Wednesday 8 March 2017

Finnish Confections


Saw a headline on the BBC News website saying that Kit Kat is to lose 10% of its sugar. Does that mean Kit Kat is the next confection to reduce its size by 10% and stay the same price, or that the cost of importing sugar is now so astronomic, given the ridiculously low value of sterling?

Talking of confections, I bought one in Stockholm airport yesterday evening.


I'm travelling with a Norwegian colleague - he advised me not to eat it, saying it tastes like shit.

Arrived in Mariehamn to find it snowing and there were no taxis. After a five minute wait I noticed someone using a phone in the foyer - you had to phone taxis on demand. When one did arrive, it took three of us simultaneously - we were all headed to the same hotel. We were also each charged the full taxi fare. That's enterprise.


There are two hotels here - both owned and operated by the same outfit. I had to check into one, then walk 100 yards up the road to the other one, where I'm staying. Unfortunately the bar and restaurant is in the first hotel and not the one I'm staying at.

I'm impressed by the hotel Wi-Fi - 17mbps in both directions - the best I've ever seen, but you'd expect that in a Finnish hotel. Good at technology, the Finnish.

I say Finnish, because the island belongs to Finland yet, strangely enough, most of the population actually speaks Swedish. The history of the Aland Islands is interesting to read.




The locals are driving around on this snow, which would be suicidal in the UK. However, snow tyres are mandatory here between November and April.


2 comments:

GeoffH said...

Home of the famous Erikson windjammer fleet. Any recognition of that past glory?

Chairman Bill said...

Hasn't been mentioned to me by anyone yet, Geoffrey.