Another sunset

Here's the sunset on November 28th, near its 3:25 official time. We are at 6 hours 35 minutes of daylight, whereas most of you have about 9 hours and 25 minutes. It's hard to gauge the time in the evenings and we tend to want dinner too early. Just a few more weeks of these shortening days. Hibernation is tempting. Gerald is resisting the cave tonight though, out bowling (!) with his coworkers.

That jet in the picture looks to be heading straight for the North Pole.

Museu Serralves, Porto

We are back in Helsinki, arriving at 2am Thursday with an inch of snow to greet us, which was a huge contrast to how I had spent the previous day, touring the contemporary art museum and grounds in Porto - the Museu Serralves. I didn't even need a jacket and I was just awed by the beauty this park right within the city.

Serralves garden

Here are more pictures from the garden, including a Claes Oldenburg trowel sculpture, a school project of container gardens, and the working farm with a school group.

Porto houses

Here are some of manor houses I saw on the main boulevard in Porto, such a contrast to the empty shell of a building posted here, also on the main boulevard. The old church features the azulejos tilework typical to the area - you'll notice some on the manor houses too. And here also is an Art Deco storefront in the historic center area. Some buildings of that era have been maintained very well, including cafes I'll need to catch on a future visit. We were too busy being wined and dined by Gerald's company - one night having a private port cellar tour and then a dinner in their dining room too - quite an elegant evening.

We're at day 5 of our trip to Porto, Portugal, and we've luckily had unusually nice weather, according to the 'tripe-eaters'. That's what the Porto denizens call each other given it's a local delicacy, so hopefully it's not too rude for me to use the term too. I haven't had the tripe yet and probably won't, but I've had lots of nice grilled fish, and we were amused to watch a little girl eating a little octopus (served whole) a few nights ago, obviously a perfectly normal dinner for her. It's a confusing city of great opulence beside sad decrepitude. It seems the really old buildings in the center of town are often abandoned as people opt for more modern housing and there are many shells of buildings everywhere. We did go up the coast and find a wonderful beachside community - Foz do Douro - and it's as nice as can be with a long seaside park and cafes right on the beach, some with couches and also lights on the surf at night. Gerald loved the rugged rocks and there were sandy beaches too. Further up the coast was the main port and unfortunately some factories spurting dark smoke at regular intervals, but it wasn't pervasive into Porto - I don't think. The pace is very nice - people don't speak English all that much but with sign language and rusty Spanish, we're easily making our way.

We won't have time to explore up the Douro Valley (the New York Times ran an article in Sunday's paper on this area's wine-making, which was fun to read sitting just downriver) but that is certainly a future trip for us as we do find this area intriguing. Gerald was in heaven on Friday when we went for lunch to the Taylor & Fladgate Port warehouse across the river for a tour of the warehouse and then a first class lunch. He could even have a Cuban cigar with his tawny port, right at the table - yes it's that different here. So - see how he just fits right in?









We were very surprised to hear Finnish instead of Portugese as a young couple were seated near us - we chatted a bit as they left and they were very pleased to welcome us to Finland, while in Portugal. We left Finland just after the school shooting tragedy and it was such a shock to everyone in the country, so quite a sad time there. They all lit candles in their windows as condolences the night afterwards and I was sorry to miss participating in that.

We are enjoying a reprieve from the Helsinki weather as Gerald's boss called today and said it was snowing and raining there. I was out in a sweater this afternoon, and had to use sunscreen yesterday. It's chestnut days in Porto and there are sellers roasting them on the streets this week - an event marking autumn here.
I'll add more posts with pictures now.

Here are three pictures from the beach community just north of the city center - Foz do Douro, plus one of a small cafe where we had dinner in the center, the first night in town.

Here are boats on the river from the walkways on the bridge and beside the river, plus one of Gerald with the port warehouses in Gaia behind him. Gaia is just across the river from Porto. Then a rooftop shot from the bridge. That was quite an exhilarating walk.

Bom dia de Porto!

Here are pictures from our first visit to Portugal, and to the Taylor warehouses across from Porto in Gaia. We had to walk up a stone street to get there. The cask markings are Arabic in origin and the top one is based on how much a woman could carry in a bottle on her head - something like that - and the other is how many cart loads - ask Gerald - he'll do the math for you. It was very fragrant in that warehouse - and I wondered about the effects of osmosis. And those are lemons I found in their gardens.

Helsinki at noon

It's starting to look very different up here! We did turn our clocks back one hour last Saturday night so we are now considered to be in winter. Here's a view at noon on November 2nd, looking down our street at a new sports dome they just put up last month, and yes, that bright object low in the sky is the sun.

Notice the long shadows of the trees and in the canal shot. By 4:30 (16:30) the sun is past the horizon and by 5pm (17:00) we are mostly dark. The dome was a suprise when I returned from the US. Previously there were old modular school buildings in that spot. Over a few days right after we moved in, they were disassembled and carted away, and the very next day they had already laid sod and kids were playing sports - not a moment wasted to repurpose the space. I'm guessing they will use the dome this winter for indoor play but they are still clearing the area around it now. It's starting to sound really different too - the wind from the sea was slamming the building last night and was still pretty strong early this morning, when I left to teach my first English conversation class. And yes, I have now passed over the frustrating hurdle of being trained for a job but not yet having experience when all postings require it.

One custom new to me is the use of small reflectors - they are actually required for people walking around after dark and you see them strung onto purses and backpacks. Reflectors were created by a Finnish farmer, though his purpose was to locate his livestock. I got myself a Moomintroll version yesterday. The Moomintrolls are charming and very popular children's book characters from a Finnish series that I found years ago in New York for Claire back when she was small. They have a whole theme park here too but it sounds overly commercial - the books are great though.

At least we have brilliant sunshine today - it really helps. And it's currently 45F which must be the high for today. We keep getting warned about the weather to come so we do wonder - I'm hoping life in Michigan and Utah has prepared us to some extent. They are forecasting flurries tomorrow - but Kaliecia already beat us with snow in SLC weeks ago. Our apartment, like most here, is very well insulated with double windows and doors and is often a bit too warm, as are stores and other public buildings, but it seems a preference to be warm and cozy (big concept here) inside to conteract the chill outside. And just as we begin to acclimate now, we'll be off to Portugal to confuse ourselves further. I'm not complaining!

[3:30pm update - the sun has very gradually lowered but has moved due west so we have sideways sun this time of year! Luckily our apartment has lots of windows facing west so we get a good deal of light - so far anyway.]