Where are the police? and Parking in Joensuu

Our apartment is located a couple of blocks from the police station and hall of justice. It is the only foreboding building in Joensuu. It is ýellow brick with small windows and cement spherical decorations on the front entrances. It looks like it was designed and built by someone from Russia. But in a month here we have seen police vans only twice. And we have never seen policemen walking around. Or maybe we don't know what a Finnish policeman looks like.

Parking is controlled in the city by a variety of signs and machines. About four blocks out of the city center the only limits on parking are that you alternate the side of the road you park on according to whether the day is odd- or even-numbered. I assume that's for snow removal purposes. A little closer in there are 30 minute, 1 hour, or 2 hour limits. The time you spend in your space is controlled by a plastic parking clock that you keep on your dashboard. Everyone has them. They can be purchased at most general stores. You use the pointer to mark the time you left your car. I don't know if the limits are enforced. (Mission rules are that the driver pays any speeding tickets and everybody in the car splits parking tickets. Hopefully, we won't ever have to deal with either of those issues.) Very near the city center parking is controlled by lipukeautomaatti. In each block there is a machine and in center parking lots they have the same kind of machine. You put your money in and it issues a receipt that you put on the dashboard of your car. The church is located on Torikatu (market street) so is quite close to city center. We usually park there. A funny little side note: There is a new building being built next door to the church. They asked the branch president whether they could park in the lot. He said yes. And they have erected three signs designating three reserved spaces with their company logo on them and the license numbers of the cars that are to park there.