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Published: October 18th 2011
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September 24th
Ouch!!!! Last night jet lag hit me like a tone of bricks. Yes that last espresso probably didn’t help but hey it was worth spending time Mina and Eemeli. I ended up actually falling a sleep at 5:30am and woke up at 11:15am. Not too bad, but it did mean that a good part of the day was all ready gone. I quickly got ready and ‘the big walk’ was on first heading north out of the clutches of the downtown core, over the bridge ad towards the market in Hakanieme. Unlike the one in the market square, this one was packed with locals, the prices where Euro or so cheaper, and the stacks of Chanterelle and black trumpet’s where a good two feet higher. Dam if the hostel had a better kitchen I would get some. ‘4 heat pads’ doesn’t cut it, I’m going to wait till I get to Ginta’s then cook for her and Marco in their new kitchen.
After the Market it was off towards the Sibelius monument, taking as many back paths as possible I walked along two inlets, and up towards the amusement park, across the train tracks on the pedestrian bridge
and onto the grounds of the 1952 Olympics. There where a few soccer games being played (from what I was told the men’s and women’s professional league championships), but I didn’t stay long as I was getting hungry!!!! But my hunger had to wait as there didn’t appear to be any decent places so I kept walking to the Monument snapped some pics and headed back along the west coast of the city and back to the hostel. Going through the large grave yard was particularly stunning with most of the trees changing color.
Upon sitting my ass down I got a message from Mina saying that Eemeli and some guys where going for sauna at 9 at a place on Suomenlinna (the navel base on 6 islands 15min ferry from the docs by the market square). DAM right I’m going. After a quick h or r and r, I was off to catch the 6pm ferry. Suomenlinna is beautiful, especially when the sun is setting; I walked for two hours, fount the King’s gate at the tip of the fortress, then made my way back to the ferry where the brewery and ‘eatery’ was. I thought great, went
in got a beer looked at the menu and thought ‘awesome!’ yes it was expensive but I hadn’t really spent anything all day and I was starving!!! I ordered a plate of different Finish meat delicacy ‘s including bare and reindeer sausage where really nice. However the pate and the rillette on the other hand where less than pleasing, to be frank the rillette was way to watery (probably frozen then thawed, and the pate was almost as dry as the crisp implanted in it. Then came the main and as it was coming to the table I grew more displeased. I had ordered the Reindeer tenderloin. Which consisted of about 150g of reindeer 300g of chestnut mash with little crisps stuck in, a hand full of boiled beet root (yes boiled the outside was mush while the inside was still a little raw) a croquette that was the best thing on the plate but dry and had way too much onion, and to top it off the jus which tasted and looked came from a carton. It was terrible the beets where also heated up with beet juice and capers!!! Ya please never again unless maybe with fish. Oh
yes and the beautiful piece of meet was cut covered in sauce almost wasted away. As I ate I then saw the two waiters who where looking after only 8 patrons leave the dining room to go for a smoke. I finished my meal had time to get up, so I got up got myself a menu. As I was doing so the waiters came back in and went straight back to work, all nice and smoky. I asked for the warm chocolate and caramel cake (which I thought would come from the oven like most little chocolate/fondant cakes do, but the waiter brought it to me seemingly seconds after I ordered it. Yum nuked!!! now over cooked chocolate cake (which they could have bought at a corner store for all I know) along with the simple caramel sauce (which again could have been bought in) and the ice crystal infested chocolate ice cream. The one good-looking item was the creme anglaise, had lots of vanilla but still lacked flavor.
After all this I waited for Eemili to get off work and, meet up. He came with a friend and we wen off into the night down through the
small streets of the fort. Finely bam! A marina and a bar/restaurant with a sauna attached. We waited till the patrons left got a beer on the ‘international cooperation’’ fund , and I met Miko and Kimmi. When the sauna was free it was time to go, sower down and feel the heat. 15 min then 10 min outside on the patio, it felt a like a normal thing. As I’m sure it is, felt so relaxing and clean simply the most enjoyable time so far. After two stays in the sauna it was enough and we got change had some beers, sit around, talk about our trips (most of the guys where heading straight to a packed car, then to a packed car, off the ferry and down to Portugal (I wish them luck in there little alfa with 5 guys, I don’t know how their all going to fit.
Shortly after 1 Minna cam back from work , said hi and it was time to catch the last ferry back to the mainland. Another awesome day!!!! Except for my right knee is starting to flair up but a little ice should do the trick.
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