Rob Masters

We started bright and earlyish despite the 1:45 fire alarm, and got ourselves checked out, and our bags dropped off at the train station. A visit to the postoffice to send some goodies home, and then it was off to the Finlayson Building to seek out the Spy Museum. Sadly (but perhaps unsurprisingly) photography is not permitted there. Some really stunning exhibits, and extraordinary stories, along with some very cool interactive displays. There was also a whole bunch of displays that are better off not being interactive - like the prussic acid ring! After, we had a nice picnic lunch, overseen by one of the local sparrows, who collected their due in crumbs. A gentle walk back through the city and a rest at the train station and then it was off to Turku. The trains here are really nice - even a relatively short intercity trip has a snack trolley, and the longer (more than 2 hours) have a full kiosk car. With multiple GF options, and even GF hot snacks! It was a bit of a walk to the SS Bo...

So we arrive in Turku to discover there is a a tall ships race in town. And the boats move on tomorrow. This was shot on the STS Pogoria, a Polish vessel. The rest were shot on shore at actions points along the harbour.

Check out the whole collection. http://not.pulpcovers.com/post/163253787184/zaforas-the-weird-adventures-of-tintin-by-h

So yesterday... The day before yesterday, we'd picked up some 'bread cheese' (Leipäjuusto) from the Kauppahalli, on the recommendation of a discussion here about 2-3 years ago when I mentioned having Gjetost for breakfast. Leipäjuusto is a cooked curd cheese - fresh, not aged {a bit like Haloumi}, although it can be dried for long-term storage. The traditional way to serve it is to cut thin slices and dunk them into black coffee. You can also grill or otherwise heat it, and serve with cloudberry jam or fresh berries. We zapped ours, and dunked chunks in our white coffee - and did we have a moment. The salty cheesieness of the Leipäjuusto soaked in the bitterness of the coffee, and created a flavour that was just about divine. And yes, it squeaks when you bite into it - leading to the other common name, of `squeeky cheese`. We will be looking for this again, and probably trying to hunt down a source in Perth. Our little moment there was a worthy prelude to the remainder of t...

Well that was exciting. Hotel just evacuated due to fire alarm. False alarm. At 1:30AM. 😔

Text tomorrow. You get photos for now. Vapriikki Museum is awesome! https://photos.app.goo.gl/TPvuyU4oBNzeouEF3

Universale (The Possibility of Failure Has Been Reduced Close to Zero) A work by the ROP collective, and a part of the Finlayson Art Area exhibition in Tampere. A free exhibit, funded by the City of Tampere, they even allow photography, which means I can share this with you. http://www.rop.fi/ROP.html

Again though, SF&F and Jokes came close runners up. Via a friend elsewhere. http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2017/07/17/doctor-who-we-regret-to-inform-you-that-you-are-still-legally-a-man/?utm_source=PNFB&utm_content=ND

Thunderstorm brewing over Tampere

T+3 Days. The dry hotel air is really disagreeing with me - I had another headache/migraine combo today. Today was going to be museum day, but instead the main achievement was making it to Kauppahalli - a popular and well known food market. There are two GF bakeries there, and an amazing cheese shop. We may have indulged a little at all three. An early morning excursion to try and relieve my sinuses netted us some lovely shots, but the real prizes came in the afternoon, with a looming thunderstorm over the city, and some great produce shots in the Kauppahalli. Tomorrow, the museums for sure!

Our room at the Omena Tampere.

T+2 and the third day straight of travelling. We got up early with headaches, and went in search of coffee. And failed, so back to the hotel for a stunning breakfast. A bit later we tried to find the makers of Eclipse, and got within 50m but with 6 levels above us, we ran out of time, and had to head back to check out. After checking out, we revisited Mari's Smoothies for a great lunch, followed by a trip to the train station for our ride to Tampere. We have three days here, so we get to relax a bit. We are in an Omena hotel - so cut rate, they don't have a reception! You do everything online! And all the locks and doors are key-coded! Still, they have a microwave and kettle, and a fridge, so that's a bonus. Tomorrow we get to do some sightseeing!

Via catty _big​. The consolidator link chosen, as it has translations. Originally shared by Claytonian JP Japanese Illustrator Turns Life’s Awkward Yet Totally Relatable Moments Into Ukiyoe-Style Drawings – grape http://grapee.jp/en/84677

Mari's Smoothies and Cafe is an absolutely wonderful place for a note, down by the harbour at Helsinki. And everything is GF!