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| Finish Islands on descent |
Drama started from the get go with me leaving my phone on the charger at Amys parents. Luckily I remembered while we were only 10 minutes down the road and not at Melbourne airport. I then forgot you need to pull laptops out of bags and was prompted by security. At Heathrow I left our portable battery in the xray tray and luckily the guard had given it to security and I got it back. In Finland I walked straight through customs thanks to my British passport whilst Amy got the third degree on our itinerary. Being prepared we had that ready. The guard said "good luck on your adventure" not sure if he was serious or condescending.
The flight over was about as good as you can get without being in an exit row. We did ask but they were booked for all sectors. When I booked the flights all those months ago I snagged the front row seats for their extra leg room which was a real blessing. There are a few downsides though. You cant watch entertainment during takeoff and landing and you cant flip the arms rests up. Being on the aisle I could fully extend my legs which was awesome but being bumped everytime someone went past meant about 2 hours sleep total. Emirates was great though, they kept us fed, filled up my water bottle on request and were friendly. Finnair was nice enough, old plane but they got us here with no problems.
Ours bags were here and ready which was a huge relief. With 3 flights we were a little worried but Emirates and Finnair seem to have their act together. We made our way outside to the bus stop to catch the Finnair shuttle into town. E6.30 each for a 30 minute ride into town seems good value. Noticed right away they have Mercedes and Volvo taxis. Nice for some.
The ride into town was somewhat surreal. Have we really just flown to the other side of the planet? Is this going to be our life for the next eight months?
My directions to the hotel were good and we arrived no fuss packs on backs. Being unmanned i was little worried if something went wrong but all OK. Room is nice enough for the Euro and in a decent location. We fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow after some quick unpacking. Rudely awoken at 6am as our room is opposite the laundry. Lovely. Back to sleep in 30. Awake again at 8 when the corridor gets vacuumed. Bugger it time to get up!
We explored all over Helsinki today but thats another post, weather is incredible. 20 degrees sunny and amazing! :)
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| Other side of the planet - first thing I see... <3 Australia |
- Simon
Sound like you are both having a awesome time all ready
ReplyDeleteGood to know all is well. Sounds that the trip has began well. Your writing has us being there. Wonderful stuff to read.
ReplyDeleteTony should be PM in 24 hours.love dad
Well now that you have had 3 little mishaps, the rest of the trip will go wonderfully, and you will never forget to take your phone from the hotel room, or leave anything in a security tray for the rest of the trip. How rude of those people to wake you up. I hope you got more than 2 hrs sleep on the planes Amy. So pleased that you are continuing to experience great weather. Did you have Aussie steak or Finnish Fish for tea? We are having a big weekend of worship and a guest speaker this weekend and the last 2 nights, which has been amazing already. Enjoy yourself heaps. Love mum
Hi there
ReplyDeleteso glad you survived the epic flight and your travels begin in earnest. Yes simon things come in threes so now all that is behind you. Boy Canberra seems quite now you two have left town. We to are having some beautiful weather and actually got into summer gear!
The town is busy with voting..... No real question who will win..I wonder if you will hear of the outcome over there.
I have decided to take a week off and smell the roses... About time eh?
Simon keep writing your blog , dad would be happy to see his son writing as it was one of his passions.
Take care lovely people
Love mum.