.  One is by the market square downtown near V�in�katu and the other is closer to the University campus (and Sowhi bar).
• Sowhi �-�� (about 10-20�) - it's a bar and located near the University and they have seasonal items on their menu.  They also offer an English menu.
• Ban Thai Deli �-�� - This is located downtown and there IS an elevator inside the Forum mall that goes to that floor if you have a stroller or require an elevator.  Their lunch buffet is great and very spicy.
• Muang Thai �-�� - This is another Thai restaurant and they are located behind Antilla.  They also have a lunch buffet but theirs includes sushi!  
• Pizzeria Maria �-�� - Located on Kauppakatu and apparently outside of pizza their other foods are pretty good (got this information from someone else).
• Lounge � - This is a fairly new coffee shop and some packaged snacks are also available for sale.  The owner of this caf� also runs the tattoo parlour next door, Simply Tattoo.

There are many more restaurants in the downtown area - but I have not eaten at all of them - so I also cannot list them all!  But by all means, enjoy yourself and try to stay out of trouble :D.

Furnished or Not?

Last night we had our friends over for dinner - whom we happen to be renting from.
We discussed a wide variety of things, ate an awesome dinner (if I do say so myself!) and a delightful dessert! (Am I being too honest??)
(In case you're wondering, I made a roasted chicken and vegetable dinner with mashed potatoes, cheesy garlic bread and a blueberry/raspberry/cinnamon cheese cake with a butter cookie crust and topped with dark chocolate).

We learned a few things during that chat and I thought I'd share with you!

The biggest thing we learned (this is entirely based on where you live and whom you rent from) - is that if an apartment you're renting is not furnished - it's usually more expensive!  As opposed to having a partially or fully furnished flat - it's cheaper!  How odd.
In Canada - or at least in NS for sure, typically something that is fully furnished is a bit more expensive - because it acts as an extra fee for any potential damage to the furnishings (i.e. dishes, furniture, bed sheets etc.) - on top of the security deposit - which is typically for the flat itself.
I love learning about stuff like this - because it helps to prepare us for the next time (if there is a next time - we'd love to live here long term) we have to move.
Our last flat was partially furnished with furniture, but we needed to get our own dishes and silverware etc. (near the Central Hospital in Jyv�skyl�) and because it was significantly smaller - the rent was much lower.  It was a 1-bedroom flat, 51 meters squared.
Now we have a 2-bedroom flat, 71 meters squared, if I remember correctly.

Another thing you should note when apartment hunting!!! 
When it lists the total amount of rooms - usually the bedrooms are listed with the living room.  So what looks like a 2-room flat - may really be a 1-bedroom with a living room!  Just a very important FYI!

Okay, and onto what else we learned.
There's some apartments that you can own, as long as you have the 15% deposit.  (15% of the total cost of the flat).  So with you owning the flat - you can have pets, parties, decorate it whatever way you'd like - and when tax-time comes around, you can claim some of the interest on your loan or mortgage.
Oh and if you decide to sell that flat - the 15% you had deposited kind of ensures you are able to get another place.  Instead of getting a guarantor to sign for you, this 15% deposit acts like a guarantor!

There's straight-forward renting agreements too (like what we have had since moving here) - and then there's another tricky one - I'll try and explain it the best way I can.

You can invest into an apartment, live there - do as you please...and when you leave, you get a portion of your investment back!
So lots of people pay into their flat (either rent or ownership - I think it can go either way), and when they sell or move, they get a portion of the money back - because the flat is considered an investment, or like a stock!

A security deposit is typically 1.5-2 months worth of rent...very important to know.  If you trust the person, you can put it straight in their account.
However, we have had issues with our first landlord when we first came here - the landlord tried to keep our security deposit and find any way possible to not give it back to us in full.  It involved a month's wait, which was awful as it was quite a bit of money, and we needed it to make a deposit onto our current flat.  We ended up threatening legal action (in which if we won the case, which we surely would have - she would have to pay our legal fees as well!).  And a friend had suggested in future, to set up a separate bank account with your landlord - so that the money can not be touched unless both parties are present at the bank.

Happy flat-hunting!!!  (September is the worst time to flat-hunt, just like any other place with a university or college nearby....so start a bit early if you can!)

Blueberry Picking! (And some tips)

Today I went blueberry picking with a friend and had a blast!
I suppose, I should invest into a blueberry rake...but I think part of the whole picking experience is to get your fingers purple!

I didn't take many photos - but here we go:

A teeny-tiny strawberry on my walk to my friend's flat...I couldn't eat it! It was too cute!

I had already picked some and then I remembered to take a photo!

Some beautiful flowers near the forest (in front of the pharmacy).

On my walk home - this flower, as pretty as it is, grew in rather swampy water!

My stash!

• It would be wise to wear light layers (depending on what time of the day you go to pick and the weather)...and long pants, so the bugs don't have easy access to blood-sucking points (aka your legs). 
• If you don't like mud or ants crawling all over your feet and legs - wear rubber boots.
• Bring some "OFF" or some other product that prevents bugs from being attracted to you.
• Protect your skin from the sun (duh).  Even if it's cloudy - UV rays can still burn you.  Yes, even in a forest.
• Bring a large container with a lid - because nothing is worse than squished blueberries (if you weren't planning on boiling or baking them) - or tripping in the forest and WHOOPS! There goes your pickings all over the forest floor....(or if your dogs knock into you, while chasing each other or a rabbit...that's happened to me before).
• Bring a camera - why not?  
• Don't wear light-colored clothing...or new clothing - you will get a stain at one point.  And they can be difficult to get out (although it's not entirely impossible).
• If you're scared of spiders - perhaps you shouldn't pick blueberries.  I had at least 6 of them in my box of blueberries....because I was grabbing the bush and pulling the berries off that way...
• Most importantly: bend with your knees - NOT your back....
• Have fun!

When Travelling to London Heathrow Airport....

If you are not planning on staying in London and have another flight to catch  please ensure you have at least 4-5 hours between flights.


Why? Well, here's our trip home...(So much for that previous glowing review Air Canada!)

We were flying from Halifax to St. John's, Newfoundland and then to London...THEN to Helsinki.
Simple right?  We checked in our luggage and got our boarding passes and the Air Canada rep at the desk notified us that we have to pick up our luggage in London and re-check it in AND THEN go through customs and security again.
We had less than 2 hours to connect to our next flight...FYI Heathrow is a monster-huge airport...


We looked at this girl like she was nuts and she said yes we definitely have to go through customs.

Our flights were smooth and easy and for 30 minutes we hovered in the air in circles (you could see the little white plane and green line going in circles literally on the map on TV) above Heathrow.  Why? Probably because all the lanes were booked!  So we went from having almost 2 hours to having less than 1.5 hours to get on the next plane.
Thanks to this delay, we missed our flight entirely.  We had to wait 45 minutes in a SUPER huge line up (as we have Canadian passports and are listed in the "All Other Passports" line up in which there are less than 6 reps clearing customs)....The staff doing customs and security both asked us "Why are you clearing customs?!  Don't bother rushing - you aren't gonna make it."
Funny...we were thinking the same freaking thing.
 We were not impressed and went to British Airways to get our new flight.  They said we had to go to Air Canada and get them to re-book us....

1st Trip
We go to Air Canada and the young fellow books us in and says, "Well, I don't know if you're flying with British Airways or Finnair.  Go check Finnair and if not - go to British Airways. There's a flight at 1020am...you still have time to get in there."  (It was 8:15am or so....)
(Insert death look but with a happy voice).

We go to Finnair who has 0 record of us being there and march over to British Airways.
They have Tim registered and printed a boarding pass for him (flight is not at 1020am...but now at 1230pm)...
Nothing for me and our son, V�in�. (Insert not impressed look and stern voice).


2nd Trip 
I go back to that young man and give him a death stare that would make Darth Vader proud and a voice of a reprimanding teacher...and he says, "Oh I'm terribly sorry Miss.  I just got a call - there...*twenty minutes of me standing there he types* now you're booked.  Go back to British Airways and they'll print out your pass."

I go back and British Airways says, "You are here with a reference number but your son is still not listed as infant and doesn't have a reference number."
(I am threatening to choke the Air Canada rep in front of the British Airway reps and they smiled calmly and said, "We'd recommend flying through to Toronto with Air Canada next time then BA all the way to Helsinki in future...you wouldn't go through this garbage if this was us!" Thanks - good to know.)

3rd and final trip
I stand there with our Passports in hand (Tim and V�in� are patiently waiting by British Airways and I think, at this point, my husband is terrified of me) and the reference numbers for myself and my husband...
I have a look on my face that screams "I am so kicking you in the nuts if you don't get this straightened out..." and my voice is so cold I think Lord Voldemort might be proud of me...
"Listen.  This is my 3rd and FINAL trip to see you to get this straightened out.  This is what needs to be done and I am beyond fed up with having to run back and forth and hope I catch the 1230pm flight to Helsinki." (it's almost 11AM by this point!)
He explains that he doesn't understand why I need a reference number or whatever, because V�in� is an infant and would be in my lap anyway.  Fine - I get that.
THEN HE SAYS: "Here - take the ticket to them..that should make them happy.  And I hope we don't see each other again and I mean that in the kindest of ways Miss."

WHY DIDN'T HE GIVE ME THE TICKET THE FIRST OR SECOND TIME I SAW HIM?!
And it's not like he was waiting long for it - he calmly walked to the printer and it was already sitting there...because he avoided talking me and looking at me when he saw that I was in the line again for the 3rd time and decided this was his prime time to type like mad...

So...if you travel via ANY AIR LINE and they tell you - you have to stop in London and you have less than 5 hours to get to your next flight - fight it!

The reason why we're so upset is because we have 2 dogs at home with a dog sitter and obviously the airlines aren't going to pay for the extra time the dog sitter has to be with them if we kept missing flights.
As well, we're travelling with an infant who is very sensitive to time differences..he was accustomed to Canadian time and London is 2 hours different from Finland.  THEN we were late leaving by 4 hours...so jet lag was a major concern for us - seeing as Finland has 20 hours of sunlight now...

Bonjour From Paris!

(I'm back from Paris and couldn't blog while on the go because the internet was weird in our hotel....a review of our hotel to come later.  More like a butchering I suppose...)

So we travelled via 3 different countries in 1 single day.  We took the boat from Estonia to Helsinki and then we flew from Helsinki to Paris (a little over 2.5 hours).
By the time we arrived in the airport, it was after 9pm (1 hour behind Finland) and we were exhausted.  There was the option of taking a shuttle bus at the wonderful cost of 17� per person.  Tim had the instructions for how to take the RER (subway) - so we opted for that and it turned out to be significantly cheaper (17,40� for the two of us - kids are free under age of 3 I think) and it took about 35 minutes.
We checked into our hotel, The Royal Cardinnal, and accepted a continental breakfast to be delivered to our room the next morning.  Once we squished ourselves into the elevator - we then noticed it was 6� for breakfast (but not specified if it was per person or per room)....
We quickly prepped for bed and crashed.

The next morning, we awoke early to cloudy skies and it was chilly.
The continental breakfast was our choice of hot beverage or juices (we opted for tea and coffee) and it came with hot milk (I'm used to cold milk to cool off the tea or coffee....so this was different!) and 1 baguette cut in half and 2 croissants.
The baguettes were good but not fresh.  I only say this because there was this off-taste about it and it wasn't hard as a rock or anything - but it wasn't as fresh as the ones you get from the bakeries.  My son devoured the croissants however!
After looking at the shower and figuring out that the bigger knob was the one that controlled the overhead shower head - we managed to get dressed and go explore.  We didn't have to meet our friends for a few hours so we grabbed a map and headed towards the Notre Dame.

A word of advice: go early in the morning - say around 9am or so...because by the time 10:30 rolls around - the line ups are massive for getting in.  Lots of school groups and tourist groups going in too.  There is free admission and you CAN take photos!

*You also have to remove your hat, be dressed respectfully (not necessarily your Sunday best but don't go there dressed like you're going to a club) and be quiet, especially if there is a service going on.*

Inside is breath taking....despite the dim lighting, the stained glass detailing is beautiful and all of it is amazing.

One thing I noticed while inside was the "modern style confessionals".  I've never confessed with a priest before, but typically it's inside a wooden box with a metal grate between you and the priest and your identity is a mystery.  (My husband said he saw those in there but I didn't).

What I did see were clear glass offices with a desk and 2 chairs sitting opposite of each other....and a sign outside saying it was a Confessions area!  How Modern!

While travelling on the bus - you can use a NaviGo (a purple colored electronic pad is located at all entrances for subways and air transportation - not planes but subways that go above ground and on the bus) Pass or you can purchase little tickets (10 for 12�) and insert it into a box to validate them.

One validated ticket is good for 1.5 hours and can usually be used to transfer between transportation systems but there's a trick.  (I forget if it's not used between RER and bus or what...it was complicated!)

It's easy enough to get on the bus with a stroller (you get on at the front and the aisles are wide enough for a standard single stroller) but getting to the RER has it's difficulties!  First of all, because it's a subway system underground - you have a lot of stairs to go down or around....super pain in the neck for a stroller!  Sometimes there are escalators (most times they are broken or stopped the direction that you need to go of course!)....and there's an occasional elevator...but not often!  So if you can  - back pack!

Sure lots of people have strollers with older children and the kid hops out and goes up/down the stairs by themselves while you maneuver the stroller along the stair well....but if your kid is asleep - then it can be difficult waking up a sleepy little one....

(The buses have an empty space in the middle for strollers or wheel chairs)

Oh and don't sneak onto the bus through the back door!  I saw 2 girls sneak on through the back door and the driver caught them, yelled loudly (how embarrassing!) and they exited the bus to get on through the front and pay.

Eating out in Paris

• Taxes and tips are included in the price
• There was a great little grilli place beside the hotel we stayed at - it was cheap, tasty and very friendly people working there (don't go at lunch time - you'll be yelling a lot to get your order!)
• There's a "Great Canadian Pub" with very expensive prices
• Pop can be expensive (at least 3� for a glass)
• Crepes are wonderful, cheap and can be hearty if you order the savoury ones!
• We went to a crepperie with our friend and it did not accept card payments...only cash
• Their savoury crepes were made with buckwheat
• We ate at the Mosque for lunch on our last day there and if you are a woman - be warned!  Not all waiters enjoy serving women and many don't.  So if you are a mixed group - then often the men will be served nicely and the women will have their plates tossed onto the table.
• The inside is beautiful and the food is tasty!!!!
• They also serve a mint tea and pour it from great heights (our waiter didn't...) and they have a platter of sweets and charge you based on how many you eat...it was so tasty!

Some lamb with prunes and almonds...no couscous or rice though.

Pouring the mint tea (the other waiters were pouring it from a much taller height...he probably doesn't like women).

We had some extra guests join us...

The delicious platter of pastries!

My choice...dates with walnuts

School System in Paris

• Kids start at the age of 3....as in they're sitting in a desk and learning - not running around and playing like most pre-schools at that age.  They start to prepare for regular school from the ages of 3-6.
• Kids go to school (regular school) from 8:30am-4:30pm
• They go to school 4x a week and have Wednesdays and weekends off, then they have 2 WEEKS OFF.  This cycle repeats itself throughout the year.
• Summer break is for nearly a full 2 months (July and August) and they resume school the first week of September.
• Christmas break is typically 2-2.5 weeks depending on when the holidays fall (similar to Canada)
• For lunch - they get a 3-course meal everyday
• They don't have school books...the teachers photocopy the school books and put them in a duotang of sorts.  (Why I don't know).
• Parents pick up their kids from school (or a friend does and there's a mutual meeting place) and then they get a baguette...EVERYDAY.  I found this interesting because I personally would think a baguette everyday would be very boring - but  I guess it's not for the kids.

Random Bits and Pieces

• You don't buy stamps at the Post Office...I know what an odd idea!  You buy them at the tobacco shops.
• The French are very proud of their postal system - to the point if you're trying to drop off a form - they ask that you put it in the mail box. (A friend experienced this).
• Don't drive here - it's not worth all the gas (and money) you'll burn.  It's cheaper and much easier to go by foot, bus or RER.  
• It took our friends about 4 hours to drive back from the airport after dropping a friend off (it takes 35 minutes by subway/RER)
• Most public bathrooms are free and they automatically disinfect themselves (how I don't know - I never needed the bathroom when we went by one).
• There's a lot of terrible parking here...and terrible driving - you can tell by the cars parking along the curve of the corner between 2 cross walks...Oh and by the scratches, scrapes and dents in the vehicles.
• If your kid throws a tantrum - don't be surprised if a random stranger will lecture them VERY LOUDLY (and in French)....this simply doesn't happen in Finland and often not in Canada either.  You typically mind your own business and let the parent do their thing.
• PICK POCKETING DOES HAPPEN!  If you are approached by people (typically of Roma culture or something similar) who are using sign language to you and shoving a clip board in your face with some pages on it (like a petition for you to sign) - DON'T SIGN IT.  Why? Because while you're reading what it's about - someone is pick pocketing you at the same time from behind.
• Just don't sign anything....it's far too risky.
• Cell phones are dirt cheap here  - but majority of the companies require you sign up for a contract of a minimum of 2 years.
• Disney Paris has a train that can go there frequently...oh and the entrance fee is 51� per child, 57� per adult (although...there IS a sale right now that adults can get in for a child fee...).  Needless to say - we didn't go.
• We did go to the Eiffel Tower (tour de Eiffel) via RER and it was huge.  There's a lengthy line up to go up the ET...get there by 9am if you don't want to wait too long.
• Same with the Louvre - we saw the outside of it but didn't have time to go inside...maybe next time!
• We were warned about an excessive amount of dog poop on the ground and that approximately 600 people get hospitalized from sliding in it and hurting themselves. (Hence why we didn't bring a stroller).
• However, if you stick to tourist locations - you rarely see any...there was more in Finland than in Paris.