Germany makes Great Chocolate...but technology...???

Alright so here I am blogging from Canada!  Specifically from Nova Scotia, Canada...aka my home place!

We travelled to Helsinki via bus (about 4-4.5 hours) around 1230am Saturday morning and arrived in my parents home at about 1230am Sunday morning (Finnish time).

**This is where I pre-apologize for all those typos that are BOUND to happen because I am using a North American keyboard....**

Once arriving at the airport in Helsinki, we made our way to our check-in location and we were flying with Lufthansa (German) to Frankfurt, then with Air Canada to Toronto and then to Halifax.  That's right - no USA stops.  We've had so many issues with stopping or flying with the US - that we could not be bothered to do it again. (Remember in October they didn't offer a hotel and we were crashing at the JFK airport?!)

So Lufthansa has a system that you print your boarding pass from an electronic kiosk then check your luggage in with a representative.  Easy peasy.
Oh wait - here's where the title comes into play....Lufthansa's computer systems were down.  So they couldn't even check in baggage!  We were advised kindly it would take about 30 minutes and the reps in Germany were working hard to get it up and running.
Sure! No biggy!  It's only 30 minutes and we had plenty of time to make it to our flight.

1 hour later...still nothing happening but those with their boarding pass were in line up to check their baggage (once the system was up...).  So here we are, waiting in the front of a line (of several) to print our boarding pass....

Finally - the systems are still down but we can join the crazy line ups for checking in baggage....and the reps up front were taking things down manually.....Oh my!
We waited in line for about 30 minutes and then *cue Angels music of some sort* the computers were back up and running!  Just as were about to go to a rep!  YAY!

The flight was under 3 hours and shockingly - despite all the delays with the baggage and passes - the flight left on time and arrived with 10 minutes to spare!

So, although Lufthansa had a major blip with the technology - they handled the situation smoothly and we got there on time to connect to our Toronto flight!
Kudos Lufthansa!

From my FB Notes Aug. 16/09

** I firstly apologize for the fact that my keys have been sticking so some words may be spelled in corectly *taps harder at keys

So we left Halifax on time and got diverted to Conneticuit Bradley Airport because JFK wasn't letting flights go due to fog? *Sigh.
So we wander around there for an hour and a half - get chatting with a bloke from England who was drunk and clearly switching flights....
Get on the plane and run like mad to the other end of the JFK airport to meet our flight - and they already boarded people and were done. So we wait 45 minutes for the dogs to come out - take them out for a quick stroll....get a guy to help us load their kennels on a cart...gave him a $20 tip...wait another 30-45 minutes to check in - to find out that the jerk left us at the wrong gate altogether! SUPER MAD.
So we get on the plane properly - our baggage was checked in - paid for the dogs to fly - and voila we're on our way! NOT.
We wait about 2 hours (or more - I was asleep) before leaving JFK on the plane.
Finally!!! 7.5 hours later - we arrive in Helsinki....for 50 Euros we get a mini bus to take us to the train station - very friendly people here. Clearing security was super easy - there were no questions asked - just a quick review of the documents for the dogs and voila - welcome to Helsinki.

Missed a few trains and got rid of the kennels at a train stop later....and we're finally in Jyvaskyla!

Grocery store here is very neat. Bring your own bags, weigh your own veggies/fruits (you push the corresponding code and a price sticker prints out) and bag it yourself. Very speedy process. Instead of yoghurt in a tub - they have yoghurt in individual cups (like Canada) but in a MILK CARTON TOO!!!!
Lots of lactose-free items and gluten free items as well. In restaurants everything is clearly labelled because Lactose intolerance and Celiac disease is very common in Finland!

They abolished cheques here 20 years ago! It is common to give out your SIN# and your account number so people can deposit money into your account at any bank machine or online as long as someone knows your account number.
There is no Walmart here but a store called ANTTILA - it is like the Walmart's cousin. And it has yarn. I will survive.

There is one poisonous snake - it's black....they have lynx and bears in the woodsier parts...but they're people shy. Hedgehogs are very common!!!! Like a NY rat I suppose. Or squirrels.
It's very dog friendly here - same basic treatment - leash and pick up after them. Cats are quite frowned upon apparantly.

There is a playground about 20 minutes walk away(between us downtown and Tim's professor's home) - and it's HUGE. Halifax has nothing in comparison. It has an indoor playground section, lots of toys during the day time, and has a cafeteria where they create meals for your kid for 1 Euro. Also they have a kitchen area so you can boil water or heat up your own food apparantly. I will take pictures next time we're there with Tanalli (Tim's prof)'s family.

Oh and the escalator between my Walmart's cousin and the grocery store "KKK Supermarket" (no joke) - are flat. As in no stairs and you're riding on an angle -I was quite dizzy afterwards.

We haven't tried reindeer/caribou yet. But tonight I'm cooking my first meal here - pork stirfry. Sad I know.

Basic terms (probably spelled wrong):

Kiitos = Thank You
Hissi = elevator
Mooka = Come with
laktosfri = lactose free


PS - dryers are considered frivoulous here - as things dry very quickly outside (even in the winter) - there's barely and rarely humidity here!
Instead of wipes - people actually hold their baby in a hold under their arm pits and wash the bare bottom with soap and water - as it's more economically and more environmentally friendly than wipes.

PPS Alcohol consumption is a huge issue here - so when we apply for permits - and they interview us - there's a whole segment about how much we consume. LOL.

The age of majority is technically 18.
You can be 15 to play the video slot machines in the grocery stores, and 18 for the bars. Booze is sold in the grocery store.

They have actual bike lanes separated from the sidewalks - they're really big on outdoor living here in Europe. Gas is about 1Euro.5 - similar to Canada - the prices go up faster here when it affects North America by an extra 50%.
Bikes stand free and most modern versions have an internal lock (we though people were just leaving them around).

Ovens are very small here - not wide at all!!! And majority of ovens are flat topped.