Hello again, mom!
Greetings from Herring Fair!
Helsingin Silakkamarkkinat (Herring Fair of Helsinki) is a tradition, which started latest at 1743, from which year are the oldest known documents about it.
The Fair lasts a week and takes part on the Kauppatori market square.
Both the square and the see in front of it is full of booths selling different fish products, because tens of boats are also turned into booths.
The boats come from everywhere along the finnish coast and the islands, and besides herring the are selling products from many other fish species too - salmon, sprat, northern pike and vendace.
They are selling traditional products, like smoked, salted and dried fish, but also more moders things - fishpickles and even herring pizza.
In bygone times fish was very important source of nutrition for the people living in Helsinki, but troughout wintertime the sea was on ice, which prevented the fishermen from coming to sell their fish into the town - so the townfolk was buing fish for the whole winter in the Herring Fair - mainly salted or dryed.
It was the opening day of the fair when we were there, and there was huge amount of people, lured out from their nests by the sunny weather.
In the opening they there was also a "herring jury" choosing the best products of the year.
How would you like to be in the herring jury, mom? Tasting about hundred herring products in few hours?
Thinking about that possibility there is one very good news for you: There is NO swedish sour herring sold here! Phew!
We were just walking amongst it all - watching people and the boats and the booths, and enjoying the sun and the smell of fish.
This boat is selling "leipää" - bread. Traditional "island bread", which is very dark and has triacle in it.
There was also another traditional bread called "kalakukko". Have you ever eaten that, mom? It is a rye bread, inside which is baked a whole bunch of vendaces.
We were listening for some time a hurdy-gurdy played by a blind man.
Some of the bigger boats were working as reastaurants. This old lighthouse ship named "Helsinki" is one of them.
The ship was also to be sold, can you imagine, mom?
Would I win a lottery I would turn it into a toyvoyager cruiser offering seats for plushy passangers! Ooo how that would be great! But sadly I don´t think I´ve that kind of luck. Although, being a toyvoyager is such an interesting life anyway, that it is all in vain to think about such things!
But even so.. can you imagine "Capten Josie I Great" navigating her lightship trough the seven seas?
I can!
Here is another restaurant ship.
Watching people to eat made us feel an emptines in our tummies..
So we sauntered to the restaurant area and bought a platefull of fried vendaces.
Here they are frying them.
Then we were devouring them.
Our stomachs full, we were still walking and burping and watching everything.
Then we came back home and ate some more.
I hope you´ve had good meals too!
See you soon! Hug from Josie!