Lisa Sabol-Sikorski's Blog
Posted by Lisa Sabol-Sikorski
Scandinavia and Finland Airfare Deals
SAS Airlines has just reduced its fares between certain US cities and the Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, and Finnish capitals for travel in the month of May 2007. For example, travel from New York, Chicago, or Washington, DC to Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Oslo is $498 round trip and to Helsinki $538 round trip. From Seattle you can fly to the Scandinavian capitals for $598 or $658 to Helsinki. Flights to other cities in Scandinavia and Finland are also reduced.
Fly June 1-22 for $40 more to Helsinki and $60 more to the other Scandinavian capitals. The fares don’t include taxes of $80-$120. The fares require a Saturday night stay. Flights will fill up quickly at prices these low. Book online with SAS.
Scandinavia and Finland Hotel Deals
The Nordic-owned Scandic Hotel chain (a Hilton Honors partner – don’t forget to become a member so you can get airline or hotel points!) are offering a 15-30% discount on their regular rates for those booking at least 7 days in advance. These “early” rates range from 62-122 euros in Stockholm; 94-164 euros in Helsinki; 93-190 euros in Copenhagen; 124-187 euros in Gothenborg, Sweden; from 80-110 euros in Malmö and Lund, Sweden,; and 123-155 euros in Oslo. Rates include a breakfast buffet and many of the hotels allow children under age 13 to stay in their parents’ room for free. The Scandic Copenhagen has a spa package for 152 euros/night, which includes a choice of four different spa themes (Finnish sauna, Turkish spa, Roman bath, or Indian Sweat Lodge), an upgrade to a superior double room and a free smoothie.
Posted by Lisa Sabol-Sikorski
May 1 in Finland is known as Vappu Day, a combination of workers’ day and a celebration of spring. While meteorological spring starts on March 21, May 1st is the real start of spring in Finland, when the days are longer, the mercury reliably stays above the freezing mark, and the snow has melted (hopefully). The Vappu-related reverie actually starts on April 30, when students in Helsinki parade through town and spray the naked Havis Amanda statue near Market Square with champagne while perching a white graduation cap on her head. With 16.5 hours of daylight and a 9:30pm sunset, the parks fill up with partiers drinking, playing music, and playing games well into the night.
On May 1 everyone goes outside to spend time eating, drinking, and socializing. Finns don their own white cap with a black brim and an insignia in front from their graduation day, no matter what their age or how long ago they matriculated from school. To this American, it looks like a sea of festive boat captains walking around. In Helsinki’s popular park along the Baltic Sea, Kaivopuisto, people stake out a spot early in the day, pitch a tent and tables to prepare for their day of celebration. Acoutrements and fare range from pickled herring served on fine china under an elegant tent, to beer in a cooler and sausages on the grill, to wandering bands of young revelers eating a sandwich and carrying a 6 pack of Karjala, Lapin Kulta, or some other Finnish brand of beer. The ice cream huts along the water are open, regardless of whether the temperature is 5 degrees or 20 degrees, and people queue up, eating their ice cream and walking along the waterfront.
Vappu falls on a Tuesday this year. It would be fair to predict that fewer people will be going to work on Wednesday May 2, trying to dodge the splatters of aging vomit peppering the sidewalks on their morning commute. There will probably be many people “calling in sick” Wednesday or taking the day as a holiday, since Vappu only comes once a year.
Posted by Lisa Sabol-Sikorski
Easter celebrations in Finland tend to be subdued and reserved for families to spend time together, eat sweets, perhaps have an Easter sauna, and enjoy nature. The weather has been uncharacteristically warm lately, with temperatures ranging between 40-50 degrees F (5-13 degrees Celsius), so people are outside enjoying the sunny (albeit windy) weather, sans the snow and ice that normally cover the ground this time of year. Buying ice cream from one of the outdoor stands that have flung open their shutters since the weather turned warm and walking along Helsinki’s seaside is a popular activity for those who have not left town to spend the weekend at their countryside cottages. Business and shops close on Good Friday and stay closed through Easter Monday, although some grocery stores and restaurants open Saturday and or Monday. Unlike in the US and other countries, there are no “Easter sales” in the stores.
Witches and Sweets
On Palm Sunday, the week before Easter Sunday, children dress up as “Easter witches” and go door to door to collect candy. The Fazer Mignon egg, which is a mass of solid chocolate inside a real egg shell, is one of the most popular types of chocolate candy to eat this time of year. Pulla, a sweet, ball shaped pastry filled with cream and fruit jam, start appearing on bakery counters around Easter.
Easter Events
Finland is not a particularly religious country, but all of the churches have an Easter celebrations, whether they are Lutheran (Finland’s official religion), Eastern Rite Orthodox, or Catholic. Helsinki’s outdoor museum, Seurasaari, has an Easter bonfire where children dress up as trolls, sing songs, and recite poems. The Via Crucis dramatization (also known as the Way of the Cross) on Easter Sunday starts from Helsinki’s main church on the Senate Square and continues through downtown Helsinki, to the delight of spectators lining the streets. Over 100 volunteer actors take part. On Suomenlinna, Helsinki’s island fortress, the Toy Museum opens its doors to visitors after being closed all winter. There are thousands of toys on display, with the oldest dating from the 19th century.
Easter in Finland is a good time to relax and enjoy the slow pace.
Posted by Lisa Sabol-Sikorski
Long flights in coach class, with cramped seats, surly flight attendants, and (on some airlines) having to pay for a drink of water, can be uncomfortable and trying on your nerves. Business class seats, which can cost four times more than coach seats, not only offer more room to stretch but they have other amenities to make your journey more comfortable. I recently had the opportunity to travel in business class on trans-Atlantic and inter-European flights, which got me thinking – how can I re-create this more civilized travel experience the next time I fly coach?
Goody Bag
Business class travelers get a bag of goodies for the flight, like socks to keep your tootsies warm when they crank up the re-circulated air, travel sized hand lotion, a teeny tooth brush and toothpaste, ear plugs, and eye shades. These things are easy to get before you travel and bring onboard. Besides, at least you’ll get the brands you like. Put the liquids in a clear, plastic bag before you go through the security checkpoint so they don’t end up in the trash bin.
Drinks
You never get enough water in coach class. After the security check, buy two bottles of water (or your drink of choice) to bring with you. I don’t drink on airplanes (who wants to be dehydrated or running to the stinky airplane bathroom anyway?), but you could certainly bring little travel sized bottles of alcohol to make your own rum and coke mid-flight.
Food
Airplane food is disappointing, regardless of the class. It is cooked 24-48 hours in advance and re-heated on the plane so you can’t expect much, regardless of how much you paid for the flight. The business class menu may say steak with béarnaise sauce, but the steak is usually an overcooked piece of shoe leather. Choose the pasta, usually the least offensive option, and know that savvy travelers in business class are doing the same. So what you’re using a plastic fork in coach instead of a metal one in business class?
Attitude
Those who pay seem to get the nicest service. Perhaps it was just the individuals on my flights, but I was surprised at how much nicer the flight attendants treated passengers in business class. Do they adopt a different personality once they get past the business class curtain to treat the coach travelers like the uncouth cattle they think they are? Either way, I try to be polite when flying coach but ignore the attitude.
Seats
There is nothing you can do to about the small coach seats on trans-Atlantic flights that offer little leg room for those of us over 5”4 tall. You can try your luck and call the airline 48 hours before your flight on the off chance you are able to reserve an exit row seat. But, if you are taking a short haul inter-European flight from Copenhagen to Helsinki on SAS Airlines, for example, you’re not missing anything in the spaciousness department. Business class seats on short haul flights don’t have any more room than the coach seats, making the exhorbitant business class fares not worth it at all, in my opinion. Know that your coach experience is virtually the same!
Posted by Lisa Sabol-Sikorski
Copenhagen’s Phoenix Hotel is a good choice for travelers not on a budget looking for comfortable accommodations in the center of Copenhagen, Denmark. The hotel is decorated in the neo-classical style, with soft colors, white pointed furniture with gold trim, and watercolors depicting 18th and 19th century Danish life.
Rooms
The rooms are not big but they are elegantly furnished and the beds are comfortable. The rooms have safes and a selection of international TV programming. Soaking in the large bathtub after a long day of sightseeing was just what I needed.
Location
In addition to being a comfortable place to stay, one of the best features of the hotel is the location. Within five minutes, you can walk to Kungens Nytorv square, Nyhavn, Amelienborg Castle, Frederick’s Church, and Stroget (the main shopping street). Design hounds will like the location on Bredgade Street, steps away from the Danish Design Museum and Danish design shops.
Amenities
The Phoenix Hotel has free Internet access and a selection of international newspapers in the lobby. Eating at the breakfast buffet in the hotel’s Restaurant Von Plessen is a wonderful way to start your day, with a selection of eggs, danishes (called wienerbrod in Danish), meats, cheeses, fruits, cereals, and juices/coffee/tea.
Cost
I paid 990 kroner (around 180 USD) for a double room in March. Prices can be higher in the summer months. Check their website for specials, including a Tivoli package (the park opens April 13, 2007), an Opera package, and a romance package.
