helsinki
2008
So since Monday evening, I’ve been in Helsinki. Nice city, small and compact. Don’t need a lot of time to walk around the city.
Couple of things we (journalists from Indonesia and Thailand) noticed – plenty of cyclists but no motorcyclists. Well, I saw only 2 in 2 days. City streets are also paved in cobble stones which is a nice touch but what a rough time for the cars.
Talking about cars, one taxi I was in was a 7 series beemer! Well taken care of too. Volvo station wagons, volvo sedans and mercs were also driven by taxi drivers. Which makes for a safe ride, I suppose.
The hotel we’re staying in was Radisson by the seaside. It’s just across the sea. I could see big passenger cum vehicle ferries berthed there. Morning walks by the water front is really nice. Temperature was below 10degree C in the mornings but in the afternoons, it’s up to 20degrees. It’s autumn and the leaves on the trees are nice hues of purple, orange and red.
My fellow Thai and Indonesian reporters wondered why they didn’t see any porters and housekeepers. Quite odd because in Asia, we see them helping guests or going about doing their cleaning. Then I realised that the receptionists also doubled up as porters! It’s all DIY over in Finland.
Why were we in Helsinki? To visit Nokia, of course. Nokia house is in a quiet suburb by the Baltic Sea. Within 100m there’s a marina with boats tied up to it. My Nokia contact says people boat to work. How about that? No traffic jams and you can feel the sea breeze in your face!
Nokia house is a nice building, all glass – all the better to catch the sunlight to warm up the building. Work-life balance seems to be the big thing here. We see people leaving office from 4pm. But then, I was told they start work early, 6.30am…..
Note: pix of helsinki coming up tomorrow. Can’t download photos at airport terminals.
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