The truth about Finnish weather

After a week of rain and darkness I can say that autumn is here.
Right here in front of my poor little eyes.

Today in Helsinki, 7:30 pm

Temperature wise, autumn in Finland will be the equivalent to Spanish winter, but much more dark and rainy. That means that while some Finnish people still walks around with sandals and socks I am already freezing to death in my "autumn" coat.

From my (Spanish) point of view, winter lasts pretty much from September to May. Therefore, Finland has the following seasons: Spring, winter, winter-winter and winter again.

And if the cold weather would not be enough for Finns (winter-winter temperature might be between -15ºC and -30 ºC), they also have a very funny thing regarding daylight differences between summer (a.k.a spring) and winter. Take a look to how many hours of light we get in Helsinki during the year:

So while in June you get around 20h of light, in December you get more or less the same amount of hours of darkness, sweet!
That basically means that you wake up in a cold (and probably rainy) morning while it's still DARK, go to the office to work... and by the time you get out from there, it is totally DARK again.
Cannot wait for it, really.

Now that you know (almost) everything you would ever need about Finnish weather, let's finish the post officially inaugurating the woolen socks season and wishing a great winter to everybody!!!

Related posts: 

• Finnish snow guide
• Finland is nice in summer

Copenhagen 1 - Helsinki 0

Last weekend I got a surprise trip to Copenhagen!
I have never been there before but I was expecting to find a pretty basic Northern city.
Instead I found this:

and this:

and even this:

I have to admit that Copenhagen has got all those things that are missing in Helsinki:

Good coffee (almost) anywhere

Bakeries in every corner

More bikes than cars

Porchetta 

If I cannot have a cat, I want a door that matches my coat

From now on, this is going to be the number one requirement when looking for new apartments.
I definitely need a door that matches my coat. Don't you?

So far I have found one in Copenhagen, but it would take quite a while to get to work if I go to live there.... so I have to keep on looking.
I know it is not going to be an easy task to find a turquoise door in the oh so grey Helsinki, but I have not completely lost faith in humanity (yet).

The sad thing is that when I was living in Italy, I actually had an apartment with all the doors painted with this beautiful color...

 ... but I had an orange coat back then. Life is so unfair sometimes.

(the color of my shoes did match the doors though!)

Can I go back to Italy now that I finally have the most perfect coat for my Italian doors?

Slow shopping in Valencia

Valencia, one more city to add to my slow shopping guide.
If you happen to go there, here are some of the must-visit stores around the historical center:


Madame Bugalú and the killer poodle

C/ de las Danzas, 3
I swear that is the real name of the store!

Bugalú 

C/ de los Derechos, 22
C/ de la Lonja, 6
Probably from the same owners than the previous one, they also have mens fashion in this one.

I bought a beautiful necklace from there, made by Manitas de Plata:

Kúbelik

C/ de los Derechos, 36
They got their own brand Yló, which is locally designed and produced.
Moreover, you will find a nice selection of other small fashion labels from all around the world.

Monki Shop

C/ Calatrava, 11
Lots of cute dresses! They also have children clothes and all kinds of accessories.

Rafael Solaz Library

C/ San Fernando, 7
One of the nicest libraries I have seen. Asides from the antique books, you will also find vintage jewels, curious objects and other random relics.

... and a lazy cat!

Riisipuuro

If you visit Helsinki and want to do something authentic, go to Hakaniementori and get a plate of riisipuuro from one of the market's outdoor cafes.

Riisipuuro is basically rice cooked in milk, a kind of porridge (like a Finnish version of the Spanish arroz con leche), served warm with a sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon.

from here

Autumn seems to be around the corner, and this is the ultimate breakfast for this time of the year... specially when it is dark and rainy like today.

For the ones that do not plan to visit Helsinki any time soon, here is the Riisipuuro recipe to try it out at home:

Riisipuuro recipe

Ingredients

2dl water
2 tsp butter
2 dl rice
1l milk
a bit of salt
sugar
cinnamon powder

Instructions

1. Put the water and butter to boil.
2. Add milk and rice.
3. Mix well* until it starts to boil.
4. Turn down the heat and mix until the boiling stops.
5. Add salt to taste.
6. Remove from the heat and serve while it's still warm.
7. Sprinkle each plate with sugar and cinnamon.

*Remember to mix all the way to the bottom, so that the porridge does not burn.

Cool stuff in Barcelona

No matter how many times I visit Barcelona (or how long I lived there), I always discover something new: a nice place to eat, some store with cute things, cupcakes, a hidden park to take a nap, etc.

So... I decided to start keeping track of all the cool stuff I come across in Barcelona.
Here you have the first batch of fresh findings from this summer, enjoy!

Cosmo bar

C/ Enric Granados 3
www.galeriacosmo.com

A very cool bar/art gallery to hang out for a while, they also organize workshops every now and then.
(Their smoothies are delicious!)

The kissing street

C/ dels petons 

A very tiny street with a super cute name, it definitely deserves a mention in here.
It is literally called "the street of the kisses".

One more name to add to my collection of romantic streets, together with the "Lovers Street" (Carrer dels Enamorats) and the "Love Street" (Carrer de l'Amor).

 

Real gelato

I found two new ice-cream places with authentic gelato:

Ottimo 

www.ottimogelats.com
Plaça de la vila de gràcia 15
(they probably make the best pistacchio ice-cream in Barcelona)

from here

Cremeria Toscana

C/ Muntaner 161
C/ Canvis Vells 2

Demasié cookies

C/ Princesa 28
www.demasie.es

If you are planning to pull off a breakfast in bed, this is a perfect place to buy a bag of really good cookies to go with the morning coffee.

... and in the case you get lazy, there is also the possibility to have breakfast in their cute cafe.

If I cannot have a cat, I want a Totoro wallet

I got this super fluffy Totoro wallet (gracias xurri!!!), so damn cute!

It is definitely going to be a good replacement for the cat I will never have, I can even cuddle it! (Totoro has the world's softest fur)

from here

Totoro makes me smile every time I take him out from my purse to pay for something.
Since the moment I got it, I just feel like buying stuff all the time!

Are you wondering who the hell is Totoro? You must watch this movie right now.

Have a nice weekend!

(I apologize for the sudden cuteness overload, cannot help it!)