After a break – as always – am back to share with you some snapshots of my visit to Chennai for my brother’s marriage during the first week of May 2008. Well, the return flight was exactly as it was when I came to Europe, the combination of Finnair and Jet airways business class is definitely a class apart. So, am not going to bore u again with the details… just that everything went on well and was on schedule. In fact, the flight to Chennai was before time by around 20 minutes. My wife and my brother came to pick me from the airport at the odd hours of 1.30 am. Reached home in 15 minutes and went to bed without realizing am in for a surprise. Yes. My 5 month old daughter woke up and we played for almost an hour before she slept again – start of a most memorable time with my daughter for the next 2 weeks.
Next day completed all the purchases for the marriage and rechecked the final arrangements for the marriage from the groom’s side. In a couple of days of time, we were all set for the marriage celebrations. Finally, found time to get my hair styled in time for the marriage. Next day other people on the centre stage were set for their “beauty” treatments – my wife, my brother and his would be – so I had a day free for myself, which I promptly used to visit my friends after a long time had a good time with them for a few hours before returning to pick up the “beautified” family.
The next 3 days was BUSY in the marriage and lots and lots of work and talking and meeting the relatives who made it to the marriage – lots of fun and frolic and of course food during those 3 memorable days. We were back to home on May 1 fully exhausted and tired. Again loads of work to reset home back to “before” stage. As you can imagine, so many things had to reset and it took all our remaining energy for the next couple of days before we set out for the spiritual trips to different temples around my native place. We left on Sunday night and everyone else returned back on Wednesday when I visited TVM office to see my teams and colleagues. It was an intense trip with quite a lot of news for me to digest in a very short span of time.
I reached home on Thursday with a little upset of the body and biological clock. But well, left home early on Friday for another temple – Thirupathi – one of the wealthiest temples in the world. Another exhausting day and finally my daughter showed some effects of all these travel and fell a little sick. Finally, on Saturday morning started to pack for the return flight to Helsinki. Quite a lot of drama happened before everything could be finalized and set for my flight. Had to visit the pediatrician for my daughter, then my uncle’s place for lunch and back home with a couple of hours to spare before I had to leave for the airport.
All through, there was always one irritating companion with me from the time I landed in India to the time I boarded the return flight – the one and only Chennai summer HEAT. I would not try to describe it… you have to feel it to understand it.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
The 100 Euro Dinner
One afternoon in the office one consultant came and asked whether I am free next evening for dinner. Of course I am – nothing else to do especially on a weekday in the evening other than warm up my bed watching TV. He sent out an email giving the name of the restaurant where we were to go for the dinner and that 1 of his team member and another small CST would join us for the dinner. Total of 6 people including one more non consulting staff were scheduled for a dinner at one of most prestigious restaurants in Helsinki – The Chez Dominique http://www.chezdominique.fi/ the consultant also happens to be a vegetarian and he had ordered 2 vege dinner for us. Luckily for me, this restaurant is next door of my apartment complex.
So on Thursday, at 7.00pm I headed next door for the restaurant and after a lot of thought went inside the restaurant as I could not locate any of them outside. There was a table booked for the six of us and one of the waiters showed me the table. I settled into the chair and had some water to drink.
To start with the description of this restaurant… it is peak formal environment with people ready to get your jacket and help you with everything. Most of the people in the restaurant were dressed in suits and blazers – other than me. The environment oozed luxury as well. Within 5 minutes 3 of them reached and we were chatting about a lot of things – nothing official of course. The other 2 joined us as well and finally, the dinner started at around 7.20pm.
To start with they served us potato icecream – yes POTATO ice cream!!! It was totally different. This followed by another item I don’t remember neither the name nor its taste. Then came the next vegetable ice cream this time it was beetroot with beet sauce to accompany. Now all these were served to make you understand the capabilities of the chef and these are not part of the actual menu – Howzaat!! I have to say all these were served in different china and quantity – just a teaspoon full.
In between, we were served with different kinds of breads to keep us occupied before the next item arrived. Well it just takes at least 15-20 minutes for the next item to come. Then came the dishes that are part of the menu… well to be honest I do not remember any of their names now… at the same time the quantity is still the same teaspoon full. But the most important thing that I observed is the presentation of each of them. Every dish was more like an art with different colored sauces and pastes, even the vegetables are cut, sliced, rolled, or packed in a very artistic way.
Also, the service was impeccable, 3 waiters would bring in the plates in a coordinated way… they would go together to serve it on the table such that no one feels like they get a preferential treatment. Even removing the plates was properly coordinated – they would come and stand and with a nod of everyone they would remove the plates and clean the linen.
The dinner was a 4 course menu and for every course including those for sampling was served in a new china and cutlery. They would remove every piece of utensil used to eat that course and would bring in a new one. This was particular efficient, as you don’t have the dilemma to figure which spoon or fork to use for which dish. They give the cutlery that is required for the dish that is to be served and they would be replaced for the next one. We had also ordered for a bottle of red and white wine and even the wine glasses are changed.
The main course was a preparation with rice and mushrooms and again the quantity this was a more… yes one tablespoon full. So in total we had around 7 servings before the dessert. Even the dessert was served in a totally different set of cutlery and china. The dessert again was of the same quantity but just that we had around 3 different items… so it makes 3 teaspoons full. One of them was particularly delicious again am sorry no idea of the name. Finally, when we finished with all these 8 items, paid for and left… we had spent some – can you guess… we spent actually 4 hours!!! Yes we finally finished the dinner at 11.15pm.
No doubt that I would remember this dinner for a long time to come… or at least until the next one
p.s. I really regret not taking the camera and i enquired about the cost of the dinner next day... 100 euros excluding wines thats HUGE!!!
So on Thursday, at 7.00pm I headed next door for the restaurant and after a lot of thought went inside the restaurant as I could not locate any of them outside. There was a table booked for the six of us and one of the waiters showed me the table. I settled into the chair and had some water to drink.
To start with the description of this restaurant… it is peak formal environment with people ready to get your jacket and help you with everything. Most of the people in the restaurant were dressed in suits and blazers – other than me. The environment oozed luxury as well. Within 5 minutes 3 of them reached and we were chatting about a lot of things – nothing official of course. The other 2 joined us as well and finally, the dinner started at around 7.20pm.
To start with they served us potato icecream – yes POTATO ice cream!!! It was totally different. This followed by another item I don’t remember neither the name nor its taste. Then came the next vegetable ice cream this time it was beetroot with beet sauce to accompany. Now all these were served to make you understand the capabilities of the chef and these are not part of the actual menu – Howzaat!! I have to say all these were served in different china and quantity – just a teaspoon full.
In between, we were served with different kinds of breads to keep us occupied before the next item arrived. Well it just takes at least 15-20 minutes for the next item to come. Then came the dishes that are part of the menu… well to be honest I do not remember any of their names now… at the same time the quantity is still the same teaspoon full. But the most important thing that I observed is the presentation of each of them. Every dish was more like an art with different colored sauces and pastes, even the vegetables are cut, sliced, rolled, or packed in a very artistic way.
Also, the service was impeccable, 3 waiters would bring in the plates in a coordinated way… they would go together to serve it on the table such that no one feels like they get a preferential treatment. Even removing the plates was properly coordinated – they would come and stand and with a nod of everyone they would remove the plates and clean the linen.
The dinner was a 4 course menu and for every course including those for sampling was served in a new china and cutlery. They would remove every piece of utensil used to eat that course and would bring in a new one. This was particular efficient, as you don’t have the dilemma to figure which spoon or fork to use for which dish. They give the cutlery that is required for the dish that is to be served and they would be replaced for the next one. We had also ordered for a bottle of red and white wine and even the wine glasses are changed.
The main course was a preparation with rice and mushrooms and again the quantity this was a more… yes one tablespoon full. So in total we had around 7 servings before the dessert. Even the dessert was served in a totally different set of cutlery and china. The dessert again was of the same quantity but just that we had around 3 different items… so it makes 3 teaspoons full. One of them was particularly delicious again am sorry no idea of the name. Finally, when we finished with all these 8 items, paid for and left… we had spent some – can you guess… we spent actually 4 hours!!! Yes we finally finished the dinner at 11.15pm.
No doubt that I would remember this dinner for a long time to come… or at least until the next one
p.s. I really regret not taking the camera and i enquired about the cost of the dinner next day... 100 euros excluding wines thats HUGE!!!
Tallin, the Capital of Estonia
After a lot of waiting and planning I finally managed to book tickets to visit Tallin, Estonia for a day. Initially, the plan was for 4 of the TCS guys to join me, but unfortunately, 3 of them dropped out… well 1 was not in a good mood – acceptable but the other 2 were very badly sleeping!!!!! So, finally only I and Chetan from TCS left for Tallin that fine Saturday morning. As such, the cruise was scheduled to leave from HEL west harbor at 8.00am and the reporting time was 7.30. As you can imagine, getting up in the morning especially on a weekend… is not a great idea – at least for me. Finally, at 7.00am we were about to leave to the port… so we hailed a taxi and headed for the port. I was really looking forward to this trip as this is going to be our (Chetan’s and myself) first ever Cruise ship travel experience.
We reached the port at around 7.15am and directly went ahead to board the ship. It looked more like an airport check-in area and all those queues. But alas, there is a catch… Estonia joined the EU in Dec 2007 and it does not require a separate visa to enter. So, all those queues and check-in counters are now redundant. Unfortunately, Chetan had a double entry visa and he was really apprehensive if his exit out of Finland would be stamped… which means he cannot come back. Luckily nothing of that sort happened and he was ready to enjoy the day.
We proceeded towards the ship, and you have to go through a lot of passageways which resembled more like the aerobridge used for the aircraft. We entered the ship at the deck 5 that is 6th floor from the bottom of the ship and we have 4 more above it. So, this one turned out to be a pretty big one for us on our first cruise. We spent the first hour on a sightseeing trip aboard the ship… we went around all the decks of the ship… and found in this order
Deck 1 & 2 –Engines and Crew areas
Deck 3 – used for ferrying the cars and trucks across the 2 cities
Deck 4 – Cabins
Deck 5 – Partially cabins, lobby area (ATMs, information counter, etc)
Deck 6 & 7 – cabins
Deck 8 – Duty free market, restaurants, and Cabins
Deck 9 – Bar, Sundeck area, dance floors, and Chairs to enjoy the sea view
During this time, we made it to the bow of the ship, but unfortunately, tourists were not allowed there as this ship actually opens for the vehicles by lifting up the bow. So we had a look around the place filled with lot of equipments and ropes and a couple of crew in charge of that place. The sundeck was at the aft – the stern – and was a good place to enjoy the tranquility of the sea though it was really cold there. We were enjoying it by moving in and out to avoid getting too cold. We made a lot of pictures when leaving Helsinki and it’s not so high skyline. We were able to see the cathedral from almost 4-5 kms into the sea. We were really looking forward to a great journey when we realized we are actually getting hungry in the morning.
We were a bit strategic when we were going around the ship we already had booked 2 seats for the buffet breakfast for 10 Euros. That’s actually cheap comparing the normal rates at the city restaurants. We headed to the restaurant and straight to the table which was booked for us. As always, there was very less items for me (veg.) just some breads and pancakes. But luckily they had some dishes made out of eggs, which saved my day. We had a sumptuous breakfast – kind of filling ourselves for the day – we returned to the sundeck for more fun in the sun. We were greeted by more chill winds but it was manageable given that I had 4 layers of dressing (that’s 1 reason I look so big in the pictures). After a fast 3.5 hours of cruising we reached Tallin as scheduled and we hastily headed out to the town as we had only 4.5 hours to spend.
Tallin, is famous for its old town maintained from the 17th century. Many of the buildings were from that time period and nothing much has changed till date though city has grown around this old town. The old town is just a stone throw away from the dock so we walked our way. Luckily for us the climate was very nice with good sunshine though there was a lot of snow all around. We started from the main street named the Pikk street and toured the entire area by foot. We reached the town square surrounded by lot old buildings and the town hall and a view tower – which opens only during the summer
We continued our tour all around the old town and visit a couple of beautiful cathedrals and all the other wonderful buildings. There were quite a lot of museums housed in these old buildings and one of them was pretty good with old war equipments. We also saw beautiful sceneries from some vantage viewpoints spread around the town. The town itself looks more like two tiered one above the other… part of the city is on the plains and the other part on top a hill. Some of the views were really breathtaking. We were able to see the docks and many ships that do regular trips between many of the Baltic States.
We roamed all around the old town absorbing some of the most beautiful sights around the place. We hit a small restaurant for something to drink to quench the thirst after walking for so long. We had some refreshing fresh juice and snacks to accompany for just a third of the price that we had to pay for it in Helsinki. After refreshing we went continued our tour to complete the old town. With less than an hour left for our return journey, we decided to have a look at the new town as well… so we started walking along the main road. We walked for almost 20 minutes before it was time for us to return to our ship. Overall, we should have walked at least 8-10 kms in 4 hours.
Return journey was on the same vessel and given that we had walked so much, we chose a seat on the top deck and settled into it for the evening. We had a couple of juices and water before we made the biggest mistake of the day. Again, being already hungry by the walk we booked ourselves a table for buffet dinner @ 24 Euros with wines and beer. It turned out to be a very big flop as I did not find anything good eat other than boiled potatoes, steamed vegetables and bread not to satisfy my hunger. I had a couple of glasses of white wine with the dinner.
We reached Helsinki, as per schedule and headed out to reach home for a well deserved sleep after a long day. These ferries are actually very famous for local people to buy alcohol from the duty free market on the ship. There were quite a lot of people who had filled supermarket style trolleys and even more. We reached home at around 9.30pm and hit the bed.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Suomenlinna… the sea fortress
On the long weekend during the Easter holidays, finally I decided to break the wait for someone to accompany me for some sightseeing. So, I decided to check out the most famous tourist attraction of Helsinki – the Suomenlinna sea fortress built by the Swedish King during the 18th century. This fort has played a vital role in many a wars and is how listed on the UNESCO World Heritage site. Read more about the fort here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suomenlinna
Well, fortunately for me I had one person who accepted to come with me to the fortress and so on Monday, we left for the fortress from our apartment. We have to take ferry from the East harbor which is around 300 metres from my apartment and the ferry ride actually takes just 15 minutes – excluding starting up and parking. You could relate this more to our Vivekanda Rock at Kanyakumari, just that this is much bigger in scale and is a cluster of around 6 islands.
We reached the harbor at around 11.15am to find out the next service is only at 12 noon. So, we decided to roam around the Senate square just stone-throw away from the harbor. This is where Helsinki’s most famous cathedral is situated. Given that there was some snow during the weekend, we went to check out the square in snow. I have already seen this without snow, so wanted see it in snow. But unfortunately, it was that attractive since most of the snow on the ground was already cleared up for the tourists.
So we headed back to the harbor and purchased a ticket from the vending machine for the trip. The ferry left on time and I have to admit, it was kind of overloaded. We decided to stay put near the doors, so that we could have some nice view of the archipelago of Helsinki. Lots of small islands and the ferry maneuvering through them was a good sight. As I told there was some snow, and the wind was really CHILL that two gloves were not good enough to hold back… and the hands were freezing and started to pain even before we landed at the fort at around 12.30pm
We were welcomed by a lot of white snow all over the place in the fort. It was really a great sight to see so much snow all around you… you have to walk on the snow all through the fort. We started our unguided tour without anyone’s help and started wandering around the place. It was really a great to be in a place build 250 years ago and even more fascinating that there is a small community who call it their home.
We went all around the fort; there was a church with massive iron chain attached to sets of 3 canons making it compound like thing… and some beautiful Easter eggs inside the church… the one big one around 2x1.5 feet made out of one piece of wood and many other small ones most of them with gems, glass, and even some precious metals. The church also housed a organ – a musical instrument – made of a lot of tubes. We then headed out on the snow again to see more of the old areas in the fort.
We reached the other end of the island that had a lot of canons in strategic positions and lot of bunkers and hide outs with viewing points to the sea. Some of the canons are so massive, I am not really sure they actually could fire something that big. One canon was taller than me and at least twice my width as diameter and the barrel could easily fit a shot that could be more around twice the size of my head. That’s really massive.
We further explored the area walking through the perimeter of the island when we hit a gateway called the “King’s gate” that was really a beautiful gate… with circular steps leading down to the surface of the water. We also saw a few places which looked more like housing for those who served in the fortress. We also saw a lot of tunnels and most of the closed now, except one which led to one of the canon guns through the place which looked like a storage area for the ammunition.
After a exhausting walk on the snow for 3 hours, finally decided it is time to go home, and we made it to the harbor again in time for the 15.30 pm ferry back to Helsinki. Good walks always leads to good appetite so we hit the Namaskaar Restaurant near the Central railway station for a well deserved lunch and reached home at around 17.00pm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suomenlinna
Well, fortunately for me I had one person who accepted to come with me to the fortress and so on Monday, we left for the fortress from our apartment. We have to take ferry from the East harbor which is around 300 metres from my apartment and the ferry ride actually takes just 15 minutes – excluding starting up and parking. You could relate this more to our Vivekanda Rock at Kanyakumari, just that this is much bigger in scale and is a cluster of around 6 islands.
We reached the harbor at around 11.15am to find out the next service is only at 12 noon. So, we decided to roam around the Senate square just stone-throw away from the harbor. This is where Helsinki’s most famous cathedral is situated. Given that there was some snow during the weekend, we went to check out the square in snow. I have already seen this without snow, so wanted see it in snow. But unfortunately, it was that attractive since most of the snow on the ground was already cleared up for the tourists.
So we headed back to the harbor and purchased a ticket from the vending machine for the trip. The ferry left on time and I have to admit, it was kind of overloaded. We decided to stay put near the doors, so that we could have some nice view of the archipelago of Helsinki. Lots of small islands and the ferry maneuvering through them was a good sight. As I told there was some snow, and the wind was really CHILL that two gloves were not good enough to hold back… and the hands were freezing and started to pain even before we landed at the fort at around 12.30pm
We were welcomed by a lot of white snow all over the place in the fort. It was really a great sight to see so much snow all around you… you have to walk on the snow all through the fort. We started our unguided tour without anyone’s help and started wandering around the place. It was really a great to be in a place build 250 years ago and even more fascinating that there is a small community who call it their home.
We went all around the fort; there was a church with massive iron chain attached to sets of 3 canons making it compound like thing… and some beautiful Easter eggs inside the church… the one big one around 2x1.5 feet made out of one piece of wood and many other small ones most of them with gems, glass, and even some precious metals. The church also housed a organ – a musical instrument – made of a lot of tubes. We then headed out on the snow again to see more of the old areas in the fort.
We reached the other end of the island that had a lot of canons in strategic positions and lot of bunkers and hide outs with viewing points to the sea. Some of the canons are so massive, I am not really sure they actually could fire something that big. One canon was taller than me and at least twice my width as diameter and the barrel could easily fit a shot that could be more around twice the size of my head. That’s really massive.
We further explored the area walking through the perimeter of the island when we hit a gateway called the “King’s gate” that was really a beautiful gate… with circular steps leading down to the surface of the water. We also saw a few places which looked more like housing for those who served in the fortress. We also saw a lot of tunnels and most of the closed now, except one which led to one of the canon guns through the place which looked like a storage area for the ammunition.
After a exhausting walk on the snow for 3 hours, finally decided it is time to go home, and we made it to the harbor again in time for the 15.30 pm ferry back to Helsinki. Good walks always leads to good appetite so we hit the Namaskaar Restaurant near the Central railway station for a well deserved lunch and reached home at around 17.00pm
The week that was
To start with I met a person from TCS working on a project at Nokia and luckily he is staying in the same apartment block as mine… he is staying on the ground floor, and me on the first floor. He is Krushna, and he is a business consultant with the TCS. He is joined by 4 of his friends who also work for Nokia, and they too moved into our apartment block. So, we are having a good time during the weekends, as you know how these software guys work during the week… most of the days I do not know when they come home and when they go to work.
Well, on the office front, nothing much exciting happening other than many of the CSS are out either in client location or based out of another SC office, that I hardly get to meet these guys regularly. Nevertheless, it has been nice to work with them, and a couple of teams which are putting in real hard work all through the week to get things done.
On Friday night when these IT guys were back, we went out to see a film “Jumper” which I felt more comical than adventurous that the film claimed to be. However, here I should do a small comparison study between the cinema halls here in Finland and India (within Chennai and Trivandrum). To start with, the hall is actually less than half the size of a normal theatre in India… the total number of seats is around 350 and only one class. These are mostly multiplexes with a choice of around at least 10 films… and the seat costs about 10 EUR (650 Rs.) There was no interval during the film which lasted for ~100 minutes. The snacks that u get inside these multiplex are really of high cost – 2 liter box of popcorn costs around 3EUR (175 Rs.)
The seats are of ok type and were comfort enough for a couple of hours of sitting. One good thing I liked about the them are how the seats were arranged. The height difference between 2 rows are a pretty good – You are saved the effort to ask the person in the front to sit a bit more shallow allowing you an unobstructed view of the screen. That’s a big difference given the many local people being quite tall.
Well, on the office front, nothing much exciting happening other than many of the CSS are out either in client location or based out of another SC office, that I hardly get to meet these guys regularly. Nevertheless, it has been nice to work with them, and a couple of teams which are putting in real hard work all through the week to get things done.
On Friday night when these IT guys were back, we went out to see a film “Jumper” which I felt more comical than adventurous that the film claimed to be. However, here I should do a small comparison study between the cinema halls here in Finland and India (within Chennai and Trivandrum). To start with, the hall is actually less than half the size of a normal theatre in India… the total number of seats is around 350 and only one class. These are mostly multiplexes with a choice of around at least 10 films… and the seat costs about 10 EUR (650 Rs.) There was no interval during the film which lasted for ~100 minutes. The snacks that u get inside these multiplex are really of high cost – 2 liter box of popcorn costs around 3EUR (175 Rs.)
The seats are of ok type and were comfort enough for a couple of hours of sitting. One good thing I liked about the them are how the seats were arranged. The height difference between 2 rows are a pretty good – You are saved the effort to ask the person in the front to sit a bit more shallow allowing you an unobstructed view of the screen. That’s a big difference given the many local people being quite tall.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
An evening to remember – Back to Reality Party
Well, where to start… as always with a little introduction of what am gonna talk about… this party named Back to Reality was given much of an hype about what was going to happen on this cool Friday evening Feb 29. It is more about 3 parts of the program for the evening Part 1: in the office pantry; Part 2: A bar at a place called Mantsala around 20 kms from the city center; Part 3: Disco in one of the most acclaimed hotel Vantaa near the airport.
Part 1 – Helsinki Office
To start with the evening started at around 6.00pm in the office pantry. Arrangements were made for some food before we start. A pizza which costs abt. 2 Euros, as my colleagues called it, the cheapest pizza you can ever have and worst as well. The exclaimed that it is more like rubber than a pizza. I was lucky that I didn’t have to test that since there was no veggie version of them available. Hurrah!!! But I was feeling really hungry so stuffed myself with a couple of croissants. The drinking started from the office with couple of crates of beer to start with and some bottles of finest Finnish vodka. There was this Koff – this brand has a bar-tram which keeps going around the city’s tram track – and Lapin Kulta beers, the Koskenkorva the vodka, and another kind of non-alcoholic fruit drink.
After a kind of mood-setting for a great evening we headed out to board the bus that’s gonna take us to the bar and the hotel. Here is what they meant by back to reality… the bus was at least 25+ years old… not just its age but everything… the looks, the seating, even all those upholstery inside it was VERY old… but that was a great experience and fun to travel by this not so fast bus. We loaded all the beer and vodka into the bus and we started towards our first stop the Mantsala bar.
The ride took us around 40 mins and the entire group loved the journey. It was really great to see that every group enjoys travelling together in a bus – more like VGI’s team outings – the theme was fun and fun only. People singing, dancing, pulling legs, teasing, and one different thing is here they drink as well… so it was real fun to be on the bus to this bar.
Part 2 – Mantsala bar
We reached the bar after a couple of enquiries on the side of the road as the driver was not really sure about the location of this bar. Now I will have to tell you about the image that people were projecting about this place… this is supposed to be one of very low-level kind of bar… with “gangs” of people and this probably is one of the “not-so-good” kind of place and many things like that… but on the contrary when I reached there it looked a far better kind of place than all that was told to me. Only then I realized what is low-level here in Finland. With the little experience that I have had going to bars with friends this place is comparatively far better than our B6 in Trivandrum. I was really thinking these people should visit our KTDC beer parlors in TVM or the Tasmac bars in Chennai.
Nevertheless, we had a great time there with lots of music and lots of pictures of everyone. As always the drinking continued for another hour or so in the bar, and I had a chance to have some “open” talk with some of the css. It was really a good feeling to be accepted as one of them and they were kind enough that way. There was lot of fun and when we learnt that it was the bar girl’s birthday we had more celebration and one of us actually carried her to the front and every one of us wished her a great day. It was really a touching moment for me as well as that girl and everyone in the bar was really applauding and joined in the celebrations.
Part 3 – Hotel Vantaa
After about 9o minutes we finally left for our next and last stop for the evening the Hotel Vantaa. This is one big place to go in Helsinki on reaching there we all got the “ticket” to go inside and you have a choice of 3 different dance floors. The one which most of us wanted to go was full… so we chose the one on the first floor. It was really unbelievable to see at least 1000 people in that area… that really a big crowd. It was difficult to find out where others are when in a few minutes… the dark ambience and little lighting doesn’t help much either. It was really a normal dance floor until…
A group of 3 people from the hotel who came up on the stage and said a lot of things in “Finnish” and the entire crowd will reply in unison once every minute or so… unfortunately there was no one to translate everything. After a few minutes the prize distribution came… a t-shirt of the hotel given away to the crowd… you know thrown from the stage on to the crowd and you have to choose to get it… a couple of people in our group managed to get it though.
After sometime there came a group of people who were to give live performance for the dance floor… I must admit they were really good. They were interactive with each other – all in the songs – and also made the crowd really interactive with making us sing a few lines. Well, I did not understand a word of what they were singing but I really enjoyed the energy they brought to the dance floor. It was a great performance which lasted for an hour. Once again, the same normal dance floor music with a DJ. By this time we decided to hit the other floor and headed there… the dance floor was not as big as the first one but looked more prominent… it was around a feet below the normal floor level with separate lighting that it looked more like a stage.
I enjoyed the evening thoroughly until tiredness took over at around 2.00am so around 8 of us left together and we had a long wait for the taxi outside the hotel once we got one, we left with a lot of great memories… and reached home at around 3.30am and hit the bed….
Part 1 – Helsinki Office
To start with the evening started at around 6.00pm in the office pantry. Arrangements were made for some food before we start. A pizza which costs abt. 2 Euros, as my colleagues called it, the cheapest pizza you can ever have and worst as well. The exclaimed that it is more like rubber than a pizza. I was lucky that I didn’t have to test that since there was no veggie version of them available. Hurrah!!! But I was feeling really hungry so stuffed myself with a couple of croissants. The drinking started from the office with couple of crates of beer to start with and some bottles of finest Finnish vodka. There was this Koff – this brand has a bar-tram which keeps going around the city’s tram track – and Lapin Kulta beers, the Koskenkorva the vodka, and another kind of non-alcoholic fruit drink.
After a kind of mood-setting for a great evening we headed out to board the bus that’s gonna take us to the bar and the hotel. Here is what they meant by back to reality… the bus was at least 25+ years old… not just its age but everything… the looks, the seating, even all those upholstery inside it was VERY old… but that was a great experience and fun to travel by this not so fast bus. We loaded all the beer and vodka into the bus and we started towards our first stop the Mantsala bar.
The ride took us around 40 mins and the entire group loved the journey. It was really great to see that every group enjoys travelling together in a bus – more like VGI’s team outings – the theme was fun and fun only. People singing, dancing, pulling legs, teasing, and one different thing is here they drink as well… so it was real fun to be on the bus to this bar.
Part 2 – Mantsala bar
We reached the bar after a couple of enquiries on the side of the road as the driver was not really sure about the location of this bar. Now I will have to tell you about the image that people were projecting about this place… this is supposed to be one of very low-level kind of bar… with “gangs” of people and this probably is one of the “not-so-good” kind of place and many things like that… but on the contrary when I reached there it looked a far better kind of place than all that was told to me. Only then I realized what is low-level here in Finland. With the little experience that I have had going to bars with friends this place is comparatively far better than our B6 in Trivandrum. I was really thinking these people should visit our KTDC beer parlors in TVM or the Tasmac bars in Chennai.
Nevertheless, we had a great time there with lots of music and lots of pictures of everyone. As always the drinking continued for another hour or so in the bar, and I had a chance to have some “open” talk with some of the css. It was really a good feeling to be accepted as one of them and they were kind enough that way. There was lot of fun and when we learnt that it was the bar girl’s birthday we had more celebration and one of us actually carried her to the front and every one of us wished her a great day. It was really a touching moment for me as well as that girl and everyone in the bar was really applauding and joined in the celebrations.
Part 3 – Hotel Vantaa
After about 9o minutes we finally left for our next and last stop for the evening the Hotel Vantaa. This is one big place to go in Helsinki on reaching there we all got the “ticket” to go inside and you have a choice of 3 different dance floors. The one which most of us wanted to go was full… so we chose the one on the first floor. It was really unbelievable to see at least 1000 people in that area… that really a big crowd. It was difficult to find out where others are when in a few minutes… the dark ambience and little lighting doesn’t help much either. It was really a normal dance floor until…
A group of 3 people from the hotel who came up on the stage and said a lot of things in “Finnish” and the entire crowd will reply in unison once every minute or so… unfortunately there was no one to translate everything. After a few minutes the prize distribution came… a t-shirt of the hotel given away to the crowd… you know thrown from the stage on to the crowd and you have to choose to get it… a couple of people in our group managed to get it though.
After sometime there came a group of people who were to give live performance for the dance floor… I must admit they were really good. They were interactive with each other – all in the songs – and also made the crowd really interactive with making us sing a few lines. Well, I did not understand a word of what they were singing but I really enjoyed the energy they brought to the dance floor. It was a great performance which lasted for an hour. Once again, the same normal dance floor music with a DJ. By this time we decided to hit the other floor and headed there… the dance floor was not as big as the first one but looked more prominent… it was around a feet below the normal floor level with separate lighting that it looked more like a stage.
I enjoyed the evening thoroughly until tiredness took over at around 2.00am so around 8 of us left together and we had a long wait for the taxi outside the hotel once we got one, we left with a lot of great memories… and reached home at around 3.30am and hit the bed….
Monday, March 3, 2008
Welcome dinner for me
As we decided in the weekly meeting of TAs my welcome dinner was scheduled for Thursday, February 21, 2008 at the Kipina restaurant – a famous restaurant for home made tapas (Spanish) food. As per the plan we were supposed to leave for the restaurant from the office and I thought I will have to be in the office for more time. But, Netta had different plans. We left the office around 17.15 and headed for the latest building the in the Helsinki city center which hosts a restaurant on the top most tower area. So, we (Netta, Sanna, and I) climbed the tower (12th floor) and the restaurant was pretty crammed with little space and was stuffed with as many chairs as possible.
The view outside the tower was pretty impressive even though the climate was very unfavorable with grey poured over the entire sky… but was able to see the city from a good vantage point right in the heart of the city. Made some pictures, though most of them were not that good… especially given the “chill” conditions 12 floors up and a small camera… it is tooooo shakkkkky to take picturesJ. I had a cup of refreshing coffee before we started to our restaurant for the evening – Kipina.
Walked all the way around the block via the central station again and reached the restaurant at around quarter past 6. On our way, Sari joined us and we hit the restaurant and waited for Mervi and Annika to join us. Meanwhile, we ordered some starters… a couple of vege dishes for me and some more. I had ordered a glass of red wine to accompany my snacks and by the time food arrived both the girls joined us and we had a great time together chatting about everything other than work. J They want to learn some swear words so I taught them a few domesticated animals. I ordered for some pasta with onions, tomatoes, and garlic. It was good and really filling.
The view outside the tower was pretty impressive even though the climate was very unfavorable with grey poured over the entire sky… but was able to see the city from a good vantage point right in the heart of the city. Made some pictures, though most of them were not that good… especially given the “chill” conditions 12 floors up and a small camera… it is tooooo shakkkkky to take picturesJ. I had a cup of refreshing coffee before we started to our restaurant for the evening – Kipina.
Walked all the way around the block via the central station again and reached the restaurant at around quarter past 6. On our way, Sari joined us and we hit the restaurant and waited for Mervi and Annika to join us. Meanwhile, we ordered some starters… a couple of vege dishes for me and some more. I had ordered a glass of red wine to accompany my snacks and by the time food arrived both the girls joined us and we had a great time together chatting about everything other than work. J They want to learn some swear words so I taught them a few domesticated animals. I ordered for some pasta with onions, tomatoes, and garlic. It was good and really filling.
Everyone ordered a different dish and they shared to taste everything that was in offer in that restaurant. As I said earlier, this restaurant offered homemade food, so the menu was pretty small with little but tasty dishes. Most of them had troubles finishing off, so we went ahead and ordered for a dessert – a vanilla soufflé. I ordered for coffee again (Irish) and with that closed the day with a nice feeling of getting to know my colleagues better.
A weekend around Helsinki
After a long time, today I finally sat down to write down my log. To start with I wish to describe the long walk I took around the city center of Helsinki. On a “sunny” Saturday afternoon I finally made my mind to roam around the city center and to locate the place where I had seen some of the Indian stores on my previous trip on the tram. So, I set out appropriately dressed, to this one of its kind treasure hunt to find the Indian market.
I started my tour with a visit to the harbor that I had been earlier to see it in sunlight and it did not disappoint me… made a couple of pictures around and headed for the Helsinki cathedral the most prominent landmark in the city center. Made a few more pictures and found out my battery had ran out… I have a spare battery but that was in my room. The thrill of adventure ahead, I made my way back to my apartment to pick up my spare battery. Well exercising perhaps. Replaced my battery and hit the road again to the cathedral to cover it fully. Made more photos and started walking around the place called Senate Square.
Went around without any particular destination in mind… went to the other side of the harbor which just a couple of streets away from the first point where I met the sea. Took more pictures and walked through the streets, also found a nice color scheme on a building which I’m planning to put on my house back in Chennai… nothing special just cool brick red accentuated with dark brown. Cool one really! Found my way around to the tram track and started following it with the hope that I would reach the area where the markets are… I wasn’t disappointed… I found the locality around a couple kms from my apartment and believe it there are a total of 8 shops which offer Indian items.
Went inside a few of them and bought some pappads, pickles, chick peas, green peas, moong dal and some rice. On my way back to my apartment I took a different route which brought me to the Helsinki Central Railway station. Found a nice ice skating area near the station, watched for sometime before heading back to home. On the way back spotted another of the Indian cuisine restaurant “Namaskaar Express”. This was more of a fast food kind of restaurant. Nothing that you have to order and wait for them prepare it… it is all there and just have to be put on the plate. When chatting with the guy in the restaurant I learnt that it is run by a Pakistani. Well international relations far away from home. Cool!!! Overall it was a very energetic and revealing walk through the city center. Planning to hit the market once I run out of stock of the items.
I started my tour with a visit to the harbor that I had been earlier to see it in sunlight and it did not disappoint me… made a couple of pictures around and headed for the Helsinki cathedral the most prominent landmark in the city center. Made a few more pictures and found out my battery had ran out… I have a spare battery but that was in my room. The thrill of adventure ahead, I made my way back to my apartment to pick up my spare battery. Well exercising perhaps. Replaced my battery and hit the road again to the cathedral to cover it fully. Made more photos and started walking around the place called Senate Square.
Went around without any particular destination in mind… went to the other side of the harbor which just a couple of streets away from the first point where I met the sea. Took more pictures and walked through the streets, also found a nice color scheme on a building which I’m planning to put on my house back in Chennai… nothing special just cool brick red accentuated with dark brown. Cool one really! Found my way around to the tram track and started following it with the hope that I would reach the area where the markets are… I wasn’t disappointed… I found the locality around a couple kms from my apartment and believe it there are a total of 8 shops which offer Indian items.
Went inside a few of them and bought some pappads, pickles, chick peas, green peas, moong dal and some rice. On my way back to my apartment I took a different route which brought me to the Helsinki Central Railway station. Found a nice ice skating area near the station, watched for sometime before heading back to home. On the way back spotted another of the Indian cuisine restaurant “Namaskaar Express”. This was more of a fast food kind of restaurant. Nothing that you have to order and wait for them prepare it… it is all there and just have to be put on the plate. When chatting with the guy in the restaurant I learnt that it is run by a Pakistani. Well international relations far away from home. Cool!!! Overall it was a very energetic and revealing walk through the city center. Planning to hit the market once I run out of stock of the items.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
First Sunshine
After almost 2 weeks in Helsinki, today I had the first sight of Helsinki in broad daylight and good sunshine… yes sun shine!!! It is almost very difficult to see sun here… but today it was very nice to see the sun. Now, I feel bad about cursing the sun for heating our cities all these years in India... we don’t realize the goodness of anything until when we actually need it. So, long live our sun and its services to the mankind. Though locals still feel bad they are not having their regular winter with 10+ degrees below zero and snow! I’m enjoying this :-) One more thing I learnt, when there are no big clouds you have a lot of wind and with wind the atmosphere is even chillier than it would be when there is a cloud cover… howzzzzat!!!
Today I also realized how useful the ‘thermals’ that I wear below my dress, though it was shining really nicely, the atmosphere is really chill!!! Today I experimented without them and I could feel the chill encroaching me from every point where I did not have another layer of dressing :-) now that’s really scary to be so vulnerable to the elements without proper protection… so no more experimentation with the thermal wear.
Some things I noticed here… there is no strain involved in being a trucker here. Every truck I have seen in the past days has an electric-operated platform at the rear end of the truck’s payload area. Everything that is to be transported are moved on to this platform when lowered to the ground level, and then the platform as a whole is lifted to the truck level enabling the people to move stuff into the truck. This platform also doubles itself as the rear door… ah yes! I am yet to see any open trucks like the killer “sand tippers” that ply on the Indian roads. Also, most of the traffic inside the city moves very slowly, around 40-60 kmph and of course everyone follows the traffic rules. No one jumps the red signal nor do they do any “theatrics” on the road. Sometimes, people cross the road, only at the pedestrian crossings, when there is no traffic in sight. Accidents still happen though mostly because of slippery roads
I visited the biggest shop in the center of Helsinki – The Stockmann “Kingdom of Shopping” as they call it – and must admit it is by far the biggest I could actually even think of as a single store!!! It is really a ‘massive’ shopping area and everything under the same roof. You can get everything in there and with 8 floors it is really huge. It can be termed as a standalone sightseeing spot in Helsinki. I did not count the number of entrances it has, but I can correctly guess it has at least 6 different entrance/exits. It even directly exits to the underground tunnel station just across the road it is situated. You probably can get ‘lost’ in there… and the ‘pricing’ is in line with is size!!! Am not really sure whether it is economical… but I don’t think it would be, though!
Enjoying my stay here though a bit disappointed that I could not see and play in snow… but believe it would one day happen.
p.s. I shall put up a picture of the Stockmann soon
Today I also realized how useful the ‘thermals’ that I wear below my dress, though it was shining really nicely, the atmosphere is really chill!!! Today I experimented without them and I could feel the chill encroaching me from every point where I did not have another layer of dressing :-) now that’s really scary to be so vulnerable to the elements without proper protection… so no more experimentation with the thermal wear.
Some things I noticed here… there is no strain involved in being a trucker here. Every truck I have seen in the past days has an electric-operated platform at the rear end of the truck’s payload area. Everything that is to be transported are moved on to this platform when lowered to the ground level, and then the platform as a whole is lifted to the truck level enabling the people to move stuff into the truck. This platform also doubles itself as the rear door… ah yes! I am yet to see any open trucks like the killer “sand tippers” that ply on the Indian roads. Also, most of the traffic inside the city moves very slowly, around 40-60 kmph and of course everyone follows the traffic rules. No one jumps the red signal nor do they do any “theatrics” on the road. Sometimes, people cross the road, only at the pedestrian crossings, when there is no traffic in sight. Accidents still happen though mostly because of slippery roads
I visited the biggest shop in the center of Helsinki – The Stockmann “Kingdom of Shopping” as they call it – and must admit it is by far the biggest I could actually even think of as a single store!!! It is really a ‘massive’ shopping area and everything under the same roof. You can get everything in there and with 8 floors it is really huge. It can be termed as a standalone sightseeing spot in Helsinki. I did not count the number of entrances it has, but I can correctly guess it has at least 6 different entrance/exits. It even directly exits to the underground tunnel station just across the road it is situated. You probably can get ‘lost’ in there… and the ‘pricing’ is in line with is size!!! Am not really sure whether it is economical… but I don’t think it would be, though!
Enjoying my stay here though a bit disappointed that I could not see and play in snow… but believe it would one day happen.
p.s. I shall put up a picture of the Stockmann soon
Sunday, February 10, 2008
First weekend
After a nice experience of working from a McK office for a week I took the weekend with good spirits and some small plans. As always Saturdays are lazy and got up around 9.00am to answer a call from my mom and brother as we had to finalize the wedding invitation for my brother’s marriage in April. After a good 1+ hour discussion – on phone, on messenger, by email – we finalized the details and ordered for the prints.
At around 12 noon realized I hadn’t had my breakfast yet… so went ahead with the staple diet of couple of toasts and a cup of coffee. Coffee really awakened me to the fact that I had to wash my clothes… now that’s a kind of adventure. The apartment provides a washing machine to use, and it is tucked away somewhere in another block. It was more like a treasure hunt to find this machine and more importantly how does it work?! The machine is installed at the cellar of Block A of the apt. complex and the cellar had a eerie feeling when I walked into it for the first time. Lots of rooms and my key would open only those doors where I have access to.
Came back to my room to pick up the clothes, and headed for a 1 hour retreat under the ground. It was really funny to see the machine wash my clothes without water for around 5 minutes… I got suspicious that something is not correct as the machine did not use any water till now… and realized that the water connection has been closed just above the machine. Tried a couple of times before I opened the valves, and water started pouring in but it wasn’t in any mood to stop… got confused again but luckily the machine took the initiative to do its work properly.
With around 15 minutes to spare, the machine completed its work and went in for spinning and I wished the machine to have “hot air drying” capability as I could see only a few clothes line that too on the terrace of the garage behind my block. How in the heaven will clothes get dry when the temperature outside hovers around 0, continued with my treasure hunt to find another room under the ground which had clothes line under the ground and a machine which blows dry and “hot?!?” air. With a lot of questions in my mind, went ahead and spread my still wet clothes inside the room and waited there for sometime expecting a miracle to happen! All clothes dry in a couple of minutes!!! I had a big disappointment as it didn’t materialize.
Finally made a big decision to go back to my room and come after an hour to see if they are ready to be folded and dumped back into my wardrobe. Disappointment again! Finally after 4 hours inside the drying room, I got most of my clothes dry except a few which were still… wet in parts. Rest of the Saturday was spent indoors due to a menacing drizzle all through the evening.
Sunday
Woke up at around 9.00am with a determination that I would go out to take the tram ride suggested by Cia, today. So the day started briskly and I was out on the roads by noon and when directly to the stop where I have to take the tram. The weather outside was kind of chilly and my hands were getting stiff within 10 minutes of exposure. How can I take pictures when my fingers are not in a mood to move around? Fearing the worst, boarded the tram 3B which takes a circular route within Helsinki’s city center, paid the driver EUR 2 for the round trip and took a window seat on the left side of the tram. The ride took around 40 minutes to complete one round trip moving at the max of 4okmph. Got down where I boarded the tram, and went ahead to see the harbor which I had spotted from the tram and pretty close to where I stay. Clicked some pictures around the harbor with the fingers getting harder by the minute and holding the camera was a task in itself.
Strolled around the harbor area, it looked deserted for a weekend, and headed back to my apartment in around 10 minutes. On my way back an idea struck about having some good lunch at the nearest Indian restaurant to my apartment the Samrat. So, driven by hunger and the thought of good Indian food rushed to the empty restaurant, I was the first and only customer for them until the time I left that place. Went through the menu card with disbelief – you have to pay so much for our food outside India. With no other options but to have food, I went ahead and ordered the “Vegetable Thali” for whopping EUR 20!!! That’s nowhere a justifiable cost for 3 vegetable dishes, one naan, and a cup of rice. Well realized it is not worth the money given as the food was of the “ok” kind and not really a “wow” thing. Nothing to do or see, headed back to the apartment for the evening and now blogging the events for you.
More pitures here:
http://photos-by-sriram.fotopic.net
First week
After a totally relaxing and “to get used to” empty weekend, I got ready to hit the roads of Helsinki all by myself on Monday morning. Remembering the guidance and having walked once, I retraced the footsteps to reach office without asking anyone for help. There are some famous landmarks that “I” cannot get lost! the Stockmann department store, the Svenska Theatre and the Tunnel station, office is right there in this junction on the 7th floor amidst tight security.
Entered the office to be greeted by Cia, from the Admin department at the reception and by Netta and her colleague Mervi. Netta took me on a guided tour around the office and showed me the “pantry” and the coffee corners. Had the opportunity to meet many of the CSS with whom I have spoken on the phone from my office in Trivandrum. I had a 2-day induction program to gain more information about everyone in the office. Had to thank the IT guy – Janne – for he gave me a power cord and a mobile charger which fits the outlets here in Helsinki.
Nothing much to do on the first day than to set things right for my 5-month stay… the system, the phone, and my desk where I would be sitting. Helsinki is not a big office in terms of number of people, and all of them are really kind and caring. I get to see most of them everyday though a few consultants work from the client and are in the office only on Friday. Started doing some jobs for the CSS and hope they like my work.
Entered the office to be greeted by Cia, from the Admin department at the reception and by Netta and her colleague Mervi. Netta took me on a guided tour around the office and showed me the “pantry” and the coffee corners. Had the opportunity to meet many of the CSS with whom I have spoken on the phone from my office in Trivandrum. I had a 2-day induction program to gain more information about everyone in the office. Had to thank the IT guy – Janne – for he gave me a power cord and a mobile charger which fits the outlets here in Helsinki.
Nothing much to do on the first day than to set things right for my 5-month stay… the system, the phone, and my desk where I would be sitting. Helsinki is not a big office in terms of number of people, and all of them are really kind and caring. I get to see most of them everyday though a few consultants work from the client and are in the office only on Friday. Started doing some jobs for the CSS and hope they like my work.
More pitures here:
http://photos-by-sriram.fotopic.net/
http://photos-by-sriram.fotopic.net/
Friday, February 8, 2008
Helsinki – First impression
Thanking Netta for picking me up from the airport…we took a taxi to take us to the apartment they had chosen for me. A serviced apartment provided from Rivoli Jardin. It took us around 20 minutes to reach the apartment from the airport. I was already feeling the ‘chill’ of Helsinki. We first checked in at the reception of the hotel and went ahead to the apartment at the road behind the main entrance of the hotel. Finally we made it to the apartment at the first floor of the block. Dumped the luggage and had a look around the apartment.
A single bedroom apartment with a kitchen which has the basic needs for cooking your own food – a microwave oven, electric stove, coffee maker, water kettle, and a oven/ griller. The bedroom has a TV with a set-top box, and a DVD player. There is a lot of automation all around me here… we have a pass code to enter the building through all gates. The light switches in the common area are also automated… like switch it on and it switches off automatically in 1 minute’s time. This is really good. We don’t need to remember to switch it off J
Netta took me on a stroll around the apartment area, showed me the office and other essential places like the supermarket and ATM machine, the tunnel station, tram and bus stop, and other areas around the place. The city looks clean and traffic “disciplined” and the people are nice. Though English is rarely seen on the sign boards and even inside the shop, people around help us. The office is just 250 meters from my apartment and most of the other essential shops as well.
A single bedroom apartment with a kitchen which has the basic needs for cooking your own food – a microwave oven, electric stove, coffee maker, water kettle, and a oven/ griller. The bedroom has a TV with a set-top box, and a DVD player. There is a lot of automation all around me here… we have a pass code to enter the building through all gates. The light switches in the common area are also automated… like switch it on and it switches off automatically in 1 minute’s time. This is really good. We don’t need to remember to switch it off J
Netta took me on a stroll around the apartment area, showed me the office and other essential places like the supermarket and ATM machine, the tunnel station, tram and bus stop, and other areas around the place. The city looks clean and traffic “disciplined” and the people are nice. Though English is rarely seen on the sign boards and even inside the shop, people around help us. The office is just 250 meters from my apartment and most of the other essential shops as well.
More pitures here:
http://photos-by-sriram.fotopic.net/
http://photos-by-sriram.fotopic.net/
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
The travel - Reaching there
After a few minutes and when fully awake I headed to freshen up myself, yes with the kit of course. Once back to my seat, the next service! Breakfast!! Started with a serving of fruits and continued with the Masala Omelet that I had ordered when we took off, which I washed down with a good cup of coffee. Still some more time to land… my watch was still set in IST (~11.00 am) So, turned back to the entertainment… watched a nice interview of Sunita Willams about her Space endeavor and stay!
In between
Finally, the time had come for me to set foot on the European soil. The aircraft landed 15 minutes behind schedule owing to a queue on the air. Collected my belongings and headed out to catch fresh air through the aerobridge that took me to Terminal B at Brussels Intl Airport. Once into the terminal some ladies were asking everyone coming out of the gate, “Were you flying Business class?” and I happily said “Yes. I did.” One of them accompanied me to the next lounge at the airport… now this is an exclusive Jet Airways B Class lounge at Brussels. You can relax, watch TV or read magazines or get freshened up or browse internet (chargeable) or as always have some refreshments. There was a good collection of croissants, pastries, cookies, and fruits. Coffee, tea, Milk, Yogurt! Sausages, cheese… lots more!
After thanking the lady who accompanied me, I checked with the receptionist at the lounge about my connecting flight to Helsinki. Got the information that flight is scheduled to depart from Gate 56 of Terminal A. She also added that it is quite far and a complicated walk and offered to send me an escort till the gate. I accepted the offer with a thanks and a sigh of relief. Went ahead to relax, which I didn’t know would be costly, as I had around 4 more hours for the next flight. Had a cup of coffee and was browsing through the Times of India. At around 10.00 CET, started towards my final destination at Brussels – Terminal A. As promised one of the lady accompanied me towards the terminal.
As told to me, it was a long and confusing way to walk through. I reached the Immigration department of the Schengen area and a little trouble started here. The official wanted to see my invitation from McK HEL and the letter which stated that my expenses are taken care by them. Unfortunately, I did not carry any copies of these letters. Then he wanted to check my Credit card, then my ID card from office – which I had, a different government issued ID card – I gave my Driving license. Still, the official was not really satisfied with them. He asked me why am so late in moving to the other terminal – I told I was resting in the lounge. Finally, he said please wait at that corner and a his colleague would come to see me!!!!!!! Well, true, in a couple of minutes another official from the Brussels Immigration Police took me to an office and asked me to wait in a hall! My escort left me with the police and left after giving her mobile number – thank you Jet for the care.
After a tense 10 minute wait, a different person came in to call me for “enquiry”. I went ahead, I was nervous, and answered him with courage (!) I told him I did not carry any of the documents, as everything was given to the Embassy when applying for the visa. I offered him to produce an email which confirms my place of stay in Helsinki. So, opened my account and showed him the email, explained him about it. This person looked satisfied and voila! Stamped entry into Europe for me! Really an eventful and unforgettable entry!
By the time I was finished with all these, it was just 20 minutes for the departure of the flight to Helsinki, and honestly I did not know how far I am from the gate!!! Anyway, with a blind courage started walking towards what I thought was the way to the gate… and after around 100 meters realized I was heading out to the city of Brussels and not to HEL! Traced my way back till I found the way to Terminal A! I walked along till I reached the Security check point!
Here, it was really amusing when they wanted to remove my belt for scanning!!!? I placed everything, my purse, emptied my pocket, but forgot to remove the headphones around my neck. Next test to my patience, another officer appeared before me and said he wants to check me! No options but to comply went through with it and he understood that it was just the headphone and nothing else… he let me go!!! Now I added pace to my steps and was kind of dashing towards Gate 56. Yes I did start to walk with good pace on the escalator which moved on the surface, and had a shock when I disembarked… I was moving faster than I thought… I could feel some “g” force when I suddenly slowed down! and Gate A56 was at sight!!!
Onboard Embraer E190
With big relief of seeing the gate where an aircraft is waiting to take me to Helsinki, I rushed towards the gate to be asked by one of the airline crew “Where is your boarding pass?” Now that was a real shocker for me as all through this ~20 minute walk through perhaps the entire airport’s floor area, I never saw a check-in counter for Finnair!!! Howzzat now? But luckily, B Class came to rescue as the seat number is already blocked for me… she printed me my boarding pass – which she took back in just a couple of minutes when we boarded the aircraft Finnair AY 812 Brussels to Helsinki leaving @ 11.40am CET.
Now this aircraft is probably just a quarter of the size that I flew overnight… pretty small but looked clean… 2x2 rows and all seats looked the same no visible difference that I could see of. We headed out of Brussels 2 minutes behind schedule and queued up to take off. When we were waiting I could see 5 different aircrafts from 5 different airlines and mostly different variants as well take off before us. Finally, the captain revved up the engine and took off to take a steep u-turn and sky so clear, I was able to follow 2 other take offs after ours… and one of them a big aircraft. I had the first experience of hearing the “Finnish” language. They speak really fast and it is very difficult to differentiate words… as of now!
After a few minutes we were served the “savory biscuits” now that really did not suit the B Class. I was offered something to drink – Wine, Champagne, Beer, and Juice – I chose Water. We were served food – Asian vegetarian meal for me – a kind of flat noodles with steamed vegetables and salads to accompany. This time I washed them down with a cup of lemon tea. Now I was getting desperate to get off the plane. With 15 more minutes to land, our captain announced that we were put on a holding pattern again a queue on the air.
When we started the descent, we entered a cloud cover which in my estimate extended to at least 5000 feet. That is, when I finally could see the ground – which was covered with snow – we were just a couple of hundred feet from touching down! That’s really a BIG cloud cover. There was a little drizzle when we touched down, and the outside temperature read 2 degrees below zero! Cool huh! The runway looked soaked but the landing was smooth and finally we came to halt at Gate 23 of Helsinki-Vantaa International airport.
Disembarked the aircraft and took a walk to collect my baggage which I last saw when I checked-in at Chennai. Waited for my baggage to reach the conveyor belts at the ground level and there were 2 flights before ours’. One from Milan and one from Amsterdam, so there was loads of skiing equipments that landed into Helsinki. I collected my baggage and headed out to meet Netta Hiiros – my first contact in Helsinki
In between
Finally, the time had come for me to set foot on the European soil. The aircraft landed 15 minutes behind schedule owing to a queue on the air. Collected my belongings and headed out to catch fresh air through the aerobridge that took me to Terminal B at Brussels Intl Airport. Once into the terminal some ladies were asking everyone coming out of the gate, “Were you flying Business class?” and I happily said “Yes. I did.” One of them accompanied me to the next lounge at the airport… now this is an exclusive Jet Airways B Class lounge at Brussels. You can relax, watch TV or read magazines or get freshened up or browse internet (chargeable) or as always have some refreshments. There was a good collection of croissants, pastries, cookies, and fruits. Coffee, tea, Milk, Yogurt! Sausages, cheese… lots more!
After thanking the lady who accompanied me, I checked with the receptionist at the lounge about my connecting flight to Helsinki. Got the information that flight is scheduled to depart from Gate 56 of Terminal A. She also added that it is quite far and a complicated walk and offered to send me an escort till the gate. I accepted the offer with a thanks and a sigh of relief. Went ahead to relax, which I didn’t know would be costly, as I had around 4 more hours for the next flight. Had a cup of coffee and was browsing through the Times of India. At around 10.00 CET, started towards my final destination at Brussels – Terminal A. As promised one of the lady accompanied me towards the terminal.
As told to me, it was a long and confusing way to walk through. I reached the Immigration department of the Schengen area and a little trouble started here. The official wanted to see my invitation from McK HEL and the letter which stated that my expenses are taken care by them. Unfortunately, I did not carry any copies of these letters. Then he wanted to check my Credit card, then my ID card from office – which I had, a different government issued ID card – I gave my Driving license. Still, the official was not really satisfied with them. He asked me why am so late in moving to the other terminal – I told I was resting in the lounge. Finally, he said please wait at that corner and a his colleague would come to see me!!!!!!! Well, true, in a couple of minutes another official from the Brussels Immigration Police took me to an office and asked me to wait in a hall! My escort left me with the police and left after giving her mobile number – thank you Jet for the care.
After a tense 10 minute wait, a different person came in to call me for “enquiry”. I went ahead, I was nervous, and answered him with courage (!) I told him I did not carry any of the documents, as everything was given to the Embassy when applying for the visa. I offered him to produce an email which confirms my place of stay in Helsinki. So, opened my account and showed him the email, explained him about it. This person looked satisfied and voila! Stamped entry into Europe for me! Really an eventful and unforgettable entry!
By the time I was finished with all these, it was just 20 minutes for the departure of the flight to Helsinki, and honestly I did not know how far I am from the gate!!! Anyway, with a blind courage started walking towards what I thought was the way to the gate… and after around 100 meters realized I was heading out to the city of Brussels and not to HEL! Traced my way back till I found the way to Terminal A! I walked along till I reached the Security check point!
Here, it was really amusing when they wanted to remove my belt for scanning!!!? I placed everything, my purse, emptied my pocket, but forgot to remove the headphones around my neck. Next test to my patience, another officer appeared before me and said he wants to check me! No options but to comply went through with it and he understood that it was just the headphone and nothing else… he let me go!!! Now I added pace to my steps and was kind of dashing towards Gate 56. Yes I did start to walk with good pace on the escalator which moved on the surface, and had a shock when I disembarked… I was moving faster than I thought… I could feel some “g” force when I suddenly slowed down! and Gate A56 was at sight!!!
Onboard Embraer E190
With big relief of seeing the gate where an aircraft is waiting to take me to Helsinki, I rushed towards the gate to be asked by one of the airline crew “Where is your boarding pass?” Now that was a real shocker for me as all through this ~20 minute walk through perhaps the entire airport’s floor area, I never saw a check-in counter for Finnair!!! Howzzat now? But luckily, B Class came to rescue as the seat number is already blocked for me… she printed me my boarding pass – which she took back in just a couple of minutes when we boarded the aircraft Finnair AY 812 Brussels to Helsinki leaving @ 11.40am CET.
Now this aircraft is probably just a quarter of the size that I flew overnight… pretty small but looked clean… 2x2 rows and all seats looked the same no visible difference that I could see of. We headed out of Brussels 2 minutes behind schedule and queued up to take off. When we were waiting I could see 5 different aircrafts from 5 different airlines and mostly different variants as well take off before us. Finally, the captain revved up the engine and took off to take a steep u-turn and sky so clear, I was able to follow 2 other take offs after ours… and one of them a big aircraft. I had the first experience of hearing the “Finnish” language. They speak really fast and it is very difficult to differentiate words… as of now!
After a few minutes we were served the “savory biscuits” now that really did not suit the B Class. I was offered something to drink – Wine, Champagne, Beer, and Juice – I chose Water. We were served food – Asian vegetarian meal for me – a kind of flat noodles with steamed vegetables and salads to accompany. This time I washed them down with a cup of lemon tea. Now I was getting desperate to get off the plane. With 15 more minutes to land, our captain announced that we were put on a holding pattern again a queue on the air.
When we started the descent, we entered a cloud cover which in my estimate extended to at least 5000 feet. That is, when I finally could see the ground – which was covered with snow – we were just a couple of hundred feet from touching down! That’s really a BIG cloud cover. There was a little drizzle when we touched down, and the outside temperature read 2 degrees below zero! Cool huh! The runway looked soaked but the landing was smooth and finally we came to halt at Gate 23 of Helsinki-Vantaa International airport.
Disembarked the aircraft and took a walk to collect my baggage which I last saw when I checked-in at Chennai. Waited for my baggage to reach the conveyor belts at the ground level and there were 2 flights before ours’. One from Milan and one from Amsterdam, so there was loads of skiing equipments that landed into Helsinki. I collected my baggage and headed out to meet Netta Hiiros – my first contact in Helsinki
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
The travel - first leg
Chennai to Brussels
Hi,
First of all, I had to apologize since I couldn’t connect to the internet for couple of days, and so couldn’t really blog :-( anyway, here comes the account of my flying from Chennai to Helsinki via Brussels
To start with, I left home at around 10.45 pm (IST) to the airport by a taxi, and reached the place well in time... around 2 hours prior to departure. Fate has it that I met some of my relatives after a long time... I mean it... really a long time almost 6-7 years. They are part of my extended family, cousins' husbands' in-laws' brothers' ... quite a distance huh!!! They were actually flying to the United States via Brussels (?). After the customary inquiries I bid bye to my mom who was there to send me off! and proceeded for check in
Now, starts the fun... flying Business Class is definitely an experience to savor! Well, they had a separate counter for checking in, but unfortunately the entire system was slow so took some time to reach the counter. Before I reach there was this beautiful girl walking around with a laptop on a moving stand, checking the passports and stuff like that. One of the privilege is that when you fly business class, you don’t need to wait in the queue to screen your baggage... the airline staff do it for you and ensure that you get all kinds of tags that ensures that your baggage gets a priority everywhere... I really don’t know where though! After checking in, went through the immigration department and got an "Exit" stamp on my passport confirming am flying out of the country! Next in line was this lounge where you are accepted for free of charge (really?) Actually I forgot the name of this lounge... but man there are at least 5 of them in Chennai Airport, I started imagining how many will be there elsewhere
Had a cup of coffee and a sandwich before I went in for the Security Check. Now, you don’t get any privilege or priority for the security check... and behold there was a looooong queue there... believe it, there are 7 international flights scheduled to leave Chennai between midnight and 2 am. So, I had at least 100 people before me. Finally, after all these things, headed to the aircraft with 15 minutes to spare!
Walked through the aerobridge (Gate 6) to board the Jetairways flight 9W 226 to Brussels. The sight of the new Airbus A330 was really captivating… it reminded me of my office light gray color interior accentuated with dark gray… wow! Found my way to seat no. 2C (aisle) on the left side of the aircraft. Just before taxiing out of Chennai all passengers got two pouches, 1. Body lotion, lip guard, Facial spray, a perfume and one kit to groom yourself. 2. A pair socks with grippers at the sole that u can walk with. Cool!! There were a lot of controls to the seat… you could adjust everything from the lumbar support, leg rest, seat height from the aircraft floor, and even a massaging system for your back. You can change your seat position to cradle (more like our Indian semi-sleeper buses) and then the best part… a full flat bed! The crew was kind to make bed for all the passengers and they did it with a smiling face.
My neighbor was a Doctor based in Chennai travelling to a conference in New York via Brussels and he was a great company! A little talkative though... but was constantly comparing the service between Jet airways and all the other major airlines that he has travelled upon. He rated Jet, far higher than most of the airlines he compared and I had to admit! that the service is definitely good. Watched a couple of movies, wasn’t getting sleep... (Cheeni Kum and Black) and went to sleep at around 4am IST... not really sure which time zone I was in then
Most of the flight time was very soft... you never know you are flying as the cabin is very silent and no shakes as such. Had a nice sleep and got up about 4 hours later... and waited for landing in Europe...
Hi,
First of all, I had to apologize since I couldn’t connect to the internet for couple of days, and so couldn’t really blog :-( anyway, here comes the account of my flying from Chennai to Helsinki via Brussels
To start with, I left home at around 10.45 pm (IST) to the airport by a taxi, and reached the place well in time... around 2 hours prior to departure. Fate has it that I met some of my relatives after a long time... I mean it... really a long time almost 6-7 years. They are part of my extended family, cousins' husbands' in-laws' brothers' ... quite a distance huh!!! They were actually flying to the United States via Brussels (?). After the customary inquiries I bid bye to my mom who was there to send me off! and proceeded for check in
Now, starts the fun... flying Business Class is definitely an experience to savor! Well, they had a separate counter for checking in, but unfortunately the entire system was slow so took some time to reach the counter. Before I reach there was this beautiful girl walking around with a laptop on a moving stand, checking the passports and stuff like that. One of the privilege is that when you fly business class, you don’t need to wait in the queue to screen your baggage... the airline staff do it for you and ensure that you get all kinds of tags that ensures that your baggage gets a priority everywhere... I really don’t know where though! After checking in, went through the immigration department and got an "Exit" stamp on my passport confirming am flying out of the country! Next in line was this lounge where you are accepted for free of charge (really?) Actually I forgot the name of this lounge... but man there are at least 5 of them in Chennai Airport, I started imagining how many will be there elsewhere
Had a cup of coffee and a sandwich before I went in for the Security Check. Now, you don’t get any privilege or priority for the security check... and behold there was a looooong queue there... believe it, there are 7 international flights scheduled to leave Chennai between midnight and 2 am. So, I had at least 100 people before me. Finally, after all these things, headed to the aircraft with 15 minutes to spare!
Walked through the aerobridge (Gate 6) to board the Jetairways flight 9W 226 to Brussels. The sight of the new Airbus A330 was really captivating… it reminded me of my office light gray color interior accentuated with dark gray… wow! Found my way to seat no. 2C (aisle) on the left side of the aircraft. Just before taxiing out of Chennai all passengers got two pouches, 1. Body lotion, lip guard, Facial spray, a perfume and one kit to groom yourself. 2. A pair socks with grippers at the sole that u can walk with. Cool!! There were a lot of controls to the seat… you could adjust everything from the lumbar support, leg rest, seat height from the aircraft floor, and even a massaging system for your back. You can change your seat position to cradle (more like our Indian semi-sleeper buses) and then the best part… a full flat bed! The crew was kind to make bed for all the passengers and they did it with a smiling face.
My neighbor was a Doctor based in Chennai travelling to a conference in New York via Brussels and he was a great company! A little talkative though... but was constantly comparing the service between Jet airways and all the other major airlines that he has travelled upon. He rated Jet, far higher than most of the airlines he compared and I had to admit! that the service is definitely good. Watched a couple of movies, wasn’t getting sleep... (Cheeni Kum and Black) and went to sleep at around 4am IST... not really sure which time zone I was in then
Most of the flight time was very soft... you never know you are flying as the cabin is very silent and no shakes as such. Had a nice sleep and got up about 4 hours later... and waited for landing in Europe...
Friday, February 1, 2008
Realization to be
Finally, the day has come for which i have been waiting for long. An opportunity to see how Consultants - whom i have been working for for the past 6 years - do their work. So, now the time has come for me to see how my work is used by all these people.
Am flying out to Helsinki, Finland tomorrow night (Feb 1, 2008) via Brussels on Jet airways and continue from there on Finnair to Helsinki. Flight leaves just after midnight (IST) and scheduled to reach Helsinki by around 16.00 hrs (EET i.e., 3.5 hours behind IST)
So friends, keep looking at this place to see what i do there... i aspire to post everyday... so keep checking and dont forget to tell me how better i can do this.
Feedbacks are always welcome... look forward to a great experience ahead
with luv
SriRam
p.s.
http://photos-by-sriram.fotopic.net/ for seeing the pics clicked by me
Am flying out to Helsinki, Finland tomorrow night (Feb 1, 2008) via Brussels on Jet airways and continue from there on Finnair to Helsinki. Flight leaves just after midnight (IST) and scheduled to reach Helsinki by around 16.00 hrs (EET i.e., 3.5 hours behind IST)
So friends, keep looking at this place to see what i do there... i aspire to post everyday... so keep checking and dont forget to tell me how better i can do this.
Feedbacks are always welcome... look forward to a great experience ahead
with luv
SriRam
p.s.
http://photos-by-sriram.fotopic.net/ for seeing the pics clicked by me
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