Weird #2: Spending change...

The smallest denomination euro bill is a 5. But there are both 1 and 2 euro coins. Which are pretty heavy. In the US you tend to ignore the change in your pockets because it is normally never larger than a quarter. So you cart it around and shove it in your dresser drawer at the end of the day. After a few months you cart it off to the grocery store and are amazed to discover you have $50 plus dollars worth of coin! Well here, if you did that, you'd easily be putting away 5 to 10 euros per day! What a savings account! You have to remember to actually use the coins in your pockets because they add up in value very quickly.

Weird #1: Mustard in Tubes

I've decided to start a list of what we've found oddly different here in Finland... and the first item is that Mustard and Mayonnaise come in tubes likes toothpaste! It is very interesting to go shopping when you cannot read *any* of the labels. So it took us all quite a while to figure out what mustard was here. Now we are all experimenting by buying different tubes of it. Green, Red, or Black label? Turns out Green is mild (very), Red is a bit spicier with a touch of honey flavor to it, Black is a bit spicier still and browner but still pretty mild (except that Erin about exploded when she took a taste).

Tomorrow... Save your Change!

Two girls in Finland...

So far they are smiling...! Erin and Emily on the train out to my apartment upon arrival.

Family Arrives!

The girls arrived this morning after a fun ferry boat ride from Stockholm. I had planned to have us go to big water park here in Espoo where we are staying... but you know, we were all really tired. So we lay low and played cards this afternoon instead.

Mom & Carol arrived this evening. Everybody got checked into the hotel apartment which is about 5 minutes walk from where my apartment is. It looks great. So all is well here.

- B -

This is how my bike ride today looked! Before it started raining that is. In Finland, when they say "scattered showers" they really mean "scattered downpours with thunder and lightning and short intermittent sun breaks". I rode to Porvoo, a pretty little historic town east of Helsinki. I think I logged about 40 miles but I don't really know as I broke the mounting for my bike computer when I was stuffing the damn'd bike into the damn'd suitcase before I left! Anyhow, I don't have any pictures of Porvoo because I got there just as the ferry back to Helsinki was heading back and I opted for sitting three hours on a boat rather than three more biking in the rain.

The day before yesterday, however, we visited a beautiful local library designed by a Finnish Architect God named Juha Leiviska. Leiviska came and gave a talk to us on... Tuesday? A very nice person. I've posted a few photos of his library at Vallila, a neighborhood in Helsinki, here. And here is one photo as a teaser...