Weekend in Helsinki
This weekend I have spent in Helsinki with Sam Megson and her friend Amy. I have stopped over from a week in Avesta where I have been working on Operating System Deployment through SCCM… It’s been a really good week and we have achieved a lot in a small amount of time. I also took the opportunity to talk about some of the things I am working on which people are interested in, it’s always better to be given a demo rather than just hearing about it - it also gives people the opportunity to ask questions.
I have worked a lot with people in Avesta from a few different roles/projects I have been working on, so it was really good to get to meet them face to face. I was a bit sad to be leaving because there was still so much I could have done or talked about while I was there, but hopefully it won’t be the last time I am there, and at least now I think people know who I am and where I can be contacted.
I got the train from the Avesta train station bound to Stockholm, it was running a little late, but I still had plenty of time to get to the plane so I was feeling very relaxed, and because I had already done the journey from the airport, I was less stressed about where to go when I was there. When I got there, I had enough time to get a muffin and a few bottles of water for the flight - it’s only a 45 minute flight so they don’t have enough time to serve everyone while the ‘fasten seatbelt sign’ is on.
I landed safely and was greeted by Miss Megson, who in a flap because she had stuff in her hands, forgot to hold up the sign she had made me which said “Helsinki welcomes Tom Whiteley”. We waited for Amy who was coming in from Manchester an hour after me.
We all got onto the bus and headed into the city, I am staying in the same apartment block as Sam, but I am in a penthouse suite ;-) Amy is sharing with Sam. I’ve paid for the apartment which was pretty cheap for 2 nights in the capital city, because while I was here, I wanted to see the parts which I wouldn’t normally see when I am here with work… We had a bit of trouble finding my apartment, we ended up seeing a lot of the block last night, however finally managed to find it. I had a great night’s sleep, the bed was so comfy and I was glad to be back in the time zone that my body felt right in!!!
Today we headed out to the shops to have a quick look around for a nice coat for me, I haven’t brought anything with me, and I look like a nerd with my anorak on; Amy knew what I needed, Sam just mocked me. We found the perfect thing (first shop, first coat…) and rather than doing the woman thing and looking around for a day to find something better and then returning to buy it when you realise there is nothing better; I got it straight away. I was craving a McDonalds because I hadn’t had one in 4 weeks, so we went to the one near Scandic where we usually stay on business. I was soooooooo happy to finally get my chops around a big mac.
We then headed through the city to the docks, where we would get the boat to the Helsinki Zoo. We had a nice wander through the markets and stalls and got out ticket - 16€ for a return trip on the boat and entrance into the zoo… Bargain! We go to see lions, tigers, goats, monkeys, fish, bears, parrots, tucans, wild cats - I was like a big kid rushing from enclosure to enclosure. We headed back from there to the main island and went through a square which had a lot of statues for some sort of ‘thing’. They were hand painted statues of bears - one from each country - they were about 2.5 meters tall, all in the same pose. They were very pretty and decorated nicely, we got some good photos of them.
We headed back to the apartment for a quick power nap so we could go out for some food, I’ve had a quick shower and getting ready for going out - no doubt like ladies will be some time, so I thought I’d give a “quick” update on what I am up to.
Flying home (Tornio) tomorrow on the 12.30 flight or something like that, and then I have another 2 weeks of rotation stuff to do before I go home to see the missus…
Here is a link to my Helsinki trip photos.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=212848&id=502353185&l=aa14a44a7c
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=213808&id=502353185&l=9bfb10a710
Thanks to Miss C for these…