Extreme Finnish Food--Viili

I have done my share of extreme Finnish eating during our stay. I have eaten (and cooked) reindeer. I have sampled many many different small fish in sauces. I love salmiakki. But, until today, I avoided viili. I heard too many horror stories about viili from my non-Finnish friends. I had been told that, like Marmite, you had to be trained to like viili as a child.

A Finnish friend encouraged me to try viili this morning and so I went out and bought the rhubarb viili and carried it carefully home. Carefully, because my friend explained that real viili has a beige skin that you don't want to break. This brand was skinless, but I treated it with caution nonetheless.

Verdict? I loved it. I will buy more for Chris to try. You can read more about viili here. And, if you come to Finland give it a try.

Women in the City: In L. Onerva's footsteps

On Tuesday Mari and I took the train to Helsinki. Mari translated Hesari for me as we headed east. One advertisement was a page devoted to a show at the Ateneum art museum about women in Helsinki in 1910- -100 years before our excursion. The provocative ad and the wet snow made the quick dash into Ateneum a desirable, last minute addition to our plans.

This exhibition is wonderful and if you plan to be in Helsinki this summer it is a must see. You can read about it here on the Books from Finland web site. While giving an overview of artistic life in Russian Helsinki, the focus is on women. Using the writings of L. Onerva, the show recreates life for the educated women that were part of the artistic force that helped form independent Finland.

The Finnish writer L. Onerva is the catalyst for the show. The art historian Anna Kortelainen has gathered Onerva's own work and sets it among the paintings and sculptures of the time. Onerva studied art history and her papers and post cards are displayed alongside the art she studied. With a light, humorous touch the exhibition pokes gentle fun at the study of art history by flashing the French rococo paintings on the wall by slide projector. Art in Dark!

Mari pointed out the humor in the display of Onerva's clothing. The pairs of shoes are slung over wire. Shoes hanging on wire can be found anywhere, but in Finland it is considered a sport.

Onerva wrote novels and more than a hundred thousand poems. She traveled and lived abroad as a single woman. She was also a translator. Onerva translated French literature into Finnish including Voltaire and Balzac. I have written previously about how little written Finnish there was outside of religious materials before Elias Lönnrot. Onerva is one of the people who contributed to the expanding body of Finnish literature.

Translators are necessary to bring the Finnish literary tradition to the non-Finnish world. We had lunch with Mari's friend, David Hackston, a translator with the skills needed to introduce Finnish literature to the world. I recently bought his book, The Dedalus Book of Finnish Fantasy, edited by Johanna Sinisalo. That is the link to Amazon! Here is a link to the publisher's web site. Wander around any bookstore in Finland and hope that the translators stay busy. There is a lot to read!

We visited some more museums in Helsinki, but ended our day in an Onerva way--with a glass of champagne at the Hotel Torni, the headquarters of the Allied Control Commission.

Sleepless in Suomi

The New York Times published a recent series on insomnia. I studiously avoided reading it because I cannot bear to feel sleep deprived. Today I was out of sorts from lack of sleep. There are probably many reasons for my trouble sleeping: coffee, chocolate, Chris' cough. But one shining reason is the sun. Remember my pictures of Sophia's school day starting in the pitch dark? Well that was back in January. Things are different here in May. The picture above was taken at 10:30 p.m. I didn't shut the curtains last night because I like to look at the sky. This morning I awoke some time after 4 with my room full of light though sunrise doesn't officially occur until 5. Tonight the curtains are closed and I understand why there are designer eye shades for sale in the museum gift shops.

The Flying Trunk

We were fortunate to have the opportunity to learn about Hans Christian Andersen on a recent trip to Copenhagen. To prepare for the trip Sophia and I read some of the fairy tales and I found them far more interesting than I remembered.

How is this for the ultimate tourist destination: The Pea Museum! Reread the "The Princess and the Pea". It ends with these sentences,
"The pea was put in a museum; you can go and see it for yourself if no one has taken it. There's a fine story for you!"

Rereading "The Emperor's New Clothes" made me very uncomfortable. How often have I been one of the courtiers, guilty of praising something that everyone else praises. The child's bold statement of the truth, "[h]e's got nothing on!" doesn't change a thing. The emperor, fearing the child may be right, carries on because to do otherwise would "spoil the procession."

Hans Christian Andersen is now a national icon in Denmark, but he was born in poverty in Odense in 1805. His father was a shoemaker and his mother washed clothes in the chilly river that ran through the town. Andersen had a mixture of pure gumption and self-doubt. It is said that he turned down a technical education provided by the Crown Prince because he believed he could make it on the stage in Copenhagen. He moved to Copenhagen at 14 and managed to succeed as a singer until his voice changed. With this post-pubescent set back, Andersen began a career as a writer of fiction, travelogues, and fairy tales.

The museum devoted to Andersen's life in Odense is wonderful. I could have spent a lot of time there. It is filled with artifacts including paper cuttings and collage done by Andersen. I was told the Queen of Denmark is quite accomplished at the art of collage as well. I enjoyed hearing about Andersen overstaying his welcome at the Dickens' house. He was apparently oblivious to all hints to leave.

By the way, we saw the Queen, accompanied by the President of Russia, in the Tivoli Gardens. It is nice to think that she relaxes with scissors and paper after a busy day as Head of State.

Pictures from the top:

The edition of the book of fairy tales that we have enjoyed.

HCA from Wikipedia

His trunk in the airport in Copenhagen with Sophia and Bob.

HCA in his trunk outside the ride devoted to his stories at Tivoli Gardens.

Statue in Odense

Outside the museum

Sophia and Chris outside the two room childhood home.

Neither a Borrower nor a Lender Be, unless you're a country in crisis!

Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.
Hamlet, Act I, Scene 3.

What would Polonius say about the crisis in Greece? The European Union will loan Greece 110 billion euros in an attempt to shore up the economy of Greece and lessen the impact of the economic crisis on other member nations.

This kind of borrowing and lending among nations may have been frowned upon by Polonius, but history has shown that at least one country has paid off such a debt and is rightly proud of that fact-of course, I could only be talking about Finland.

Did you know that Finland is the only country to have repaid the United States for loans made after WWI? You can read about this achievement here, but I will summarize.

After WWI there was starvation in Finland. The newly independent country borrowed 8 million dollars from the United States and, alone among the European borrowers, Finland continued to make payments of interest and principal during the depression of the 1930s.

During the 1930s Finland's debt repayment was big news in the US. You can read about it in the December 15, 1933 edition of the Milwaukee Journal or in the Palm Beach Daily News from March 9, 1969.

I wonder how many remember this history. I wouldn't know about Finland's history of debt repayment if Chris hadn't brought home the cartoon pictured above from the Fulbright conference in Tampere.

At the very top is our neighbor, known to us as "Whiskey's person". We are always delighted to pat Whiskey and we introduced Felice to his owner. He said to Felice, "You Americans love us, we pay our debts!" We didn't have the heart to tell him that the collective American memory isn't that long. So, I am retelling the history here. Pass it on!

2 Wheels beats 4 Wheels

In Copenhagen 37% of the population commutes by bike! The stream of bicycles is constant. Copenhagen provides a fleet of free City Bikes. You deposit a 20DKK coin in a slot and the bike is untethered. I was fortunate to find one of the City Bikes during morning rush hour and I joined the throng. This is probably the closest I will come to riding in the peloton. I hope Concord continues with the planned bicycle lanes. A bike friendly city is more attractive to residents and visitors.

May Day, Flag Day

Flags are flying today and balloons are bobbing in the air advertising every conceivable political party. Sophia, Chris and I headed out with a picnic into a cold, wet morning. Our first stop was the observatory hill where we perched on a rock outcrop and listened to a student band while well prepared pic-nicers spread out their water-proof blankets on the muddy ground. The Kokoomuus tent was pitched nearby. They are the National Coalition Party and one of the 3 largest parties in Finland.

After eating her chilly sandwich Sophia was ready to go home. Chris and I escorted her to the kauppatori and then doubled back to check out other Vappu celebrations.

We were given the New Testament in Finnish by a Christian group. Clutching that little red book we headed over to watch the communist vappu speeches. Suomen Kommunistinen puolue, the communist party, is not currently represented in parliament.

After a restorative latte we checked in on the Suomen Keskusta party gathering. The prime-minister, Matti Vanhanen, belongs to this party.

We saw more balloons across the river and went to hear a speaker with the largest attendance-the Vasemmistoliitto--the Left Alliance. The Green Party wasn't up and running, but we saw their balloons. After browsing in the kauppatori we ran into the Perussuomlaiset stage-the True Finns.

If I had a better grasp of Finnish I would be able to tell you more about these parties. I know there are some scandals in the leading parties. The communist party speaker referred to a sex scandal--I understood the Finnish there! The big issue for future elections is sure to be immigration, though I doubt any anti-immigration sentiment will reach the extremes of Arizona's new law.

P.S. The Green Party link is to a video that my husband finds amusing. The video includes the leader of the Green Party, Anni Sinnemäki.