15–19 August: New Nordic Narratives
Every good headline needs alliteration
It’s taken me a little while to get around to this first post, and my only excuse is the business of our first week away. We were very keen to catch up with as many of our friends and family as we could while we were in transit in Sydney, and the last few weeks have been among the busiest since we apparently retired, so our time in Helsinki has been a combination of adventures in the day and early nights. Its very nice to be travelling again, as we get to spend all day, every day, in each other’s company.
Compliments to Qantas, first for keeping the A380 in the air, because nothing comes close in terms of comfort and soft ride; and, second, for excellent service and food. We haven’t flown Qantas internationally for 15 years and, while this was a Finnair ticket, there are no regrets. We had an afternoon flight and arrived in Singapore at 9:30, then used the MTT to get to Clarke Quay. Sleep wasn’t easy after our busy weekend, but we powered on through Monday to catch a little of the Singapore vibe before our evening flight to Helsinki.
It was the usual Singapore heat which makes walking that little bit unpleasant, and our thoughts of lunching in a hawker market were challenged at the sheer size of the crowds around the One Raffles area all heading for lunch. It was an amazing experience, but we wanted something a little more relaxing, so we headed for the quay and what I’m convinced was Chinese-Lebanese fusion. We weren’t in the mood to shop and the Museum of Asian Culture seemed like a good option. A couple of hours wandering around an amazing collection was somewhat damped when we walked out into pouring rain.
We chose not to take the train out to the airport. Sometimes you just need it to be easy. A shower and a light meal in a lounge, before we boarded our Finnair flight, which had among the best premium seats we’ve tried. No wonder we both managed six hours sleep before landing in Helsinki.
