Black Beauty

This is my bike. I got it this spring. It's a city bike, and quite big. I love it! It takes me to all those gorgeous places here in Helsinki.

Yesterday we rode around the city. I often fear to cause traffic-dangerous situation, because of all the staring around - so much to see! I haven't been to many cities, but am willing to bet that Helsinki is one of the prettiest in the world. Sometimes, it is hard to belive I live in this nice place. It also help to live in the centre of the city, where all the pretty is, and not in some dodgy suburbian area.

And here's my bike with a rather interesting kickstand. Photos are taken on Vappu (May 1), when we were having a breakfast picnic outside (as did the rest of the population of Finland).

Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme... or close enough

The lazy-evening food. When you don't feel like spending more than 10 minutes (and even that is when stretching it!) on dinner, or don't feel like turning on the oven. And hey, it's so hot in summer, who wants to turn on the stove at all.

All I used was

• some Finnish tomatoes (really red ones, not the vague pink-orange tomatoes that taste like nothing). Tomatoes from mum's greenhouse would beat everything, of course, if I was closer to the beforementioned greenhouse and if it was summer;
• a nice ball of your favourite/preferred mozzarella cheese. Mozzarella cherries are, naturally, even more convenient;
• a hearty handful of fresh basil;
• a few slices of milder kind of onion, or red onion;
• lots of pepper!;
• good olive oil.

Sometimes I also use lemon juice (just take a lemon and squeeze out as much juice as you like), or lime juice. But not too much, because lemon juice can be too dominating over other ingredients.

And a glass (or few :p) of nice cold white wine, or rosé, and that's pretty much a perfect dinner for those warmer/hot evenings :)

Welcome to my health track

Oh dear, it's been over two months. Bad me.

Today I took photos from my health track. The track runs around the bay (called Töölönlahti). In spring, the track is very pretty. Lots of trees, water, and other nice stuff. Since it's located in Helsinki city centre, it's also extremely popular and almost always well-populated.

But let's get going.

Entrance from Mannerheimintie (a very long roadway in the city). The bay can be seen behind the trees.

 Prunus padus, or bird cherry - what funny names this lovely tree has in English :) In Estonian, we call it toomingas and in Finnish, tuomi. It smells sooooo good.

View to the bay from the track. On the back, a bit to the left, can be seen the big Ferris wheel of Linnanmäki amusement park. I wrote about the scary rides at Linnanmäki in here. Yes, I definitely prefer looking at that place from safe distance :p

The path continues. Some fancy-pancy climbing-and-turning spots have been built for the health-conscious citizens of Helsinki. There are three similar spots on the track and these were built in like... a week, maybe, very recently. It is nice to see city showing care to health and well-being.

Moving on, we arrive to the bridge that crosses the narrow side of the bay. On the right run train tracks. I love trains! Often wave to them as they go by. It may be weird, but I don't care.

                                                                      Up the hill we go.

Garden of someone living by the bay. It may be a dream place for many, but to be honest, I am not sure I'd feel too good in a place where hundreds of runners, walkers and cyclists walk very close by your house every day. Not to mention there is probably never much privacy in such a garden. Except maybe when it's really lousy weather. But who wants to chill in their yard then, anyway.

 Blue Cafe / Sininen Kahvila. Perfect - coming from a run (or bike ride), hop in and order a coffee and a tasty pastry product... err, maybe not. (There's also an ice cream kiosk on the track in one location - so far I have managed to ignore it, but not sure how much longer.)

House in the woods. It's hard to tell now, since the green stuff is on the way, but it's a pretty amazing wooden house. More like villa, actually. There are about five of such wooden buildings around the track here, and they look absolutely fabulous. I don't know from what period of time they are from, but I'd guess they are pretty old.

The prettier parts of the track. In spring and summer, it is so nice here.

                                                                    Forget-me-nots :)

                                Tulip / tulp / tulppaani. Internationally understandable flower.

 By now, the path has turned back towards the city and roadway. Bay to the left, Opera theatre approaching from the right.

Finnish National Opera in the background. The design of the building is failed, if to express modestly. In short, it looks like a Soviet-era hospital. It's covered with white squared tiles that look like they belong to someone's bathroom (definitely not mine, though). I don't know what they were thinking back in 1993 when completing this building. Having said that, it is nice to hear those sopranos and tenors practice while you run past the house. Gives kind of a syrrealistic touch to the whole moment.

A group of ladies practicing boxing. I guess modern women are not into frying pans and rolling pins anymore?

Two locals of the bay. I suspect the left one is checking out the right-hand swan's bottom :p

That's it, folks. Time to return to the civilization - to trams, shops, and everyday stress. Back to the health track tomorrow! :)