Frosted Finland and yummy foods

In Israel, it was +18 degrees. (Hotter in the south of course.)

In Finland, it is -18 degrees.

That’s a crazy 36 degrees temperature difference.

Not only is my nose freezing, but also my snot. Every time I step outside, it’s like a slap to the face.

Luckily, all my proper heavy-duty winter clothes are here, so the rest of me (besides exposed areas like my cheeks) survives comfortably.

The landscape is very frosty looking. Everything outdoors is coated with frost and white snow. The sun rises and sets at lazy hours, and the orangey-pink sky is a beautiful contrast against the ground. The frozen birch trees stand out against the almost black pine trees, and the charcoal grey road trundles through this landscape. I will try to take a photo tomorrow.

The frost looks quite funny in some places. It sticks up in little “hairs” on top of the snow, so it is almost looks like the most delicate, white fuzzy moss.

When my airplane was landing, I observed a milky white mist pouring over a little sea. It was very much confined to one area and looked as out of place as the smokescreen on a movie set. It was as though someone had tossed a batch of liquid oxygen into the landscape.

I never really realized that so many shades of grey could be so attractive when layered over each other.

We went food shopping today, and I managed to fill the basket with so many things I have been missing in Israel: proper dark rye bread that I can tear into with my teeth, rosehip viili, … Fazer’s “Blue” milk chocolate… 
I realize now that I forgot to get karjalan piirakka (Carelian pastry), but there is still time. I also look forward to some proper salmon eggs with smetana (sour cream) and chopped onion on toast. And of course, the Christmas ham.

Yesterday we ate elk-soup. Delicious. And today I had my first cup of glögi. Unfortunately, it had gotten cold, but its pleasant flavor promised more to come.