Lovely Lyon

Louis XIV guards Lyon

I'm used to traveling by myself on all these little jaunts around Europe, but it's also nice to go on a trip with a friend. Especially when it's to a place where the friend has lived, because you get an insider's knowledge and views.

I just got back from Lyon, France, with my friend Nicky, who is an expat spouse like me. Nicky is originally from Romania but has lived in France for a number of years, and she is married to a very nice Frenchman, Guillaume. We flew from Helsinki, and Guillaume was nice enough to drive us the three hours from Rauma to the Helsinki airport!

My dessert at Le Sud

I've seen quite a bit of France, but this was my first visit to Lyon. It's located in the southeastern part of the country, about an hour from the Alps. It's surrounded by wine country, mainly the Rhone and Beaujolais regions. Lyon has a rich 2,000-year-old history, and it's UNESCO World Heritage Site designation is well-deserved. From the Roman amphitheatre to the magnificent architecture to the amazing restaurants to the great shopping, Lyon is a great place to spend a few days.

Best of all, Nicky and Guillaume still have their flat (apartment) in one of the suburbs, so I had a free place to stay! Nicky warned me that they have a cemetery in their backyard, but that didn't faze me one bit. (I had a cemetery in my backyard behind my dorm my freshman year at UNC, and this one in Lyon was much prettier.) After all, you don't have to worry about noise from the neighbors!

It was a fun tram and metro ride into town. I always like observing people while taking the public transportation, so I don't mind it one bit. The weather was rainy the first day, but clear the next few days, and it was much warmer than Finland, which was a definite plus! We saw all the famous sites, went to a terrific museum of miniatures and movie props, the Musee des Beaux-Arts, cathedrals, and strolls through Old Town. Nicky likes to read as much as me, so we spent some quality time in local book stores, as well as the French department store chains Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, and lots of little boutiques. I think Nicky was amused at my obsession with purses, but she admitted that she has her own obsession with perfume.

We ate some fabulous meals and drank good French wine, of course. I loved our dinner at Le Sud, owned by the famous chef Paul Bocuse. Nicky cooked us a tasty dinner at her flat the next evening. And we certainly ate our fill of French croissants and baguettes. We justified it with all the walking we were doing, of course.

Nicky and me in wine country

The best thing we did was take a guided tour of the Beaujolais wine region  (the Rhone tour was booked, or that would have been my first choice, since I love Rhone blends). I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty the Beaujolais wines were, because the young Beaujolais wines get a bad rap. The quality ones, however, are pretty good -- not full-bodied, but definitely drinkable, especially on summer evenings. The countryside was gorgeous, and we took way too many photos! Our guide was very amiable, and we enjoyed our fellow travelers, who were from Australia and England. The highlight was a wonderful meal, in which I finally got Beef Bourguignon, which I have been craving for a long time.

One thing Tom and I like to do on our travels is go to the local grocery stores. Nicky took me to the largest Carrefour in France, and it was crazy. It was so crowded that we had to wait over a half hour just to check out! But I did get some things to bring back to Finland that are  way cheaper in France. Still more expensive than in the U.S., but cheaper than Finland. Things like contact lens solution, toothpaste, some food items, and wine, of course. They even had chocolate chips!

So maybe, I have to say that Lyon is my new favorite city. At least until the next trip!

Here's the link to the pictures:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103069509757300719995/albums/5751283664076908417 

Stockholm

Stockholm -- Venice of the North

Stockholm often is called "The Venice of the North," and with good reason. The city is composed of many islands, most reachable by ferry or bridge. It is one of the most beautiful and interesting places I've visited. I know I say that every time I visit someplace new, but this time I really mean it!

There is an overnight ferry from Turku to Stockholm, which my friend Marion recently took. I wanted to get there quickly, however, and fortunately, there is a daily flight from Pori -- 40 minutes north of Rauma -- to Stockholm that takes only 45 minutes. So, in about the time it took me to drive from our apartment to the airport was about the same amount of time it took to fly to Stockholm!

Old homesteads in Skansen park

Public transportation is excellent in Stockholm. There is an airport express train to the central station, then you can take a bus or metro anywhere you need to go. I purchased the Stockholm Card, which gives you unlimited transportation and entrance to 80 museums and attractions, as well as discounts on a few other attractions. I probably visited more museums this way, since they were already included with the card. A one-day card costs 450 SEK (about $62); I bought a three-day card for 750 SEK (about $104). I definitely got my money's worth!

I walked a gazillion miles, of course, but I also saw lots of amazing things. From Gamla Stan, where the city was founded in 1252, to the warship Vasa, which sank on its maiden voyage in 1628 but wasn't raised until 1961, there is so much to see and do in Stockholm. I happened to be in Old Town (Gamla Stan) during the frenzy caused by the baptism of Princess Estelle, daughter of Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel. Royals and dignitaries from all over the world attended the event, which was covered live on TV. I saw lots of fancy outfits, but I had no idea who was wearing them!

Vasa sank in 1628

I also enjoyed the Nordiska Museet (Nordic Museum), which is devoted to Sweden's cultural history. The museum showcases everything from home furnishings to textiles to toys.

My other favorite place was Skansen, the oldest open-air museum in the world. More than 150 farms and dwellings from all over Sweden were disassembled, brought to the park, and put back together to create a fabulous history lesson. Employees and volunteers in traditional dress answer all questions. I also loved the zoo, which I never would have visited if I hadn't had the Stockholm Card. The lemurs, meerkats and baby moose were adorable.

Gamla Stan -- Old Town

I also took an hour-long sightseeing boat tour, which was included with the Stockholm Card. Again, this is something I might have skipped otherwise, and I am so glad I did this. It was relaxing, and I saw some incredible scenery. Except we did get "chased" by a cruise ferry coming into port! Our boat driver had to really speed up to get far enough ahead of the ship, probably to get out of danger of the big boat's wake. 


I enjoyed strolling around the narrow streets of Gamla Stan, going into the shops, both those selling traditional Swedish items and those shilling tacky souvenirs. I took a very interesting tour of the Nobel Museum, which was so informative thanks to a wonderful tour guide. And I toured the historical parts of the Royal Palace -- the main part of the palace was closed during my visit due to the baptism.

I didn't really partake of the traditional Smorgasbord, mainly because all those Swedish dishes are things I see every day in Finland. I'm ashamed to admit I ate at the U.S. chain restaurant, TGI Friday's! No, I take that back -- I'm not ashamed! I had a wonderful chicken quesadilla, which tasted just like those we get back home! The second night I had a very good pizza, and the third night I splurged on a nice French meal. So, three different cuisines in three nights, but none of them Swedish!

I'm so glad I visited Stockholm, and I can't wait to return. It won't be too long, as I have a one-night layover in Stockholm when I fly home to the U.S. in late September.

Here is a link to the photos from Stockholm. Off to Lyon, France, next!

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103069509757300719995/albums/5748280836156338705

Travel Mishaps and Oddities

I have traveled quite a bit since moving to Finland last September. I've had many adventures, some mishaps involving luggage, and spent countless hours trying to find the best flights, hotels and things to do. I've gotten lost when I exit subways. I've gotten confused with tipping rules in different countries. I've been approached with every scam in the books.

But something I never expected happened Sunday at the Stockholm airport before my flight back to Finland. Nobody checked my identification. At all.

Granted, since I was flying within Europe and not overseas, I didn't have to go through Passport Control. I had checked in online in my hotel before I left for the airport. At the airport, I used the automatic machine to confirm my seat assignment and check one piece of luggage. I proceeded to the counter, where the man scanned my luggage sticker but didn't even pick up my passport.
 


I proceeded to security, where the agent scanned my ticket but didn't open my passport. Same thing at the gate before I boarded my plane.



Have our systems become too automated? It's too easy to scan a ticket -- but aren't they supposed to match the name on the ticket with some I.D.?

It's the same with booking flights. Living in rural southwestern Finland, it takes creativity to get the best flights for the best price in the shortest amount of time. But it's even crazier when you have to book a flight in a different language just to get the best price.

Keep boarding passes until you get
credit for your  FF points

I am flying to Lyon, France, with a friend next week. She and her husband have a home in Lyon but live here in Finland. Our husbands work for the same company. She booked her flight on one of the many online travel websites and told me which one. And she used the French version of the site.

Almost all companies that do business in different countries have different sites in different languages. That's just good business.

When I went to the English website of the same company, my flight was listed at twice the price of my friend's ticket. Unbelievable, right? I next checked multiple travel sites, including Kayak and Skyscanner, but the prices were all high.

On a whim, I went to the French version of the site my friend used to book her ticket. Sure enough, there was the flight at the price she paid. Fortunately, I understand enough French that I could navigate the site, and I booked my ticket there. No problems.

I understand that companies buy blocks of fares, and that different sites will have different prices. I've booked legs of flights separately just to get the best price, or to get frequent flyer points on my preferred airline (especially when an airline in the Star Alliance doesn't give me credit on my preferred airline just because the class of fare isn't in the right category. But that's a whole other issue).

But for the same company to offer different prices just because they are in different languages? Very strange.

Then there are the luggage issues. In all our years of travel, we have never had our luggage lost. Until we moved abroad. We've had luggage lost three times in eight months. We've had luggage arrive soaking wet. We've had holes punctured in our luggage. Nothing stolen, yet, thank goodness.

The most ridiculous case of delayed luggage occurred when my husband flew from Charlotte to Frankfurt, then Frankfurt to Helsinki in January. He had an hour before he had to catch the last bus from the Helsinki airport to the town where we live, which is a four-hour bus ride. Everyone stood around waiting, but the luggage never came out. Not just my husband's luggage, but everyone's luggage. They kept asking, but no one could give an adequate reason, other than it was weather-related.

Come on! They've been dealing with harsh weather at this airport for years! And they can't move luggage a short distance from the airplane to the terminal in a reasonable amount of time? My husband and his fellow passengers stood there for two hours before the luggage came out! Which meant he missed his bus and had to spend the night in Helsinki. The airline refused compensation, since they said it was weather-related, but they also told him to write the airline after he got home. So he sent them an email, and to their credit, they did mail him a check to cover the cost of his hotel.

The lessons from all this?

* If someone at the airport doesn't ask for your identification, politely ask them if they are going to check it.

* If you can't find an airfare at a good price and you can navigate in another language (or use a web translating site), try that angle.

* If your luggage is lost, and you believe you deserve compensation, keep trying, even if you don't get anything at the time of the incident.

Happy travels. I'll post a Stockholm trip report and photos soon.

It's a Dog's World

These dogs were strutting their stuff for the judges

The show was winding down when we got there

It's funny the things you just happen upon. Sunday afternoon, Tom and I drove to a park just outside of Rauma to check out some tennis courts. The parking lot was filled, and we could see tents and trailers. We thought it must be a flea market.

Just beautiful!

Wrong! It was a dog show. As in a Westminster-type, judging dogs of all breeds show. It was so funny, because we never expected to see something like this in Rauma. Especially outside on a dirt field. They had chalk lines drawn in the dirt to separate judging areas. It was sunny but chilly, and lots of the dogs, especially the hairless ones, were actually shivering and had their tails tucked under their legs. Some had on coats. One poodle actually had leg warmers!

There was one spectacular white poodle perched on a table in a tent. I had to take a picture, so I asked the owner, who thankfully spoke good English, if it was okay. I asked her if the dog was a "he." She replied, "Yes, it's a "he," but he looks like a "she!"

Dogs in strollers!

Can he see me?

We got to pet a lot of the dogs -- the owners were very nice, even though most didn't speak English. One of my favorites was a Greyhound, who just loved the attention. I've heard retired Greyhounds make excellent pets. Hint, hint.

Today, I Googled the dog show, and it was a pretty big two-day event, attracting show dogs from all over. The Best-in-Show winner was a beautiful Afghan hound. I wish we had known about it earlier, because I would like to have seen the beagles on Saturday, since we had a beagle for 10 years. 

Taking a break after a hard day's work

In other exciting Rauma news, last Tuesday was May Day, which is a national holiday in Finland. Stores are closed, many people have the day off, and there is a parade to celebrate the end of winter and the unofficial beginning of spring. So we walked downtown to see this parade, which we were expecting to be filled with floats, bands, clowns, etc., just like the parades back home. Ha! This parade first featured over 300 motorcycles!

I've mentioned the annoying motorbikes that teenagers zip around town on, and apparently, the noise gets really bad in summer, when they are riding around at all hours, what with the long days of sunlight. Anyway, Tom found out that most motorcycle owners put their bikes away for winter and don't pay insurance while they are sitting in the garages, so May Day is the first day the insurance kicks in, and everyone takes their bikes out for that first ride. Very bizarre.

Motorcycle Mania on May Day

The marching band

After the motorcycles, a few old-timey cars passed by, then came one group of cheerleaders and one marching band from the local music school. Also, we saw lots of people wearing these strange-looking white mariner caps. We also found out that people wearing these hats graduated from high school in Rauma. This year's upcoming graduates all gather together at the end of the parade to put their hats on a statue, and one student is thrown into the canal. We didn't stick around for that part of it (it was too cold and windy, even though it was a beautiful sunny day).

I know that if visitors from Finland came to Concord, North Carolina, they would be amused by life in our town, too. But it's great that everyone has their own traditions, and we are lucky to get a glimpse of them.


And I want to go to the next dog show that comes to town!

This fellow wasn't in the dog show, but he could have been!

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103069509757300719995/albums/5739661458513461361

Spring is Trying to Spring in Finland

City workers have been busy planting flowers

 

It's only the end of April, and already, the sun rises about 5:30 a.m. and doesn't set until almost 9:30 p.m. It is so weird, much more so than in winter when it was dark most of the day. I can't imagine what it will be like in June.

The bathing beauties are back!

The good news about that is we have a black-out shade installed in our huge bedroom window. The bad news is now that it is pulled down, we can't get it to go back up without standing on a chair and manually trying to roll it up. So the bedroom is basically in almost total darkness all the time. I say almost, because the light manages to peek through around the edges of the shade. It's not enough to keep me awake at night or wake me up too early, but if it starts doing so, I'll just get some masking tape and tape it all around the wall. Hey, it doesn't matter since we're keeping the shade down anyway!

I rode my bike today for the first time in months, and I can tell my body is going to be complaining tomorrow, especially my still-hurting back. But it was so fun to be able to get out and enjoy the sun (getting my much-needed vitamin D!) and ride around town. The city workers have been very busy clearing the streets and sidewalks of all the snow remnants and trash, and have been planting flowers around town. I know at home the crocuses and daffodils are long gone, but here, they are just now blooming! Lots of pansies are being planted, too.

The pretty waterfront

I don't have a yard to plant flowers, but I do have a nice plant shelf on my balcony, so I plan to decorate with some flowers there. I'm just still a bit reticent to buy flowers, when I'm not convinced the cold weather is gone for good. Sure, today it was sunny and 50 degrees F., but tomorrow it's supposed to be cold and rainy again.

Along with spring comes another warm-weather nuisance. I'm not talking about bugs -- yet. I'm talking about noisy motor scooters, which really should be banned because of how loud and annoying they are. Probably 98% are driven by teenage boys, and while it's a great way for them to get around, the noise pollution is in the stratosphere. I thought that everyone rode bikes in Rauma, but apparently, those scooters are almost as popular. Other expats who have been here longer than us say that in summer, you can hear the scooters out at midnight, because it's still light out. I'm just glad we live in a relatively quiet area, away from the street. I feel bad for all those people who live next to busy roads.

Flowers for sale in Old Town Square

 

My parents sent us the best anniversary present this year -- a box full of American goodies we can't get in Finland! They sent Jif peanut butter, ranch salad dressing, a box of Bisquick, a bag of chocolate chips, a bag of Kraft mini marshmallows (they do sell fake marshmallows here that are the nastiest things I've ever tasted), a bag of my favorite Ritz Main Street Original crackers, some taco shells and mix, and some chili mix. My mom said it was the most unusual gift she's sent someone, but it's definitely much appreciated!

Already planning my next adventure for late May. My wish list of places to visit includes those I haven't been to, including Krakow, Vienna, Amsterdam, Oslo and the fjords of Norway, Dubai, Berlin, Barcelona and Budapest. I'd also like to re-visit Rome, Prague, and anywhere in France. We're already going to meet up with our daughter in London the end of June to go to Wimbledon, which we are very excited about.


I basically started looking for the cheapest airfare to any of my wish list places. It turns out the cheapest flights were to Rome and Barcelona. The catch was the times and layovers were horrible. That's the thing about these websites like Kayak, Orbitz and Skyscanner (which covers European airlines). Don't get me wrong, these sites are great for planning trips, and I've used all three of these, as well as others. You just have to be very careful when booking flights, because you could end up flying to Barcelona, but you have to go through London Stansted, and you have a 12-hour layover, or you don't leave Finland until 11 p.m. at night.


I ended up booking a flight to Stockholm, leaving from Pori, which is only 30 minutes from Rauma. I am very excited about the trip, as Stockholm is supposed to be a beautiful coastal city with lots to see and do (and shop!). And Tom and I plan to cross another place off the list in August. I'm leaning toward Norway, to take a boat ride through the fjords when it's warm enough to enjoy it.


Here's hoping for warmer weather for everyone!





 

Tsars, Pierogis and Vodka

In front of the Winter Palace/Hermitage

 

 

I never thought in a million years that I would get the opportunity to visit Russia, but again, that is the biggest benefit of living in Finland on this expat adventure -- the ability to travel all over Europe so easily.

It turns out lots of other Areva expats from Rauma decided to visit St. Petersburg, Russia, over the long Easter weekend. Five other Americans and about 30 French also took the St. Peter Line ferry from Helsinki to St. Petersburg. The ship, a 1980s-era relic called the M/S Maria, left Helsinki Friday evening and arrived in St. Petersburg Saturday morning. There is a new way to get around the Russian visa requirement: If you arrive via a ship and book a guided tour, you can stay in St. Petersburg visa-free for up to 72 hours. This is a great and easy way to visit this beautiful and historic city. We stayed in a terrific hotel, the Sokos Palace Bridge for two nights, and spent three days in St. Petersburg, leaving for the overnight ferry ride back to Finland Monday evening.

The Church on Spilled Blood

When you've been on the nice, new cruise ships sailing in the Caribbean (like the Celebrity Eclipse we sailed on last year), boarding an older ship like the M/S Maria can be a shock. Our cabin was so tiny, we could barely move, let alone find a place to put our luggage. And don't get me started on the bathroom! The water from the shower sprayed all over the bathroom -- but at least it was warm water! The worst thing was the noise and vibration -- that and the fact that all night, you could hear the ship plowing through the ice in the Baltic. As everyone had been talking about the anniversary of the sinking of the TItanic, that made us all just a tiny bit nervous!

Arriving in St. Petersburg by boat is a little disappointing, because you enter through this huge industrial port area. Not very attractive. We had heard that it can be time-consuming to get through immigration, but we had no problems at all. Got that Russian stamp in our passports, and we were on our way. Took the "official" shuttle to the hotel, where our private guide and driver, Sasha and Sergei from Insider Tour, were waiting. We had a very busy tour of the city, visiting all the famous sights, then had a wonderful lunch at a traditional Russian tea room, and finished the afternoon with a tour of the Winter Palace and Hermitage Museum.


The next day, we wandered around, although the weather was really nasty. Tom didn't have a hat, so he was pretty miserable. It wouldn't have been so bad, but the snow was blowing sideways into our faces. Still, we saw as much as we could. We ended up at the Museum of Vodka, where we got to sample three vodkas from their collection of over 220 kinds! That's the way to warm up after walking around in the cold and snow! We later met up with some new Finnish friends we had met on the ship for dinner at a Russian restaurant recommended by the hotel, and it was lots of fun.

Lemon Pierogi

Monday was much better, still cold but gloriously sunny. I dragged Tom around to re-take photos of places we previously had  been to just to get better pictures! Did a little shopping, too.


Some things we noticed:


* English is not as widely-spoken in St. Petersburg as it is in other European countries. You can get by, of course, but the toughest part is reading signs.
* We felt totally safe walking around, even though we had read that you can get stopped by the police at any time. We saw lots of police and military walking around, but it was no big deal.
* The food was much better than we anticipated. Probably the best things we tried were the pies, or pierogis. I had a cabbage pierogi, and Tom had one with chicken. Then we shared a lemon one for dessert. Yummy! A pierogi is a yeasty dough baked around a filling. I also liked the Borscht soup, which is made with meat, beets, cabbage, carrots and seasonings. It is topped with a dollop of sour cream, which I could have done without.

Choose from 220 kinds at the Vodka Museum

* The vodka was very good, and we could taste the difference between the cheaper stuff and the good stuff. The duty-free prices on the ship actually were better than the prices in St. Petersburg, although we did buy a few mini bottles of brands that weren't available on the ship, such as Beluga and Imperia.
* The Church on Spilled Blood was my favorite place to see. This beautiful church was built on the spot where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated in 1881. The church was used as a morgue and then a warehouse during the Communist years. After 30 years of renovations, it was opened to the public in the late 1990s. A WWII-era bomb was actually found buried in the roof of the church not too long ago. It was carefully removed and detonated outside the city.
* The Winter Palace and Hermitage Museum on Palace Square are as magnificent as you would expect. I'm so glad we had a guide to lead us around there, or we could have been lost for days. We spent three hours there, but that wasn't enough. I would like to go back sometime.
* We also didn't get to the palaces outside the city, Peterhof and Tsarskoe Selo. Our guide said we should visit those in warmer weather, when the fountains are working and the grounds are in full bloom. She said late August/early September are good times to visit, as the weather is great but the crowds aren't as bad as June and July.


So, if any of you friends and/or family want to join me for a trip, let me know!


Here's a link to the pictures:


https://plus.google.com/photos/103069509757300719995/albums/5730100561241622161?hl=en







 

Flying is not Fun

Hello, again!

I am pleased to report that we made it back to Rauma in one piece! Although at times, I wasn't sure if we -- or our luggage -- would make it!

I used to like flying, but after this last trip, I'm not as enthusiastic! Saturday afternoon, we flew from Charlotte to Washington Dulles. We rushed to our SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) gate, and we were told that the overnight flight to Copenhagen was going to be delayed FIVE hours due to "technical difficulties."

On the one hand, that was lousy. On the other hand, that meant that we had time for a last Mexican dinner at the pretty good Tex-Mex restaurant in Dulles, AND Tom would get to watch Kentucky beat Louisville in the Final Four. Okay.

We also were upgraded from Economy to Economy Plus. That means more space, unlimited alcohol, and a choice of entrees. Plus, when we boarded, we found out we were in the bulkhead seats, which meant even more leg room.

It's a good thing we ate dinner at Dulles, because the meal choices on our flight were horrible: Chicken Meatloaf (which should never, ever, be allowed as an entree combination) and Fish Stew. Can you imagine what pre-cooked and re-heated Fish Stew would taste like? Me, either. I ordered the meatloaf just for the dessert, which was a tasty cheesecake.

Because our flight was delayed, we missed our connection to Turku. SAS put us on a later flight to Helsinki, then another three-hour wait, then a 30-minute flight to Turku. When we got there, guess what? Our luggage didn't make it -- big surprise. Funny thing was, another lady didn't get her luggage, either. Turned out she had been on our same flights from Dulles, from Copenhagen and from Helsinki.

Then we had to scrape ice and snow off our car and drive an hour to Rauma. All in all, over 28 hours of travel time.

We fiilled out the paperwork, and we finally got our luggage delivered to Rauma on Tuesday.

I'm glad to report that it has been sunny here all week, and most of the nasty snow has melted! I have been out on nice walks and been preparing for our trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, this weekend.

The forecast is calling for snow showers both here and there, but by now, we are used to all these roadblocks to smooth travel. Will take plenty of pictures in St. Petersburg!