Skiing the Planet

Sunday, June 11, 2023

Finnair's European A350 routes

I've occasionally ended in a wide-body A350 flight flown by Finnair, on an intra-European route. Turned out that this week I got two experience two of them in different cities: Brussels and Amsterdam. The third route that they regularly fly is London Heathrow.

I happened to be able to use these flights because my conference in Rotterdam was somewhat difficult or expensive to get to. The prices for flying to Amsterdam for the first day of the conference were very high. But since the rail system in that part of Europe is in great shape, I explored the option of flying to a nearby city instead. So I found out that I can fly to Brussels and fly from Amsterdam on the way back.

And those flights were on A350s, I guess in part contributing to the low ticket costs with so many seats to sell. I also got an upgrade on one the flights on my perishable vouchers. Those vouchers expire at the end of the year, and I also don't fly enough to qualify for my frequent flier tier at the end of the year, so I won't be seeing too many upgrades in the future. Oh well. It was good while it lasted.

Of course, Brussels is further away from Rotterdam than Amsterdam's Schiphol. But ... even from Schiphol you have to take a train. On the way out it lasted about an hour. On the way in, coming from Brussels it took two hours. So in the end not such a big difference. I need to look into these options also in the future!

The main downside for flying to Brussels was, however, Brussels. It wasn't unexpected perhaps but we ended up waiting for for 45 minutes for our gate. And then when we got to the gate, we waited at least 20 minutes inside the boarding bridge for the door to be opened. This wouldn't have been such an issue otherwise, but I had a train to catch, and I needed to make it to make to my conference session in time.

Plus by now all that Diet Pepsi from the flight needed to be deposited somewhere, and there were no toilets in the boarding bridge. Also, there were really not that many toilets in the Brussels airport either, once we got there. When I finally found one, it turned out that all the five quick service stations were broken and roped off, and that two of the five stalls were also broken. Out of the remaining three stalls, one was occupied by someone having a loud conference call inside (!)

Anyway, I eventually got to use their facilities and made it in time for my train, in part because was a few minutes late. Good.

But sigh. My experiences in Brussels have never been one of great efficiency and organization, either at the airport or the city. Expect delays. Finnair A350 flights, however, they are great!

Here's the A350 leaving Amsterdam:

For more flying stories, check out the planetflier.com website! And of course the Planetcaver, and Planetskier blogs for other stories in Blogspot and TGR! The photos and text (c) 2023 by Jari Arkko. All rights reserved.

Thursday, June 8, 2023

Wiesliczka Salt Mines

Wiesliczka is a suburb of Krakow. Under it is a massive salt mine, extending to a depth of approximately over 300 meters, with the total length of labyrinth passages spanning over 287 kilometers. The use of the site dates back to the 13th century, where the locals would harvest salt from brine (salt concentrate) wells dug on the wetlands, as in photo below. Later in the same century the wells started to be extended as deeper mine shafts and tunnels. Wiesliczka is not just a mine, it is a massive underground world and site of art and history. It is also a well-deserved UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Salt has by now meticulously been carved out for over seven centuries, albeit the mining operations have ceased since 2007. Salt was turned into blocks like the one below, one such block being so valuable that one could buy the houses of an entire village with it:

The mine has an expansive network of tunnels, chambers, and salt lakes. As you descend into this subterranean wonder, the air subtly changes, adopting a salty tang, the temperature cools, and the daylight fades, replaced by a soft glow that illuminates the salt-encrusted walls, creating an atmosphere that is both eerily calm and awe-inspiring.

What I found particularly interesting is how the mine's chambers and tunnels had to be supported after excavation, to avoid the salt layers to collapse under the city above. Vast amounts of trees were cut in the forests around, and used as log supports. And those supports are massive, as you can see in the below picture.Amazingly, in the salty dry air of the tunnels, wood - unlike metal - stays intact for centuries. I was kind of wondering how this machine turned into a carbon storage unit, when trees grow above ground, but then get stored permanently without rotting in the mine below.

The real allure of the Wieliczka Salt Mine, however, lies not only in its vastness but in its extraordinary sculptures and structures. This is where miners turned artists, crafting an array of exquisite masterpieces from the translucent salt. Among the most awe-inspiring sights is the majestic St. Kinga's Chapel, a large underground church intricately adorned with salt-made chandeliers, sculptures, and bas-reliefs:

The mine also houses an underground lake, a wellness complex famed for its healing microclimate, and even a subterranean sanatorium. With its unique combination of natural beauty and human craftsmanship, the Wieliczka Salt Mine not just a geological wonder, it's a journey into the heart of Poland's historical, spiritual, and cultural essence.

Read more about the salt mines from the tour organizer's page or Wikipedia.

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

One kilometer walkway tunnel

This tunnel appeared on my walk while visiting Rotterdam. I was walking from my hotel to the conference venues, as a like to do to keep my step counts up :-) And as one expects, there are some waterways to cross in the Netherlands cities :-) I thought there'd be a bridge though. But no, it was a tunnel. It was only in the tunnel and later in Wikipedia that Maastunnel is actually 1070 meters long that crosses the Niewwe Maas.

Here's the wikipedia page about the tunnel: link.

The escalator stairs down to the tunnel:

Monday, June 5, 2023

Talviturkki moment of 2023

In Finnish there is an expression "heittää talviturkki" or "throw one's winter fur coat". It means the first time swimming in outdoor waters that year. For me it was as late as mid-May in 2023. Oh, and then there were some needles in my bath whisk...

Time to get to summer mode, then. Bathe hot lake, in the warm glow of evening Venus shining from the sky:

And pull the (toy) boat onto the lake:

The place was our summer cottage, a wonderful, beautiful place near the nature. But also a bit of a challenging environment to keep the buildings in shape, mice away, and continue to clean up the lot that had stored way too many things while my parents were maintaining it. Every time we go there we come back via the dumping grounds... and I don't have a trailer to take stuff away.

But, on to the main topic: how about a vihta, vasta, or a bath whisk? But the birch branches are not in full leaf state yet... spruce to the rescue!

If you think this is too many needles, that's not the case. I did not feel the needles at all. Until I went to the lake. And my skin had needle marks for couple of days. So ... fun but I can't recommend it for others, unless you like this sort of thing :-)

But, being by the lake was again incredibly pretty:

For more sauna and swimming stories, check out planetswimmer.com and saunablogger.cool websites! And of course the Planetcaver, and Planetskier blogs for other stories in Blogspot and TGR! The photos and text (c) 2023 by Jari Arkko. All rights reserved. I never take photos of other saunagoers or swimmers and visit when there is simply no one else or the facility has been closed or booked only for me.

Uimahalli Aurinkoinen

I have both bad and fond memories from my childhood and the swimming pool in Kerava. The one bad memory is from someone stealing my pocket money at age 11 or something. Well lesson learned, about leaving money in pockets without lockers :-) Might have lost a whopping half a euro. This happened in the old outdoor pool setup that they had in the 1970s. But the many, many happy memories are particularly from the new swimming hall, one of the first ones in Finland that was built to "spa" like standards in the 1980s. I visited this place so often!

However, the swimming hall has yet again reborn after a long renovation, and is now in the 2020s standards, very nice place. Two saunas and one steam room. A main pool (25m), a kiddie pool, a cold plunge pool, and two-pool activity/warm pool area.

Much recommended. Here is their web page: link.

For more sauna and swimming stories, check out planetswimmer.com and saunablogger.cool websites! And of course the Planetcaver, and Planetskier blogs for other stories in Blogspot and TGR! The photos and text (c) 2023 by Jari Arkko. All rights reserved. I never take indoor photos, or photos of other saunagoers or swimmers and visit when there is simply no one else or the facility has been closed or booked only for me.

The Golden Gate of Sääksmäki

We visited an old, not so big, but quite famous bridge in Finland. This used to be on the main road, but since the opening of the highway from Helsinki to Tampere, it is no longer getting as much traffic as before. The bridge is still beautiful, though.

Worth visiting.

Here's the wikipedia article.

The view from the bridge:

400K

This is not about the U.S. retirement investment scheme 401K. This is about my car reaching a respectable level of 400 thousand kilometers.

(However, since the meter was broken for about seven years, the car has likely more, maybe closer to 500K.)

Petnička pećina

Petnička pećina is an old but abandoned show cave in the limestone rock hills near the town Ваљево (Valjevo), Serbia. While only 600 meters long, the cave feels massive due to its vertical differences and the high halls. Just look the two people in the above picture for scale. And the "eyes" in the ceiling! The cave is also Europe's largest cave tomb.

In its abandoned state the cave is quite interesting and even challenging. While there are steps through the cave, everything is covered in wet mud, so climbing through the cave is challenging. Be careful if you visit!

Deeper into the cave you will also encounter bats. I entered as far as the Bear's Hall, where they were plentiful. And flying above your head. You know intellectually that they will not hit you... but it still gives a bit of the shivers... particularly in the darkness, in areas where other visitors will not come, and with the dug up graves and tombs in the muddy floors. Material for the horror movies!

The eyes... they also give you some feelings:

Of course, I'm exaggerating a bit. The walk through deeper parts of the cave is not easy and there are empty tombs and bats may give you shivers... but in the end, if you go far to the cave, you will feel alone, and be in the wonderful wonders of the nature. The main touristy parts of the cave are easy-ish -- the main entrance is a walk in the park, literally, it is also wheelchair accessible which is nice. From that point onwards there's a challenging steep stairs to climb up to the High Hall in a man-dug corridor. The steps are muddy and the handrail has rusted away. But it is still walkable as long as you have a light.

When you enter High Hall it is the most wonderful touristy part, with the eyes, and the large space. You can even explore it a bit further towards the end of the cave, in the direction of the Bear Hall. On steps, this is a climb. Or slightly lower again on steps towards the the small lake. Getting to the lake itself will require some climbing on a muddy slope but is worth it, if you have good shoes and don't mind mud on your clothes. Be careful though, this is beyond the man-made steps area.

The best part of High Hall is also that this is a way to make a through-trip, and exit from a side entrance in the middle of the hill wall. It will be an easy walk down on a path with concrete steps.

Back in the cave, I think one could have continued from the Bear Hall onwards, or at least I did not see anything that was closed off, but it also looked small enough that I didn't go further. Afterwards I was a bit sorry I didn't at least peek. Although the area is named "Passage with Abyss" which doesn't make it exactly an attractive option for exploring alone with no knowledge of what I'd find.

There's a tiny bit of information about the cave in the English wikipedia page, but more in the Serbian one. See also this and this article. The map of the cave can be seen below (taken from the sign at the site, also available in high-res):

More pictures of the High Hall:

Main entrance:

Inside the upper parts, here's a photo from the Bear Hall:

Upper entrance:

Path leading to the cave is seen below. There's a small easy parking lot, just couple of hundred meters from the cave.

Saturday, June 3, 2023

More parts falling off

Parts falling off (while driving).

Kalemegdan bunker

In the Kalemegdan park / Belgrade Fortress there's also a bunker. This is a bunker Tito ordered to be built, and it was constructed in early 1950s. It has two gun ports (now closed), and it is today an open museum that you can visit.

A long tunnel connects the two areas supporting the gun. There's a few additional rooms for storage and crew under the guns and along the long tunnel.

Here's the entrance:

One of the gun rooms on the 2nd floor of the bunker:

A curious horn in the gum room, is this for ventilation?

Stairs to the gun room: