carrot cake with santa

Let's begin with the polar express. I had highly romantised my ride on the polar express. Well, that wasn't actually the na,e of the train, I think it was 637 or something. Regardless, I was taking a night train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi, Finland. About 8 K from the city center one finds the official home of Santa...so, I was pretty convinced upon boarding my train that the headlights would startle some wolves in their tracks. We would wing Christmas carrols. Melted chocolate would coat my mouth for the extent of the ride. The conducter would stamp my eurial was atleast red and green ink-if not a holly leaf stamp. And perhaps he would be wearing something which resembled Hannah Anderson pajamas-a Christmas edition of couse.

Before my smoker roommate arrived I played cards on the stiff sheets of my bunk. I allowed my shoes to permiate the plastic walls of the small cubical. My vocals made attemps at Dar Williams and Tracy Grammer. Then my roommate arrived. She was rather old. We had a major cultural difference, or maybe it is just a personal difference. I am a modest person. She liked to sleep in only her underwear. She was a little flabby and didn't pull the blanket up snug around her neck. I guess nakedness is just a trend. Maybe Finland was trying to hint something at me...

Eventually, I decided that maybe I wasn't on the polar express. but, the train would arrive in a winter wonderland and Santa would be waiting there to lift all the good girls and boys up onto his lap. The minutes were gorwing nearer and nearer to our 8am arrival. I opened the rubber window blind and a dark, wet morning light pour into the small chambers. I put my Christmas glasses on and the world suddenly became oh so Christmasy. The factory lights turned into a flashing reindeer. The lot of dead trees were in fact Christmas trees. They looked similar to the tree of character from a few years back. the one coveyted by the nieghbors...the one we wrapped the spine in golden ribbon. That one. Except, all these ones had slightly less life in them. But, Christmas trees-right? Rovaniemi, Finland thrives on tourism. The month of October is the ''ugly'' month, the tourism magazine suggests one go to the spa and eat meat, good options for the buget and veggie traveler.

Talked to Santa, the real man. Have been in the artic circle. Pretended to see the northern lights. Bread cheese? Sour berries-couch surfing.

Love,
Claire