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.

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.

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.

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.

Back home again in good company

Last Saturday evening my son Tomas picked me up from the airport at around 10pm. Instead bringing me home directly, he wanted to show me our company's new office and showroom with all the facilities. I was quite impressed. Then afterwards having left my luggage home, I found my thirsty throut in company of other young ones in my favorit pub "Kiiski". Soon Illuusia came to me and wanted to introduce her boy friend to me. They then left but my namesake Matti,35, a gallery owner asked me to join their company to play something. The other two were Nina and Kaisa, both 20 and very pretty too, of course. Around 3am we were talking if we should continue the party at my place but one of the girls wanted to retire, and I must say that after a long flight I was pretty tired too, and we departed.

Luxor, Suez, Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt and Aqaba in Jordan

On Saturday,March 14. our charter flight of 200 passengers arrived to the modern airport of Sharm El Sheikh at Red Sea to start cruising with the nostalgic ( built 1960)and only passenger ship m/s Kristina Regina under Finnish flag on international waters.That was my fift time on board of this vessel.
During the night our ship sailed to Safaga, from where three busses took us very early next morning for a four hours ride to Luxor. The bus trip was very interesting with very changing landscapes and traditionally dressed bedouins with camels and donkeys.But most interesting of course were The Valley of the Kings,where we visited three amazing tombs of Pharaos, all Ramseses no:s I,VI and IX, I think, built about 3500 years ago. After Queen Hatsepsuts restored Terrace temple we crossed the Nile with small boats to have a very good lunch at five star Steigenberger Hotel at 3pm. Then later we visited for two hours the incredible, huge Karnak Temple built also around 1500 B.C. Back aboard at 9.30 for cold beers and late dinner.
Next day we were already in Aqaba, Jordan, from were most passengers went for another long trip to Petra. I had been there with my family and some friends already 10 years ago, when only a few tourists visited it. Instead I did study Aqaba, where at Ali Baba Restaurant I had an exellent lamb lunch and a beer 0.5l. The lunch did cost around 5 euros as well as the beer too.
On Thursday we arrived to city of Suez, where I had a tour with a taxi to find a place where I could pay my lunch with credit card, because I did not like to change money, and in this city they seemed not to understand euros. Finally after some funny situationes we found Hotel Green House, where my cards were accepted. The lunch buffet there was'nt special but my assistant waitress, maybe 20 years old, was the most beautiful woman I have seen for years. Unfortunately she did not understand a word of English, but her black eyes and her disarming smiles,when she looked at me, made my day. When I was leaving, she very charmfully waved her hand and again with the dream smile.I could not understand how it was possible in this ugly city, that there would exist a great beauty like her.
On Friday we were back in Sharm El Sheikh, which is a typical uninteresting, new city, since 1980 for tourists. 70% of them were Russians, and many of them long-legged, high-heeled ones, a joy for understanding eye. The life aboard was easy and pleasant even that nothing special happened to be mentioned.

Looking forward for a cruise at Red Sea

The couple of last weeks have been very funny and full of joy. I have spent my time with several attractive ladies, which I have met in my favourite bars. No romances but happy evenings. I especially like to mention Illuusia,29, a very pretty graphicer, photographer and model, who mentioned by the way, that her mother should suit for me very well.We met in the afternoon last Friday, and I walked her home here in the neighborhood around 1 am at night. I have not met Liisa lately. She seems to be busy with other things, and there is no room for me.
Now on coming Saturday I'll be flying to Sharm El Sheikh, at Red Sea to start a cruise
with the "Kristina Regina", where I had an unforgetable romance almost two years ago.