Spring for a day

'In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.'  -  John Muir

It's been quite a weekend here in Helsinki/Espoo. As a result, I've not had much time to write a blog post. That's not a bad complaint when you're having too much fun! Friday morning started with some painting around the house here. It was -13 degrees when I headed down to the basement in my shorts. I think the neighbours are getting used to me wandering around in the snow barely clothed. That being said, I made my way to the coast around Espoo for a nice walk. I also accomplished something I've been wanting to do for almost 8 years. I made my way out onto the frozen sea ice!!!

I've been wanting to do this for so long and while I only intend a walk along the coast, once we saw so many people out on the ice, we had to check it out. It was really enjoyable and the best part was that I neither fell on my ass, nor did I fall through the ice and drown. I'd call that a successful adventure.






As you can see from my photo's, the sky was clear and the sun was shining the whole day. Despite the cold weather, (it was still -5 in the afternoon) the sun felt surprisingly warm without the usual winter wind that cuts through you. The birds were chirping in the trees and it was certainly the first time in a long time that it didn't feel like a winter's day. I know that's strange to say when you're walking on a frozen sea but it's true!

All in all, it was an 8-9km walk. In such perfect conditions I could've stayed out for hours but there was more purpose to the day. There was a pub that needed a visit.... The Gallows Bird. I can't recommend this place highly enough. Nice atmosphere, really great selection of beers on tap and it has that authentic pub feel.

What else did I do? Well, after the walking and the beer, I headed into the city for more beer. Just a few 0.2 tasting glasses at Beerger in Kallio. If you've not been, they have a great selection of craft beers on tap. Stout, IPA, Ale, Sours and Lager, there's something for everyone. The food here looks and smells great too, although I've only had fries as a snack but even they were quite tasty, well above the usual standard I've come to expect.

Saturday morning was dull and the plan was to go see a screening of 'Rent-a-cat' at the theatre in Oodi. Shortly after midday however, the sun came out and we decided to make the most of the good weather. This meant some more walking and along the way, we noticed people sitting on a terrace. It was strange. You have to remember, its Finland and it's February. Less than 24 hours ago we were walking on the sea ice and now we were contemplating a terrace??? Well.... That's exactly what we did. As you can see, there was still see ice and even more peculiar was the fact that we sat in the sun, coats weren't required and all the while, there were people walking on the ice next to us!

So as always, Finland brings the beauty of the weekend and now I can relax on this fine Sunday afternoon and watch some Rugby!


Kevät on tulossa!!!