Finnish(ed) for now… a weekend in sunny Vaasa

I trekked up to Finland this weekend to visit a good friend of mine, Jen with one "n". She is living and working in the sunniest city in Finland, Vaasa.

Located on the west coast of Finland, her new home and my visit there were full of highlights:

• Double-decker buses, trains, and ferries: The transport from Tartu to Vaasa is rather complicated, but the long journey compensates for itself by a number of different and novel types of transportation. I took a double-decker bus to Tallinn, a ferry named the "Super Seacat 4" to Helsinki, (pictured, right) and a 4-hour train to Vaasa. Whew!

• Bike rides: I rented a bike for the weekend, and we toured around the coast and little island off of Vaasa. The weather was perfect autumn sort with cool breezes and lots of sun. (Jen and her bike, pictured left.)

• Canada geese: I learned that there are Canada geese in Finland that migrate south for the winter. Many of them were around the inlet around Jen's apartment for good viewing. I also learned that the correct term is Canada geese and not Canadian geese, as I had always heard.

• New cuisine: Squeaky, Finnish cheese (like cheese curds), cardamon coffee, dark nutty breads, cauliflower casserole, lingon berries, and a kind of sweet, brown Norwegian cheese.

• Finnish Salad: This item (pictured, right) gets its own entry because I had already tasted it while I was in Romania and got to help make and enjoy another batch. For some, it might seem to be both a strange visual and taste combination, but it really is amazing -- cooked beets and potatoes, raw carrot, red onion, pickles, and a granny smith apple all chopped up and mixed with sour cream. Mmmm!

• High latitude: Traveling north to 63 degrees, I experience my first truly Nordic country, and it was sunny and beautiful. I don't think that I had ever been this far north before.

• Dinner party: My visit had good timing and I got to take part in a wonderful dinner with Jen's warm and interesting colleagues from the University of Vaasa.
  

• Quilting: My friend is a talented quilter. With a room dedicated to her quiltwork, she has created some really impressive and beautiful designs. Check them out on her blog at http://lifesaquilt.blogspot.com/.
  

• The gift of gab: There is something great about meeting a friend to talk for a few days. You don't have to worry about whittling down the facts to fit everything into a phone conversation or narrating in a linear fashion. Renewing our friendship in a new place, our weekend-long chatter also planted our friendship in yet another context.
  

I guess that's it -- A great weekend, but I am Finnished!