We headed south after our visit to Santa with a detour on the way to Tornio. It is located at the top of the Gulf of Bothnia, a northern extension of the Baltic Sea. The town sits on the border with Sweden and we drove across to its twin town of Haparanda. The 2 items of interest are the church that looks like a grain silo and the golf course. In the normal course of a round, you cross the border 4 times, but with a few slices or hooks, you could easily add an extra border crossing or two.
Other stops included Oulu with its interesting old timber buildings around the harbour and Pietarsaari with more old buildings dating from the Swedish period. We stayed overnight at Vaasa where we had an interesting time checking into our hotel.
To save on labour costs, lots of things in Finland operate without a person in sight. Many petrol stations are fully automated. You put in a credit card or bank note, indicate your bowser and pump away - then drive off. The hotel was without reception. We booked in on a touch screen, paid on line, were given a room number and a door code with not a human in sight. When we walked into our room, the tv screen had a personalised message to welcome us. Any contact was via the screen - order up a security guard or report a faulty toilet. Fortunately we did not need either service.
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7 comments:
My first read through was wild speed reading. And I thought this said you ordered a security guard through an old faulty toilet. Which just made me shrug and think "Wow they do things different over there"
did you need a passport to play that course? If so, I'd fill mine crossing back and forth the way I hit a golf ball!
The first time since we landed at Heathrow that anyone has looked at our passport was this morning on the way to Tallinn.
The way we play golf we would fill our passport as well.
Talking of toilets, I was in a castle yesterday and couldn't miss the opportunty of a free toilet. There was a wonderful wall in there so I whipped out the camera and took a photo, then called Gail in to show her.
If you even think of going into a toilet in Sydney with a camera round you neck, I think you would end up in gaol.
Perhaps Amanda and I should jointly put out a book on toilets of the world. Title could be "Toilets I Have Sat On".
Ooooh! I agree, I have a lovely collection of photos of restaurant and bar toilets! Oh, and the photos I took at work in the toilets!
What is it about this family and toilets? Dad I think you and Amanda have a best seller before you.
It's funny you should say that about a toilet book, because Graham has often suggested that I have seen every toilet in Australia and that I should expand my publishing empire to include a volume entitled "Great Toilets of Australia" or perhaps " Loos of the Great South Land". Perhaps we could actually do a whole series between the lot of us...
See the new blog entry on Turku. I think we can give Harry Potter a run for his money in the publishing field.
Actually I thought the golf course was more interesting.
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