Things to get wrong in Jyvaskyla!

1. Our first attempt to catch the bus - we thought we were so clever reading the bus timetable - which we also think is why Finland is top of the PISA results - so hard to read everyone here says "Just walk"! Anyway we were on the wrong side of the road!! Caught an expensive cab home instead!
2. Mothers' Day in Finland is a "flag day" which means flags are flown but it also means it is a public holiday and that also means that all shops are closed - yes, even the little supermarket at the end of the street!
3. Breakfast out - umm no you can't do that in Jyvaskyla - don't know about the rest of Finland but breakfast or even brunch is not something people do. Our first attempt we ended up with hamburgers for breakfast - they were quite good hamburgers but not the same as bacon and eggs! We are told that breakfast is somthing that people do for themselves; they don't go out for breakfast.
4. Eating out - generally has been a dismal failure. Apart from a lovely meal with Peppi, Tarja, Anne, Mia on one of our first nights here at Figaros our other attempts on our own have been pretty mediocre. From walking up to the local shopping centre that Mothers Day to find everything closed. Walking up yet again one Friday night to find that the only food available was pizza in various forms. Having lunch in a "mexican" restaurant last Saturday which was ok except Sandy was sick for the next two days! This last Friday night finding a restaurant quite close by on the bus route (only one bus per hour though). The food was pretty good but not licensed - imagine us without a glass of red over dinner! And now tonight - today on the bus as we drove past the harbour we noticed lots of tents, marquees, tables and benches, lots of people. We knew this was the night of Fun in the Sun all night, so we thought we would wander down there for dinner tonight - great idea except they were all finished and closed up!!!
5. Bureaucracy - headed into the bank on a saturday morning to pay the invoice for the apartment to find out well they're not open on a Saturday. We went again on Monday to find that well they don't open til 10am and we were there at 9.15! This morning, we headed into the Post Office. Their website clearly says they are open until 2pm on Saturdays, well except for this particular branch on this particular Saturday.