Muumimamman keittokirja :)

MAANANTAINA 31. TAMMIKUUTA 2011 / ALLI

Hei!

Finally I have booked an accommodation  in Turku in  Bad and Breakfast Tuure I have just confirmed prices and learnt something new about Suomi and Finns from the owners - Joukio and Lili. Apparently: "Finland is the country where anything and anywhere can be paid using cards (except those Amex/Diners). However we are also a country where people have smallest consumer debts, since everything is usually paid by debit cards. As a result we have the smallest amount of cash money in circulation in the whole of Europe."

What I have heard as well is that there is no problem with paying invoices when you do the business with Finns - everything will be on time, no delays! That is what I like. I want to do the business with Finns! Or at least work for Finnish company... any offers? I do logistics... for my full CV, please drop me a line ;)

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Yes, Moomins again:) I have bought this fantastic book "Muumimamman keittokirja" with English translation: "Moomins Cook Book. An Introduction to Finnish Cuisine" written by Sami Malila and with lovely pictures by Tove Jansson. 

You can find here so many interesting recipes... I don't know where to start to be honest :) As soon as I cook something I will post a picture. :) You can be sure of that. :)

Haluan nähdä muutakin (I want to see something else)

TIISTAINA 25. TAMMIKUUTA 2011 / Paavo, Pauli

Moi! :)
Mitä kuuluu? :) How are you?


So far, so good:) The hotel in Tampere has been booked - Omena Hotel :) Now I am still trying to find something in Turku and Helsinki - I can go for Omena as well but on the other hand I am tempted to try something else:) Yesterday I received a magazine from Turku and there was an advert of B&B http://www.netti.fi/~tuure2/en/. That could be something else... and I have got a link from Sonja regarding another, different type of accommodation: http://www.hbb.fi/ 


By the way Sonja - I have fixed the comment bit, you may post them now:)


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I had a great conversation yesterday about forests in Finland and what they can offer... and all the memories from my youth came to my mind... the smell of the wet soil... the feel of moss and birch in your hand... and all the mushrooms you could pick up: 
cep (herkkutatti / borowik szlachetny), 
chanterelle (keltavahvero / kurki), 
oyster mushroom (osterivinokas / boczniak)... 
well I used to go with my cousins to the forest early morning, after the rainy night, in a country side... the smell of the forest was great and this emotions that you may get lost:) Well I could, I am a city boy:) and you needed to be careful whenever you see the sunny spot on the grass... cos that could be a place where the snakes could rest and warm their bodies. So we had some berries: wild raspberries, blackberries and blueberries, proper blueberries, the small one, which grow on  little bushes and when you eat them your tongue and mouth become black:) yummy, yummy, yummy... in Finnish they are called mustikka... and they are used for a lovely mustikkapiirakka - blueberry pie. yummy :) I had one:) It was baked especially for me when I was in Helsinki last time - really nice:) I was even participating in a purchase of all ingredients:)

Picture taken by Tuomas Piippo


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RE: the title of this post :) please check: http://haluannahdamuutakin.wordpress.com/in-english/ That's a cool idea! :) Me, personally, I am fed up with adverts of Burger King or other junk food on the bus stops.

The Post Day

KESKIVIIKKONA 19. TAMMIKUUTA 2011

Hei!

It was a good day today :) I came home and found 2 letters waiting for me.

First one from The Finn-Guild - the welcome pack as I became a member :) This is a very good idea as for £15 per year you not only support the organisation but as well get some benefits which include discount for Finnish language courses, access to Finnish books, films and music library, and more. 

And yeah, I have enrolled for the Intensive Finnish Course for beginners which will be held on 12/02. A whole Saturday packed with Finnish, Finnish, Finnish! Ihanaa! :) Unfortunately I was not able to get on the long course but this one will be run again in September... so I will join :)

Second letter was from Finland :)

Last weekend I was browsing internet and looking for some information regarding places I will visit: Turku and Tampere and I have found their own sites. I was able to order some brochures, maps and other very useful materials. And today I received the Tampere ones. I have maps and places to visit, more details, more choices... better planning of my stay :) So I will start going through all of them shortly:) In case you would like to get one of these please visit:

Turku - http://www.turku.fi/Public/default.aspx?contentid=22909

Tampere - http://www.gotampere.fi/eng/brochures

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Today I decided to post my blog link on Facebook... I do hope that I will get some comments and constructive feedback :) and if there are some questions I would be more than happy to answer them.

Please note... I am new to the blog world and I am not a writer :) hopefully I will improve :)

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I have just received a lot of lovely pictures taken by my friend from Tampere - Tuomas Piippo. I have his permission to post them on my blog. Kiitti Tuomas:)


Pictures were taken in Vesilahti, near Lempäälä, south from Tampere. This is lake Pyhäjärvi. I think these pictures are magic and one day I will visit the wild Suomi as well.

The Journey Plan

TiistaiNA 18. TAMMIKUUTA 2011

Moi!

Well... so that has been done! 

Today I bought a ticket for a flight on 22/04 to Helsinki and then 11 days in Suomi. 

I am soooo excited :) and cannot wait:)

My trip is planned as follows:

22/04              - flight from London-Heathrow to Helsinki - Vantaa

the same day  - train from Helsinki to Tampere

25/04              - train from Tampere to Turku

27/04              - train from Turku to Helsinki

01/05              - celebrating Vappu in Helsinki

02/05              - flight back from Helsinki - Vantaa to London - Heathrow

Now I need to find a hotel... I have found Omena Hotels http://www.omenahotels.com/ reasonable price and everything I need... so I guess I will go for this option.

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As you can see I have added some link on the right hand side... this is for Visit Finland site. Really good! Before my first trip to Helsinki I have got some tips from Lea from VF - thanks a lot! By the way, you may find them on Facebook too under I Wish I Was In Finland :)


Another link is for Finn-Guild - Finnish - British organisation... you may find the newest issue of their Finnish - English magazine "Horisontti" over there - recommended.

So that's it for today... I am a little bit tired but thought about the trip works like some energy drink :)

Awww... one more thing! A big thank you to Tuomas for supporting my idea of creating the blog and for sharing some incredible pictures from Suomi, and for all his tips regarding places to see and visit in Tampere, and for some Finnish lessons :)! Paljon kiitoksia! :)

The Beginning

MaananTAINA 17. TAMMIKUUTA 2011

...and I was a Muumi in my previous life... hence Suomi is my remedy...

Maybe it will heal me and open my eyes wilder... well... when I went first time to Helsinki at the end of October 2010, it was for me like a trip of my life. I have been waiting for it since being 17 and I was afraid as well: what if I will be disappointed? But then... seeing from the plane lakes and forest I was like a child and so eager to land... and I LOVE IT!!!

 And when I am telling my friends about my trip to Finland they are surprised: Again? - they ask. Cos normally we tend to go to different places, visit different countries but for me... I want to discover Suomi...

I should copy all of this and post on my blog, cos that's my idea. It will be dedicated to Suomi and my trips and feelings about it... It came to my mind today when I was taking the tube...