Leaving Seattle for the great European Adventure

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First, I don't have time to spell check these entries so don't expect anything worthy of a novel in this blog. Frankly, I wouldn't expect anything at all if I were you so that whatever you read here will exceed your wildest dreams. Lets keep the bar low here everyone...

This trip is scheduled to take me from Seattle -> Copehagen -> Finland -> Italy -> and then back to Seattle. Today was the first leg of the trip: Seattle to Finland by way of Copehagen.

My flight was scheduled to leave Seattle at 6:55PM and I arrived at the aiport 90 minutes prior to the departure time. Yes, yes, I know "they" tell you to arrive at the airport 3 hours before an international flight and 2 hours before a domestic flight but that's only if you are flying coach, which I most certainly am not. 😊

I check in (no line), walk to the First Class security entrance (no line), buy all the latest magazines in an effort to stay current with important world events (People, US, GQ, Details, etc.) and also purchase "In Cold Blood" by Capote just because I loved the movie and thought why not?

Of course, membership has it's privileges and so I saunter into the SAS lounge for a snack and some R&R before flight which is really nothing more than warming up for the long sit. I flash my ticket, stride to the nearest plush seat, set my things down, and canvass the place for something to eat.

So, here's lesson number 1 when flying to Europe (or at least Copenhagen) - DO NOT EAT THE LITTLE CHEESE PACKETS IN THE LOUNGE BEFORE YOUR FLIGHT!

There is nothing wrong with the cheese packets aka - little slices of Tillamok Cheddar heaven in a sealed cellophane pack. You may think to yourself "hey, a little cheese would really hit the spot, maybe I should try one on a cracker?" You might also ponder a few slices of cheese as maybe a little something to quiet your stomach and get warmed up for the inflight snacks.

Heck, maybe you are low on dairy and cheese is the single food that you must ingest within minutes or risk heart failure - I tell you this - go ahead and risk it. Just don't go for the cheese. Rather than spell it all out for you right here, I will go ahead and let the story play out naturally for you itself.

It's 6:30 and I decide that after some chex party mix, two glasses of sprite, and 8 pieces of cheese, it's time for me to board the plane. Excited for the "pod" experience I enjoyed flying to Amesterdam, I eagerly board the plan in anticipation of stretching out in the luxury of my own little bed, only... this SAS plane was apparently the only one left in the fleet that had NOT been updated yet. So, no pod for Robert. But the seats where large, the space immense, I had a foot rest, my own personal video player, and a wifi internet connection for inflight surfing. Not a total loss.

At the 1 hour mark we receive our first of four courses for dinner this evening -

Course 1 - a wonderful little plate of assorted... wait for it... cheese. Of course how can I turn down assorted cheeses from Europe and add that to the 8 slices of heaven I've already consumed.

Course 2 - 10 minutes later and course number two arrives - salad with blue cheese crumbles. Not really in sliced form, hardly counts, right?

Course 3 comes right on the heels of Course 2 and it contains chicken breasts stuffed with mushrooms and blue cheese. Right, right, I know...

Course 4 - Finally dessert comes and much to my sheer excitement, a fruit tart with cheese.

At this point I began to "cheese-detox" for the next 8 hours to the magical, if not, academy award winning series of movies that SAS selected for our flight to Finland. Certainly, one would expect to select from a series of movies that have recently left the movie theaters before you had time to see them and made a quick pitstop on the plane's video system before moving off to Blockbuster. My flight was no exception, my choices:

Pick #1 - The Pink Panther starring Steve Martin - Clearly someone got a package deal and had to take this dog along with a top notch choice to get this picture added to the SAS lineup. No one in their right mind would force a passanger to sit through this piece.

Pick #2 - Cassanova starring Heath Ledger! Seriously, I asked the same question... "When did Heath Ledger play Cassanova in a straight to rental movie?

Pick #3 - 8 degrees. Not 8 mile, which would have been at least midly amusing, but Disney's 8 degrees about a manboy and his sled dogs. Will probably sweep the academy awards this year...

I reached the door but was unable to pull the latch before the attendants wrestled me back into my seat and thus my attempt at an early exit from the plane was thwarted.

I settled back down, read my magazines and in general managed to pass the next 7.5 hours in relative peace digesting cheese.

Hour 8 arrives and it's time for breakfast. I imagine some type of egg product in the shape of an omlette must be on tap, along with some fruit, bread, juice, etc. The egg arrives, filled with cheese of course, more cheese slices with fruit on the side, and some cream cheese on the side to spread on toast...

WHAT IS WITH THESE PEOPLE AND CHEESE?

Yes, yes, of course I could have opted out of the eating of the cheese but what if I missed some amazingly rare cheese? How could I go on? So, I ate more cheese...

We finally land in Copenhagen. Small airport, lots of chocolate, more cheese, and people with blonde hair.

This time I skip the lounge, marvel at all the chocolate shops, and board my flight to Helsinki, Finland.

Back in first class - the wheels leave the tarmac, the plane banks toward Finland and I settle in for the hour long flight when a tray begins moving down the aisle with a "cold snack" consisting of meat and yep, more cheese.

At this point I am periously close to losing my sanity over all the cheese. Great cheese! Love the variety of cheese! Cheeses of the world unite and fill my plate from Seattle to Finland! Go cheese go!

But, no more. Please, I am begging these people - stop with all the cheese. With every meal it's cheese...

After I leave SAS "Cheese Airlines", I quickly grab a taxi and make the 30 minute jaunt to my hotel - the Hotel Kamp.

Great hotel, amazing room, warm slippers/robe, amazing view, everything you could ask for.

I walk into the bathroom, all marbel, massive tub, huge shower, amazing sink, and... hey, what's that thing on the left of the toilet? Looks like a shower head attached to the side of the toilet? There's even a hot and cold dial with a pressure setting? What is this thing doing next to the toilet and why is there a drain on the floor? This is the time when you put all the pieces of the puzzle together, form the mental image, and run out of the bathroom. Still not sure I want to go back in there just yet...

Grabbed my cell phone (left camera at home but will be buying another one at some point soon) and walked around Helisinki today, tonight, whatever the time is. Small city with some pretty impressive buildings and statues. People all seem to be very kind and easy going. Had dinner at a cool Italian place and enjoyed my first dish of Reindeer (make that 7 tiny reindeer Santa), was very good! Had a chocolate molten cake with ice cream for dessert. Small little round cake with melted chocolate on the inside and I don't know what magical secret these people stumbled on but I can assure you that what I've been eating in America under the name "chocolate" is obviously a complete fabrication of the truth. This experience was exactly what I imagined sticking my head into the chocolate river inside Willy Wonka's candy garden would have been like. I've never had anything chocolate that you literally had to let sit in your mouth until your body could no longer take the bliss and then feel the tears of sadness run down your cheeks as your throat involuntarily ended your bliss by swallowing. I get teary eyed just thinking about it...

Tomorrow some work, more sight-seeing/pictures, and going to try to catch some of the "summer festival" happening in Finland this time of year. Lots of good live music and good.

Off to dream about cheese...

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Comments

[Jeanine]

Cheese & Chocolate
Ahhh to be tempted by life's little treasures! Considering how much cheese you ate, I am amazed you survived 9 hours in a tin can! But, based on Jared's blog, Italy will expand your horizons even more! Standing by for more updates as we all know how I like to live vicariously though others!