My Trip in Mugs

It was partly inspired by M's comments on the blandness of my coffee mugs; partly because it would be a practical souvenir and partly because it was likely to be found everywhere. I decided, in Seattle, (though I did think of it originally in San Francisco) to buy mugs or similar drinking implements as souvenirs for the trip.

The first mug, was bought in Seattle. Other than Pike's Market, there are not many places selling souvenirs; so a souvenir from the Space Needle, Seattle's most recognizable landmark felt appropriate.

San Francisco's souvenir market seems to be congregated in Chinatown. Close by, the Cable Car museum, also sells souvenirs and since the entrance is fee; I felt it was a better place to buy a souvenir from!

Belgium is known for its variety of beers. In fact, a store near the town hall advertises that it stocks more than 400 varieties. A glass beer mug with the Antwerp crest, was better than the other options in my opinion; as most of the souvenirs seemed to be advertising Brussels!

Helsinki's markets are more interesting in the warmer days I think. Regardless, a traditional wooden mug was really interesting; though the ornate shot glasses were a close second.

After going through many souvenir shops in Tallinn old town (other than souvenir shops and restaurants there seems to be few other commercial ventures), finding something unique was difficult. But there seemed to be only one shop stocking these mugs, and it is the prettiest of the lot.

The shop just before Neuschwanstein ha an interesting deal - 5 Euros for a mug, with a hot drink and a slice of cake. I wasn't planning on buying a mug; but this was a good deal!

Munich and beer, synonymous I think. So a beer mug it was; though I still want one of those really ornate ones!

Random Stats and Facts from my Trip

Number of flights: 10
Approximate total time on planes: 60 hours
Number of different airports traversed: 9
Approximate total time in airports: 20 hours
Best legroom in economy class: United
Best Airline in terms of service: Virgin America
Worst Airline in terms of service: FinnAir
Best Airline Food & Drinks: SAA¹
Number of delayed² flights: 0
Best Airline Website: Air Berlin
Best Airport Traversed Through: Munich
Worst Airport Traversed Through: Tie between Berlin Tegel and Brussels
Number of cities (and surrounding towns) visited for more than 4 hours: 7
Number of cities visited for under 4 hours: 2
Number of transit cities (ie didn't set foot outside airport): 2

Number of intercity trains: 4
Number of ferry trips: 3
Number of bicycle trips: 1
Number of metropolitan transport systems used: 9

Most expensive single purchase: Bose QuietComfort headphones
Number of persons identified as South Africans (not traveling from same flight out of SA or known before hand): 3
Number of persons identifying me as a South African: 1 (Chinese tourist, supplier to K-Way)

¹ SAA was the only airline to include a full bar service for free. It was also the only airline that gives bottles of water, cans of drinks and cartons of juice instead of pouring half into a glass in Economy class.
² I am only counting in terms of arrival time. United flight out of San Francisco was delayed in departure by 45 minutes, but arrived almost on time in Chicago due o strong tail winds.

Walking on (frozen) water

Near the Sebelius Monument, there is a small sheltered bay which is used by canoeists and other water sports enthusiasts. The water was frozen over, so people could (and were) walking through the bay instead of walking around.

Menu Innovation

Last night, I decided to use the Finnish Restaurant guide (eat.fi) to find a place to eat. I went to a Malaysian place, New Bamboo Center, with great reviews and cheap food - the best combination I think. The food was great, but their innovations on the menu design really impressed me. First thing, all their ingredients have pictorial icons, which are then showed under the menu item. Thus, instead of simply stating the various ingredients that go into the description, in three plus languages, they had a pictorial guide. So much simpler, I wonder why other restaurants don't do this!

The second one was the set menu, which has some inspiration from Indian "Thali" dishes. Instead of a set menu where you have one started, one main and one desert, this one had two starters, two mains and one desert. The starters and mains were simply half portions ... A great way to explore the menu!

Helsinki

Helsinki is rated as one of the top places to live. I can understand some of the attractions: a city with wide open spaces, excellent public transport and facilities, multi cultural and multi-lingual and a great social services infrastructure. But there are also detractions - it is one of the most expensive places I have visited, it has really crappy weather in winter and there is a lack of sunlight (also in winter). What I find interesting is aside from the Australian cities; all the cities that are featured regularly in these lists are from "cold" regions - Zurich, Toronto, Stockholm etc. I am not sure what makes these places so attractive even after going to a number of these cities.

That said, Helsinki is a fairly small city; with a busy downtown and lots of suburbia. The older areas have some stunning architecture, but most are not outlandish. I did a lot of walkabout today, and was disappointed that most places, museums, churches, theatres and even some shops and restaurants were closed.

Click on photos for a small enlargement.

Temppeliaukio Church

On this trip, I seem to have visited a lot of churches. In Europe at least they are great due to the architecture and their art collections (especially old cathedrals). This church is unique for its architecture - it is carved in to take rocky hill close to downtown Helsinki. It looks awesome, and apparently features regular concerts that take advantage of the acoustics.

Click on photos for a small enlargement.

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An immigrant's tale

I was drawn to Ibrahim's stall at the market, because the items looked familiar and very different to everyone else. He was selling sculptures made from iron, commonly seen in southern Africa but not many other places.

Although I didn't buy anything, I ended up chatting to him for a while. When he found out that I was from South Adria, he state without prompting that he got inspiration from similar crafts in Zimbabwe and South Africa, and that he was himself from Egypt.

He decided to leave Egypt about 20 years ago, and applied for visitors visas to a number of countries - Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland and Netherlands. All except Finland approved.

When he eventually got here, he had three weeks. Since he couldn't get a job, his strategy was the same as many others in his position, find a wife and get residency/citizenship. He married an old woman, an has been in Finland ever since, and working with metal sculptures for a number of years.

He has evidently had quite a lot of success in the past; he showed me numerous newspaper clippings featuring him with his sculptures, awards etc. But times aren't good - he claims that the Finnish economy is effectively in recession, and his artwork is more often bought by the rich and not normal tourists. The weather has also meant that there aren't that many tourists to sell to. Finally, with the coat of metal and coal going up, helped with additional taxes, his costs are also going up; negatively impacting his sales.

His tale was not different to another one in San Francisco. Manuel, from Venezuela, decided to leave for the US just as the politics in Venezuela wee changing. Like Ibrahim, he entered on a tourist visa (except he had an easier time due to his middle class background and friends already in the US); and once he got there got married to get his papers sorted. He subsequently got divorced, once the paperwork was completed. Manuel's comment was, that this process is so easy, he finds it difficult to understand why anyone would come in as an illegal; though did concede his background helped.

Both Manuel and Ibrahim have no intention of leaving. They consider themselves American and Finnish respectively; speak the languages, know the culture and fit in.

Ibrahim commented very positively on South Africa, that it is seen as the beacon of Africa; the combination of Africa and the west. He was surprised to hear that we have high employment; he was under the impression that jobs were plentiful! But one thing that I find interesting as a difference is how well immigrants integrate in certain countries; from the language to the culture. Maybe this is based on the skill type (most immigrants I have encountered are after all employed in IT or service industries). In SA this does not seem to happen well; especially with regards to language. Or perhaps it has something to do with the tightening up of immigration laws; citizenship in SA is not dependent on any language or cultural test (as in the case of Germany for example).

That said it is not necessarily bad; SA position allows for very quick processing and it makes it far more attractive as a means to attract skills. I know off many South Africans who want to leave, but there are so many from various parts of the world (not only from Africa) who want to come and stay. I am all for open immigration policies across the world, but having a combination of unequal policies, in my opinion, helps to exaggerate the problem.

Ibrahim's website: http://seppaibrahim.fi/.

Helsinki to Tallinn (and back)

From Helsinki, there are a number of services; but in winter it seems that Tallink Shuttle is the most convenient. There is a discount for a same day return trip of approximately 15%, which led to a return price of 48 Euros.

On the Helsinki side, the checkin closes 20 minutes before departure. It was a good thing; with a late night yesterday, I made it to the terminal at 07:05 for a 07:30 departure, and I could still buy tickets. The Tallinn side has a 30 minute checkin deadline, so it's useful to note the difference.

There is still a lot of ice in the water by Helsinki (about 45 minutes of the 2 hour journey); but the views in the early morning were stunning. It was amazing however to see how much ice had melted away in the course of a few hours on the return trip, especially around Helsinki harbour. Other than a few birds, I didn't spot any wildlife but those probably keep clear of the ships.

The ferry's sitting arrangements were definitely not what I was expecting. There are no designated seating areas, but rather a set of lounges, usually next to restaurants or shops (no need to buy anything). I suppose that's not a bad idea in generating more revenue! I decided to have a breakfast buffet, which at 11 euros is very cheap for Helsinki, though it was not the most comfortable seats. Apart from the restaurants and shops, the ferry also has free WiFi and other facilities like kids playrooms etc.

While Tallinn's old town is the welcoming sight, Helsinki is all industry and factories; not very pretty. There are a few snowed in islands that are passed by, but gliding through the ice has its own charm. The ferry ride is incredible smooth, though the seas were also quite smooth.

Nightwish: Imaginaerum

The main motivation to route my trip to the US via Europe was to attend one of Nightwish's Imaginaerum concerts in Finland. Ironically, the tickets to this concert, bought legally and ahead of time, ended up being inferior to that of the Rammstein concert (being seating tickets instead of standing tickets).

Quality of the photos are pretty poor given the distance.
Posionblack
Another Finnish gothic metal band opened for Nightwish. While not the same caliber as Apocalyptica, they were quite an interesting band. They had a symphonic sound, with some great music scores. I did not particularly like the vocalist; don't think he has the range or the quality to really do justice to the songs. Of the lyrics I did manage to get (all the songs were in English), they did sound interesting; but the lead singer's voice was quite distorted. I would be quite keen to hear more of their studio albums; they do hold some promise.

Nightwish
The recent Imaginaerum album is quite complex, and I was looking forward to seeing how it would translate from a film/symphonic setting to a live show. While the band started with the same track as the album, I was pleasantly surprised how they managed to incorporate some of their older tracks (even some pre Anette songs like "Wish I had an angel") into the flow.

Imaginaerum is supposed to be a loosely coupled set of stories, and thus this made complete sense. There was a small break in flow by concluding the show with the first single "Storytime", but then the show does have to end off with a bang, does it not? The neat idea of this flow however is that it does allow for greater variety in how other Nightwish songs are incorporated into the show.

It was also great to hear the ulliean pipes (similar to bagpipes) and accompanying set of Celtic instruments played live by Troy Donockley. He has become almost another member of the band given the number of songs he participates in!

It was a very enjoyable concert, and the detour was certainly worth it!

Nepalese Restaurants

There are lots of Nepalese restaurants in Helsinki, and I am surprised I didn't see them last time round (especially as two of them are next to the hotel I stayed at last time). I went to Mt Everest, which was closest to me, and I would highly recommend it if you are in Helsinki.

The food itself is not very different to North Indian food I have had before; though I am not sure what I was expecting to be different! The specific dish wasn't hot but did have a great combination of spices and tasted really good. Also on the plus side, the meals included both naan and rice, something most Indian restaurants I have been to, charge extra for.

Spiced Nepali Coffee was not as rich as I had been told by some, but definitely a different (quite sweet, with different spices, I think I tasted cinnamon and nutmeg) to traditional coffee.

Hints of Spring

With a slightly warmer weather, the snow and ice has started to thaw. In a combination of what seems to be poor drainage and the blocking of flow (due to the remaining ice/snow) the streets and pavements have become quite muddy and slippery. I had brought my hiking boots specifically anticipating this, but even then I have needed to be careful while walking, especially on an incline. I am not sure whether this warmer spell will last (the evening temperatures are still forecast to be negative, with positive day temperatures); but there is still a lot of snow to be thawed out!

Sibelius Monument

Dedicated to the famous Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, the sculpture resembles organ pipes of various lengths, and the pipes themselves are quite ornate. You can read more on the competition and the controversies around the sculpture on the sculptor's website. Although not in the city centre, it is quite easy to get to (bus 24).

Click on photos for a slight enlargement.

Frozen Waters

It isn't that cold today (the temperature is actually above freezing); but it is not warm enough. These are pictures of a canal and one of the port areas. The port is open, and one of the ships in the photos will be setting sail in about 3 hours

Snow

So far, I had seen a bit of snow flying into Munich 2 weeks ago, but nothing on the way back on Wednesday.

Helsinki is covered with snow, stacks of it everywhere. Roads are clear though, and the temperature is a lot warmer than the past few weeks (well it is 0 degrees Celsius)

Airlines and Airports

• Silver status on British Airways is hard to get (I got mine through asking nicely to be upgraded) but it really compares to "Gold" status within One World.
• Airport lounges are a great way to get away from the general crowd at airports. Except maybe when dealing with SAA Lounge at OR Tambo, which seems to be overcrowded all the time.
  
• Priority lugage handling is not what it is promised to be ... except at OR Tambo, where my BA priority tag was read as belonging to SAA :)
• SAA is far better than Lufthansa, at least on the long haul between South Africa and Germany.
• Lufthansa however gives more frequent flyer miles than SAA on cheaper economy class tickets
  
• Finnair has an ad on TV (at least in Europe) on how different they are ... it is a lot of hogwash.
• Frankfurt airport is usually a pain; but Terminal E is quite nicel and it is possible to travel between a few terminals without requiring a visit through the (thorough) security checks.
• Berlin's Tegel is probably the worst airport I have been to in Europe when it comes to ease of use and facilities.
• Helsinki's airport is rather uninspiring.
• Finnair's lounge in Helsinki however is very cool with lots of funky seats.
  

Music: Apocalyptica and Nightwish

The reason I was in Helsinki, was actually to go to the last Nightwish concert on their "Dark Passion Play" tour. This tour was almost 2 years long, with close to 200 shows - and this was actually the only occasion where I had the possibility to attend a concert. Symphonic metal is my current favourite music genre, and Nightwish is, in my opinion, the best exponent of this genre. Getting tickets was in some respects fortuitious - the concert was sold out and I only found one offer for double tickets on eBay (for which I was surprisingly the only bidder). So I had double tickets, btu no one to share with - and there were no takers for the second ticket (although I did not try eBay).

Apocalyptica, the band best known for playing cellos to the music of Metalica, and a recent Eurovision entry, was the support band; playing a combination of covers (opening with Enter Sandman IIRC), classical music (their take of Greig's Hall of the Mountain King is amazing) and some of their own music. Apocalyptica were a great support band, and played a highly enjoyable 1 hour set.

Nightwish played the longest uninterupted set I have ever attended by any musical performance - close to 2 and half hours! They played most of their songs from their last album (Dark Passion Play) as well some of their older songs. What is most interesting in this regard, is the change of lead singers from Tarja (who gave Nightwish a very distinctive, operatic sound) to Anette (whose voice in my opinion is a lot closer to pop music) - and it is the old Nightwish songs where this really becomes aparent. The difference is not necessarily bad - but very diffferent.

The show itself was amazing - great stage show, brilliant lighting, nice set design, a big audience, fire with the usual smoke and a finale of fireworks inside an enclosed stadium! It was a great show and I really enjoyed it. Seats in a concert like this just does not make sense, and next time I hope to get better tickets. The organisation was slick and efficient and overall was a great experience, and definitely worth the effort (and money) expended! The only negative I have is that Nightwish didn't play "Eva", even after a big chant in the stadium ... but the encore was an equally special (but older) song.

Bear Steak and Reindeer - Reflections of Helsinki

I remember an ad by Investec, asking "Who goes to Helsinki" ... and while my motivations for visiting Helsinki for a weekend was fairly arbitary, it seems that the majority of visitors to Helsinki are Russians, Latvians, Estonians and a smattering of the older American globe-trotters.



Helsinki is a rather compact city, and to be honest not very exciting. While there are certainly a number of impressive architectural specimens with the highlight being Suomenlinna, an old fort built by the Swedish in mid 1700s to protect the city against the Russians, but which did not seem to stop the Russians in 1808 without much resistance.




There are however quite a few interesting cultural points - that were surprising to me. Firstly, fur, is openly traded in the market - not only in clothing, but also as blankets and scarves (one scarf made of a small fox still had the fox head ornamental as part of the scarf).



There is also the language - Suomi (the language of Finland) is very different to every other European language except for Hungarian, but the Finns are very multilingual and almost all speak Swedish (all signs have at least Suomi and Swedish) and English and many other languages.

And then there is the food, specifically the availability of rather exotic meats as part of the menu. Reindeer meat is available in many menus (and is rather indefferent to mutton in my opinion) - but one restaurant I came across also offered Bear steak - for a princely sum of 50 odd Euros for the plate.

Overall, I think Finland has a lot to offer, but more for hiking and wilderness exploration rather than Helsinki itself. And next time, I should save more to afford Bear steak :)