London-Milan-Amsterdam: Journey to Radisson Blu

It was after 10 PM local time in London, Tuesday, December 10th, when we touched down at Heathrow.  An eight-hour journey, plus the time difference, and I am advanced 14 hours ahead.  It was a full of traveling indeed.

I am a seasoned traveler, and there are things I navigate to get to where I need to get.  My stuff, for one thing.  I managed to pack tightly and lightly, so everything I had was carry-on.  No hassling with baggage claim.

Then, it's passport control, and basically that's it and I'm past checkpoints.

Besides O'Hare, Heathrow has given me the most trouble as far as security is concerned.  It's not even trouble, really.  Just annoying interrogation and procedures.  For example, the passport control staff asked me how I was getting paid, and the question made me curious.  But after a clarification or two, she asked directly whether I was going to receive any payments for my client consulting, when I was still in the UK.  No, indeed.

Then, it was my transport.

I didn't have details of my itinerary from the client, when I left the house, but I downloaded them when I checked for her e-mail, while I was at O'Hare.  I downloaded them right into Dropbox.  It's a popular cloud service, from where I've been able to open files while offline.

Except when our flight landed, I couldn't.  I did copy and paste the details for my contact in London, but it was late a night.  So she wasn't in the office.

Lo and behold, my transport wasn't there.  I checked more than once, and even went outside, before weighing my options to get to the Radisson Blu Portman.  At least I memorized the name and its locale in Portman Square in Central London.

I checked with the information lady, and she didn't know where the hotel was.  So she immediately suggested taking a taxi.  Too expensive, as I'm on such a tight budget.  The Underground, then.  She was the first of several who helped me get to the Radisson.

I wound down slanting corridors to the Underground, maybe akin to the Phantom's lair beneath the Paris Opera House.

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Once there, I asked a police officer, and he said the hotel was near Oxford Circus station.  Take the Piccadilly Line, Platform 2.  There, I went.  He was the second.

I asked the ticket clerk as well, but he had no idea.  The fact that he gave me an Underground map was huge, though.  He was the third.

I didn't know whether I was on Platform 2, so I asked another gentleman, and he confirmed that I was.  I had occasion to ask him about Oxford Circus, and he pointed out on his mobile that I had to switch Lines to get there.  We sat in the same car, as I stared and stared at the Underground map.  I was tired, and I knew I had to get a bearing on where I was and where I needed to head.  He was the fourth.

It felt like I was traveling forever.

That fourth gentleman got off at Green Park, and he approached me, and said I should get off there, too, and catch the Victoria Line.

It had been ages since I was last in London, but one of the things I remembered most was the long escalators of the Underground.  So I took a quick video up, then down one of those escalators.  I was already at Oxford Circus, and was winding myself up to street level again.

I looked at map before heading into the street, and I could not find Portman Square.  So I asked a fifth.  He couldn't find it, either, but he was sure where it was.  I was to head left on Oxford Street, and it was near the intersection with Bond Street.

It was well after 11 PM, and London still seemed to hum and chatter with people and to rumble with the engines of cars, taxis and buses.  It was nippy out, but no where near the frigid temperatures of Chicago.  White balls of light hung above the street, and I wished Karen and Eva were with me, as they'd enjoy this festive sight.

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The walking I did at Heathrow, and now in London, was to count for my cardio workout for that day.

Bond Street, and I asked yet a sixth person, off the street.  He pointed me to a tall building that he said was the Radisson, and its entrance was back and off to the left.

Ah, it is the Radisson Blu.  Except that the check-in clerk said he couldn't find my reservation.  As it turned out, I was not at the right Radisson Blu.  But of course he knew exactly where the Portman hotel was, and gave me directions there.  Over to the left and up.  About a 15-minute walk.  Shall I get you a taxi?  No, thanks, it's a nice walk.  Conserve money was my protocol for the entire trip.

He was the seventh and final person to help me.

I am thankful to God for all of them.  For being kind and friendly, and for being exactly right in their directions.  They made my `Algorithm for Spatial Orientation work perfectly.

London-Milan-Amsterdam: An Affair with Travel

I love being in an airplane, especially on a flight that has only a scattering of passengers.  I find a certain comfort and serenity, as if the airplane itself were some sort of cocoon.  

It is Tuesday morning last week, December 10th, I am onboard American Airlines en route from Chicago to London on client business.  It is a whirlwind of a trip, as I shuttle from a day of meetings in London on Wednesday, to a dinner meeting in Milan on Thursday.  Then, it's off to Amsterdam for more meetings on Friday.       

And I love it all.  

I don't know what's come over me.  Usually I push the envelope with getting to the airport, and find myself rushing to finish packing and sprinting at some point to check in.  Usually the taxi driver has to wait for me at our house.  But on this trip, I was firm with my pickup drivers about getting to the airports early.  I didn't even make them wait for me.

For example, on this Tuesday morning, I was at O'Hare just after 5 AM for the 8:45 AM flight.  Karen had to be at the office by 6 AM, so we left the house at 4:15 AM for her to drop me off.  

I had time and space on hand, as I reminded myself that I still need to do my cardio workout for Monday.  So I walked at the airport, up and down one set of gates, then another, then another.  For an hour of leisure exercise.  

In my `Algorithm for Exercise, it is precisely that: Taking advantage of what I have on hand, even as part of what I am already doing.  I kept thinking to myself that there was such space at the airport for pure and simple, free and easy exercise.  No one has to know that I was doing just that.

I surrendered to the temptation to buy a McDonald's breakfast.  It was only 6:40 AM, and I had time to see how Eva was doing at home and whether Karen made it to work on time.  

Finding a electric sockets to plug in and of course wifi was de rigueur.  Right there, they were, by my boarding gate.  So I even got To Dos done, before I boarded American Airlines.  

I slept and rested well onboard.  I studied, and worked, too.  This airlines operates a British Airways ticket, and clearly this carrier wasn't meant for long-distance international hauls.  How did I know that?  There were only a few video screens for inflight entertainment.  It was annoying.   

Still I was on my way.

Stockholm Trip: Memories, Finally

I walked about the business district of Stockholm, and took photos of whatever caught my eye.  It was February 2004, and `World Trade Center very much reminded me of the frightening collapse of the World Trade Center `twin towers, during the September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City.  For a few years hence, I marveled at tall buildings and shuddered privately at the same time. 

I was enthralled by these women on ads, especially Swedish actress Helena Bergström as Hamlet.

For several moments, I was mesmerized by this mélange of birds.  Clearly I was not the only one, as anything they can feed on will draw them in droves (i.e., flocks).  

Stockholm Trip: Quaint, Cobblestone Old Town

Per 

Me, in a borrowed coat

 

February 25th 2004, Wednesday.

Slept well, got up fairly easily.

Worked at the office for about 3 hours.

Took a bus to Old Town, and walked around there.  Very quaint, cobblestone and brick paths, tall and thin buildings of earth tones, some parts are bristling with shops. Can’t wait to see my photos.

Had lunch at Michaelangelo’s. Saw some businesspeople having lunch there, some residents and tourists, too, I imagined. Got there early enough to be seated quickly, but the place got crowded just as quickly.

Walked to The National Museum. Fell in love with Alexander Roslin’s portrait of his wife. Also liked the grandeur of a painting of King Carl’s XII’s dead body, as his soldiers transported him on a stretcher of sorts, along a snowy mountain path.  A well-to-do older woman and I started to chat at the checkout counter of the Museum gift shop, and she was glad for his murder (by one of his men).  "There are too many kings.” 

She was a delightful woman, and Per ribbed me for making friends at the museum: “Maybe you should ‘spoon’ with her.” It was friendly ribbing, of course… jerk!

Went back to Old Town.  Had coffee and hot chocolate (in bowls!) and Swedish buns.

Went back to Per’s place, then went out again on the train to his friend, Tubbe’s, gym.

Worked out there, then had dinner at a nearby Chinese Restaurant, Hong Kong.

Stockholm Trip: Visit with Per's Parents

February 24th 2004, Tuesday.

Slept soundly for 3 hours, then was awake 1½ hours. Decided to stay in for the morning.  Slept another 2½ hours, some vivid dreaming. 

Per and I had been back-and-forth re H as our most favorite PDIer. This must’ve been the “day residue,” because in the dream, I remember waiting on H… for something I can’t remember. He was recovering from some condition. Mental condition? Then, I was out in a snow-covered field or large parking lot. I was waiting for another friend, a woman in her late 40s or early 50s. She got in her car, and then some jerk started to harass her car with his. As she drove forward, she hit some railing, climbed over it, with the jerk continuing somehow to harass her. Her car tumbled over the railing, down an embankment. Of course, so did his car.  He must’ve been ejected, because from the railing I saw him out of the car, appearing shaken but OK. I then leaped, I mean literally leaped from the railing to get him. When he saw me, he started to run. Then, I stretched my arms out and tracked him with my arms, almost like Superman, and instead of a freefall, I had curved more horizontally toward him. I must’ve caught him. There was more to the dream, but I can’t remember it now.

Ate lunch at Spisa. Per was upset about an e-mail from D castigating him. We talked about how D is prone to react.

Walked up a Kungsgatan, then to the Tourist Centre. It was a snowy afternoon in Stockholm. I had spent most of the day so far at his apartment, sleeping and putzing about.

Took a train, then a bus to Per’s parents’ house at the outskirts of Stockholm.

Had dinner with his parents. Swedish sausage, mashed potatoes, green peppers and tomatoes, apple cider, and Semla (poured hot milk in a bowl, soaked Semla in, took off “hat” and ate it, then ate rest of it with a spoon).

Per’s father, Sven, is 70, retired from an auto shop he owned in downtown Stockholm (we passed it during our drive through the town that evening). Her mother, in her late 50s, works as a supervisor for a company that helps to transport money from businesses to the bank. Her office is not too far from Per’s apartment. She was like my mother, social and energetic. She was shoveling snow when Per and I arrived. I offered to help, but she smiled, and said “No, I’m used to it.” She spoke English well, but he didn’t. Their house is small, but the family has lived there a long time, and was where Per had his growing up years. We went downstairs to his old bedroom. They’re in the process of packing up and moving to a smaller house. At their age, their current house is too big. We had dinner in their kitchen; the window looked out into their backyard, where there were tall pine trees. Per’s father sat closest to the window, directly opposite where I was sitting. And both he and his mother gazed out in the yard, and enjoyed the fact that it was not entirely dark at that late hour in the afternoon (about 5:30 PM). The days were slowly getting longer.

I wanted to meet his parents, and being with them, the three of them, made me feel so much at home that I wished we could’ve stayed there longer and talked some more. There I was, a stranger to them, or rather someone they had just met, but one they welcomed with open arms, solely by virtue of my being a friend of their son.  I am SO fortunate to have met, and now know, such kind people!

Went for golf practice. Per got some coaching, and see some of his golf friends. I “practiced” myself. And actually I was hitting the ball OK. The facility had three levels where people could drive or hit chip shots. There was a large canvas in front of us, where the facility projected images of a golf course. The more I thought about and was deliberate about what I was doing, the less predictable my shots became.

Per and his parents took me on a car tour of the central part of Stockholm. I was really enthralled by the tour, and it actually helped to orient me more to the city. We stopped a few times, once on the opposite side of the Vasamuseet. And from this side, we could see the Big Church in Old Town and the pointy-steepled German church.

Did some e-mails at the office for an hour or two. Got back home, and talked, and had a nightcap. It was after 1 AM, before we retired for the night.

Stockholm Trip: Stockholm Redux

[Stockholm's] strategic location spread across 14 islands on the coast in the south-east of Sweden at the mouth of Lake Mälaren, by the Stockholm archipelago, has been historically important. 

Stockholm has been nominated by [Globalization and World Cities Research Network] as a global city, with a ranking of Beta+.  In The 2008 Global Cities Index, Stockholm ranked 24th in the world, 10th in Europe, and 1st in Scandinavia. 

After the Ice Age, at around 8,000 BC, there had already been vast migrations towards the present-day Stockholm area, but as temperatures dropped, inhabitants moved away towards the South. 

The first part of the name (stock) means log in Swedish, although it may also be connected to an old German word (Stock) meaning fortification. The second part of the name (holm) means islet, and is thought to refer to the islet Helgeandsholmen in central Stockholm. 

Stockholm, with a February mean of −3 °C (26.6 °F), has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). Due to the city's high northerly latitude, daylight varies widely from more than 18 hours around midsummer, to only around 6 hours in late December. Despite its northern location, Stockholm has relatively mild weather compared to other locations at similar latitude, or even farther south.

Reference: Stockholm.

Stockholm Trip: Visiting the Vasa Museet

The sinking of the Vasa on August 10th 1628

February 23rd 2004, Monday.

In a nutshell, the Vasa sank because it was top-heavy. It needed more ballast, more than double what it actually had. But the problem was, it had no more room.

As the wind hit its sail, it leaned to one side. Water entered the gunports (it was the first warship to have two levels of gunports, through which the soldiers onboard shot canons). Problem was, the lower level was too close to the waterline.

It was able to right itself, but water was already pouring into the ship. In about 30 minutes it sank.

I thought, ‘OK, it was horrible engineering… oops!’ As part of being top-heavy, the hull was way too small and flat. It needed to be angled into the water more.

Even though three men where brought to court, including the builder or engineer (I believe) no one was convicted.

But here’s another key piece of this: the stern, in particular, has several elaborate sculptures. And apparently ‘they’ kept changing the design and adding to the ship. After all, it was a warship, and as such it needed to represent the country. I gathered King Gustav II Adophus (or representatives) pressured the designers et al. to make sure it was literally an ornate ship.

The builder or designer may really not be at fault: Apparently they were quite concerned about whether the ship was stable. So they did a test: They had 30 men run back and forth together across the deck. They found out that it could tip over, not that it actually would (because of course they didn’t know that).

Well, perhaps the test wasn’t entirely conclusive. Or perhaps they were not entirely willing to admit that it was conclusively not stable. At that point, the inauguration of the ship was already set: there was no longer any changing of the design or halting the inauguration. The nation was watching. The King was in Poland, and I imagined he was ‘watching’ from there.

So, you have frontline people who have a pulse on this. They apparently communicated their findings and concerns to the next level supervisor, who may have been quite hesitant to do anything with these, given what was already set. Bottomline: Some critical findings and concerns never made it to the top people.

30-50 people died on the ship. It was found by Andrea Franzen in 1953, and salvaged (raised to the surface, finally) in 1961. They found the skeletons of about 20 people still onboard. Man, that must’ve been quite freaky and horrible for their present day descendants! I’m sure there are some poignant stories coming out of that one.

The ship was officially made available for public viewing in 1988, then brought to its present day site at the Vasa Museet in 1990. So it took nearly 30 years to restore it and prepare it for exhibition.

About 450 people were intended to be on the ship: 150 sailors, 300 soldiers. The quarters on any of the levels were very small and the accommodations were quite austere and harsh. There were only two latrines, e.g., and one of them was in the senior officers’ quarters, which at least had benches along the wall that they could fashion into a bed. Otherwise up to six sailors and soldiers had to sleep on the floor between canons. Man, we entered a replica of one of these rooms, and it was tight quarters for about 20 people on tour. In fact, 60 people were expected to live and work there 24/7!

Of course the Vasa never had to ‘see’ these tight living and working conditions actually in battle. But it was apparently the norm among Swedish warships.

The colors of the Vasa were quite varied and vibrant. Now because the waters of the Baltic Sea is brackish (not salty), apparently ships like the Vasa were preserved quite well. So to the naked eye, there was little or no sign of any color. But as restoration staff or researchers did closer analyses, they found several different colors: reds, gold (gilded frames), blue, green, etc.

The museum has an interesting exhibit, where a replica of the stern hangs high on the wall. Then light of particular colors would shine on specific sculptures of the stern, as the restorers could identify what was what.

The many figures and objects, as sculptures, were symbolic of something: two mermaid-like looking people, because they provided safety over the waterways. What an unfortunately failed symbol that was!

Some were really scary-looking, e.g., worms coming out of one figure’s eyes, nose, and mouth, apparently in an attempt to literally scare off enemies.

One figure wore a hat that apparently was a mockery of Polish Catholics’ religion.

The coat-of-arms includes a sheef of wheat… in fact, Vasa is a sheef of wheat. Apparently the royal family felt that it needed to be non-military (I may not be recalling this point accurately.

Stockholm Trip: Walk-and-Talk on Sweden

Guard at the Royal Palace

The Cathedral Tower in the old city

City center on the Riddarfjärden Bay

February 23rd 2004, Monday.

Things Per mentioned about Sweden, as we walked a mile-and-a-half to the Vasamuseet:

The country is a constitutional monarchy. King Carl XVI Gustav is the monarch. But like the United Kingdom, the monarch really has no power. It’s in the hands of the Prime Minister.

Per pointed out the mall/store (NK… Nordic Company) where Anna Lindh was brutally murdered last year.  By a nutcase. I believe she was the Foreign Minister, and he said Swedes were quite shock about her murder. It was akin to Colin Powell, US Secretary of State, being murdered.

According to Per’s mother, the new Foreign Minister isn’t as charismatic or well-liked as Anna Lindh. 

Sweden is 15% minorities. Blacks are the smallest group among minorities. Greeks and Turks are well assimilated. Those from the Middle East, however, are not, in part because of their very different views on women.

Sweden is quite egalitarian. Here, it’s redundant to identify people as a feminist, because it’s a given that they are. Per said that gender equality here is way ahead of that of the US.

Apparently Sweden was quite the `studmuffin of Europe in the mid-teens centuries (most of the 17th century). It was always at war, and had control of the Scandinavian countries, including Norway and Finland, as well as parts of Russia, Germany, maybe even Poland.

Sweden was at war with Poland when that ill-fated, 1200-meter maiden voyage of the Vasa occurred. It sank on August 10th 1628. (More about the Vasa later.)  But almost 300 years ago, Sweden apparently decided that it no longer wanted to keep fighting wars, and it really has stayed out of wars, unlike the US, which has fought a war nearly every decade since the early 1900s.  

I asked Per, “What was Sweden doing in World Wars I and II?” It stayed neutral.  It provided a safe haven for fleeing Jews.

"What happened to all the countries that it ruled?” Some it lost in battle. Some carved out independence, e.g., Norway, with which it remains on friendly terms.

The Diplomat and Esplanade are fancy hotels. If there were going to be any hotel in Stockholm that would have live music, just as the Ritz-Carlton does in Bahrain, it would be in these hotels. He didn’t know, for sure, but he was thinking of possible job opportunities for our Byelorussian trio.  

There is a 20º C difference between northern and southern Sweden.

Sweden is populated with pine and birch trees.

Stockholm Trip: PDI Scandinavia

Location of PDI Scandinavia in Stockholm

It was a pleasure and a privilege to tour cities in Europe, Stockholm being one of my favorites.  The consulting firm I used to work for, formerly called Personnel Decisions International (PDI), had an office there.

The following is short journal entry:

February 23rd 2004, Monday afternoon.

Worked at the PDI Scandinavia office for the morning.  Took a client call from Camiel, one of my participants from the Shell GBLP in London last November.

Met Victoria, Lotte, Pia, and Lena.

Had lunch at a nearby cafeteria-sort of restaurant. Had fried fish in a sauce that I need Per to remind me of the name.

Walked to the Vasamuseet.

Cooked steaks at Per’s place.  Talked and shared things.

Went for a workout at S.A.T.S.  Got back home, drank port as a nightcap, and talked some more.

“Downloaded” notes on Sweden and the Vasa late at night.