This is our nearby grocery store
About a block further towards the city center is this bakery which has the largest cinnamon rolls I have ever seen.
This is about a block further and is the bakery which is most open. On early mornings, it was petty much the only place we would be able to get coffee and pastries.
St. John's church - further towards our site
This is the door to Juha Leiviska's office!
There is a museum with a Donald Duck exhibit - no one seems to be able to explain why Finns love Donald, but it makes me smile.
Approaching the Esplande
School children are usually clearly identified when traveling in groups. In the winter and summer reflective vests are surprisingly common!
If we had taken our Finnish lessons in the spring it would have been much easier to identify the statues. In January we could barely see them from any reasonable distance.
Critical identifiers. Walking on the bike side may get you run over and almost certainly results in a disapproving look.
I decided that the photos I took of the Stockmann grocery store a week earlier did not do justice to all the wonder of the place, so came back for more pictures!
This is part of the bakery - Sally discovered large pretzels here! While not as salted as in the states, they still make a really fun treat. I decided to buy a cinnamon roll!
An interesting element of the Finnish grocery store is the scale - fruits, vegetables, and pastries all must be weighed. I pushed the button indicating what I way weighing and then a sticker printed with the cost of my roll.
Look at the cakes!!
Vegetables
Pineapples! The Finns love pineapple
Curious fruits that I would not expect in Finland
This is all cheese. Another fridge, just as large, is filled with only goat cheese.
Most of Finland does not have very good meat selection, but Stockmanns has the best I've seen.
All olive oil
All of this candy is licorice. Seriously.
This cafe has my favorite salmon soup in the city
I decided to sit outside in Esplanade Park and eat a my cinnamon roll.
Aren't this cute hats! I want to learn how to knit them!!
I bought salmon from this cart to try to make it again!!
An interesting difference between Finland and America is how they use exterior space. In the winter I assumed that this space behind my favorite grocery store was a parking lot and they did occasionally use it that way, but in the summer all of this is just public outdoor space. People sit on benches, and cafes and ice cream stands pop up.
The cars go under ground
Last Saturday in the plaza
Outside of most grocery stores are these hooks for tying up one's dog. In the winter is seems quite sad.
This is all the food I bought at the market for lunch: salmon, strawberries, and peas (which I ate in the pod, but I think that was probably a mistake)
I improved!! Quite tastey :)
