Just to be different, over the next few days I will be bring FSB "Postcard from Estonia.". I've disappeared our native shores to go to the Baltic State of Estonia for three nights, and this is one well needed break to be honest. I'm here until Saturday, flying back in time for the Dundee Stars home game at Ice Sheffield.
Hope you enjoy.
Day 1: Wednesday 4 November 2015.
Well this trip almost didn't happen, it has to be said from the start. Sure, I'd booked the flights and the accommodation well in advance but I didn't plan on the events of today to unfold actually the way they did so. Come to think of it, if everything ran just perfect then we would be extremely boring and probably a bunch of robots.
Well the night before, Tuesday, I was in Manchester watching one of the last ever UK concerts done by Mötley Crüe with FSB podcast host Alan which was plain awesome in every sense of the word. So we got back to South Yorkshire at around 1:00am, and agreed that 5 hours should be enough for a bit of shut eye before my flight later on that morning. Yeah considering I have a good 9 hours or so on a regular night this spelled a massive reduction but when flights are being taken into account then it's not so bad.
My mobile phone had died its death on the way back from Manchester, so needed a charge up before I returned to Ringway and that's where the problems started to be honest. Plugging the phone into the charger and then into the mains, was there a response? Heck, no. Even trying to hold the connector so it held firm was becoming problematic to say the least. So after trying for a good half an hour, I just gave up and decided to go to sleep. Alan would wake me up, wouldn't he? That was my thinking, but enter problem 2.
Alan had set his alarm no problem, and when I actually woke from my slumber it was already 6:40am: a good 40 minutes after I planned to surface. The phone was still inactive, so I frantically got dressed and woke Alan up who had slept through his alarm. Problem 2 definitely. The traffic didn't help matters either as we encountered lots of, and at 8:40am we were still on the M60 and a good 3 miles or so away from the airport. Alan had warned the airport I was running but as helpful as they could be; they could not guarantee that the check-in would be open still after the 9:05am deadline. I was going nuts and almost in tears.
However by some unforeseen struck of luck, we arrived at Terminal 1 at 8:55am and after dashing about like headless loonies we finally found the SAS airline check-in desk. I managed to get checked in on the flight just a couple of minutes before the desk closed. Something tells me that my guardian angels were looking after me again: namely Da, Grandad and Nanna. It was too close for comfort but somehow I did it. This isn't gonna happen again.
The flight to Stockholm was a nice and pleasant one, lasting a shade over 2 hours. It was also my first ever experience of Arlanda, and to be honest it's quite a nice one too. After managing to make the lass on passport control laugh with my actual look and the comparison to what I look like on my passport. If you've not seen it, well just say this I look like Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion to be honest. The wonders of not wearing your specs on a passport photograph these days. Moments later, panic set in however. No sign of the bag on the baggage reclaim belt, I started to think that they had lost the damn thing which would have been the icing on an unpleasant cake so to speak. Luckily a SAS desk attendant allayed my fears and said it would be in Tallinn when I got there.
My connection to Tallinn lasted just over a hour, although we departed Stockholm about 15 minutes late due to a change to aircraft. What struck me what was there was no passport control to go through as I made my way towards the section where my driver would be waiting, never encountered anything like that before - not even back home too. Still they must trust me. Driver was waiting as agreed and I was taken to my hotel where I am typing this from. First impressions are good, and I have no regrets at all in coming here. Tomorrow is another day, and with it: a chance to watch some hockey as the national side are in action. Steeler on tour 2015.
More thoughts to follow...
Well the night before, Tuesday, I was in Manchester watching one of the last ever UK concerts done by Mötley Crüe with FSB podcast host Alan which was plain awesome in every sense of the word. So we got back to South Yorkshire at around 1:00am, and agreed that 5 hours should be enough for a bit of shut eye before my flight later on that morning. Yeah considering I have a good 9 hours or so on a regular night this spelled a massive reduction but when flights are being taken into account then it's not so bad.
My mobile phone had died its death on the way back from Manchester, so needed a charge up before I returned to Ringway and that's where the problems started to be honest. Plugging the phone into the charger and then into the mains, was there a response? Heck, no. Even trying to hold the connector so it held firm was becoming problematic to say the least. So after trying for a good half an hour, I just gave up and decided to go to sleep. Alan would wake me up, wouldn't he? That was my thinking, but enter problem 2.
Alan had set his alarm no problem, and when I actually woke from my slumber it was already 6:40am: a good 40 minutes after I planned to surface. The phone was still inactive, so I frantically got dressed and woke Alan up who had slept through his alarm. Problem 2 definitely. The traffic didn't help matters either as we encountered lots of, and at 8:40am we were still on the M60 and a good 3 miles or so away from the airport. Alan had warned the airport I was running but as helpful as they could be; they could not guarantee that the check-in would be open still after the 9:05am deadline. I was going nuts and almost in tears.
However by some unforeseen struck of luck, we arrived at Terminal 1 at 8:55am and after dashing about like headless loonies we finally found the SAS airline check-in desk. I managed to get checked in on the flight just a couple of minutes before the desk closed. Something tells me that my guardian angels were looking after me again: namely Da, Grandad and Nanna. It was too close for comfort but somehow I did it. This isn't gonna happen again.
The flight to Stockholm was a nice and pleasant one, lasting a shade over 2 hours. It was also my first ever experience of Arlanda, and to be honest it's quite a nice one too. After managing to make the lass on passport control laugh with my actual look and the comparison to what I look like on my passport. If you've not seen it, well just say this I look like Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion to be honest. The wonders of not wearing your specs on a passport photograph these days. Moments later, panic set in however. No sign of the bag on the baggage reclaim belt, I started to think that they had lost the damn thing which would have been the icing on an unpleasant cake so to speak. Luckily a SAS desk attendant allayed my fears and said it would be in Tallinn when I got there.
My connection to Tallinn lasted just over a hour, although we departed Stockholm about 15 minutes late due to a change to aircraft. What struck me what was there was no passport control to go through as I made my way towards the section where my driver would be waiting, never encountered anything like that before - not even back home too. Still they must trust me. Driver was waiting as agreed and I was taken to my hotel where I am typing this from. First impressions are good, and I have no regrets at all in coming here. Tomorrow is another day, and with it: a chance to watch some hockey as the national side are in action. Steeler on tour 2015.
More thoughts to follow...
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