Into the Unknown.

Photo by Janne.

Into the Unknown

Led through the mist,

By the milk-light of moon,

All that was lost, is revealed.

Our long bygone burdens, mere echoes of the spring,

But where have we come, and where shall we end?

If dreams can't come true, then why not pretend?

Oh how the gentle wind,

Beckons through the leaves,

As autumn colors fall.

Dancing in a swirl,

Of golden memories,

The loveliest lies of all,

The loveliest, lies of all.

Don't miss these delicacies!

Guys did you know what's going on at Ingólfstorg at the moment? YUMMY FOODS THAT'S WHAT. 

Yesterday the SO sent me a message about someone selling baklava on Ingólfstorg and I literally jumped on the next bus heading downtown. As you may have somehow guessed I live in Breiðholt, I just get pretty serious about baklava - but what I found there was even better.

Two large tents full of nomnoms. They'll be there only until Friday this week so schedule yourself accordingly if you want to go get some. When I visited one of them - the white one - they didn't have a card paying option but there's an ATM about 10m away so that was not really a problem.

Let's have a look at some of the goods!

First of all my great weakness, baklava. It's almost impossible to get in Iceland and when you do find some it's nearly always kinda... old. These ones above however are crispy and yummy annnd well I bought three but I may have to go buy more. I'm that much in love with baklava.

If you've never tried it I agree it may look unusual, but don't let that stop you. Baklava is made of thin, crunchy layers of filo with nuts and honey/syrup. These ones also had a mild taste of cinnamon in them which I loved. It's a bit messy to eat. :D It's extremely sweet so if in doubt, just buy one piece and try it.

Baklava is not the only reason you should pay this booth a visit though - there's also cashews and dried fruit and I think I'm seeing chocolate-dipped dry fruit in the back -

- fudge of all flavours -

- and Turkish delight! Again, on a rare occasion I've found this candy in Iceland but it's never this good looking. I think I must go get some of this too. The reason that I didn't was that I blew all my money on baklava and

OLIVES. Filled with almonds, garlic, with or without a pit, paprika or chili-filled or... well I didn't even know which to start from so the booth owner suggested we make a mix of them for me.

My catch. :) He told me they'd last two weeks in the fridge and I was quietly thinking "haha they'll be gone in a few days". At the moment I've already destroyed about a fourth of them because I'm a greedy pig.

Let's not forget the other side either. If the white tent seems to offer south-east European/Turkish treats, the red one specializes in Italian/south-European ones. I might also have to come back for this tent - the SO bought some of these and they're also super delicious! 

I went to snap photos of them as they were still setting up the tent so everything's still wrapped up.

I'm getting hungry again.

Also these. I have never tasted anything like this so I'm feeling like I'm missing out, it looks so good!

In short:

- delicacies that usually are not available are now available downtown

- seriously try some baklava

- Miss K. you don't want to miss the olives (she knows who she is)

- the olives are really gooooood

- these booths will only be there this week

- I'm not sure if paying with a card is an option because I was there so early they were only setting up, so ask about it

- I'm more informed about the white tent's yummies than the red one's so my sincerest apologies that I don't know what the Italian treats are, I only know they taste really good!

My favourite teas.

I was arranging my tea stash and realized I hadn't been drinking several of them for ages. One thing lead to another and as you can see I ended up drinking quite a LOT of tea, of course photographing it as I went and noting to myself some things about each tea type, why I liked it and so forth. So here you go - my favourite teas (of the ones I currently have in my stash, if you think I've gushed about a tea that's not here it's entirely possible that I've finished it already)(I'm a tea fiend)!

Japanese green tea with Matcha powder mixed in 

This is my typical go-to tea if I have it because I seriously love the cloudiness of the taste that the powder creates. It's also one of the most beautiful colours for tea that I know, definitely my favourite of all the ones on the list although I'll readily admit tea of almost any colour has its own charming beauty.

Has a very distinct flavour and mouth feel due to the "powderiness". Very charming and energizing tea, goes well with almost any food and situation.

Keisari (= Emperor) black tea mix

First of all I'll have to confess I rarely buy tea mixes and that I don't generally enjoy them as much as plain types. Keisari is an exception to this rule, it's fun and playful and the scent reminds me of my teenage years.

Several black tea mixes titled Keisari-something (Emperor's Bride, Emperor's Cup) are sold in Finland and they're all very similar, it's like there's a type of black tea mix that shares that first name Keisari. Whether or not this is true one thing is definite: my love for tea began at my teenage years and was caused by these Keisari-tea mixes. A very nostalgic tea for me.

Ylliblómate

This is an Icelandic herb tea and far as I'm aware it indeed is only made of herbs. It takes a long time to brew - longer even than the 5min marked on the bag - but the time spent waiting is well worth it. A very distinctive flavour of flowers and excellent scent.

Gyokuro Tokiwa

Here's the prissy little princess of my tea collection. Very specific about correct water temperature and a short brewing time (you can't leave the pot for a second alone, that's how exact it is), yet has one of the most charming flavours when correctly done, almost like it had natural sweetness. This is a bit of a specialty for me and usually I'd only drink it for celebrating something but it could not be left out of my favourites list.

English Breakfast

Lots of teas seem to go by this name but this one actually tastes like English tea. It reminds me of everything good about England, although I know I tend to complain about Birmingham a lot I did have some great moments there as well. One of them was getting used to drinking tea instead of coffee. I can't say it was easy for me at first and it did also cause me my first massive culture shock but hey English teas are actually really, really good! Even cheap kinds are easily better than some expensive types you can find in Finland.

...and of course this is how I like it best. English tea is special also in that milk compliments it well, something that I learned at the student housing when someone would make tea and ignore my request of not wanting milk in mine - happened a lot and because I never made any note of it and drank my tea with milk it just became the way my tea was made. :D I learned to actually like it a lot! Excellent morning tea just like the name suggests, at its best on light, early summer mornings.

Milk Oolong

Another go-to tea for almost any situation, although never with food or snacks because I love the flavour as it is. It has this soft, milk-like touch to it that's really unique among the teas I have. Another positive part of it is that the leaves can be brewed several times, each brewing yielding a slightly different outcome!

Genmaicha

Ok I cheated! My apologies but this is actually cold tea. It's the kind of genmaicha that comes in a bag (it does of course exist as "normal" tea as well), you fill a bottle with water, dunk the bag in, close cap and soon you'll have a bottle full of tea. Genmaicha has roasted rice mixed with the tea which give it its taste - difficult to explain but seriously yummy. My favourite tea whenever visiting Japan during the hot seasons.

Icelandic chamomile tea

This is another herbal tea (Icelanders do herbal teas really well but that's possibly not surprising knowing the long history that herbal teas have here): nothing but chamomile flowers! Much better than any Finnish chamomile tea I've had. Also much stronger flavour and scent plus natural chamomile-sweetness, my mother who hates chamomile tea would probably not stay in the same room with a cup of it. :D

Jasmine tea

A tea mix with jasmine flowers included, a typical tea type you most likely know well already. Best tea for the cold season, excellent choice for all kinds of desserts such as cakes, pastries and cookies. Another tea that links strongly to my teenage years, my mother always had jasmine tea but I never showed any interest to it until I first got myself firmly hooked on the Keisari-teas. A stable part of my tea stashes always, everywhere, cannot have a proper tea stash without it.

***

I know there are several tea lovers among you guys - I don't make a habit of including a question at the end of my blog posts but now I'm genuinely curious: what are your favourite teas? Anything you'd like to recommend me?

Beautiful summer days, a new kimono!

Look at the evil gleam in its tiny eyes. Is it drooling? O_O

Anyway, I sat by the pond while waiting for the SO and this little fella immediately got interested in me. Sorry friend, I have no bread crumbs!

It was such a beautiful day too. I love this one area downtown with its large, old-fashioned houses and narrow roads and walkways. I wouldn't exactly want to live there - the houses are so large that me + my sadly careless and lazy housekeeping ability would never keep them in condition. Btw this blue and white building is a motel/bed&breakfast if I don't remember wrong.

This marks the hotel Hilda. I'm just sad it's broken so thoroughly, it's hard to say what kind of a scene it used to portray... a small-ish boat and... what?

That has to be the tiniest (and happiest) wall-peepee of Reykjavík. XD 

And! I finally got my newest kimono + obi + obiage! Of course I had to immediately try it on and in two different kitsuke. Don't expect anything fancy though, this is just me boinking around in the garden to try on colour combos. :D

This is the obi + obiage, before we get to the kitsuke photos. That obi is super cute! It might actually be a little too cute for my age but I'll find a way of wearing it anyway because I'm a little bit in love with it. Maybe I'll dress up some of my younger friends, then I could definitely use it!

It's hard to photograph but the obiage has a gradient colour, making it very versatile in usage. It also has a pattern that I didn't even pay attention to when I bought it, which is charming.

Ok then... time for some side-by-side comparisons. Hahaha I pose almost identically in both! Should probably think up some new poses, actually, I have a bad case of always-poses-the-same-way. 

The kimono is lovely and (as you may have heard before) stripes are my one great weakness. I kept eyeing it on Japanese Art & Design* for ages, going between the "want it but don't exactly need it" until a friend said something dangerous:

"It has a Moomin-like feel to it."

BAM my prudence was gone. 

By the way, it's always so difficult taking kimono photos outdoors. Indoors is too dim though, so I don't exactly have many choices, and when I go out I can select between two options if I'm taking the photos with a self-timer: the garden or the wall beside the door. The wall is somewhat ugly and plain as a backdrop, but the garden...

...is windy.

I'm not trying to show my ankle in that one picture, I'm hearing the wind pick up on the side. :D There's a hedge that separates our backyard from the neighbour's and it makes a really obvious hhhhhssssSSSSSHHHHHH-noise when an air blast is on its way.

Just so if you wondered why I always look like I'm holding my clothes together as I pose. I'm really doing that.

Time for front details! First the warmer colour combo tied in a more relaxed style...

Then the stark one tied sharper, and the hattifattener obidome that had to be included in this for obvious reasons.

* I can warmly recommend Japanese Art & Design (also known as Japanese Antiques) for buying second-hand kimono and kimono accessories. They have a very good quality/price range, ship immediately and are very pleasant to deal with. It says something that their feedback is almost entirely positive, and that the negative feedback has been left by two customers only (one of them spammed the hell out of their feedback after buying over a hundred items, most of which were on the cheap end of the scale). Keep in mind that if an item costs close to nothing there's a reason for it, look at all of the detail shots before deciding on whether you want to buy the item. Regardless, their feedback is still 99,7% positive and that's also for a reason.

This shop is one of the sellers that lists a very thorough photographic evidence of possible damage so you really do get to see what you're buying. Here's a good example of how they list their items: a  light blue iromuji: damage is mentioned and photographed, also damage that won't be seen at all when wearing the item. The exact colour is shown as closely as possible as well.

LBC: Your Dream Lolita Event/Meet-up.

When I joined today's LBC theme I made the decision to limit myself a little and build this entry on ideas that could realistically happen. Naturally they'd take a lot of time and effort but they're not indefinitely out of my, or anybody else's, reach. This means that they'll all take place in Iceland too and I kept in mind that they'd be equally pleasant to Icelandic and foreign lolitas.

You will see though that my dream meet-ups do not have any set plan of action. There are two reasons for this: number one, Iceland can be unpredictable so there's always a need to be able to improvise any given moment. Number two, I prefer a large amount of freedom in a meet-up. I like it when there's plenty of time, lots of food and then... just letting the meet-up happen the way it wants to. This might be the reason I absolutely love picnics, you arrive and assemble the foods and the rest is pleasant feeding/frill-bonding/photoshoot time!

Idea #1: the botanical garden in Reykjavík.

A meet-up in the botanical garden, of course! It's a lovely place and though it's small it only adds up to its charm (besides entry is free). The cafe is a pleasant spot for some coffee/tea and cakes and has even a goldfish pool, there are beautiful photoshoot locations absolutely everywhere.

Let me sell you this idea with example photos:

My apologies that the photos were taken on a cloudy day. Regardless, the botanical garden's strong point is just how varying the scenes are within. There's a park-like part, right to the side of this part is small group of trees and little pathways through them -

- and suddenly the lush garden turns to this (those small white signs are a bit of a turn off though). Which is located right next to -

- a small group of evergreens with flower beds in the middle. There are more areas than these but I selected them because they're my favourites.

*****

Idea #2: Árbæjarsafn.

The open air museum Árbæjarsafn with its beautiful, old Icelandic houses hosts large celebrations such as weddings far as I know, so I'm sure that they'd do a meet-up as well. They could also handle a large amount of guests at the same time which is a rarity in Iceland. The only downside to this would be that it'll always cost somewhat - be it a small meet-up with no space rental (entrance fee) or a large one (rental fee).

Let me sell you this idea with example photos:

The museum is technically a collection of old Icelandic houses from various time periods so there's definitely something for everyone. Not all the exhibitions are available to just walk in, but many of the houses still offer wonderful scenes.

Besides you can walk in many of the rooms. Just touching's a no-no. :D There's wealthy families' wood houses...

...turf houses (this is a stable connected to the main house by a corridor)...

...and of course my favourite place, the store that sells f.ex. traditional Icelandic sugar candy. :3

*****

Idea #3: lolita road trip.

Lolita road trip. Lolita road trip! Load up a few jeeps with lolitas, foods and clothes and do a 1-5 days drive to the natural wonders of Iceland. Staying overnight at motels would cost some money though and there's the price of gas, so the length of the trip would define the price of it. But hey, a photoshoot at Dimmuborgir anyone? Any of the gazillion-or-so waterfalls? To rock formations of the south coast? Puffin cliffs (I know everyone loves this one)? Flatey?

The awesome part of this is that many of these sites are well within a day's drive so it could totally be done. The not-so-awesome part is the driving necessary and that the more-than-likely wind will toss any hairdo to oblivion. On another thought though the wind also makes for amazing photos with billowing going on everywhere (remember to wear bloomers)...

Here's an example of five minutes outside in the wind -hair.

But! Here are two examples of how epic the wind can make you look!

Let me sell you this idea with example photos:

Mývatn: if starting from the capital city this one would need minimum two days, preferably three. One to drive there, one for photos in the various awesome locations all around this lake, and one for returning to Reykjavík. However, prepare your frilly butts for the insects... Mý means a midge in Icelandic and the lake is thus named for a reason (EW FUKKEN EW).

Thankfully the midge problem is more of a lake-side matter. You won't really see them at Dimmuborgir (= Dark City). The scenes may look a bit, eh, rocky but there are well-kept walkways all around the area. There's also a more demanding walk route to the most amazing areas but the only thing you'll need is good walking shoes. I walked the route in a long skirt and had no trouble.

Dimmuborgir again.

Talking about waterfalls there's several beautiful ones along the way to Mývatn, most including an easy walking route. Góðafoss takes maybe 5-10 min walking, easily accessible.

But there's not even a need to drive that far for amazing scenes. Þingvellir, the same place as in the title photo of the roadtrip idea, is within a few hour's drive. Easily accessible, loads of awesome locations.

Another location that's very near the capital city. Not sure of the place though - Þorsmörk?

Here we're even closer to Reykjavík! :D You'd never believe the kind of scenes you can find here.

Annnnd Elliðarárdalur, which is IN the city. Located right next to Breiðholt! Breiðholt the blog warmly recommends the lupin fields and the riverside. :3

Other blogs partaking in this theme:

* Under the Parasol * A Heart's Sound * Ima Princess * McDuffs Auditorium * New Vogue Children * Whimsical Adventures of Me * Sleeping Sweets * The Electric Carousel *