RALLY!

This weekend is the Rally in Jyv�skyl�, Finland.  It's quite famous (it involves race cars - not my thing - sorry) and brings a tonne of tourists into Finland during this event of a few days...(sorry there's not more information about this!)

OOOOH! Here ya go: http://www.nesteoilrallyfinland.fi/en/spectators/cityofjyvaskyla/
There's a tonne of information there about JKL and about the rally itself!

These photos were taken on July 31, 2011 in downtown JKL.

So perhaps you're a tourist here?  Well, maybe you should see some Basic (But Important) Things About Living in Finland...or perhaps some Random Stuff.

Oh and FYI: bus fare is 3,10� one way.  You get a transfer automatically (it's on your receipt you receive) and it's good for 1 hour of the time of purchase and with 1 use only.

Oh and Finns love to drink....I think it's a European thing in general...I mean, a Finn could easily out-drink a Newfie (from Newfoundland, Canada)...so don't try and show up a Finn!

Have fun and be safe at the Rally!

Day 2.5 in Estonia (a pretty funny post)

This morning, I swear - we were going to go to the Open Air Museum...I really mean it! Oh and the Tallinn Zoo!
So guess what stopped us?  My camera.  I took so many photos yesterday and forgot to charge the battery last night...and no it's not a digital camera that takes double A batteries...it has a rechargeable lithium...so it can't be used without this battery! Argh!
Well, we went to various churches and explored and it was nice.  Many churches request you do not take photos - fair enough.

We also enjoyed some elk soup at the Town Hall in the Town Square of Tallinn which was very tasty (as the sign suggests it is "Full of taste") and only 1� for a bowl of soup.  They sold buns for a Euro as well and drinks were 2� - but I didn't know what they sold for beverages and thought the soup would be satisfying enough.
They have outdoor benches and long dark wooden tables to sit at in shade from the sun.  At the very top of the Town Hall (look wayyyyyyyyyyyy up) you can see "Old Thomas" who is the mascot of Tallinn.  I got a couple magnets of him - so I'll take photos of that and perhaps create a Picasa Album online and link it here on the blog...much easier than individual photos!
When I paid for the soup - the lady asked if I needed anything else and I said no.  I remembered when sitting down that oh, I forgot spoons.
I sent the darling husband in to get spoons and she asked him, "What will you do for me, for your spoons?"
My husband was kind of stunned at first (I'm sure but he wouldn't admit it) and said, "Well, what do you want me to do for you, for my spoons?"
She requested that he brings the dishes in after he was done eating his soup.  It was  an old fashioned way of doing an exchange...we thought it was pretty neat but yes I thought it was quite dirty from an outsider's point of view!

As we went walking around, my son overloaded his diaper and ended up peeing his pants (thankfully he was walking around and not on my husband's back in the kid carrier!)...so while the husband ran home, I snuck into a hostel entrance, changed his diaper, then V�in� fell off the little rocky pillar he was standing on- landed on his back and I'm pretty sure the tour group that was JUST outside the hostel entrance have labelled me as "Bad - no wait WORST Mother of the Year"....great.  (He's fine by the way - no bruises either shockingly).
Note to self - bring extra pants...socks...more diapers...

Well after all that trauma....we found a bakery.  And not just any bakery but a REALLY cheap but delicious one!  For 70 Euro cents, we got a fresh, warm loaf of bread....it had a crisp but not crunchy crust...and it was a little sweet on the inside...yum.  We ate the whole thing while walking about today....oh and we got 2 pretzels as well...oh they were good...THEY WERE ONLY 45 EURO CENTS EACH!!!  We'll be back I'm sure.

We hiked a ridiculously long way to Kadriork Park (hope I spelled that right - don't have my glasses on and I can't find the tour guide book)...it's the summer home of a Russian Czar from a long time ago.  Unfortunately it was closed (opened Wednesday to Sunday) - but we had fun walking the grounds and taking some photos (while my camera still could).  There was a huge playground across the way - so that was lovely to let V�in� run and enjoy himself.
But as fun goes for a toddler - he was interested in eating sand (dip the shovel in the sand and lick it...licking it of course encouraged the sand to stick!) and not giving the shovel back....so we left after a quick 10 seconds diaper change!

On our way back to the flat - we stopped at McDonald's because they don't charge for using the bathroom, they are relatively clean and we decided on getting some Rotten Ronnies to get us enough energy to drag ourselves back home.  Yesterday I was there to take V�in� in for a quick diaper change and it was PACKED.
Why was it packed? Because it's �ber cheap!  Any kind of everyday McDonald's meal (we got a Big Mac and 6-piece nuggets) was only 3,20�!!! And if you wanted to upsize it - it was �3,80! (In Finland, it's 5,80� for a Big Mac Meal and the meals are a variety of prices)...I opted for a Happy Meal too, because neither my husband or I felt like sharing our fries - we were so exhausted from hiking around Tallin....(I know - bad mother rule #2...salt is a no-no - we gave him lots of fluids to flush it out after!) and it was 2,80� for a Happy Meal (it didn't cost extra to get a juice box! - I think it does in Canada) and if you wanted to make the meal bigger (i.e. granola bar or yoghurt container) - then it was 3,30�....my son was also highly entertained by his toy...a yellow bird from the movie "Rio".

I managed to get some souveniors today - just post cards and some magnets of Tallinn - I may have to go back because despite the guy's shop lacking any heat or air-conditioning (he doesn't even have a door - it's a shop in a wall really) and he only accepts cash....his stuff is cheap!  Post cards are 35 Euro cents each (some shops were selling them for 70 E.Cents-1�...) and he had some nice magnets for 2�...the hilarious thing about his little shop...he also sold magnets with images of Michael Jackson, Oprah Winfrey and Barrack Obama them.  No idea why - as I'm pretttttty sure that neither of the above mentioned people (along with other "famous faces" I didn't know of) have been to Estonia.  Anyway!  I seriously considered buying a couple of those- just to give as prank gifts and saying "Oh I got these in Estonia..." I'm sure they say "Made in China" on the back - or something like that in Estonian.

I still didn't get any almonds today - but that's my goal for tomorrow, along with going to the zoo and Open Air museum - because we leave the day after for Paris. 

Day 1.5 of being in Estonia...

Okay, we're renting a flat in Estonia (yay washing machine!) as we're not going back to Finland right after our stay here...nope.  We're going to mosey on over to Paris - hence the need for a washing machine.
And unlike the Sweden trip, we have access to a speedy internet connection - so I'll blog as we're going around Tallinn, Estonia.  (Then post it when our trip is done..or whenever!)
Our friends were supposed to take a tour with us of Helsinki and Estonia but had to bail out unfortunately - so we figured we'd skip Helsinki ourselves and trek on to Estonia.
 
Estonia recently accepted the Euro as their currency...whew! Thank goodness! Saves us on converting or having to exchange cash.  (It was in effect as of January 1st, 2011).

So Estonia is across the Baltic Sea and it takes 90 minutes by ferry from Helsinki and is relatively cheap (about 20� per person).  There are a variety of different ferries (in terms of length wise) you can take - but we went with "Linda Lines" as it was cheaper and just as convenient as any other.

Once we get off the ferry, there is a lady standing there with Tim's name in bold, black lettering on a piece of paper.  She was very friendly and manages the properties that tourists can rent during their stay in Estonia.  She had a taxi waiting and we drove about 7 minutes to our flat, which scared the crap out of me.
The building on the outside, was lifeless.  It's a stone white building and looks like death.  Inside as we maneuvered the hall ways (which were painted a somewhat cheery green- like the last buckets of paint anyone would ever buy because they're on sale ...that kind of "cheery green"), I got really worried that we were staying in a seedy apartment.  
The property manager who drove us to our flat and showed us around was very friendly and was able to speak great English.  So she gave us some information (but not too much to overbear us) and offered to pick us up (10�) and take us back to the ferry on the date we were moving out.

FYI Hotels are super cheap here as well and very lovely.  They're all within walking distance from the ferry or offer a shuttle service...we just needed the flat for the washing machine and Tim really wanted to "live like an Estonian" and cook food (not like he cooks mind you! :P)...and not feel so much like a tourist by living in a hotel.  Fair enough!
(I continue...)

First of all - it takes a metal key fob (metal circular disc thing) to open the outside building door (to get out you have to push a button)...then you go up to the designated floor and you need a key to get into the door NEAR your flat's door.  There's 2 apartments behind this door.  Then when you close it behind you, you need to lock it again with your key.
THEN you need 2 keys to get into your flat.  Needless to say - I feel quite secure and Tim said it's a good thing we're not here to drink...because there's no way a drunk person could remember which key is which!

So, we enter the flat and it's gorgeous!  We rented a studio flat but it's bigger than most!  A beautiful little kitchen (but with wiggle room!), an up-to-date stove (those glass flat top ones) and a stainless steel oven door...I am in love.  There's a large kitchen window that can be opened on the side and the bathroom...HAS HEATED FLOORS!  Shower only, a basic washing machine, a fan for the bathroom (no window) and then there's the living room/bedroom.  Very spacious and lots of light!  There's lots of house plants around to give the place some color, the living room windows open wide, there's an extra pull-out cot and a desk with a great internet connection.
Talk about a surprise to me!

Last night was the first night and we decided to find the town square and eat out for supper.  We found it alright...lots of outdoor eating space available for various restaurants and all of them offered heat lamps and blankets for your lap while you dine.  (It was getting a bit chilly- although most of the snow IS gone).
We ate at a restaurant that offered a meat platter for 2 and it came with fries.  Great! Somehow the bill came to 50� (and you can tip in Estonia where as Finland you don't)...they charge a pretty penny for a glass of destilled water (no tap and ice cubes here!) approximately 2,70� for a glass of water.  No free refills either.  Pop is about 2,90� and Tim splurged on a tall and fat glass of beer and it was almost 5�. 
All menus are in: Finnish, Estonian, English and Russian.
The only thing I did not like about eating in the Town Square: was that they have the hostess in the front of the outdoor eating area, asking you for your business.  They were polite and handled "No thanks!" very well - but I just like to look and then to make my decision.  Seeing as there were so many options and the weather was fantastic - I just see no reason to try and hustle customers into your restaurant.  Then they really get you by showing you a menu (often what's posted is just the condensed version) and offering you a seat.
Tim said this is common in Montreal!

We snagged some groceries at a nearby corner store - which I was expecting would cost us an arm and a leg...but for a little over 11� we got: a pack of sausages, a huge package of 7 cinnamon/sweet buns, a big box of juice, some potatoes, 3 or 4 cartons of yoghurt and a couple bananas.  Oh and some soap.  Prices here are just so much lower than in Finland!

Today (Easter Sunday) everything was open as per regular hours.  The stores were closed on Good Friday, but Easter was not treated as a "close your stores" holiday.  How weird.
Anyway, it worked for us!  So we went back to the Old Town of Estonia and walked around a lot.  We saw lots of panhandlers but they just sit there quietly with a cup or a hat....not like the ones in Halifax that offer to open the door for you (Spring Garden Road!) or that spit and curse at you if you don't give anything.  Similar to Finland's panhandlers from what we've noticed.
There were so many restaurants and cafes everywhere!  And as well, many souvenior shops too.

The most popular items we noticed in souvenior shop windows were: things made of amber, glass, crystal, woolen sweaters/hats (knit with fabulous and tricky patterns) and some black smith items too.  Also there are many little figurines too.

There's lots of wooden carts that sell sweet almonds - but perhaps I'll try those tomorrow.

The great thing about Estonia - lots of playgrounds (similar to that of Finland), parks to just sit and enjoy the scenery and no dog poop!  In Finland, there's a lot now that the snow is gone!

There's also a "knitting corner" in Tallin filled with yarn shops...I didn't make it there today - but perhaps Tuesday!  Tomorrow we're hoping to make it to the Open Air Museum and to the Tallin Zoo!

What we did do today, would probably make most people terribly ill.  We climbed up the St. Olaf Church Tower.  Not with ropes or free-style...but up a kajillion stone stairs (I didn't count but my thighs say at least 300)!  Most stairs were of different heights, and in a spiral stair case fashion...but � way - there's some benches for you to take a breather.
Did I mention this is a narrow stairwell and it's 2-way?!  Holy difficult when there's people to pass!
So when you get to the top (you do this all at your own risk and the tickets are 2� per person) you can go for a walk outside....at almost 123.7m high.  The stairs alone, take you up 60m.
(My thighs are killing me the day after)

Last night we went to a huge shopping district and popped into Prisma (it's in Finland too) and we picked up some small groceries and a couple shirts for V�in� as I forgot (how I don't know) to pack them.  The food is still cheap in the big grocery store and their alcohol section (usually nothing more than a small percentage of alcohol - aka nothing more than a cider or beer) was huge.  It was the size of a regular liquor store in NS.  Freaky.
Turns out this Prisma was around the corner (about a 15-minutes walk) from the flat we're renting from.

Oh and in terms of language - Finns can get around Estonia easily enough.  Many speak Finnish and a lot speak English.  The Estonian language and Finnish language are part of the same group - so many words are quite similar.