Free Newspapers

Everytime I approach the tube in the afternoon, I am besieged by people giving away one of two free newspapers. There is also a morning newspaper, although you have to take this yourself. These newspapers are some of the worst I've read - even worse than Vancouver Province. On most days the top story involves Madeline McCann's parents. A few days ago the front page trumpeted the fact that her mother planned to get a job in a daycare. Who cares? My favorite story was about a house in South Korea - shaped like a toilet. Despite the inane content in these newspapers, for some fascinated with mediocrity, they are an excellent read. And they certainly give a perspective into what people must like reading. I mean, the Madeline McCann is the top story everyday, people must enjoy reading about her. I prefer real news, of course, but I will still pick up the free newspapers when I can.

Bill Clinton

This happened a couple of weeks ago, on October 4th. I went to Hatchard's on the 3rd to pick up a signed copy of Ian Rankin's newest book for my mother. On my way there, I walked past the giant Waterstone's nearby, and saw in the window that Bill Clinton would be coming tomorrow (Thursday) for a book signing at 11:30 AM. I didn't really have anything to do the next day, as my course didn't start until Friday, so I thought about how many opportunities in my life I would have to meet Bill Clinton, and realized that this was probably it. I decided to go. I left Karl's a 9:00, and got to the Waterstone's shortly after 9:30. There was already a huge lineup. About an hour later, the line started moving as people began entering the store. It turns they shut down the entire store for this event. I had to buy my book on the first floor, empty my pockets and leave all my stuff on the second, and wait in another line on the third floor. Thankfully, as I was surrounded by books, waiting in this lineup was not boring. Eventually at around 11:30, a flurry of activity took place a distance away from me. I only see camera flashes, and on my tip-toes could see someone with white hair. The line slowly moved forward. Finally, at about 12:30, I came in sight of the man. Being laft-handed, he signed the book while simultaneously shaking the person's hand. He was very nice, if you attempted to make conversation with him, he would respond. When it was my turn, he thanked me for coming and I thanked him for signing my book, and that was that. I left the store, with a signed book I have no interest in reading. But, the experience was well worth it.

Rocket

Every time I've visited Britain in the past and gone to the restaurant, I have always been mystified by the ever-present 'rocket' vegetable on the menu. What is this mysterious leaf vegetable? We certainly did not have it in Canada. While I have known for a long while about the Canadian equivalents of Courgette and Aubergine - Zucchini and Eggplant, Rocket was something I thought I would never find out the Canadian word for. Since starting my course, I have found other weirdly named vegetables. A rutabega is known in Britain as a 'swede,' okra is called 'Lady Fingers' and a Daikon is called a 'mooli.' It's weird that we cook with Daikon at all, but strangely enough, we have cooked Daikon in most of our practicals. I suspect that this is because on a weight to price basis, it is one of the cheapest vegetables. Finally, a few days ago during the salad demonstration, the chef brought out 'rocket' and said it was also known as arugula. Finally, my conundrum has been solved, and I will no longer be scratching my head when I see rocket on a menu.

Britsh Supermarkets

Since arriving in London, I've done a fair bit of shopping at supermarkets. In Hampstead, the only 'supermarket' isn't really a supermarket at all, but a very small Tesco Express. These small supermarkets, usually Tescos are Sainsbury's, are all over London. Perhaps because there is more space in Canada, such a concept does not exist. Nearly all the supermarkets are large and have a giant parking lot to go with them. In order to go to a proper supermarket, I have to walk fifteen minutes to Finchley Road, or else take the tube to Camden Town. At each of these locations there is a large Sainesbury's. While the size may be similar to most Canadian markets, the British ones are simply better in every way. The food they sell is of higher quality and is presented in an appealing way. I would never buy a salad at Safeway, because they look disgusting. However, the Sainesbury salads look delicious. Perhaps the best thing about the supermarkets here is the lack of lineups. There are tons of people working at the checkout stands, they are allowed to sit down, and they seem to be happy. There are a few strange things about the supermarkets, such as wrapping every single vegetable in plastic and not refrigerating eggs, but these are merely oddities. Overall, shopping in London is not an unpleasant experience.

More posts!

I have received a request to begin posting on my blog again, so that's what I will do. However, the nature of my posts will be different from the ones I did during my travels. These were basically a description of the day. Since much of the day here is quite mundane, I will skip over it, and only talk about things that hold some interest for me and (I hope) readers.

Helsinki

I got up at 6:30 and made it to the ferry by 7:15. While they said I should be there by 7:30 we didn't board until 7:50. I could have stayed in bed for longer. The ferry was very nice, and much better than the BC ferries which I am so used to. It only took an hour and a half to get to Helsinki. Since I didn't have a book that covered Helsinki, I immediately went to the tourist office to get a map and ask about what to do. Thankfully, the ferry port was just a few minutes from the office, and I found it without difficulty. At the office, I got a map, a transit pass, and some ideas on what to do. The lady there suggested a take a tram that went on circle around the city, and gave me a guide as to what I was seeing. I took the tram and got off after a few minutes after I saw a shop selling maps. I went in and looked at their selection, but they really only had Nordic maps, which I am uninterested in. After this short stop, I hopped back on the tram and continued my tour of Helsinki. I wasn't sure what to expect in Helsinki, but it is actually a very nice city full of lots of neo-classical buildings, islands and bodies of water. I next stopped at the Olympic stadium where I went to the top of the tower. I only knew about this from the Amazing Race, where the contestants did the same thing, except had to rappel down from the top. I hopped back on the tram and returned where I started. While food in Helsinki is expensive, the lunch specials at various restaurants are not. I had a very nice lunch at a Mexican restaurant for six euros. When I had finished, I looked at the ferry schedule to Suomenlina, the island fort. Since I had nearly an hour before it went, I decided to look around the stores. I ended up in department store that had a big sale on and bought some pants and a shirt there. The ferry to Suomenlina took about fifteen minutes and was very picturesque. The island fort's nickname is the 'Gibraltar of the North,' and it was hotly disputed in its history between the Russians, Swedes, British and others. Apparently its building was what spurred the development of Helsinki itself, which had just been a fishing village prior to the fort's construction. The fort is located on a four islands linked by bridges. I spent a couple of hours there and especially enjoyed a movie that discussed the fort's history. I was quite tired by this time, and relaxed on the ferry ride back. I stopped for coffee in a cafe, and managed to check the internet while there. Since first seeing a Hesburger restaurant in Riga, it had been my goal to eat at Finland's answer to McDonald's. I searched for quite a while in the downtown area and could not find a single location! This is despite having seen a lot of them on the tram ride. Not wanting to get back on the tram, I settled for a Chinese restaurant in the mall. It's great that in Finland, everyone speaks English. I had no communication issues at all. I got back to Tallinn at around 9:00, and packed up all my stuff in anticipation of leaving the next day.

Tallinn - Day 2

I checked out of the hostel, but left my luggage there while I went to the bed & breakfast office to find out where I was staying. On my way of the hostel, I ran into the two Australians again, who were heading to the airport. We walked past the Indian while heading out, and I waved at him. I was too busy to go and talk to him. I got my information from the bed & breakfast, and then went to the ferry terminal to buy a return ticket to Helsinki for the next day. It was very expensive, costing me about $75. I headed back to the hostel, collected my luggage, and headed to the apartment of the lady who I was staying with. She lived in an oldish building about fifteen minutes out of the old town. Not the best location, but it was close to the port. The lady, a Russian, spoke no English, but we managed to communicate. I spoke more Russian than she did English. My accommodations were basic, but adequate. I went to have lunch at the same dumpling place I went to yesterday. Afterwards, I headed to tower that the guidebook mentioned had a torture museum. I bought a ticket and was told to wait outside. At 1:00 a tour began to the barricade tunnels, the fortifications surrounding Tallinn. Although I had no idea I had purchased a ticket for this tour, it was excellent. The tour guide, an old lady with excellent English was very funny and told us all these weird facts. I did not know that Pushkin was 1/8th black for example. She also told us a long story about how thieves had broken into the tunnels and stolen everything from the tunnels made from metal to sell it for scrap. When I had finished the tunnels, I went to Kadriorg Palace, a palace built for the Tsars that had been converted into an art museum. The museum was small, but interesting, and the chateau that it was within was also very nice. There was a nice park surrounding the chateau that I walked through. By this point it was time for dinner, so I headed to the old town looking for a reasonably priced place to eat. After looking without success for half an hour, I ran into the Indian guy again, who was sitting out on a terrace. I sat with him and complained about the high cost of food. He kindly offered to buy me dinner, which I accepted. He is an interesting person, having been a banker in the past. I think that it would be a good career to get into, and he said that my history degree should not be an obstacle. After dinner, I went to a cafe, ordered a cafe and a drink and read for a bit before returning to my room and retiring for the day.