Finland. Third instalment. (Not one for vegetarians.)

I ended my last entry, as I was being called for dinner.  That was a very interesting experience.  I had tried reindeer meat (to the disdain of some readers; I know and apologise) for the first time here in Tampere and saw it again on the menu for dinner that evening.  I recalled that the presentation and taste were exceptional and did not mind at all having some more of this gravadlax-pastrami hybrid.

It turned out to be nothing of the sort!  I was presented with a brick of unseasoned, potentially reconstituted and perhaps falsely-labelled meat (protein) on a bed of partially mashed yet as equally unseasoned potato (carbohydrates)… the representatives from the vegetable family that normally make an appearance in the form of fresh vegetables had their understudy gherkins fill in for the occasion.

Needless to say I politely played with my food and left the vast majority for the pigs.

On a better note, yesterday’s conference sessions were great.  I attended sessions on employees’ psychological contracts and the experiences of a select population of doctoral students and supervisors.  Their experiences were real eye-openers - from admissions of having made life-long friends (between supervisor and supervised) to stories of never-ending conversations based on exchanging and enriching ideas… quite inspiring really, especially having heard it said with such sincerity and joviality.

Last night saw the last of the social events scheduled in as part of the conference, where the party of (after a few in the hotel bar!) particularly merry researchers took a boat to nearby Viking Island in the Pyhäjärvi (poo-ai-yahr-vee) for dinner and socialising.  …and I can assure you this time, with filet of a record-breaker salmon and fresh vegetables on the menu, that the cuisine was certainly up to scratch!

Tomorrow, after another day in Helsinki, we’ll be on our way home and should arrive back in blighty before dinner time.

: )