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Published: April 15th 2013
14 April 2014 Sunday.The morning started out badly. We got our 5:45 am wake up call 10 minutes late, and then the elevator was out so we had to walk down (better then up) five floors. So we didn't catch our taxi until 6:45 am. Fortunately the driver went fast and we arrived at Terminal D just before 7 am, the cut off time to catch the 7:30 am ferry. I was going to get some pictures of the ferry pulling away from the dock and Tallinn, but decided a picture of grey fog wouldn't make it as Photo of the Week.
I had forgotten to pack my Sea Bands, but it turned out that the sea was calm so I didn't get seasick. Weather conditions weren't any better when we arrived in Helsinki. I could barely see the city scape as we pulled into port. Getting off the ferry was even worse than getting on. We had to walk forever to get from the ship to the terminal. I mentioned to a security guard that their terminal didn't cater well for disabled people. He replied that I could call for a wheel chair, but by then I was at the terminal.
We
caught a cab to the Radisson Blu Royal hotel ; a splurge at the end of the trip. After dropping all our bags in our room we headed downstairs for lunch. After waiting at the "Please wait to be seated" sign for awhile, I went in search of a waitress to see what the deal was. They were still serving breakfast, and she asked if we wanted that. We said that we had just checked in so our free breakfast would be tomorrow morning. She said that it didn't matter...we could have a free breakfast on both days. She showed us the breakfast spread and asked which of a dozen kinds of coffee we wanted. After getting our food we talked to her for awhile...she was originally from Chile, so we shared each others stories.
After she left to take care of other customers, and Will went to get seconds (and thirds), I noticed a woman eating by herself at the next table. I invited her to join us, as I always hated to eat alone on business trips. Annette is from Dublin, Ireland, and she just so happened to be attending an international higher education meeting representing Ireland. She mentioned
that she had overheard us talking to the waitress and Will's plans to attend law school in Europe. She, as a barrister, wanted to know all the details, and then offered her own recommendations that he apply to the King's Inn law school in Dublin, although she admitted the law school in Galway was also excellent. Anyway, Will got plenty of advice as to the various options for becoming a barrister (the other type of lawyer being a solicitor). She gave him her name and contact information for future use. That's the beauty of casual conversations with complete strangers...it can open doors to new opportunities. Will was amazed at the coincidence, and more hopeful about his future.
Our breakfast and conversations ended at noon, and I returned to the room as I was still not up to walking all over town...Will hates my slow pace. I encouraged Will to tour on his own, and take the camera so that I would see what he thought were the interesting sights. So any pictures I publish about Helsinki were taken by him. He returned after a couple hours to report that the map was wrong, and that he hadn't been able to find
any of the recommended sights.
We ate dinner at an Indian restaurant right next to the hotel. The other options were Subway, McDonalds, and the Colorado Rocky Mountain Grill. I think we made the right choice. The rest of the evening was spent on the internet.
15 April 2013 Monday. Although Will's flight to Rome departed at 11 am and mine to London departed at 4 pm, I decided to share a taxi as the estimated cost was 40 euros...I couldn't see paying that twice, and I didn't mind spending the extra hours at the airport which is always an interesting place to people watch, and even have a random conversation to again discover what an interconnected world we live in. I was also going to see if I could catch the earlier 2 pm flight to London, which would give me more time there...perhaps even time to get to the West End to catch a show.
We asked the taxi driver to take the scenic route so that I could see the sights I had missed the day before. So some of the pictures are mine. Will was dropped off at terminal 1, and we hugged goodbye, and he thanked me for
taking him on the trip. I was dropped off at terminal 2 and was unable to change to the earlier flight...they told me I had to call American Airlines to do that...and they do not have offices in Finland so that was out. This meant that I wouldn't have time to see a show at a West End theater...on well.
So I had a six hour wait for my flight. I strolled through the duty free shops and ended up having a caramel Frappuccino and chocolate chip cookie for lunch at Starbucks, and then was on the internet until the battery on my computer died.
16 April 2013 Tuesday. I published this blog as I was waiting to fly from Helsinki to London Heathrow. I'm assuming that my flight on British Airways to DFW and then COS will be uneventful, because I want to close out this series of blogs before I get home. It's always risky to write about future events, and it may be jinxing tomorrow
Conclusion: After our six week trip last fall across the South Pacific, to Sydney, and then New Zealand, I decided that six weeks is too long to be away from home. After this trip I'm considering four weeks to be too long. I know that has many TBers thinking that I am a wuss, and not really a traveler. But I will likely reconsider, recognizing that had my ankle been up to par it would have made a big difference. Also Linda will be a much better travel companion!
But Rosanna and Evan want to travel with me. They work so have less time off, so I have to consider their schedule...and I thought I had been freed from having to travel during the high seasons when school is out.
So at this point the travel plans in my Profile are notional...I do want to go to South America in 2014 as I have never been to that continent and doing the high altitude of Cuzco will be better while I'm relatively young (although we live at 8500 feet so are pretty used to high altitude living), but the future is not ours to control. So until next time...
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Making connections
It would be ironic for you to travel to Helsinki and eat at the Colorado Rocky Mountain Grill. That is terrific that Will is more excited about his future after talking with Annette. Over all you had an amazing trip and wonderful that you could share it with Will.