Friday, July 24, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Terrace life
The Summer here has been just lazy comfortable life with my dog.Strolling daily from a terrace bar to another makes fun, when a sunny day. Although I have been on the wagon volontarily for quite a while.
A couple of weeks ago I got visitors from Australia, my long-time friends David and Denise Maxwell from Gold Coast did stay in Helsinki for three nights. I had planned a plenty of program for them, but after a dinner with my sons Kristian and Tomas,and a beautiful day on Hästö island about 50 km westwards from Helsinki, where Risto and Tuuti Keinonen hosted us marvellously, David decided (even retired) to start to work with his former business friends. They moved to Lahti, and I have not seen them since.
Poor Denise! For David the only sense of life is work ( business). A vacation is for him boring and total vaste of time.
Now I have started to book new adventures. In Sept./Oct. I shall be cruising at Black Sea for seven nigths visiting harbours in four countries. And later on Oct.24 I'll fly to Los Angeles to start once again a trip around the world with a Singles Cruise with "Mariner of the Seas" of Royal Caribbean, for one week at Mexican Riviera.
When back in L.A. I'll continue to Singapore for three days. After that everything will be kept open exept that I shall be back in Finland a couple of days before Christmas.
A couple of weeks ago I got visitors from Australia, my long-time friends David and Denise Maxwell from Gold Coast did stay in Helsinki for three nights. I had planned a plenty of program for them, but after a dinner with my sons Kristian and Tomas,and a beautiful day on Hästö island about 50 km westwards from Helsinki, where Risto and Tuuti Keinonen hosted us marvellously, David decided (even retired) to start to work with his former business friends. They moved to Lahti, and I have not seen them since.
Poor Denise! For David the only sense of life is work ( business). A vacation is for him boring and total vaste of time.
Now I have started to book new adventures. In Sept./Oct. I shall be cruising at Black Sea for seven nigths visiting harbours in four countries. And later on Oct.24 I'll fly to Los Angeles to start once again a trip around the world with a Singles Cruise with "Mariner of the Seas" of Royal Caribbean, for one week at Mexican Riviera.
When back in L.A. I'll continue to Singapore for three days. After that everything will be kept open exept that I shall be back in Finland a couple of days before Christmas.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Visiting Tallinn, Estonia
Last week I got reports from the doctor considering my health. As I have not been living according doctors orders, I was very surprised to be in a better condition than ever since my heart failure 14 months ago. Next checking sometimes next year.
So I decided to make a short visit to Tallinn, first to have a nice lunch with my dear friends Sigrid and Kadri, secondly to buy some booze cheaper than here in Finland, like vodka , scotch and cognac for home, and third to have a nice boat trip with friends if possible.
A friend of mine Ossi Mikkola had made a reservation for four persons at 4 euros each to both direccions total, but could not make the it just that day, last Wednesday.
However two other friends Caius Karske, an old friend from our navy days, almost 50 years ago and a visitor from New York Jaakko Marttinen, a former Finnish National Icehockey Team player joined me. We then enjoyed the drinks of Viking Xpress and were
2,5 hours later in harbour of Tallinn, where the ladies picked us up. Caius had his own program, but Jaakko and I enjoyed our company and excellent meal for three hours before we had to return to the boat. I bought everything I needed, and soon we were onboard, met Caius, had some drinks and were in Helsinki again. The whole journey from home to home took just 11 hours.
So I decided to make a short visit to Tallinn, first to have a nice lunch with my dear friends Sigrid and Kadri, secondly to buy some booze cheaper than here in Finland, like vodka , scotch and cognac for home, and third to have a nice boat trip with friends if possible.
A friend of mine Ossi Mikkola had made a reservation for four persons at 4 euros each to both direccions total, but could not make the it just that day, last Wednesday.
However two other friends Caius Karske, an old friend from our navy days, almost 50 years ago and a visitor from New York Jaakko Marttinen, a former Finnish National Icehockey Team player joined me. We then enjoyed the drinks of Viking Xpress and were
2,5 hours later in harbour of Tallinn, where the ladies picked us up. Caius had his own program, but Jaakko and I enjoyed our company and excellent meal for three hours before we had to return to the boat. I bought everything I needed, and soon we were onboard, met Caius, had some drinks and were in Helsinki again. The whole journey from home to home took just 11 hours.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Benalmadena, Spain
It is already two weeks I returned from Spain. I spent eight beautiful days down there
at Costa del Sol but actually did have a boring week. Only in the first evening I had some fun when singing at the Alay Hotel bar Finnish serenades to twelve Irish lady golfers,who unfortunately left early next morning.
Some days later I met an old Finnish friend Pauli Nikkanen, who has been living there since his retirement three years ago. Yes, we had fun, but all other people living at Costa del Sol, which I know, had already returned to Finland for summer season.
I did sometimes walk a lot, as an example from Benalmadena Marina to Torremolinos and
back, but most of the time I found some nice tables at the beach to enjoy the view and living sceneries too, with quite unexpensive drinks.
at Costa del Sol but actually did have a boring week. Only in the first evening I had some fun when singing at the Alay Hotel bar Finnish serenades to twelve Irish lady golfers,who unfortunately left early next morning.
Some days later I met an old Finnish friend Pauli Nikkanen, who has been living there since his retirement three years ago. Yes, we had fun, but all other people living at Costa del Sol, which I know, had already returned to Finland for summer season.
I did sometimes walk a lot, as an example from Benalmadena Marina to Torremolinos and
back, but most of the time I found some nice tables at the beach to enjoy the view and living sceneries too, with quite unexpensive drinks.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Leaving for Malaga, Spain
I have not been in the mood to write anything for a long time even there has been many nice moments in my life recently. Maybe I'll tell about things later,when there is a right time. On the other hand I have been quite depressed mostly due too many drinks too often.
Yesterday I went with many friends from Finnish Club to Kotka, a harbour city 100 miles east from Helsinki by an old passenger ship from 1940 "Kristina Brahe", to visit the new maritime museum "Wellamo". It really was a nice day in Finnish archipelago
with good company and drinks. I can feel it now but not too badly.
Later today I'll fly to Malaga, which is one of my favourit cities due so many memories
long ago in sixties, but later too. This time I booked a sea wiew room in Alay Hotel at Benalmadena marina for seven nights.I hope you'll wish me a pleasant trip.
Yesterday I went with many friends from Finnish Club to Kotka, a harbour city 100 miles east from Helsinki by an old passenger ship from 1940 "Kristina Brahe", to visit the new maritime museum "Wellamo". It really was a nice day in Finnish archipelago
with good company and drinks. I can feel it now but not too badly.
Later today I'll fly to Malaga, which is one of my favourit cities due so many memories
long ago in sixties, but later too. This time I booked a sea wiew room in Alay Hotel at Benalmadena marina for seven nights.I hope you'll wish me a pleasant trip.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Bachelor life
Last Thursday I had agreed to meet a lady at Storyville Jazz Club. Actually it was not a date. We had met some days earlier for a few moments after a long time. And it was her suggestion to meet perhaps, but not a promise. I don't like to mention her name or anything, exept that we used to know each other before we both were married. I knew trough friends that she had lost her husband a couple a years ago, and I actually wanted to contact her, but did not, until we accidentally met. Even years had gone by, she did not look a day older. Anyhow she did arrive, and we spent three hours together before she had to leave to prepare herselves for a family meeting party next day. Well, for her the main reason to meet me that evening at Storyville, was to listen a popular entertainer Maria Lund, a very beautiful young singer. That did suit to me very well as I had seen her only in TV before. I had met her late mother Tamara Lund,an opera singer, just one year younger than me, years before. After her show Maria stayed with her friends at the club, and I got the possibility to tell Maria about my very short but funny meeting with her mother. She hugged me, and said that was exactly like her mother used to be.
Later then I moved to the bar upstairs to be involved with talks with a dark haired and good looking Raija, with whom I sat a couple of hours to listen her life story, and brought her to her home door, the same house where Illuusia lives.
On Friday I called to some friends of mine, and we a bunch of guys met late afternoon at Elite bar, from were a good friend Kari and me did move around midnight to a Bavarian type beerhole Rymy-Eetu and later to the opposite side of the street, to a latin place Cuba, where we as older ones with dark suits were greeted extremely politely. We had a couple of thoughts that our persons might have been mistaken,
but it did not disturb us at all.
Well, tonight I closed the doors of the neighborhood bar Kiiski together with a young rock singer Katarina 26, a new friend, with my namesake Matti 35 and my dog Viki 11.
So, I am now listening Dinah Washington and Nat Cole with good Captain Morgan Jamaica Rum before retiring.
Later then I moved to the bar upstairs to be involved with talks with a dark haired and good looking Raija, with whom I sat a couple of hours to listen her life story, and brought her to her home door, the same house where Illuusia lives.
On Friday I called to some friends of mine, and we a bunch of guys met late afternoon at Elite bar, from were a good friend Kari and me did move around midnight to a Bavarian type beerhole Rymy-Eetu and later to the opposite side of the street, to a latin place Cuba, where we as older ones with dark suits were greeted extremely politely. We had a couple of thoughts that our persons might have been mistaken,
but it did not disturb us at all.
Well, tonight I closed the doors of the neighborhood bar Kiiski together with a young rock singer Katarina 26, a new friend, with my namesake Matti 35 and my dog Viki 11.
So, I am now listening Dinah Washington and Nat Cole with good Captain Morgan Jamaica Rum before retiring.
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