An extra day in Finland because the plane fare for going home on Tuesday was several hundred dollars cheaper than on Sunday or Monday. First on the schedule, after a solid 10 hours sleep to make up for none the night before, was some golf at what some say is the
best course in Finland which I stumbled upon last Thursday quite by accident (just following a sign that said "golf" to see where it took me).
Beautiful course, played with 2 Korean cardiologists and a Finnish businessman (mostly retired), the course was excellent, the company was excellent, my golf sucked (101 from the back tees), a little of which I will give credit to the clubs I rented, felt really weird, shanked the ball twice, which I have never done, but I enjoyed it immensely and only got pissed at myself a couple of times, and very briefly at that. When I left, the Koreans, who rode while the Finn and I walked, were getting set to play the SE course (we had played the NW one). I wasn't sure I could maintain my fine mood through another 18, but then I'd already told them I was going running for an hour after we finished. I think they thought I was nuts.
So then I drove over to Porvoo, found the meet site for the Monday evening meet sponsored by the local club, and got in my orienteering for the day. The area was right in the city, mostly a little slalom hill, so I got to go up and down a bit and run lots of trails. And they tucked the controls away pretty good -- either it was that, or just that I was a little brain dead -- so I missed maybe 3 controls out of 11. Not sharp at all, but my legs felt ok despite the golf and being rather dehydrated.
I hadn't yet found a place to stay, and the local hotels were all full, but while I was out on the course the woman in charge had found me a B&B to stay at, maybe 20 km out of town on a little dirt road. I figured I better get some food first, so I stopped at a pizza/kebob place in Porvoo. The menu was only in Finnish. so I asked the usual question ("Do you speak English?"), and a couple of them did. One asked where I was from, the USA, I said. I couldn't have said anything better -- he was a refugee from Kosovo in the mid-90s, thought the USA and Clinton were just wonderful (Bush was another matter), offered me a place to stay in his appartment if I needed it, sat and chatted while I ate a rather tasty pizza.
Then on to the
B&B, found it thanks to good directions, I'd asked if there was any way I might be able to use my computer, I think so she had said, so after chatting a bit and bringing my stuff inside, I fired up Gail's laptop and logged on to their wireless network.
What a fine day....