May 16, 17 - Trip to Lakeside Cottage

 May 16 - leaving Helsinki for a lake-side cottage

 

 Today we met Fran and walked to the Botanical Garden. Fran brought Mark a helpful cane from Hanna, with whom she is staying.  Fran went inside while we looked at flowers and birds. Then, we went to the Viola Cafe and had a light lunch and met Harri, a linguist/scholar that Fran has had contact with, although never in person. The cafe was in a beautiful old building.

   Then, we went in Harri's car to a stadium where his son, Otso, 23, was running a half marathon. There were 14,000 runners in the half marathon. We were there in time to see people who'd run the marathon come in, but they were those who took a lot of time.

    We also saw the medal ceremonies for the half marathon. The winners in order for the men were: a Slovakian, Ukrainian and Estonian. The women, in order were: a Finn, a Ukranian and a Finn.

     Somehow, we missed Otso coming in as he had changed the shirt Harri was looking for.

     Then, we all drove about 140 k together north of Lahti where Harri and Asta have a cottage that has been in Asta's family. They have a main cabin with two bedrooms, sitting area and kitchen. We were in a bunkhouse. Fran was in a room off the lakefront sauna. It was steep with a rocky, rooted path getting down there. There is an outhouse, too.

     Asta is a special education teacher for middle school children.

 

   Harri prepared a feast of a Finnish traditional meal of a whitefish caught in a nearby lake, gravlax salmon, smoked salmon, curried sardines, rye bread, Karelian pies, cole slaw (probably missing something).

     Then, we prepared for their traditional sauna, heated by wood. Robes were provided to go down and back. The women went first. First, there was water to scoop out in ladles to clean yourself. No clothes, of course. Then, we went in and, Asta, threw water on the stones to create steam, or a breath. After a while, we went outside to sit and cool down. Both Asta and Fran dipped in the lake. Barbara did not. Then, we went back in as Asta says you must do at least two sessions in the sauna and she often spends several hours in and out with lake dips. It is totally relaxing and restorative. Aaahhhh.

     Harri and Mark went in next. I think we all got into bed around 11 p.m. It was light until 10:30!

May 17 - A day at the lake

    Today we eased our way into the day, totally relaxed. It is so quiet and peaceful. You can understand why Finns are so committed to their lakeside cottages and saunas.

   We had another Finnish breakfast with some more Karelian pies, rye bread, cheese and some sweets.

    Fran, Mark and Barbara went birding and saw some interesting birds such as Common Sandpiper, White Wagtail, Common Cuckoo, Euranian linnet, Great Spotted Woodpecker. We heard many chaffinches, but didn's see them or the Willow Warber, Tits and Bohemian Waxwings.

    The day was spent reading and listening to Fran and Harri talk at length about MesoAmerican studies, especially linguistings. Fran and Harri exchanged their own signed books. Harri deciphered some Mayan glyphs. One about a tricker rabbit was especially interesting and humorous.

    Harri made a delicious barbecued Mongolian-inspired meal on the wood-fueled fireplace by the lake and we at in a picnic shelter. It was delicious.

    Asta had a lot of work to do to close the cottage for two weeks. Then, Otso drove us to the train station with Mark in the front seat, Fran, Asta, Barbara and two Spaniels in the back set.

They dropped us at the train station and we purchased tickets for Helsinki. Barbara and Mark's combined ticket was only 30 Euros. The train took about an hour and a half; it was so smooth, so pleasant. We arrived back and walked back "home." It was still light around 10 when we settled in.

     The days at the cottage were memorable - a true glimpse of Finnish life. We feel very very lucky to have experienced it.

May 14- Barbara and Fran Walk for Miles!

 Today was a bright, but somewhat chilly day. (In the 50s) Mark decided he needed to take a day and rest his knee.

 Fran walked over around 10:30 and she and Barbara walked most of the day. 

  We went to a large, beautiful bookstore where Fran bought several books about the city's architecture.

  The train station was on our tour - it has an impressive exterior and interior with a beautiful cafe inside.

  We visited the Tourist Bureau to get maps and to figure out how to use the transit system. It turns out that the best way is to just use the touchless phone.

   We walked to the open air and enclosed market place on the harbor, wandered there and had some salmon soup at one of the tent stalls.

    From there, we walked a long way along the waterfront looking out at ferries going back and forth and out at several islands. 

    Then, we walked back through a park into the city. 

    We stopped at a grocery store and picked up salad ingredients, some salami and some ice cream. Mark made "egg butter" during the day which are hard boiled eggs, mixed with softened butter. We had a Finnish meal called _______ which were in our freezer. Those were microwaved, then topped with egg butter and a slice of salami. A true Finnish dinner.

     Then, Barbara walked Fran most of the way home. Fran clocked over 9 miles today and Barbara over 6 and has blisters! Fran seemed perfectly fine.

    

May 13 - Paris to Helsinki!

  We had an early start with a taxi arriving to pick us up at 7:20. As Mark's knee is no better, we arranged for a wheelchair at Charles de Gaulle. We also found that we had to check our bags as they are slightly too big for Finn Air's requirement. This all took a bit of time, but a very nice woman at Finn Air gave her a hand in getting the baggage tags printed etc. 

   All went smoothly. We got through security rather easily, although Mark was thoroughly "wanded" across his body, even his feet. 

   The flight was just under 3 hours and very smooth.

   A wheelchair was waiting in Helsinki and we went to pick up our luggage. People do not have to go through any customs/security which was amazing and like the "old days." Get off the plane, get your luggage and go.

    Fran Kartunnen was waiting for us as she'd arrived shortly before us from Boston via Iceland. Two of her friends had taken the time to take the train to meet her which was really nice. Olle and Hilka - two very nice people. 

     We took the fast, comfortable, quiet train from the airport into the central rail station for the price of 4.2 Euros each, so about $5.00 for a 25 minute ride. From there, Fran walked with us about 600 meters to our flat where a young man was waiting to let us in. The walk was hard on Mark and, of course, we were trailing our luggage.

   

 The flat is lovely -spacious with a nice outside balcony room. The only disappointment was that we had expected a washing machine, but we will either avail ourselves of a washer somewhere in the building, or stick to hand wash.

    Then, Barbara walked with Fran to where she is staying with friends. It was about 1.2 kilometers and took us along the waterfront as well as by the two big churches - one is the Lutheran cathedral and the other is the Russian Orthodox one. So, it was a nice taste of the city.

    Barbara met Fran's friends, Dave and Hanna who have a gorgeous flat on a peninsula. It is a building from the Belle Epoque with a famous, fancy elevator which has leather seats!

   Barbara walked back, using her phone to navigate. Then, we both walked to a nearby grocery store down in the Metro and got fixings for some meals, especially as tomorrow is a big holiday here - Ascension Day, and supposedly a lot will be closed.

    

May 12, Last Day in Paris

Today we started the day by struggling to check in and then load the Finn Air boarding passes into our phone's wallet. We checked in without much difficulty, but we couldn't get them in the wallet, so have them in messages and files on our phones. 

We thought Barbara had booked us into the Calder Exhibit at the Louis Vuitton Foundation, but she didn't. The Calder was closed today and she had bought tickets for the in-town and associated Cartier Foundation to their contemporary art museum. It was disappointing not to see the much-acclaimed Calder, but....we had no choice and won't be here to see the Calder.

Mark's knee is still sore, so we didn't walk much or quickly today. The museum was interesting with a lot of indigenous art much from South America. Much of that was about the link between people and the environment which is under grave threat.

One of the most impressive exhibits was a media presentation about the state of the world. One section was about migration of humans from around 2012 - 2024, all visually presented on a huge, curved screen with each year showing where people moved from and to. Another dealt with how much money migrants send back to their home countries from where they have moved - it equals 50% of the aid given to those countries. Another section dealt with disruptions due to earthquakes, droughts, fires etc. Again these were stunningly presented on the huge screen. It is something we all should see.

We were hungry when we got out and went to a nearby restaurant and both had a duck confit with potatoes and salad, started by an appetizer which we shared - eggplant, tomato and cheese - layered like a mini lasagne. It was really good.

Then - back to our flat with some food to nibble for dinner and to arrange taxi pick up for tomorrow at 7:20 a.m.

May 10, May 11 - Days in Paris

Rue de Rivoli

     May 10- A Rainy Sunday in Paris and...we were robbed, too! And, on Mother's Day.

    We knew that it would rain later in the day, so we had an early start, deciding to have a walking/exploring day.

     We walked from our flat into the Marais, stopping at Barbara's favorite sock store on Vieille du Temple where she got 3 pairs and Mark got one pair.

      We walked onto the bridge to Ile St. Louis and sat watching the world go by. People were out enjoying themselves.

       We had coffee in the square by the Hotel de Nice where we have gone before - coffee/croissants.

        Then, we decided to walk down the Rue de Rivoli, past the Louvre and toward the Opera to find a restaurant we ate at in 2013! It started to rain about then and we found the restaurant, Higuma,  in time not to get too wet.  Mark had curried chicken and Barbara had fried rice with shrimp and pork.

        By the time we got out, it really began to pour. We walked about half a mile to the nearest subway and were very wet. 

         We had begun to be worried about Barbara's wallet which was not in her handbag, which is unusual. However, she had used it in the morning to book a room in Wimbledon. So, we expected/hoped it would be in our flat. It was not.

        We thought it might have been left at the sock shop, so we took an Uber to save time and also because it was raining. Just before we got into the pre-paid Uber, Barbara got a notice asking her if a transaction made on her Visa card was hers and we realized that she had had it stolen right from out of her zipped purse sometime during the day. We had already paid for the Uber, so we checked with the store and with the coffee shop anyhow. But, we knew by then that it had been stolen.

          We came back to the flat and got into action. Barbara called Amex; Mark called Visa; Barbara called our bank. Both our Visas are now cancelled and not usable as they are the same account number. We will not be able to get the replacements till June when we get home.  Mark's Amex card will still work as those cards have different numbers. But, Amex isn't taken most places here, so that will be a nuisance. However, it looks like the digital Visa may work and Barbara's digital Amex might work. Plus, Mark's debit card from the bank will work - either to withdraw money from an ATM or as a debit card/credit card from our bank. He's already taken 200 Euros so that we have some money. Plus, Amex will wire money with no extra fees if we decide we want to do that. We hope we won't have to do that as we don't want to carry large amounts of cash.

        The thieves worked fast, though. There were 3-4 purchases on the Visa, mostly from a sports store. There were 2 purchases on the Amex and a small charge on the debit card which is weird as you are supposed to use a pin. But, all will be covered. Whew. 

       So, we went from real alarm to being mostly calm. We have traveled many miles in many countries and have never been robbed before. We were not mugged. Thus, we put it in perspective and will not let this ruin the rest of our trip.

May 11

   Mark tweaked his knee yesterday, so we decided to have a quiet day with minimal walking.

   Barbara went out to the boulangerie for croissants/baguette, partly to see if the Visa digital card in the wallet, which already has new numbers, would work. What a relief - it works. So, unless we need to put a card in, we should be just fine.

   Claudia recommended a bistro not to far from where we are, Le Carreau. And, it did not disappoint. We both had delicious meals, starting with a velouté pink mushroom soup which we mostly shared. Mark had a cold chicken salad with many greens, snap peas, and grapefruit. So good. Barbara had their dish of the day which was chicken in a delicious mushroom gravy with a generous portion of salad which she substituted for the rice. Also so good.

   From there, a stroll back to our flat to catch up on business, blog, reading.

     

From Lille to Paris, May 8 & 9

May 8

Vieux Lille

  We had a slow start on our drive to Paris, taking the time for one last coffee at a nearby café in Lille. It was about a 3 hour drive, but we stopped twice for gas - at both stations, our Visa card was refused, but, luckily, we had cash.

    Returning the rental car to the Gare de Lyon was quite a pain as the company gave us the wrong address to return the car. So, we parked by Hall 1 and walked to Hall 3 (quite a walk) to be told to go back and get the car and bring it to the right address - which we did. Then, we took 2 Metros to our stop, Oberkamph and walked to Rue de la Prieuré where we will be for 5 nights.

     We continue to have challenges getting into flats! We got into the building, but could not figure out where the keybox was to the flat and did not have the flat's number either. We had plenty of screen shots, but evidently, we had neglected to watch the video! We had all the numbers, but didn't know where the flat was. At any rate, the caretaker met us after about a 15 minute wait and we got into this funky apartment which will be hard to describe. 

   

Stairs down to the basement bathroom

The bathroom & laundry in the basement, down those stairs!

  The ground level has our bedroom, shower (in the bedroom), kitchen and sitting room. There are stairs to go down into the bedroom and then stairs to go back up to the shower in the same room. We will have to be very attentive.

      Then, the basement level (rather crypt-like) has the toilet! To access it you have to go down rather steep, metal spiral stairs! And, the washer. There is also a sitting room, but we cannot imagine either of us sitting down there. It is really an elderly person's nightmare with lots of places to fall. So - we will be really careful. And...are we really elderly? So soon?

       So, after arriving (around 4:15) and settling in, we walked to a nearby boulangerie and Franprix to get food. We made a salad and had some baguette and cheese.

May 9

 

  What a wonderful day! First, it was a gorgeous sunny day. Secondly, we had the whole day to spend with Claudia Butler.

     We took the subway and then walked to the Bibliotheque Nationale and sat in a garden and waited for Claudia. First, we went to eat with her at a tiny Japanese restaurant in the area and then we went into the gorgeous library.

In the Bibliotheque Nationale

      Then, we went to the Palais Royale garden and had coffee/tea and cookies. It was so relaxing. We chatted and caught up with each other's lives. Parisiens were out in force - enjoying their public spaces and their children. In one square, there was music with people dancing. Such joy.  Of course, there were tourists, too, but we think the Parisiens outnumbered them.

     

We walked to the Louvre area to find the bus was cancelled due to demonstrations nearby. So, we took a taxi to Claudia's beautiful neighborhood, not far from the Eiffel Tower. Rue Cler is a pedestrianized street where we shopped at individual stores gathering food for dinner - a florist, a butcher's shop, a boulangerie, a vegetable and fruit store. So much fun.

Claudia's amazing flat

      Then we went to her flat on Rue de Grinelles which is astonishing. It is spacious with huge French doors onto a very large balcony. It is so Parisien and perfect for Claudia who loves her life here. 

Looking up at her flat on second floor, with the greenery

         Friends of hers who spent half their year in Sydney, Australia and half in the Loire Valley joined us. Claudia served roasted chicken with new potatoes with parsley, asparagus with tarragon, bread and salad. Dessert, an apricot tarte, was brought by Ann and Barry.

   

   Terrific conversation, beautiful Spring evening. We got home around 10:15. It was a perfect day in Paris.

May 6 & 7 in Lille

 May 6

     

Botticelli

Today was a bit chilly and grey. We drove to the Musee des Beaux-Arts and spent most of the day there. It is in a beautiful, grand building. We spent the morning on one floor, took a lunch break at a Vietnamese restaurant, and then went back into the crypt-like lower floor to look at the Medieval art.

Manet's of Berthe Morrisot

Van Gogh's "Cows"

     We had a small moment of stress when we realized that we needed the parking ticket to get back to the car...and it was in the car. We couldn't access the stairs or elevator to get there. So, we walked down the car ramp and retrieved it. Whew! The challenges of travel where practices are different.

Amazing bas-relief by Donatello. It is millimeters thick and has such perspective and depth

     A far larger stress occurred later when we got an email that the flat we've rented in Paris (in two days) had water damage. They said they had to either cancel us or rebook us in another flat. Clearly, we took the other flat, but the process was convoluted and difficult. It took about an hour between the phone (What's App) and the computer filling out forms to: 1. rebook a new place which involved starting a fresh reservation, 2. cancel the old one entirely - more forms. Ugh.

Stairs to toilet in the substitute apartment in Paris

Now, fingers crossed that it all works out. It is a bit disappointing as we'd been excited about staying near the Seine in the one that was cancelled and going to an entirely new area for us. Another adventure. And, these things happen when we travel, but...they can be stressful.

May 7

  Today we decided to walk Vieux Lille and that is what we did. We discovered large, beautiful squares we had not seen before as well as little cobbled alleys.

Vieux Lille

Notre Dame de-la-Treille Cathedral, Lille

   We sat by the Cathedral for a while watching people set up for some sort of filming and watching many groups of students on field trips.

     

We saw large buildings in grand squares including the ornate Bourse, the Opera House etc.

     

We had a lovey French lunch at Les Compagnons de la Grappe. Mark had a Flemish stew with salad. Barbara had a salmon pavé with rice.

At Les Companons de la Grappe - with water!