Ken Curtis' blog Travel «

Tue 20/07/10 00:22

“Happy Days meets The Kremlin”

So I’m in Helsinki and to be honest I still don’t know much about it. I got in about 2 in the afternoon, and to my hostel at about 4. When I got here I was so tired that any thought of actually going out and exploring at all was long gone by the time I finally made it to my room. The plane trip to here had a stopover in Istanbul so for the most part I had been awake for 36 hours, minus about 5 that I got on the plane. What I have seen of Finland is that the people are very nice, and the weather is absolutely perfect. Other than that, I’ll have to think about before I write any more. I will say that the architecture doesn’t seem that impressive, and there doesn’t appear to be much to see. I keep coming up with that Finland is best described as “Happy Days” meets the Kremlin.

Today I’m going to walk around the city and take some pictures, get my ticket to Stockholm and probably head to the water. Maybe try to find a city tour to go on. I can’t stop thinking that I’m missing something here, that if I just find out what it is, I’ll be very impressed with the city.

Sun 18/07/10 14:26

Helsinki in 13 hours

I usually like to write a “beginning” post when I’m sitting in the airport waiting to board the plane, but this vacation I’m not going to get the chance. I broke one of the hinges on my laptop when I was in Sri Lanka, and I’m worried that the computer will make it to the states in one piece. This is the same thing that happened to the other laptop and one time I open it up and wires started to sizzle. So I’m not going to be taking any chances with this one until I get a new one. I’ll wait until I arrive in Helsinki to make my first official post.

It’s about 11:20 at night and my flight leave at 235, and I’m already really sleepy. On the good side though I spent most of the day getting ready for the trip and I think I’m good to go.

Sat 17/07/10 00:50

and I’m starting to get excited.

Kenneth Curtis passport stamp So it finally happened. After about five months of indecision and a somewhat hesitant determination of my Summer plans, the time is almost here for me to leave. I’ve still got a day and a half before I actually leave Dubai, but I’m starting to get excited. Last night I made all the plans that I could for the services that I know that I’m gong to need, like car rental in Amarillo, travel insurance, and my room in Helsinki. Maybe that’s what has made it all seem “real” and has gotten the butterflies going.

I’m still not sure if my choice was the best one, but it’s been made and I’m going to have a great time. I’ll stay in Helsinki for three nights and then head for Sweden. I’ve also started to think about going to Norway in a more real sense. I figure that since I’ll be in the neighborhood, I might as well call on them.

I don’t think I usually write about the nerves starting up, but there is a more functional reason for this post. I want to make sure everything on my site is working properly. That this post will be added to the front page along with the image. It will be a lot easier for me to fix something now than on the road.

Sun 11/07/10 01:28

wish me luck.

This is the information that I know for sure about the upcoming trip. The only reason I know it, is because these are the points that I’ve purchased tickets for. The in between parts are sketchy to say the least, but if I’m going from Finland to England I have to go through some other countries (unless I fly), so that’s where I’m more or less guessing.

Leave Dubai July 19

Helsinki, Finland July, 19

3 days Helsinki

2 days in Stockholm

1 week in Germany

2 weeks in Ireland, Scotland, England

2 days in Amsterdam

2 days Brussels

Leave London, England August 20

Clovis, NM August August 20-25

Arrive Dubai, August 26

Oh, and I don’t know if anyone cares, but I’ve enabled comments again. I was getting spammed by a bunch of people so I disabled them, but they’re up and running now though.

And, until I get this blog fixed it still doesn’t accept any comment (or entry) that contains apostrophes, it will tell you that the comment has been saved, but it actually isn’t. What you have to do is don’t use contractions, or put a “ “ or is it, “/” in front of the apostrophe. Sorry, but I know what’s wrong, but I can’t find a fix for it.

Sun 11/07/10 01:00

…of what I hope is going to be a great vacation.

Summer 2010 Kenneth Curtis So the time has come for another adventure, and although most of my “high priority” destinations have been seen, there are some places that I want to experience. Amsterdam, London, Scotland, and Berlin are just some of the places that I hope to see in the next six weeks.

It’s been one of the most difficult trips to decide on for several reasons, one is that it’s “Western” Europe, which doesn’t hold a lot of mystery for me. At least not the way China or Russia did. Two, it will probably be more expensive than any of the other trips that I’ve taken, and I really don’t want to spend a lot. The last reason is that, well, I don’t know if there is a third reason, but the other two have been difficult to overcome.

What I really wanted to do was to rent a place in Argentina and spend the summer just exploring South America, but since I’m from North America it seems a little “wrong” to move to Dubai to put myself into a more central location for traveling, and then flying across the world to visit someplace that is relatively close to America. So for now, I’m sticking with Europe, Western Asia, and Africa.

Tue 16/03/10 11:20

As you may have guessed by the date of this posting, I’m home and have been for a few days. I didn’t really have any time to make my final entry, and actually I don’t really have time right now, but it needs to be written.

Ken Curtis spring break trip to Athens, musicians

The final morning in Athens was very much like all the last days on my trips. I am one of those people who constantly has to be early for everything. Sometimes I end up being early for an early appointment. For example they say that you should arrive at the airport at least two hours before your flight, so I make sure that I’m there three hours early… and in one recent case, three and a half. L I had about three hours before I had to be at the airport two hours early, so I decided to wander around the old town for a while and take some pics. The streets were empty and it kind of made me feel like how it may have been centuries before the massive numbers of tourists flocked to the shops lining the narrow streets. It was nice.

Ken's trip to athens Ken Curtis spring break trip to Athens,narrow streets

At the end of all my trips I like to kind of give a quick summary of my view of the time spent at whatever location I was at. I have to say that Athens was a surprise for me. I went with the expectation that I was going to not enjoy myself because of the comments that I’d heard from others, but I left with a great feeling of the city. For the most part everyone was friendly, there was lots to see, and there were lots of places to go. In general I’d have to say that Athens was one of my favorites, about fourth or fifth on my list. So far, Istanbul is still number one, and I don’t see any city dethroning it anytime soon.

Ken Curtis, wandering the streets of athens Ken Curtis spring break trip to Athens,looking for souvenirs

I got back to Dubai at about 10 pm and back to work the next morning… oh and I actually stopped and bought beer at the duty free store at the airport. So for the first time in about three years I have beer in the house. So sweet it is.

If you followed my journey this spring, thanks, if not, no worries maybe next time.

My name is Ken

Category Archives: Travel

My first full day in Helsinki

I’ve got less than an hour before I leave for the airport.

It’s Getting Close

The Basic Plan

The First Post

The Final Hours Before the Trip Home