Zero degrees sea...

I had been told that the sea usually freezes in Helsinki in winter and was looking forward to this spectacle. Having grown up by the sea on the South coast of England, this is not something I had ever experienced, though sometimes even swimming in the English Channel in summer feels cold enough to scare a brass monkey.

On Saturday, I walked to the Kauppahalli (market hall) at the South Harbour to buy fresh Salmon steaks to cook for dinner, as my wife and youngest daughter were flying over for a few days. On the way, I noticed that the water around this old sailing ship, moored at the harbour as a restaurant, was solid enough for birds to walk on.

When I looked more closely, I saw that the ice on the surface was still moving and had taken on the appearance of "crazy paving", a popular finish for patios in my youth. I assume this is due to the conflict between the tendency of the ice to freeze as a flat sheet and the effect of the motion of the water cracking the sheet. Whatever, I found it intriguing. I am looking forward to when it is solid enough for people to walk on out to the islands in the harbour. Rest assured I shall not be the first one testing the ice!