Restaurantday, final part

Continuing from the previous post on the Restaurantday, a bit more photos from that day.

Moving on from Esplanadi to Aleksanterinkatu there were a few stalls selling food here as well. Peasoup in one of them..

Towards Kamppi there were more restaurants. Foods ranging from Taiwanese and thai to pancakes and cupcakes as well as chocolate chip cookies. The weather was starting to get even more miserable with the fog changing towards foggy rain.

Different styles, different approaches to selling food. Excellent hot chocolate from the guys in the lower photo.

This was a stall selling Asian vegetarian food.

A bit of Kebab for you,sir? These guys seemed to be having a blast.

The last place to visit as the weather was getting more and more miserable.

Excellent pancakes! Made on the spot on a gas stove. The fillings tasted good! There was even cloudberry in the one I chose. Great job!

Snow!

First snow

So, Southern Finland finally got her first snow of the winter. The word would be of course, finally, as last year the winter started oh, about two months earlier. So with almost a snap of the fingers the weather changed from dark, wet and relatively warm (+8 celsius) to around -10 with first snow on the ground as well. Positively, there is more light now and that has a very invigorating effect.

Here are a few snaps just after the snow came. If you have followed my blog for a while you can see how dark and wet it has been earlier.

As is obvious from the photos, there is not a lot of snow as of yet. But still rather nice, albeit I do not like if the temperature drops too low. At the moment its more a case of how you clothe yourself..

A lot of trees fell down in the last storm of the autumn.

More tk.

Outdoors

Christmas is closing in. Winter is upon most of the land, but the Helsinki region still is dark and bleak. Half an hour away and what you get is this:

Not a lot of snow by any means, but still what one would call winter.

This rock seemed to be split in two, somehow interesting.

Birch trees have a beautiful cover. A very common tree in most of Finland. The ones in Lapland are quite small though.

Enjoy the week end everyone, be safe!

Winter

is here, at last.. Well sort of..

Helsinki still is dull in shades of grey and black, but snow is slowly easing ever so nearer. The neighboring countryside already has a bit of snow.

Foggy sunset

Sun sets and as the last rays of light still give light an eerie fog rises from a frozen lake. All is still and not a sound to disturb the peace. Moments in life to remember and to share with loved ones.

Frozen world

As the weather has stayed pretty constantly below zero the land is all frozen up and the sea around Helsinki is nicely frozen as well.

The only open spots of water like this are full of birds and life.

The sun does not visit the sky for long and reaches its low zenith (this pic taken around noon) only to sink back down. It stays quite bright for a bit longer as the sea and the snow now reflect the light.

Old villas serve as either living quarters for the wealthy or as museums or restaurants.

This Café was closed for the day and I continued towards the sea. A small cup of tea or hot chocolate would have been nice to warm me up but alas it was not meant to be.

Summer cottage beside a national museum area.

To the south Lauttasaari and the frozen sea in between and beyond it. Skiers, walkers, dogs, all were merrily moving around and enjoying the outdoors life.

The large hospital is renovated and stands as a huge boxy landmark in Meilahti.

A chance encounter with a rather nice little dog and its owners left me with a couple of fun dog pictures. The coat is necessary with the temperature hovering near -25 centigrade.

Olympic rowing was done pretty much under my feet in the summer games of 1952.

This boat however won’t be going anywhere for a while, being frozen into the sea.

One of the nicest small cafes you can visit in Helsinki is located nearby. Exceptionally good buns and a lovely atmosphere await the visitor.

Cafe Regatta is very small inside but refreshments can be enjoyed outside as well. There is also a possibility to grill sausages Finnish style in the fire outside.

Traditional sleigh for kids and adults alike.

Morning mist

Morning mist rises as the city wakes and starts to bustle like a warren. Soft snofall forms a misty atmosphere.

Bohemian waxwing

Winter has arrrived here in Helsinki. The first snow has drifted gently down and as the temperature has not risen back to the positive side of the scale some of the snow has actually stayed around.

Bohemian waxwings are a lovely species of birds which can now be seen around in small or big hosts of birds. They eat the berries still in trees.