17 September 1999 – Jim invited me to dinner in a central city restaurant he remembers from his last visit here in 1978. Jim ate salmon tartar, which I wished I’d ordered as soon as I tasted his delicious dish. The salmon, onions and herbs minced together were splendid, even mouthwatering. I ordered a goat cheese salad, which included over a bed of several lettuces, a more dense, tasteless goat cheese than I’ve ever eaten. For main course, we both ate the local reindeer over mashed potatoes. This was delicious, but the anticipated reindeer steak was more like a stew over the potatoes. We drank elysee, a Finnish sparkling wine, and then Finlandia vodka

After dinner we walked along Esplanade, the happening area of the city with shopping, restaurants, cafés and a new five-star hotel. We stopped at an outdoor café to people-watch and for an after-dinner drink.