Cookie travels

Our family went to Stockholm last May on board Viking Lines’ M/S Isabella. We left the port of Turku, Finland at 9PM and reached Stockholm at 6.30AM local time.

We were eagerly waiting for the ship to dock at Turku port that night. Kids were getting bored and impatient but as the ship approached, excitement stirred. It took some time before we could enter M/S Isabella coz it just arrived from Stockholm and so passengers were getting off. As soon as all was clear, we were allowed to enter the ship. And this was the scenario, the cleaners were very busy changing the bed sheets, cleaning the room, etc. they were all in a hurry, running in the hallway trying to finish their assigned job on schedule. Then in a few minutes there was an announcement asking them to leave coz the ship’s departing. Well, they finished their jobs on time.

We booked a four-berth family cabin, our small but comfy room which was equipped with radio plus alarm clock, air-conditioning, toilet, and shower. You could take shower coz toiletries and towels were provided, even plastic cups if you want water from tap. So, don’t worry if you haven’t taken a shower prior to the cruise.

After eating our take-away pizza, the kids were very eager to escape from our cabin. They couldn’t wait to go to the entertainment section where there were arcade games, Wii room, ball pool area, and playroom.

Hubby wanted to have some fun, too. So he tried playing the poker game and luckily win some few Euros which he spent on another slot machine. Something like the pirate game (I forgot the exact name) where you drop one coin at a time and the machine keeps pushing out the numerous coins inside so we could have as much coin as we want, if we are lucky. The game was so exciting and addicting. The kids enjoyed watching their dad play and collecting the coins coming out from the slot machine. They also wanted to play. Hubby kept on dropping coins but we were not so lucky in the end. We lost. Haha…

There are a lot of things to make you enjoy aside from the games. There’s music, food, shopping, and more. So we all had a great time in this cruise.

Now to continue my post on non stop flight from Bangkok to Finland -1/2…

After taking the 1150 flight from Bangkok, we landed Helsinki-Vantaa Airport at 1815 local time. It took us a flight time of 10 hours and 25 minutes. That’s according to our itinerary. I still have our e-ticket.

At Helsinki airport, we waited over 4 hours for our connecting flight to Pori. Four hours! But I couldn’t remember the kids getting bored. Maybe it was the excitement of moving to another place or too tired or possibly sleepy…or already asleep. I had a terrible headache that time from nights of packing.

Our local flight to Pori was at 2340. After a flight time of 40 minutes, we reached Pori Airport at 0020 on 11th August, exactly a year ago plus one day today. That’s why I am musing about it here.

We didn’t encounter any difficulty during check-in and at the immigration. The only problem we faced was with the timing of our flight to Pori coz the kids were really sleepy. We had to wake them up during departure and arrival at Pori. But now we’re here. Glad to have safely arrived after a long tiresome journey. And as I previously mentioned, a year has just past.

Snack at Finncomm Airlines, it might look strange but its a sandwich, stuffed with veggies

Pori at last…

Before I continue with my travel story about our flight to Finland, here is one thing I observed during our twelve months of stay in this cold beautiful country, Finns are fond of pets. It can be dog, cat or horses, but mostly dogs especially in the city center. It is common for us to see Finns of different ages walking along the park or streets with their dogs.

We even witnessed a dog show at a park in front of the Orthodox Cathedral while we were touring Tampere, one of the many beautiful cities in Finland. I didn’t take some photos but my young sis did.

While most had pet dogs, my daughter’s Finn friend had two cute cats. We don’t have. I have enough pets in the house to take care of. LOL.

Anyway there is one Pet Blog I would like to suggest pet lovers take a visit. This pet blog features trendy products for dogs, cats and other pets. For instance, if you are looking for a new dog collar or a litter box for your kitty, this blog might be helpful. Featured in this site are feeders, dishes, beds, crates, leashes, clothes, natural pet food, toys, and more. Some funky ideas here too, so do take a look.

A year ago, we left Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport for Helsinki via Finnair. That was on 10th August. The travel agency that took care of our flight reservation recommended Finnair coz he can book a connecting flight for us from Bangkok to Helsinki until Pori City. Our connecting flight from Helsinki to Pori was via Finncomm (Finnish Commuter Airlines).

The problem though was the availability seats. There were not enough seats for the whole family on the date we wanted. So I suggested other major airlines.

But according to Mr. travel agent if we choose other major airlines, he can book us until Helsinki only so we have to book for our local connecting flight, and there is a big possibility of a stopover at another airport. I checked the timetable it will be long hours of waiting at another airport. With kids in mind, luggage to carry, unfinished packing and other concerns, I did not argue more with Mr. travel agent. We just hoped that we could get available seats. Few days before our flight, he gave us a call that all seats were confirmed.  So we were just happy for the news.

If you are planning to visit other cities in Finland from Bangkok, you can fly via Finnair and get a connecting flight thru Finncomm. This is a convenient option if you are traveling with children coz Finnair is a non stop flight from Bangkok to Helsinki. Another benefit is if you have lots of luggage to check-in coz in this way you can take advantage of luggage check-thru. In other words, you check-in your luggage at Bangkok and claim them at your last destination. You can check www.finnair.com and finncomm airlines for flight timetable, prices, and online reservation.

To be continued…

Even though dad and mom had quite a relaxing time in our place in Pori, Finland (coz the tour guide got sick ), this last week though was quite a hectic Europe trip for them. Want to know why? It started this Monday with a day tour in Helsinki, followed by their flight back to Prague on Tuesday, a Wednesday tour in Vienna, a Thursday visit to Berlin then back to Prague, and today dad and mom left Prague for Philippines, with a connecting flight at Amsterdam. My cutie sis said they didn’t have much time to sleep coz they had to pack after arriving from their Berlin trip. It was a tiresome last week in Europe but I know it was a memorable and enjoyable one for them. Photos will follow.

My parents and cutie sis’ vacation in Finland is now over. We sent them off at the express bus station in Pori for their Helsinki-Vantaa airport trip last Tuesday for their flight back to Prague. It was almost a month’s stay in Finland but it seems quite short to think that I got sick for more than two weeks that started since I picked them up at Helsinki-Vantaa airport. Poor tourists arriving Finland without a tour guide. He..he.. But the tour guide was able to get back in shape before they finally left, such that a day’s tour in Helsinki was possible. Anyway, cookietravels would also like to say bye to our dear visitors with some photos taken in Helsinki:

at the Helsinki City Museum

at the Esplanadi Park in Helsinki

The title of my previous post might come like a bolt from the blue but talking about babies and traveling, it’s really difficult to travel with a baby, that’s why my cutie sis decided not to go sightseeing in Helsinki with us. She preferred to stay in Pori with her 10 month-old baby. Naturally, we had a baby-free tour of Helsinki and was able to cover most of the tourist attractions. Although cutie sis really missed the sights but for a whole day tour I think she made a sensible decision coz we had to walk most of the time, even climb up a flight of steps, and the rain in the afternoon made the tour unfavorable. Anyway, hopefully next time she can come back to Finland with hubby and enjoy the sights better.

It’s one thing to be just reading about a product, and another thing to have one. By, my hubby, has got this GPS Tracking gadget which is very useful in travel. The device, which he hangs near the front mirror, shows the road on which the car is traveling, with an arrow indicating where the car’s present location is.

Presently my parents and two sisters are spending their vacation with us here in Pori City, Finland, and naturally we want them to be toured around to destinations of interest. They wanted to visit the two UNESCO Cultural Heritage sites of Rauma which is more than 100 kilometers away from Pori, and so off they went last Sunday. I wasn’t with them as we wouldn’t all fit in the car, and I was not feeling well also. Though By’s work location is near one of the sites, he was not really familiar with the details of the way leading to it, but it was the device, programmed with a female voice, which would prompt him where to turn, by how many meters, as: “after 200 m, there will be an intersection, turn right…” or similar directions.
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I have few more days before my family’s vacation in Finland but I’m stuck here in the house hopeful for a quick recovery from an operation. The weather was not also cooperating for the past few days. It was cloudy and rainy. Hmmmm. And Friday is a holiday as it is the start of a 3-day Midsummer holiday. I am so anxious to get out of the house coz I need to visit the express bus station to inquire personally about discount policies as mentioned in the website I have been browsing while I was on ’sick leave’, and also ask for their bus timetable brochure so I can plan what time to leave Pori for Helsinki and back. Well I still have few more days to go.

I had a chat with my sis last Friday and I’m glad that she already got her Schengen visa. I actually knew about her flight to Europe but her domestic flight last night to Manila caught me by surprise. Gosh how time flies. That’s why the urgent buzz in my chat window. She was finalizing some of the stuff she has to bring plus some of our requests to Europe. I advised her to bring fewer clothes and leave her sweater so they can all be accommodated. She was worried about the cold weather in Finland. Few hours before she left the house we were still chatting. That was past 2AM already. She was busy repacking coz of the 20 kilogram limit on board the aircraft. The 20 kilogram limit was driving her crazy…LOL.