So about the trip

The trip was amazing, until I tried to come home. A big storm smacked northern Europe the week-end I was flying back, causing flooding and broken trees in England and Scandinavia. The day I was to leave Helsinki, they were setting up barricades around the presidential palace to protect against imminent flooding (an area near where I was walking around the previous day). There was flooding in my building's basement which left me without hot water for my shower (which is bad enough in a warm climate, but absolutely horrific in a cold climate for me).

Anyway, my flight out of Helsinki was delayed, so I missed my connecting to London and SAS put me up in a hotel for the night. Due to a time zone confusion, however, I missed my rebooked flight and had to pay a fee to get on the next flight. All of this led to my suitcase not showing up in London. I patiently waited for the next flight from Copenhagen (SAS has about a half-dozen daily flights), but when it didn't show up then, I basically had to get on my Air Canada flight back to Ottawa without anything to check in.

SAS did get it to London, but I had to rely on the kindness of the baggage clerks at the Ottawa airport to bring it from London to Ottawa. Kudos to them though, once they took charge of the file, my suitcase was in Ottawa less than 24 hours later, which was a tremendous relief. In all of that, all my stuff arrived, though one of the Helsinki shot glasses was damaged.

I'm getting my pictures up on the internet slowly but surely and have paid off my credit card for the trip too. Due to some bad planning and the time zone issue, the trip was a bit more expensive that planned, but all in all a wonderful time. My next goal is to go back in the summer and witness the midnight sun! Thanks to all my wonderful friends who helped out with the execution of the trip and their warm and generous hospitality!

Let Freedom Ring

The inauguration speech is a typical example of why many non-Americans dislike the United States. The speech itself is full of lofty rhetoric and ideals, and is indeed an inspiration for making the world a better place and encouraging Americans to do just that. However, it is also well-known that it is just words, with a selective application in tangible actions. While the US used force to evict a tyrant and dictator who oppressed its people in Iraq (which wasn't the original motivation, though most Americans don't care about that), it also props up another tyrant and dictator in Uzbekistan for geopolitical reasons.

Which, of course, brings up an interesting question: What is in America's best interests? A democratic, civilian government in Pakistan that is border-line failed state? Or a dictatorial, military government that toes the US line in regional conflicts?

The solution is for Bush and the US to simply shut up about bringing freedom to the world. Given the Patriot Act and Gitmo, the world no longer believes lofty American rhetoric and doesn't care. Every country puts its own interests first, leaving lofty ideals as a subservient concern, so no one expects America to be any different; they just tired of America pretending it is different.

AIDEK MABROUK!!!

A Happy EID to all our muslim friends. Peace to all, insha'allah.

Home sweet home

I'm back but my luggage is not. Will post more coherent message (messages?) later this week.

Back in Finland

Have been disconnected for a while, so will try to summarize the key points of the past few days (week?). After Savonlinna, I took a bus and train to Turku (which included a 10 minute stop at the cafe in Joroinen, thus taking me back to the farmhouse where I was just three days earlier) where I met up with Kaisa and spent the afternoon touring the city, getting ferry tickets and drinking beer (pretty much in that order).

The ferry to Stockholm was supposed to be an experience. According to Finns I talked to, it would either be a cool cultural experience (said the men) or a dreary, time-wasting experience (said the women). Because of the duty-free nature of the ferries, alcohol is cheaper so Finns take the ferry to get drunk overnight. In fact, it appeared to be a lot of Russians and their kids, kids who spent most of the time playing slot machines apparently. There were drunks (I shared a cabin with two of them, but they kept to themselves for the two hours they were in the cabin, and also a friendly chap who was surprising his friends in Stockholm. Drunk.) but nothing overwhelming and I slept most of the trip (10 euros more and I get a bunk in a cabin, totally worth it).

Malmö (Malmo) was great fun, seeing Kristina and Johanna again and their dog and two cats. It's a nice little city which is typically European in design and architecture, and a delight to walk. I hit a nightclub (crowded, filled with smokers and a mini-casino, along with lots of alcohol and the prototypical "beautiful" Swedish women of fantasyland), did some walking around town and also some good shopping too, before flying back to Helsinki, from whence this dispatch orginates.

Tonight will be some undefined outing in the night, and tomorrow should be a quiet day while I try to figure out how to repack my backpack with all the stuff I bought (hopefully replacing the stuff I left behind, but not more). One night in England and then home on Monday. Pictures should be up later in the week, along with more detailed postings of the trip.

No, I don't play hockey...

...nor am I Italian.

I'm having a wonderful time in Savonlinna, it's a very picturesque town even in winter with about four hours of sunlight. There is a lovely castle, many shops and good restaurants and a few nightspots for the university students. While at a bar called Happy Time (no joke!), an older man, perhaps a bit tipsy, asked my friends in Finnish if he could sit with us. Much discussion and uncomfortable looks in Finnish, with the only word I could understand being "Italiano", to which I nodded "no", thinking he thought I was Italian and/or spoke. More discussion in Finnish before the guy looked embarrased, appeared to apologize and left.

Turns out he thought I was an Italian hockey goal tender who played for the local team and was thrilled to meet me at a bar. Much embarrassment about the fact that I wasn't that Italian goalie.

True story though, Finland is a very white country, so I get many discrete stares. I'm amused by this, so I make a point to smile and wave at everyone who does. Old people look a bit shy or embarrased, but always smile and wave back, while one younger raven-haired beauty at the City Market in Savonlinna smiled back. Several times while I was shopping. Delightful, though my girlfriend is paying good money to my friends here to make sure I have no contact with the local women. C'est la vie!

Off to Turku and Stockholm and then Malmö, before returning to Helsinki most likely Saturday morning. Good trip so far, hoping it stays good. Most of my shopping is done too, Customs willing....

Finnish New Year

So New Year's Eve was a new experience. I ate Rudolph for dinner (in a nice stew), had lots of vodka, beer and wine (not necessarily in that order, but close enough), then launched fireworks from the snow in a field (with champagne/bubbly wine) before heading to the sauna. It is unbelievably nasty to go from hot sauna to cold river, but Finns swear this is a good thing.

Anyway, the trip has worked well thus far with all the pieces falling into place. No idea how good my internet will be for the remainder of the trip, but until Tuesday morning, I'm wired (and really tired).