Duration: 18th September 2012 – 22nd September 2012
Another trip to be 10647km away from home boarding on KLM, and flying 35000 altitude above sea level which took me almost 20 hours (including transit) to arrived at the land of the Santa Clause once again- the peaceful and beautiful Finland. Thankfully the trip was rather smooth without any flight delays or lost baggage this time. Nevertheless, this visit is not much better than the previous one whereby it took me 2 days boarding on the airplane to attend the 1.5 days’ team meeting and moving back to Malaysia even before I was able to adapt to the 7 hours jetlag.
Day 1: 19th September 2012
It was a rainy afternoon upon my arrival at the Helsinki Vantaa airport and the 49.9km journey to the hotel does cost € 82.70 (RM334.20) as usual. Rantasipi Sveitsi still looks the same offering good services and warm environment, and my tranquil lunch was taken alone in the restaurant having some steaks with my favourite milk (I asked for a glass but they provided me with a jug).
Subsequent to the arrival of the other team members that evening, we gathered at the lobby and proceeded to the nearby town to have our dinner in one of the famous Tex-Mex restaurant- Amarillo. The ambience of the restaurant was excellent and relaxing whereby we sat there for hours engaging in some dialogues.
Day 2: 20th September 2012
The buffet breakfast in the hotel is still the same as past years serving different types of bread, cheese, ham, yoghurt and fruits. 8 persons with 3 cars departed from Rantasipi early in the morning and arriving at Hämeenlinna around 10:00am to begin the MDM conference.
The face-to-face team event this time was organized in an old historical mansion of Vanajanlinna. (The history of Vanajanlinna Manor begins in 1918 when the estate of Vanajanlinna acquired by the family of Rosenlew. The house was built as a hunting lodge for Mr. Carl Wilhelm Rosenlew who wanted to hunt elk with his friends. Today Vanajanlinna Manor offers visitors accommodation, conference facilities, culinary delights in the restaurant, golf etc). The 2-stories cottage that we lodged was surprisingly big and spacious with 2 bedrooms, 1 kitchen, 1 living room with sofas + working desk, 2 bathrooms and an attached sauna room! As the hotel’s restaurant is located 300-400 meters away from our meeting and lodging place, we needed to walk under the freezing cold weather at least few times a day (for breakfast, lunch and dinner). The temperature during this autumn was at 5°C during the day and -2°C during the night.
Before we end our official discussion for dinner, there is this activity whereby we need to group ourselves in pairs to discuss and conclude on certain topics. I was then grouped with my colleague from China, where we stroll around the hotel golf course enjoying the wonderful weather and being surrounded by nature.
The dinner was well served with red and white wine, fresh fish starter, reindeer main course and berries ice-cream dessert. The reindeer meat was unlike any other type of meats and tastes so different.
Day 3: 21st September 2012
Thanks to the generosity of our team members in Finland offering to fetch us to the airport and the time was then arranged according to our flight schedule. After a half day discussion and lunch, most of us are prepared for departure. The expansion and renovation of the airport was now completed having a more spacious spot, added shop of varieties and again I get to purchase my favorite Karl Fazer chocolates. The returned journey was also a smooth one for me to sleep through my way. And not forgetting the surprise of having someone waited for my return at the airport this time~
