Despite a Nightmare Ending, a Great Tip, European Vacation '26, Entry the Seventh and Final

Tampere, Finland

I’ve literally had nightmares about my luggage being lost. Yesterday I lived one of these awful dreams. It’s amazingly frustrating to stand there at a carousel watching suitcase after suitcase go by and not see your own. I’d have torn my hair out but why add physical pain to my physiological misery? We were’t alone. A couple of dozen others from our flight were in the same boat. Turns out our bags took a later flight and will be delivered to us today. They better be (shakes fist).

But it’s good to be back home. I would have loved another few weeks of travel but I always feel better about life right after a vacation out of the country. Good for the soul, the intellect and one’s perspective on life.

It’s estimated that as many as forty percent of U.S. citizens have never traveled internationally. Statistically it is more likely that people who have not and won’t travel abroad are politically conservative. I recall Sarah Palin actually bragging about having never left the United States. Other factors like income and education level help determine the way people travel — or don’t. But I do feel confident in saying that many conservatives here don’t even consider vacations abroad. Disneyworld, Yellowstone Park and Miami Beach are good enough for them. Conservatives don’t like to challenge their narrow and limited world view. That's the bigots life.

I’ve talked to a few of my fellow ESL teachers about this and all of us have been to more foreign countries than U.S. states.

Anyway on this trip we were in four different countries (counting a day trip into Estonia) and there are so many other places I want to see such as Austria, Portugal, Chile, Vietnam and Japan. If someone will cut me a sizable check I’ll take in those countries and more and in return record my impressions on this blog. Deal?

A few random thoughts from our journey:

*Where the hell are the homeless people? I saw one in Helsinki and one sleeping on the floor of a Metro train in Copenhagen. Maybe these countries take care of their less fortunate. What a concept.

*Everywhere I’ve been in Europe you get good bread and delicious pastries. Here in the states, not so much.

*People are forever eating those pastries in Europe but they’re not getting fat. Where the hell are all the obese people? You hardly see any.

*Non-alcohlic beer is sold in every bar and restaurant I’ve been to in Europe. But decaff coffee is hard to find. Europeans like to be heavily caffeinated. 

*Most places you go in the world people are friendly and polite (course it helps if you’re white). Folks couldn’t have been more charming and helpful. They don’t seem to mind tourists at all.

*Finland used to be about the whitest country in the world. Now there are plenty of people of color. I’m proud of my people for becoming increasingly accepting of immigrants.

* Technically I drank alcohol on the trip. At the Copenhagen pub the person who bought one of the rounds didn't realize they were supposed to get me an N/A beer. I took two sips and was suspicious before the buyer's father quizzed him and the mistake was discovered. I don't think I have to start from day zero. 

*Only one of the many taxi and uber drivers we had was not an immigrant from a middle eastern country. 

* The showers in Europe suck. Weird, small, no water pressure, often not enough hot water. C'mon, do better.

*Big cities without much litter are truly sights to behold.

*Grand trip. Football match. Ferry rides. Nature. Museums. Historic buildings. Kind and charming people. Good food. Good drink. Best of all I was with the perfect travel partner, my darling, wonderful wife. 

What Do Danes Do With Their Trash? European Vacation '26 Entry the Sixth

Minutes ago I was standing in a square in Copenhagen enjoying the feeling of the sun on my face. It was my first experience with the sun in the Danish capital. We have not had warm weather here which is fine but the showers yesterday and rain on Monday were most unwelcome. When it hasn’t rained it has been mostly to partly cloudy. As frequently noted on this blog, I’m not a huge fan of the sun. It’s nice now and again but it was certainly appreciated this morning. It promises to be a very nice day which doesn’t do us much good as we’re flying to London in the afternoon. (Early tomorrow we fly back to the U.S.).

We haven’t encountered anyone in Finland or Denmark who didn’t speak English and indeed almost everyone save foreign born cab drivers speak it fluently. Talk about convenient. I’ve not once asked a native: do you speak English? Because it’s like asking: do you use food as sustenance? (Okay, that was a weird analogy.)

We’ve ridden the metro a lot the last few days and as I noted in my last post it is amazingly efficient and clean. Although yesterday we had a torturously long three minute wait for a train.

No one litters in this country (or in Finland) yet it’s a chore to find a waste basket in public areas. So what do Danes do with their rubbish?

Complaint department: the showers in Europe suck big time. Virtually no water pressure and you need an advanced degree in mechanical engineering to figure them out. 

Yesterday we saw what looked like more royal palaces and more ornate four-hundred-year-old government buildings. Also more large public plazas and immaculate parks and spires reaching to the sky. Copenhagen is a feast for the eyes. 

I went to the War Museum. It wasn’t bad featuring as it did artifacts from very skirmish the Danes have ever been involved in. I appreciated the fact that it didn’t romanticize war instead making a point to show the brutality of it. For some reason they had a surprisingly large amount of samurai paraphernalia. 

The missus and I made a pilgrimage to Juno the Bakery which she has followed for years on Instagram. It has a reputation for excellence that we discovered is justified.

I had a simple bread, butter and cheese sandwich which was one of the best eating experiences I’ve ever had. The bread was sublime. I topped it off with a pastry (honestly can’t remember what was in it) that was like an orgasm for my tummy. We bought cookies and such to take away. It was well worth the visit plus it afforded us an opportunity to see yet another part of this city.

Danes are in a hurry. We’ve noted that they walk fast and bicycle fast. Our meandering requires constantly stepping aside for a native rushing here or there. Even parents pushing strollers go at full speed. But they do like to lounge during breaks and after work for a coffee or a drink. Amazingly they’ll sit outside for the beverage, chilly weather be damned. I admire their fortitude. Supposedly Denmark has one of the lowest rates of cigarette smokers in the world but we encountered far too many, a lot of whom were enjoying their smoke along with drinks at outdoor cafes. Maybe it seemed like a lot to us because we come from Berkeley where virtually no one lights up anymore.

So this is it. The trip is — for all intents and purposes — at an end. It’s been grand. I do believe I’ll sum it up in a post a few days from now when we’re back home enjoying our creature comforts. I love travel but am the first to admit that there are many inconveniences associated with being on the road effecting sleep, bowels, stomach and sense of direction to name but a few. Oh yes, and those damn showers.

Happily Coping With Copenhagen, European Vacation '26 Entry the Fifth

The author points to a statue

When I was a young lad movie theaters would show travelogues before the feature that often focused on a particular city. Invariably those shorts would end with the narrator intoning “(name of city) is a combination of the old….and the new.” Every freakin’ time.

I’m now in Copenhagen for the first time and I’d like to tell you that it is a combination of….You guessed it.

Other single word thoughts on this city: clean, efficient, bicycles, modern, historic, friendly and (this next bit is more than one word) there are a lot of pretty young women. Indeed there are a lot of attractive young people in general. There are a lot of young mothers pushing strollers. There are a lot of cafes and pastry shops. There are a lot of happy people. Denmark is second only to Finland in the happiness index. Neither has a complete moron as a president so that helps.

I like the fact that there are bike lanes and everyone respects them. A lot of people ride bikes, I mean a helluva lot of people ride bikes and so far I’ve not seen one challenge cars or annoy pedestrians. (Berkeley bicyclists please take note.)

The subway is a marvel as is often the case in major western European cities. Like everything else in the city it is clean. The longest we’ve had to wait for a train — and this is literally true — is two-and-half minutes. Usually the wait is closer to — and again this is literally true — forty seconds. The system is easy to understand and gets you wherever you need to go. What a marvel.

We arrived Sunday and I immediately abandoned the missus  and headed off to a pub to meet someone I’ve known online for over twenty-six years but never actually met. We got acquainted through our favorite football club, Arsenal so it was appropriate that we met live and in person for the first time to watch a match at Copenhagen’s number one Arsenal pub where he is a regular. I was introduced around to others who share my love for the Gunners so immediately felt at home. The ensuing match was nerve-wracking but the lads pulled it out, one-nil. Joy all around and a good start to this last leg of the trip.

Not so great was the weather yesterday. I love rain, except when I’m vacationing. It wasn’t heavy but was steady. I suppose I should go ahead and pun hear by saying it put a slight damper on our day.

Nonetheless we strolled around the city without getting too wet at all. An umbrella and rain jacket helped in this regard.

Today we took full advantage of the metro visiting various parts of the city. We made two stops at random stations. One turned out to be an excellent “choice” the other saw us emerging in what I assume is Copenhagen’s version of the bad part of town.

We got to see the royal palace and the ridiculously large church the royals attend to this day. There were statutes and parks, and waterfront areas and a stop for the most delicious ice cream bar I can ever remember having.

It should come as no surprise that I really like this city. I can’t think of a major European city that has ever disappointed me now that I think about it. Not sure where I’d rank Copenhagen if I were compelled to rank them. Maybe I’ll try after we conclude our visit.

Checking in With Kinfolk, European Vacation'26, Entry the Fourth

View from tower in Tampere

I love my people. I refer here of course to my fellow Finns. We are a clean, virtuous, hard-working, fun-loving nation. We take most things in stride but when feathers are ruffled we’re prepared to act. The country is beautiful and efficiently run with a strong social safety net typical of good socialist democracies. There are problems, just like anywhere else, but they are fewer than most places and are mostly recognized and being addressed. 

Yesterday we took the train to Tampere, two hours out of Helsinki and Finland’s second largest city. There we met my cousin, Jorma and his wife. He’s 82, ten years my senior, and a model for how I hope I am at his age. He’s got energy, spirit, a good sense of humor and a wise perspective. Admittedly this is not altogether unusual among Finns. He’s also been blessed with good physical health. Sadly his dynamic wife of sixty years, Kaija, has some health issues but this did not deter her from meeting the missus and I when we arrived. 

We strolled around the city. Kaija speaks a little English but Jorma is of one of the last generation of Finns who did not have compulsory English instruction in school. (Today Finnish school children start learning English in the second grade which is why so many Finns are fluent and barely have an accent). Jorma is the only Finn we’ve encountered on our trip who can’t speak English. He is blameless in this.

Our hosts steered us to a large market hall that has been in the same spot since the first years of the 20th century. There were stands of all variety specializing in fish, meat, cheese, pastries and of course, you name it. There were also cafes and restaurants and we stopped at one where I had the best meal of the trip thus far. Cod, with potatoes and cabbage with an oyster sauce. My goodness it was succulent. Jorma and Kaija are known to many who lunch there and we were proudly introduced. To one person Kaija introduced me as a professor at the University of California. I graciously let it go.

Back outside we watched a large protest and march of senior citizens decrying proposed cuts to elder benefits. (I never said Finland was perfect.) It was inspiring to see the usually taciturn Finns wielding signs and marching and airing their grievances. 

After that it was to our hosts house for a short rest and water, and a look at old photo albums. From there we went to a large tower that afforded us views far and wide both of the city and the surrounding forests. Spectacular.

We were then handed off to Jorma’s and Kaija’s daughter and son-in-law — fluent English speakers, of course — for more conversation then dinner.

It was back on the train after that and more views of Finland’s innumerable trees, lakes, rivers and pastures.

Today we went to the Ateneum Museum, Finland’s national gallery, where there was a wonderful exhibition of Finnish artist Eero Nelimarkka. We enjoyed our time there very much. As I’ve noted previously, the wife and I love a good museum and even like a mediocre one. This one was excellent.

I had salmon soup for lunch and it was both comforting and delicious. We then ran an errand before returning for a pre-dinner rest.

Tomorrow we leave my homeland for Denmark. 

Hanging With Barnacle Geese: Euro Vacation '26, Entry the Third

Just one of the views from Suomenliina

One of the great things about a vacation is escaping your usual routine and getting away from the usual places. The farther you go from home the better. Right now I’m about 5,400 miles from home. It’s fantastic. In truth it doesn’t feel that far because I’m in Finland the land of my ancestors. I grew up speaking Finnish and English and hearing a lot of Finnish among all the Finns in the area who were either relatives or family friends. I feel quite at home here. Of course, everyone under fifty speaks English and most fluently. Truthfully, many over fifty also speak fluent English. My cousin Jorma is over eighty and he doesn’t speak much English at all and I’ll be seeing him tomorrow when the missus and I take the train to his city, Tampere, which is now Finland’s second biggest. So I’ll be called upon to translate for the wife, a challenge I feel up to. 

We’ve been having a marvelous time. Yesterday was a designated “chill day.” We strolled around the city, mostly in the downtown area and near a wharf. Nice to be by the water. We ended the day by having a traditional Finnish dinner: sushi. Okay, not traditionally Finnish but it was excellent and that’s the main thing.

Today we took the ferry to Suomenlinna which is a sea fortress spread across a cluster of rocky islands just off the coast of Helsinki. It’s a world heritage site in which you can explore history and nature at the same time. It was built by the Swedish in the eighteenth century to defend against Russian expansion. Like Finland itself the fortress later passed into Russian hands before becoming part of independent Finland.

The ferry ride over was enjoyable. As one often is on such trips, we were surrounded by groups of school children. The wee tykes can be cute and the older teens obnoxious and self-satisfied. There were also, naturally, regular old tourists such as ourselves. 

There were two different museums on the island and as has been documented on this blog numerous times, I love a good museum and don’t even mind an average one. These were both above average. But we spent the majority of our time on the island strolling about, enjoying the views and chatting with the barnacle geese, which, among other birds, make the island their home. It was a lot of walking. Our vacations always consist of a lot of trodding about which is a good thing considering that our vacations also consist of good deal of eating large quantities of food. We jump far off our diets and indulge in deserts along with big meals.

We returned to our digs in the late afternoon for a quick rest before heading back out in search of dinner. We found dinner and ate contentedly.

Another aspect to our vacations that I enjoy is meeting people and chattering away with them. This is much more natural to my darling wife who is infinitely more comfortable in conversation with strangers and will chat up anyone and everyone. It’s a marvel for me as a mostly-silent-around-strangers Finn to watch her in action. On the minus side she does have a tendency of leaving behind her scarf. I’ve run back and retrieved it three times this trip and in a fourth instance this morning, the proprietors of the cafe where she left it held on to it and a jacket for her. We’re at the halfway point of our vacation so I imagine I’ll be tracking it down again…and again. I love her no less.

From Trafalgar to Tallin With a Dash of Finland: Euro Vacation '26 Entry the Second

View from a church tower in Tallin, Estonia

London gets about 600,000 tourists and visitors on an average day. That’s about how many we encountered on Sunday. You hear every language in the world, even a little bit of English. Crowded only begins to describe it. Nonetheless we enjoyed popping into the National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery sans portraits. We had lovely dinner at a seafood restaurant not far from Trafalgar Square.

Monday it was on the road again as we flew Finnair to Helsinki. It’s not only national pride that prompts me to say that Finnair is the best airline I’ve ever flow. The planes are immaculate and the flight crew exhibit the quiet charm and patience typical of my people. After settling into our digs we strolled around the town a bit eventually returning to our hotel and eating very good pizza at a restaurant downstairs. 

We got up early yesterday for we had a big day ahead: a ferry trip to Tallin, Estonia. Not surprisingly neither the missus nor I  had ever set phone in Estonia before — a new adventure!

The ferry was huge and needed to be because there were — okay, I’ve know idea how many people on this huge vessel but close to a thousand doesn’t seem too far off. There was entertainment on board including slot machines — we passed — and at least two places that featured live entertainment. There were also bars, cafe, and eateries of all description, some of which we availed ourselves of. The view on the top deck were amazing but it was a bit on the chilly side and when I say a bit I mean it was frickin’ cold up there. Peering out from windows would suffice. It was a fun, comfortable ride.

It turned out many Finns were going into Tallin to shop, something they do frequently as goods are much cheaper there especially booze which is heavily taxed in Finland. On our return leg we would see many oof our fellow passengers hauling all manner of groceries back, but especially liquor, often in the form of cases of beer.

Alighting the ship we were found by a curious seeming locale who started chattering away to us and eventually convinced us to let him take us to Old Town (which was our destination). There was everything shady about this but in the end he took us where we wanted to go and only charged us a tenner. The experience gave our day a bit more character.

Old Town was as advertised. It had practically theme park vibe to it as cars were not allowed on most of the cobblestoned roads. Many of the buildings and structures seemed to have been there since the middle ages and indeed were. Everything was clean and well-preserved. The only blight was the ubiquity of souvenir shops. Yes, they get a lot of tourists but surely not enough so support shops on every corner.

We went to a church from the 13th century that had been converted to a museum and it was one of the best we’d ever been in. The highlight was going to the top where one had spectacular views in all directions. I hate so much of what churches stand for but at least in a lot of places in Europe they provide incredible works of art from many centuries ago.

Our wanderings continued. There was a stop in an English language bookstore where we separately had lovely chats with the proprietor and I bought a book on Finnish history. There was lunch in — of all things — an Irish pub that served an excellent plate of fish and chips. There was a cafe that served the wife a good coffee and me a nice cup of herbal tea. We shared a delicious eclair.  There were more buildings to gawk at and a lot of walking for us to do. I imagine the city is quite jammed with tourists in the Summer. We were lucky to be there on a weekday in early May and especially lucky that the weather was cooperative: chilly but sunny.

Making our way back to the ferry on foot was a simple matter. Tired from wanderings we didn’t explore the ship this time instead settling in for a bit to eat and two hours of staring at the ocean. For my part I take comfort in hearing so much Finnish spoken as it recalls my childhood and being constantly surrounded by Finns chattering away. We are shy people around strangers but amongst each other love a good conversation.

We returned to our room and I settled in to listen (couldn’t get it on the TV) to Arsenal’s semi-final second leg champions league. Their 1-0 victory sent them to the final on the last day of the month and I literally wept with joy. The match would have started at noon were I back home in Berkeley but being in Finland it ended around midnight.

I slept long and happily waking up refreshed and ready for the next adventure.

A Great Day at the Emirates, Euro Vacation 2026, Entry the First

I had a near perfect day yesterday, the kind you dream about but rarely get. For the fourth year in a row I had the great privilege to go to Emirates Stadium here in London and watch my beloved Arsenal in action. They defeated Fulham 3-0 in a must-win game as they pursue their first Premier League title in twenty-two years.

It’s difficult to describe the love a person can feel for a team and the feeling you get when among your brother and sister fans. That I’ve only occasionally got to experience first-hand intensifies the experience manifold. My first Arsenal match in person was in 1973. I’ll never forget that day.

The missus and I left Berkeley Thursday afternoon opting to fly to London — no other options seemed realistic. 

I used to love flying mostly because airplanes were taking me to new, exciting places. But I’m an old codger now and the inconveniences of long flights are more vexing. Especially the sleeping uncomfortably part. I prefer to sleep comfortably which is why at home I use a  bed, pillows, sheets and  comforter to do my snoozing.

In any event the plane landed safely then we got to sit in the runway for — ten minutes? Half an hour? Two years? — before we could get the hell off. And you know how long that takes.

But we found our hotel, had a bit of rest then went out for dinner. Fish and chips the first night in England, of course.

Yesterday was match day. Getting to the stadium via the underground is like getting any place in London via the underground : easy peasy. I arrived quite early as is my want and wondered around the stadium. I popped into the Arsenal superstore ( called The Armory) and made a few purchases. New hat, new key chain, four programs (one for me, three as gifts for others). Then into the stadium. Let me backtrack here. All day, in spite of coming events, I’d been painfully depressed. Depression doesn’t care where you are, what day it is or what you’re doing, it pounces then settles in when it wants to. But it can be combatted. Going to the match it began to ease, once I went through the turnstiles — poof! — it was gone.

I had a veggie dog then settled into my seat. This was the best seat I've ever had for an Arsenal match. Near midfield and only sixteen rows from the pitch. It was perfect weather for a match right smack in-between cool and warm. The match itself was perfect too. Arsenal scored early and often in the first half assuming a three-nil lead at the break. The atmosphere was incredible, The singing, the chants, the cheers. I soaked it up and loved every moment. I also loved seeing top professionals in action. It’s wonderful to watch them on TV but to see them in person is twice as nice. Arsenal boast some of the best players in the world such as Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel, William Saliba and my favorite Eberechi Eze. 

While the first half was electric the second half was merely excellent as the Gunners held off any notions the visitors had of coming back into the game and continued to create chances of their own cruising to victory. More singing, more cheers. I was a happy boy and this morning I still very much am. We’re off in a few minutes to museums then tomorrow fly to Finland — the homeland. 

It’s all good.