Last weekend we visited the Helsinki Goexpo Fair at the Helsinki Messukeskus or Convention Center. It is Finland’s largest sport and outdoor event and there was something for everyone. There was bikes to try, volleyball, soccer, golf, hunting, fishing, photography, horses, rock climbing, fitness, running, nordic walking, and sailing amongst others. On the day we visited it was open from 10 am to 5 pm. We were there the whole time and probably would have been even a bit longer if it would have been possible.
I’m usually not such a convention or fair person but this time it exceeded my expectations. It was very reasonably priced as everything except for the rock climbing was included. For our family of eight it was 37 euros. Not bad.
We had packed lunches and the horse show was the perfect place to sit down and eat.
The police horse show was quite impressive. They showed how they train the horses for possible protest and demonstration situations.
After the busy day full of noise and activity it was nice to visit some family before heading home. On the drive home, the car was silent. Just about everyone fell asleep. A calming drink was in order. My sister’s recipe was perfect for the occasion.
Tin’s Lemon and Ginger Concoction
for one cup
1/2 lemon, squeezed
1 cm/ 1/3 inch fresh ginger, roughly chopped
1-2 tsp honey or according to taste
boiling water
Place the lemon juice and roughly chopped ginger into the cup. Pour boiling water over and allow to seep for about five minutes. Remove the pieces of ginger and add honey. Stir and enjoy immediately. It is claimed that both lemon and ginger may help with digestion and helps flush out toxins. Those claims are not perhaps scientifically proven, but I did find the drink to be the perfect way to end the day. Tart and calming.
This post is a part of Novice Gardener’s Fiesta Friday series.
tableofcolors 
A very reasonable price and what a lot of wonderful activities and entertainment.
The price-quality relationship was excellent! 🙂 They even had many adults at the different activity stations to help kids lace rollerblades and adjust helmets etc. Made it easy for parents if they had their hands full with younger children.
Obviously some sensible organisers!
It appears your family has a wonderful and entertaining day!
Yes, Nancy it was wonderful…we will be going back next year! 🙂
Your drink looks perfect to balance off all of the sweet and rich foods I have been eating at this party! Thanks!
Hope you enjoy it. I had a cup this morning after enjoying a rich meal last night and it was just perfect.
Wow, fantastic value for money. So much variety – pretty amazing to see horses amongst your photos. Those rock climbing walls look terrifying though. I had to google ‘Nordic Walking’, and lo and behold there is a club here in Australia! It looks interesting, like dry skiing! Amazing-sounding health benefits.
Your lovely drink sounds like the perfect cap to such an action-packed day.
I have to agree, the rock climbing wall scared me as well. If I didn’t have an audience, I would have liked to try and see how far I would be able to make it. But it is an activity that is outside of my comfort zone. The kids didn’t seem to mind having an audience at all! 🙂 Nordic walking is a great activity that really anyone can do and it gets the upper body actively involved and it helps keep the pace of the walk constant. I sometimes notice when walking without the nordic walking poles that my pace at times will slow down. Hope you have a chance to try it!
Sounds like a fun day, and I love the sound of that drink. Would be perfectly relaxing after such a busy day.
I think it will become my go-to drink after hectic days. Love the tart lemon flavor.
Sounds like a fun place to visit. And the drink sounds perfect, Laila! Probably very comforting for when you’re tired or cold or feeling a little under the weather, I would think. I’ll get the fire going tonight and make this for hubby and me. 🙂
I was thinking to bring the drink to your party since it would be the perfect thing to have after all of the rich appetizers and desserts and a way to wind down. Hope you had a chance to try it out. 🙂
Yes, we tried it! It was very easy to make, and I used agave nectar as sweetener, and it was delicious! I think I’ll give it another try with my dried stevia leaves. Thanks, Laila!
Goexpo reissu oli täynnä toimintaa ja riemua, hyvässä seurassa. Kiitos teille. Aika kului kun siivillä. Ilmottaudun taas ensi vuodelle lähtijäksi 😊. Kuvista välittyi tunnelmaa.
Huippu reissu oli. Harvoin löytyy semmoinen kohta josta kaikki eri ikäiset perheen jäsenet nauttivat. Ylitti odotukset! Kiitos myös teille.
Love the Moomin mugs!
So do I! Every family member has their own mug and it usually is of a character that somewhat reminds their personality. 🙂
I love the Moomin mugs too, so sweet.
My kids would have loved a day out like this.
I could imagine that your kids would have enjoyed it as well! We really like the Moomin mugs…each family member has their own. 🙂
This looked like such a great time! You made me smile when you said that the car was silent… and that everyone fell asleep! What a wonderful drink, and as it turns out I just bought ginger and lemons today! My intent was not to use them together, but that has changed now! I will be trying this tomorrow. It sounds wonderful.. 🙂
Did you ever fall asleep in the car as a kid…or pretend to so that Mom or Dad could carry you inside? 🙂 I remember that as a kid we would fall “asleep” right as we turned on Gettysburg Ave and the feeling of being carried inside was the best. Hope you have a chance to try out the drink!
What a fun fair and with so many things for children and adults to do! I am intrigued about those police horse trainings–I would have liked to see that. This drink sounds soothing and calming after a long day. I often just slice up fresh ginger and throw it into boiling water for my evening tea, but adding the lemon would give it a different zingy taste.
The police horse show was my favorite of the various shows. It was so interesting to see how they remained calm even if there was noise and interference surrounding them. I think that ginger will become a regular on my shopping list. Usually I have grated some ginger into a wok, but slowly I am learning new uses for it. I will have to give your version a try as well.
I can recall outings like this as a child, your stories always seem to bring back these good memories. 😀
The lemon and ginger drink sounds lovely too..
Glad it brought back some memories 🙂 The lemon and ginger drink has become an evening habit for me…
What a fun day out! Especially love the photo of the little tackers on their bikes! 🙂
The little ones did such a good job on their bikes…even the two-almost-three year-old. 🙂 So much fun was had by all!
Looks like you found a great way to spend a day and at a good price, too! I often cringe when I see the ticket prices at amusement parks or sporting events. Even though there are children’s rates, it is still quite expensive. Heaven forbid if someone wants a soda!! It doesn’t look too crowded, which is a blessing it itself. I don’t know about you, though, but I’d leave the rock climbing for someone else.
Yes, I definitely agree. Many places are a bit overpriced and sometimes I actually feel a bit disappointed after visiting an amusement park. Here the kids could actually try out new things and maybe even find a new interest that they might want to pursue sometime in the future!
This recipe reminded me of our own ginger tea in the Philippines but without the lemon. We also used sugar instead of honey. It was a good remedy for sore throat. 🙂
That looks like such a fun place! I wish we had something like that here! 😀