Finnish food at 35,000 feet

Before I know it, it's time to head to the airport. For a plane to the United States! 122 days have come and they have gone. More reflections soon...

But first. Through some quirk and massive luck, my round-the-world ticket was done on frequent flier miles and is in business class. Though I don't much get business class on little flights, on longer flights it is an amazing dream.

My seat even turned out better than the rest. It was the only seat on my side of the aisle, so effectively both a window and an aisle seat. Sweet!

I love the little menus I got saying what we'd be eating. And, the chanterelles on the front looked so good!

I asked for a little champagne to celebrate a really fun trip. I got that, and a batch of fresh strawberries. Wow!

Next came my appetizer plate. A chicken caesar salad, Finnish Emmenthal Black Label cheese and Bla Castello cheese, and cream of black salsify soup. The soup was great, full of earthiness and with a little bit of fresh parsley to brighten it up. I need to learn what salsify is. The cheeses were also spot-on: the blue was gooey and rich without whacking me on the head with it and the hard cheese was nutty and a bit sharp.

Next came my main, which was rolled salmon filet with pepper, Hollandaise sauce, and dill potatoes. This was really quite good for being on a plane. The Hollandaise sauce mixed with the little beans wonderfully. The salmon had a fair amount of flavor and sufficient moisture, hard to do with airplane microwaves (as we all know from Top Chef...). And the glass of French red wine I had didn't hurt.

To end, a raspberry mousse cake, of which the best part was the berries on the side. Fresh berries are the best in Northern Europe!

Awhile later, as we were approaching New York, we got melty ham, bacon, and two cheese sandwiches; potato chips; and more fresh fruit. The sandwich was again surprisingly tasty.

And then we were touching down. My ridiculously lucky and extravagant set of flights were done. So was my trip.