Rönttöset and Rachel's last day in Finland

On March 17th we took a tasty journey to the world of eastern Finland's traditional foods.

These are rönttöset, rye crust pies filled with sweetened mashed potatoes and lingonberries. They are very popular in the region of Kainuu where the city of Kajaani is located.

We took Rachel to the post office and set her on her way to Japan.

Have a safe journey, sweet & cuddly Rachel!! <3

Kajaani Castle

Hello!

Fred, Prajna, Rachel and our newcomer Bossa-Nova visited the ruins of Kajaani castle, an old fort from the 1600's. It was very exciting! Steep staircases, dungeos, thick stone walls... (:
Here, see for yourself:

Chillin' out (:

A weekend in Kuhmo wih Rachel and Prajna, part 1

The 7th of March.

Town tour!

This statue represents traveling salesmen ("laukkukauppias") who were a familiar sight in the late 1800's and early 1900's Finland, especially in the eastern regions of rural Finland. These men came from Karelia which is these days a part of the Russia federation. They spent months on the road during autumn and wintertime, carrying big rucksacks full of clothes, textiles and other smaller yet useful items. Traditionally they walked from house to house and stayed overnight in places they got customers from.

Sunkissed (: