December began

Our third winter is on its way. Our third Santa parade was by the end of November. For the third time we are waiting for the first snow. Oh, actually there was a bit of white yesterday evening, but it melted already. Now I am preoccupied with thoughts about Tomek's future day care, about Wanda's future school and about my eventual future work, oh, and of course as always, about our future moving apartment. For each of those things there is still time, but it runs fast and I need to make plans in advance. But in a meantime our little son started walking and is even more cute than before. So I enjoy as much as I can that precious time with him knowing it will be gone so soon and in two years he will be a full time kindergarten kid and never again this cute little toddler. This winter will be again so different from the last year and the two years before. Easier I hope, kids are bigger. I am more relaxed. Knowing the city even better. Knowing more and more people. Being busy. Yes, too busy with I don't know what that I still didn't get any Christmas decorations! Nor any gifts for my parents who are coming for the holidays. But I'm getting better with baking goodies. Recently I've made my first hallah. It was surprisingly easy. Thanks to my perfect food processor making a yeast dough is a piece of cake. And it was delicious and beautiful. I'm going to repeat it. I would give you a link to a web page, but it was in Polish, so not for all the readers. Anyway I'm going to repeat it. Best right from the oven when still warm. We ate it too fast and no pics were taken. 

Lapland

If you ever thought about spending summer in Finland go to Lapland. And go there in September. In this time there is an Indian Summer there or what they used to call it here: Ruska. We went there on a second week of September and we had a gorgeous weather and colors. We went to Saariselka region which is right at the entrance to the Urho Kekkonen National Park. The park is huge, something like 150 km across. How to get there? Best by plane, you can take one up to Ivalo and you are right there (plus a short bus trip). We took one to Rovaniemi because of course having kids obligates you to visit Santa. But I liked it too. I mean, there was no season for Santa of course, so his village was sort of empty and asleep with some lost Japanese tourists wandering around. But Santa Claus is there all year round and is happy to see the kids. My kids were amazed by him. Wanda was brave enough to speak to him in English, Tomek was brave enough to crawl by himself up to Santa's huge boots. I guess in the kids eyes there is some magic out there, the house, the interior, all like in an old fairy tale, like from the good old times. But there was one funny thing - they have actually more then one Santa Claus! And we discovered it on the second day. When we arrived in the afternoon, right after having late lunch we went to see Santa in his home. This is what they told us - that there was his home or office, whatever. But the next morning before we left we went for a walk around the whole village and we visited him in his second home - a big house. I was sort of surprised that when Santa saw us for the second time, he didn't say anything about the fact. And with not so many people visiting the place he should have remember us! So I was suspicious :) And when we were walking back to our cottage I saw the welcoming sign saying "visit Santa in his office". Ahah! So, that's the trick. One guy is in the house, the other in the office. But I don't think it's fair for the kids. Anyway, we left his village and we headed up North! North from the Arctic Circle! Lapland is perfect for long walking, hiking, biking, runing. I loved the colors. Red, orange, yellow and blue - the sky. And the reindeers! They really walk along the way, so you must be careful while driving. But maybe instead for writing I will attach some pictures.

Santa visited us again :)

Unfortunately the weather was awful that Sunday afternoon - grey and rainy... but still we tried to appreciated that special event :)