I skipped the pea soup at lunch today, but something good still came from work. That is that I learned about Eläkeläiset. Eläkeläiset: I think in Finnish this is something like "retired guys", "pensioners" or of that ilk. They are a band that remakes rock songs in the German Humppa music style. You know, with the accordian, lederhosen and beer swinging. It's definitely worth checking out (youtube). For those of my generation I recommend "Smells Like Humppa". I'm sure Kurt is rolling in his grave. After work I met my friend Carol for dinner at Ravintola Natalie. It's a cozy little place, dark and comfortable with an eclectic Eastern European motif. The menu has a Ukranian slant so I tried a few new things. For my starter I had borsht. Now I'd heard of borscht, but ... read more

We finally saw a moose on the way home from work! It wasn't the most spectacular sighting in the world, but it was a sighting! I'm too excited to write much more...... read more

After a lazy morning I met a friend, Carol, for lunch at Ravintola Näsinneula. It's a rotating restaurant at the top of a tower overlooking Tampere. I've been told by a similarly culinarily-inclined friend that there exists an inverse relationship between restaurant height and food quality. This didn't quite hold true at Näsinneula as the food was exquisite; however, the portions were exquisitely small. Granted, I eat a lot, but I left quite hungry despite my five course meal. Of note on the table: A very delicate morel soup, very light with cream and chives; served in a demitasse. A seared filet (small) of arctic char on a potato and garlic puree with three pieces of potato about the size of dice; the flavor was incredible. My main was a tasty piece of roast beef on ... read more

After work I hopped in the hotrod, aka Prius, with Sami and Emil (work friends) and headed to Jyväskylä. It's not the most exciting destination in Finland, and really not all that much different from Tampere, but it's something new. I'm starting my venturing out n' about in Finland with baby steps. We rolled into Jyväskylä, dumped our stuff at the hotel, grabbed a tourist map and proceded to wander about town. After a good walk around town, seeing some amazing lakeside views and being jealous of the homeowners there, we started scouting out a place for dinner. Since Jyväskylä is a bit smaller than Tampere, and none of us were familiar with the town, we stuck to what seemed to be the main drag. This was mostly bars, so we ended up at the restaurant ... read more

Nothing special to report today. Work was work and I stayed in last night, eating at the hotel. Bubbles talked me into staying as they have changed their menu. So I figured I'd try some of the new stuff. I started with a very lightly grilled scallop dish, served with lobster, greens and a balsamic reduction. It was delectable; the scallops were done perfectly. For my main I had pork tenderloins wrapped in parma ham. These were served with baked vegetables in a spicy garlic sauce and french fries. I enjoyed it, although I'd have prefered my veggies less cooked. I can't say they were overcooked, just more than is to my taste. The sauce had the spice of raw garlic. It was very good, but different from what I was expecting. I paired a Chilean ... read more