Lazy bastard

It felt a little strange after my last blog entry wich I called Friday On My Mind... One of my favorite tracks from Gary Moore's "Wild Frontier" albums, then just a day or so later it was announced he had passed away. Really sad! Even if he wasn't one of my biggest inspirations he was an amazing guitarplayer with a sense for melodies very few comes close to.

REST IN PEACE GARY 1952-2011

I've spent most of the week on a business trip in Tallinn, Estonia. Ericsson has a sister factory there and we needed to sort a few things out. Also, it's good to meet the people you work with. Knowing how people are makes everything easier over the phone or in mail conversations later on.
We arrived Tuesday evening at the really nice Swiss Hotel quite close to the city center of Tallinn. Since we arrived almost at bed time we didn't have time for much more than go out and grab something to eat. We were directed by the hotel staff to a place called Goodwin BBQ or something like that.
The place bragged with a 500g XXL Burger wich quickly became the challenge for the guys. I ordered myself a plate of Buffalo wings with carrots, celery and blue cheese dip. I got a whole mountain of wings while the guys looked disappointed. I don't know how they measured that burger but the 500g must have been including salad, sause and bread because it didn't look very spectacular.
Of course we had to try out the local beer as well, Saku Original. Really nice, quite rich beer. Absolutely approved.

Tallinn by night

Since I got a room in the top of the hotel (floor 29 out of 30) the view from my room was quite spectacular. Also the mirror glass of facade of the flank of the building created a really cool effect of the City by Night. Of course I couldn't resist putting some effort into getting a picture as I wanted it. Got really hard without the camera support though. The tbple just inside the window didn't give that many choises of angles...

Yle

Then it's always fun to check out the local TV channels... Most shows get more hysteric and fun on the local language too! Childrens shows in Finish sounds everything BUT cheerful! :O)

St Nicolas Church

Since we didn't have much time outside of work (and because the time of the year) we only got to see Tallinn in the dark. But that can be pretty spectacular too. We were recommended to go to the old town for dinner, the restuarants would be cheaper than the ones around the hotel and they all should be really good! Apparently the one we choose on the arrival night was really expensive (I don't know... €12 for a HUGE plate of wings and 2 beers don't seem expensive to me) and not at all of the same quality as the ones in Old Town.

The alley beside the chuch on the Old Hansa Square

The streets of the old town looked pretty much like any old town in any City. Narrow streets and skew buildings. A lot of cozy places, some fancy shops and churches. Pretty much like in Stockholm or Malmö... One thing though that differed a bit. I've been complaining about the city here not getting rid of the snow or make sure the streets aren't too slippry. In Tallinn you needed skates on some streets.

Hard work in the cold

There's a massive brawl behid us walking up the street to the biggest church in the Old Town. Two dudes, only dressed as Robin Hood with the jester shoes and everything is trying to drag a loaded horse carriage by hand up the cobblestone streets. We had issues standing on our feet just walking.... Was quite hilarous to watch them trying.

Olde Hansa Square

We got a tip to go to the Beer House Resturant, it should be something spectacular... I didn't check the menu but the others gave up saying it was too expensive. So we went to another place, some Italian one... I ordered BBQ Ribs and got some really bad bards wich was most fat and strings and bones, not so much meat. The potatoes wasn't included. Then above that they added 10% service and 20% tax... Perhaps it was the same at the Beer House too but my tab was almost double from the night before and not at all as tasty. Karin ordered some clam & Cuttle fish pasta, all black a gooey... Not the best choise even if she said it tasted nice. She didn't join in the next day, she had to stay in the hotel to worship the porslin god...

Nice Estonian beer, but I liked the Saku more

The hotel was really nice and had all the facilities you need. Bars, Restaurants, Spa, Pool and a fitness center. Believe it or not, I went to the gym TWICE on the days spent in Tallinn. That was really needed beacuse it felt like my body kind of woke up. Now I feel the inspiration to do some exercise again. Perhaps it's time to try and find a Gym here in Borås too?

Sunrise over Tallinn

We also tried out both the bars of course. The one on the 30th floor was quite spectacular. First with the panorama view of the city and then that it was hyper modern. Both in decoration and facility. You almost needed a manual to go to the bathroom, everthing with sensors and automatic. Very cool!

My boss kept nagging about the Vana Tallinn booze on the way there and almost throughout the whole stay too. I never got to try it while in Tallinn though but I bought myself a bottle in the Tax Free so we'll see when I find the courage to try it. I also looked for the Koskenkorva Vanilla Vodka. Ilari and Mia introduced that ine on the last Metal merchants Festival. Chilled it tasted like Milk Shake, even if it was pure vodka. Really crazy.

Party-time

At the small airport in Tallinn, all they had was the Green Apple version (or the straight 60% vodka) so that had to do.
My plan was to check in Helsinki while changing flights too but since our outbound jurney from Tallinn was delayed we had to make a run for it to catch our connection in Helsinki. We made it but I never thought the bags would too. They did. Oh, well, most of ours did, Helena's didn't show in Gothenburg. Guess I'll find out on Monday how things went with it...

But in general I really liked Tallinn. The city seemed friendly and cozy. The staff at Ericsson dedicated and determined to solve all issues and tasks we came up with. It felt really inspiring to talk to tham. That was the boost I needed in my work now. The grey weeks really started to be felt so this was a pleasant break from the jog trot.

Now it's time to go to the rehearse room to abuse my Black Beauty and Folkesson Marshall!

Cheers

E

NP: Pagan Altar - Volume 1