European Vacation 2005

Good Times with Great Friends

The rest of my plane travel went as expected. I changed planes at Heathrow, London, and reached Helsinki just 3 hours later. When I got to the baggage claim, I found my backpack intact, minus my umbrella, and I proceeded through customs unscathed.

Welcome Back!!
On the other side, I found Joen & Anders. Of course it was terrific to see my old friends again. Nothing seems to have changed. We headed straight to a pub to catch up a bit. And after a beer, I went back with Joen to his flat. He and Heidi (pronounced Haidi) had already prepared the office for me to sleep. Every time I come, they make me feel completely at home.

Jetlag Anyone?
On Tuesday I woke up at 4, 5, and 6am. Ugh. Isn't jet lag wonderful. Joen got up early (unheard of) and went to work (also unheard of). I got to watch Anders make a presentation for his Masters degree, and then he, the Dane, and I had lunch at Anders' College. After having a few beers on the Esplanada, which is the main street in the center of Helsinki, we ended up at Robert's (blueberry) flat for dinner.

That evening, I had dinner with Robert, Joen, Anders, and Heidi. We all chipped in making some stir fry chicken and rice. After a little beer and wine, I fell asleep on the couch watching Conan O'brien.

An Expensive Breakfast
Wednesday started a lot like Tuesday. I was up by 6, and headed into town. In the morning, I asked Joen where I could have an American style breakfast, i.e. eggs and meat. He pointed me in the direction of Torni, which is a relatively expensive hotel in the center. When I got there, I found out that the hotel is under some construction, so the restaurant was closed. I figured I could find something, so I just started walking.

After walking past quite a few cafes, which only serve coffee and pastries, I found the Scandia Hotel. It must have been bought by Hilton, because a sign outside explained the benefits of a Hilton Honors card. I found a huge buffet in the ground floor restaurant. So I grabbed a Financial Times from the lobby and sat myself at a table by the window.

I began reading and looked up when I finished the front page. Nobody had come by to say hi. Well, I stood up and asked a waitress if I was just expected to grab some food. She said yes, but she looked at me as if I were crazy. So I grabbed a bunch and sat down. Every so ofter I stood up and grabbed a bit more coffee. When I finished the paper, I looked up to see there was nobody left in the room. I tried to locate a waitress or a cash register. And when I could find neither, I strolled out the front door.

A Quick Sauna That afternoon I had lunch with Robert at his old University with a few students, and I hung around the center for the rest of the day. When the evening came, we had dinner at Anders' flat which he shares with his girlfriend Saana. The group grew larger by 4 - Thomas Donska (The Great Dane), his girlfriend Anne, Andreas & Saana joined. Again we ate, drank and traded stories all night. At some point the guys headed down for a sauna, but thankfully there is no 5 degree water anywhere near Anders' flat.

The Calm before the Storm
Just guess what time I woke up today? But at least I took some Tylenol PM and slept until 3pm. After that, I went over to Anders' and hung out for a bit. Then it was back to Joen's for dinner with Heidi, Hanna, Anders, and Joen. Of course Heidi made a fantastic dinner, and then Anders became the master planner. It seems that we will be going to his country house tomorrow. The next day is when the Vaapu celebration starts. And that is when the insanity will begin!!

By the way...I'll drop you a line when my head clears again.

posted by Adam Stern @ 2:54 PM