23 June 2013 ~ Market Square, Helsinki

Listening to: Bobby Bare ~ Tequila Sheila


My meetings ended early last Thursday as everyone was heading to their cabins to celebrate the Summer Solstice Holiday. A colleague suggest I go to a Fortress which is 15 minutes by ferry from the Central Market Square. So I took a taxi to the city center.

The Market Square is near Uspenski Cathedral. According to Wikipedia: The cathedral was built during the nineteenth century during a period in which Finland was part of the Russian Empire...during the years 1862 to 1868.  The Uspenski Cathedral is the largest Orthodox church in western Europe and is situated upon a hillside on the Katajanokka Peninsula overlooking the city and the South Harbor. The cathedral is surmounted by 13 onion domes. On the back of the cathedral is a plaque commemorating Emperor Alexander II of Russia, ruler of Finland during its construction. 
In August 2007, the nineteenth century icon of St Nicholas - The Wonder Worker, one of the valuable treasures of the cathedral, was stolen and has not been recovered. .

In the middle of the Market Square is Helsinki’s oldest public monument, the Tsarina’s Stone. It is an obelisk of red granite topped by a globe and a double-headed eagle.This was the emblem used by the Tsars of Russia. The eagle’s breastplate shows a lion, the coat of arms of Finland. The monument was erected in 1835 in honor of the visit by Tsar Nikolai I and the Tsarina Alexandra, who stepped ashore here.

In 1917, the year of the Russian Revolution and Finland’s independence, Russian seamen took down the globe and eagle, but the Finns kept them safe and put them back in 1971. There are few places anywhere else where original monuments to the old Russian royal family still exist.

A close-up of the base.

From spring to autumn, the Market Square is bustling with activity with vendors selling fresh Finnish food and souvenirs. The height of the square's popularity is in early October when the annual Helsinki "silakkamarkkinat" (Herring Market) begins.

Buyer beware...these seagulls are quite bold and have become an increasing menace in the Market Square, swooping down to snatch snacks and ice-cream from the hands of unsuspecting tourists.

 Several classic boats line the harbor (and cruise ships as well, but no need for a photo of those).

 I liked the turtle sculptures that mark off the parking lot.

 

20 June 2013 ~ Snack Time

Listening to: S.O.S. Band ~ The Finest

I have been working non-stop so I didn't really have a chance to get out much in Helsinki, and have ended up eating in the Holiday Inn Restaurant. But of course, I had to check out the mini bar...

The Koff Pilsner beer was really tasty. According to the Carlsberg Group website: "In KOFF beer you can taste almost 200 years of traditions and expertise. The crystal-clear, golden yellow colour, full-bodied foam and unique aftertaste make KOFF beer an international award-winning lager. Fresh, cool and pleasant, yet aromatic and full-bodied, it’s at its best in good company and sociable surroundings. Enjoy the aroma of gold medal-winning, III-strength KOFF beer!" (It's only 4.5% abv, so I'm not sure what the III-strength references. It was started in 1819).

Here's a funny beer commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITLmIfcCIXY&list=RD044zo8hTTQS5M

The Ruis snack is salami flavored rye cracker.

And I also had a bowl of Fazer chocolates. This was the customer I was visiting. They gave me a goody-bag of various chocolates and "Angry Birds" gummy birds today before I left.

17 June 2013 ~ Holiday Inn, Helsinki

Listening to: King Crimson ~ Three of a Perfect Pair

At somewhat short notice, I was offered the opportunity to assist a customer in Helsinki Finland, so off I flew.

Had a layover in Frankfort, so enjoyed the typical German lunch at the Club Lounge: Munich-style potato salad, sausage, pretzel and beer.

The flight from San Francisco to Frankfort was 10 hours, and then a quick 2.5 hour flight to Helsinki. I'm staying at the Airport Holiday Inn, only 5 minutes by free shuttle.


The room is nice, but the large pictures of people are kind of strange.

 

 

 

They are in the dressing room as well. 

 

 

At least this is a nice scenic picture.

 Here is the view from my hotel room...at 10pm!! There are only about 4 hours of darkness now because we are in the week of Summer Solstice.

A second view from my room.

For dinner in the hotel restaurant I had pheasant and potatoes with roasted vegetables.

11 June 2013 ~ Swarm of Bees & Lazy River Days

Listening to:  Aly Tadros ~ Sweet on Me

The other day I noticed a very large swarm of bees buzzing around the tree outside my house.

Here's a video of them.

http://youtu.be/s0Y16A6J360

While I was taking this video, my mailman came by, so I pointed out the swarm. He asked if I was going to notify the city...hmmm...no, why would I do that? He thought they were interested in the plum tree.

 My friend Marshall (who I worked with in HK) had a birthday recently at his vacation home in Guerneville in the Russian River Valley (famous for it's wine). It's just shy of a 2 hour drive north.  Before heading to his house I stopped at the Russian River access point. Everyone was enjoying the lazy summer day.

It brought back memories of when I was around 12 or 13 and my friend Patti and I had a raft and we were able to float down the creek in my grandparents woods.

Looks like this guy could use some counter-weight.

8 June 2013 ~ New Office

Listening to:  Alchemilla ~ The Wheel


I moved into a new office building on Monday.

Leaving my apartment that morning I stopped to notice the flowers.

 And then I saw a snail on the bamboo shoot.

This is the view from my desk.

Two cubes over sit the two co-CEOs. Not sure why...but they can choose to sit wherever they want I guess, as one of then owns the building now.

The vents are open so it reminds me of the movie Brazil. My team is called "Field Readiness", which is designated on the blue flag.

1 June 2013 ~ Minnehaha Falls

Listening to: Elton John ~ Indian Sunset

Before leaving Minneapolis, we stopped by Minnehaha Falls Park near the airport.

A view through the trees to the snack shop.

A tribute statue to Hiawatha and Minnehaha.

The falls are 53 feet high.

A small train station officially named Minnehaha Depott but also known as "the Princess Depot" was built in 1875; it was a stop on the Milwaukee Road railroad and provided easy access to the park from Fort Snelling, downtown Minneapolis, and downtown St. Paul. The depot handled as many as 39 round trips per day; it was once integrated into the region's streetcar system.