Helsinki 2009 - Day 1

Helsinki, September 2009

More than a year has passed since I was in Helsinki, in September 2009, and I promised to tell you about that layover in this blog. It was really a nice 5-night (long) layover with my friend António and also with a very nice crew.

Let me see what I still remember....

We arrived at the hotel in the early, early morning and after check-in the crew dediced to wait for the breakfast that was to be served in less than one hour. After that we were all tired and went to sleep already with daylight.

When we woke-up we were hungry and went out to eat something and get a little glimpse of the city. The weather was far from sunny but at least it was not too cold. The first thing we saw was the Kaisaniemi park nearby our hotel.

Then we found a McDonalds at Helsinki's Forum shopping centre. After "lunch" we continued our way down Mannerheimintie Street on foot until we reached Helsinki Market Square (Kauppatori).

Kauppatori

Near Helsinki Senate Square we found some brazilian guys who talked to us.

Helsinki Senate Square

Helsinki Cathedral

Uspenski Cathedral
(Eastern Orthodox)

We had dinner at an italian food restaurant (which in finnish they say ravintola) and returned to our hotel. Before sleeping we were already planning the following day!

Crowne Plaza - Helsinki

Kiitos (for reading this post!)

Copenhagen: take-off @ Kastrup

Kastrup Airport, September 2010

Last month I had two night-stops at Copenhagen. The first one gave no opportunity to get out of the hotel because we arrived late in the night and departed the following morning.

I came back as a passenger so I could take these photos:

A319 CS-TTA "Vieira da Silva" @ Kastrup

Nice reflection on the jetway

After take-off

View from seat 3F

Over the clouds...

And finally I could enjoy a nice hot meal and have a rest until arrival at Lisbon

The second night-stop I had more time to visit the city but I was so tired that I just slept all the time at the hotel. I really wanted to visit the Dansk Design Center, but it will have to wait for another opportunity.

Copenhagen was the hightlight of last Up Magazine issue (September).

I AMsterdam

Amsterdam, September 2010

I arrived in a rainy Saturday night (in September) but that was not impeditive to have some fun in the streets of Amsterdam and do some bar-hopping. We even found a portuguese guy who recognized our language in one of those bars and we paid him a shot (was it a B52? can't remember).

However it seems Amsterdam night life is not that great anymore... A bar magnate who owned 85 cafes and bars committed suicide due to unpaid bills to Heineken and many of them closed....

Next day we had a nice lunch (for me it was some kind of pancake), we had a walk through the city,

Amsterdam is almost all about sex!

and then I suggested to my friends (that were there at that time) to visit the Sex Museum. It was really a good time we had!

Marilyn Monroe @ Sex Museum

Before everything closed at 6pm I went to Kalverstraat street and Magna Plaza. A sweatshirt from Energie brand caught my eye. But I saw the price and went away. Then I started to think to myself:

"Come on Andre, you know you would never buy such a costly piece of clothing when you lived from your monthly pocket money... but now you earn your own money and you don't even spend it all most of the months"

So I went back to the store and I did buy the sweatshirt.......

@ Kalverstraat street

"you are not igual" @ Desigual

And finally a nice view from my hotel room during sunset. Next day I had a long journey until Copenhagen with a stop in Lisbon!

@SID with "Gil Vicente"

Sal Airport, August 2010

Aeroporto Int'l Amilcar Cabral

A320 wing

The moon...

CS-TNN "Gil Vicente"

TAP Portugal beautiful tail

A320 cabin

@RAI with "Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro"

Praia Airport, August 2010

Aeroporto da Praia

CS-TNT

Dense smoke in Moscow III

Moscow, August 2010

Here are a few more pictures I took the day I departed from Moscow.

Leaving the hotel

Arrival at the airport terminal

It looks like LVO due to the smoke...

Transaero, a growing Russian airline still operating these classic 747s 

Dense smoke in Moscow II

Moscow, August 2010

Can't go outside... and it doesn't seem to get any better at Moscow...

Red Square and Kremlin will have to wait for another opportunity...

Dense smoke in Moscow

Moscow, August 2010

Due to several forest fires, Moscow has been covered with a dense smoke/smog blanket.

While passing 10.000ft during our descent to Domodedovo Airport we started to notice an intense smell of burning wood in the whole cabin of our Airbus which scared some passengers that thought there was something wrong with the aircraft!

Visibility is also severely affected as you can see in the following photos taken outside the terminal of the airport.

Despite of the air being somewhat unbreathable I hope to go to the Red Square tomorrow...