The second part of my trip to Finland, Anne’s birthday, reflections on Finnish culture, an ex Nokia get together, the European communications meeting, home again to Spring weather, Pippa’s first walk; mine too, Jill’s 50th birthday party and other stories.

Sunday 15^th March 2015

Anne caught me feeling relaxed on camera at her house in Salo last week

Hi everyone,

Here I am writing this week’s post alone in our study at home. Eladio has just left with Olivia to take her to the airport. She and Miguel are off to Cuba for a week.  It will be her first holiday since 2013 and she is in dire need of it. Packed in her case are all sorts of essential necessities we take for granted here but are much in demand in Cuba where everything is scarce.  These are to be given out to some of our family (Eladio has second cousins living there) and of course to Miguel, our nephew who is now living in Havana.  Their trip to Cuba will be very interesting as they will see the authentic Cuba before the imminent Americanization comes along. I look forward to their photos and tales.

Finally on Thursday last week I moved “my office” from my bed back to my desk in the study.  That is because my foot is a lot better.  It’s still swollen, I limp a bit, and I still have to use a crutch. This week when I got back from Finland I continued with my rehabilitation sessions. I am a lot better and have regained my independence.  But I still can’t go for long walks as my foot begins to ache and needs to be rested.

This time last week I was staying with my friend Anne at her house in Salo.  She spent the whole morning cooking for her family who were coming to celebrate her birthday.  They all came at about 1ish and I was privileged to be part of a Finnish family gathering. Here is a photo of us around Anne’s table.

Anne's family birthday party last Sunday at her home in Salo

Later her 77 year old Uncle Pentti who is a farmer joined us.  He was a lovely man who must have been very good looking when he was young.  He spoke to me in Finnish looking at me as if I knew the language but no I don’t.  In fact everywhere I go in Finland people think I am Finnish and talk to me in their incomprehensible language and I sadly answer back that no, please talk to me in English.  Afterwards Anne went off for a walk with her dogs and I was left to look after the fire for my sauna an hour later.  Gosh, I had never done that before. 

Anne's wood fire sauna and open shower

Whilst I was doing so I reflected on Finnish culture and how unique and different it is.  The sauna is part of Finnish culture.  Usually saunas are single sex but bathing costumes are not allowed so women sit naked together even if they don’t know each other and men too of course.  That’s a bit of a paradox in my mind for people who are so shy but on the other hand have no problem being naked together.  A couple of days later I was at the Sonera HQ (main operator in Finland) where there are 3 saunas for both employees and customers.  Apparently business meetings are held in them (all naked!) but my boss Tatu explained that this only happened with Finnish visitors.  I can hardly imagine British or Spanish men wanting to conduct business naked in a sauna.  I adore saunas and had two at Anne’s house and another one at the hotel.  What luxury to be naked in a sauna when I have nearly always experienced them in a bathing costume.  You feel so clean, warm and glowing afterwards as if you had been cleaned inside too.

One of the saunas at the Sonera head offices in Helsinki

Another interesting part of their culture is that everyone leaves their shoes outside on shoe racks and comes inside the house with just their socks on.  Anne even has a basket full of plastic crocs outside her terrace so that if she wants to go in the garden she just puts on a pair on and goes outside, leaving them in the basket when she comes in.  This means that their floors are spotlessly clean. I sort of like the idea and would love to put it into practice here in our house or the house in Montrondo but would probably never get anyone to follow suit. 

I like the Finnish system of leaving their shoes outside and wearing socks inside

Yes, Finns are very clean and could give a few lessons to the Brits and the rest of the world really.  Nearly all their toilets come equipped with a “bidet shower” to wash oneself afterwards.  Even the toilet on the train to Helsinki from Salo was equipped with one!

It seems all Finnish loos come equipped with a bidet shower - as seen on the train from Salo to Helsinki

Finland is famous for its baby box, a maternity pack given to all pregnant women free from the state.  If I were pregnant today I would die for one.  Today I think you can actually buy them on Amazon.  What a marvelous present from the state; the babies even sleep in the boxes.

An example of the famous Finnish baby box and its contents

It’s not just the box they get, it’s a long maternity leave; up to 9 months on full pay I think and then they can extend it possibly for another year with a slightly lowered salary. The best bit here is that when women return to their work they are guaranteed a job.  No wonder “Female Finns are fearing fine”, according to this article in The Economist that shows that Finland is the top spot in the world for women to work.  The article was published last Sunday which was actually International Women’s day.  One Finn I know commented it wasn’t necessary to celebrate it, as if equality existed.  I pointed out to him it might well exist in Finland but it certainly doesn’t in Spain.  Not surprisingly Spain wasn’t even in the table.

Finland the best country for women to work in

Their education is top notch too as we all know, the secret being that teachers are respected a bit like doctors are in Spain or the UK.  They are not famous for their food and if you have never been to Finland you would probably find it difficult to come up with a name of some of their more typical dishes.  Perhaps you would include salmon which is eaten at all times of day. Their rye bread is superb but it is their Karelian pies that I love most (Karjalan piirakka) a sort of flat pie with rice in the middle which you cover with a boiled egg and butter spread. 

Karelian pies are delicious

By the way their best kept secret as far as food is concerned, if you can call chocolate food, are Fazer chocolates.  Belgium and Swiss chocolates are considered the best in the world but that is probably because most people have never tried Fazer.  I stocked up on quite a few boxes and  bars to take home. 

So no, they are not famous for their food but they are famous for their drink which is principally, like their Russian neighbours, vodka.  They are mostly known for the quantity they are able to put away.  Finns are on the whole shy but that all changes when they have had a few drinks and they become talkative.  However once they are sober whatever they have said is not taken into account the next day.  It’s as if they can do or say what they want when they are drunk to no matter.  No way could that be applied here in Spain or in the UK

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Finland of course is probably most famous for its nature, its lakes, rivers, forests and snow; its fauna: brown bears and reindeer as well as its wood cabins.   For the record and I am quoting the Finnair Blue Wings magazine, “Finland covers 390.920 sq kilometres of which 9% is fresh water.  There are 188.000 lakes and forests cover 68% of the country”. I love Finland mostly for its nature so the only downside of my trip there was that I couldn’t go on any walks and have no pictures to show you just how wonderful it is.  My comments here on Finnish nature need a photo so here is one I found on the web which sort of sums up what I like best; Finland with its red cabins on an island, surrounded by water. 

Beautiful Finland

I would have loved to go on that walk with Anne as it was after her family left that the sun finally made its appearance.  But I contented myself with a super sauna and open shower afterwards.  Dinner that night was Finnish food: salmon (their staple diet) with vegetables cooked by Anne.  It was to be our last dinner together after which we curled up on her sofas to watch more British TV series.

It was a lovely weekend with Anne but somehow I wished I could be in two places as last Sunday many of my colleagues were celebrating the 25^th anniversary of Motorola in Spain.  I am proud to say I was the fourth colleague to join.   I think they had a great time go karting and eating and drinking in the sun back home in Madrid.

That night in bed I started reading yet another book about North Korea.  An article in The Times about its author, the South Korean woman who now lives in the US, Suki Kim who had written “Without you there is no us”, compelled me to download the book on my kindle.  It is about her memories of being a teacher of English of the sons of the North Korean elite and makes very revealing reading.

The book I am reading now

Monday morning came and it brought work of course. Before I could leave Salo for Helsinki I had to finish and send a media report on the coverage in the press from our press conference in Barcelona where we announced the revolutionary all you can eat voice and data tariff, the first of its kind in the Spanish market.  I also had to supervise the issuing of a press release to announce our new head of sales and marketing, a woman, I am pleased to say.

Soon it was time to leave but before I went to the station, Anne wanted to take me to try the best coffee in town at a place called Toinen Keksi which apparently means “another cookie” a play on words on internet cookies and cookies that you eat.  I must say it was superb. 

Last moments with Anne last Monday morning  - coffee at Toinen Keksi in Salo

But then we had to rush if I was to catch the 1 o’clock train to Helsinki.  Thankfully we got there just as it was pulling in.  The journey is 1.5h and I arrived to sunshine in the Finnish capital.  I could have walked from the station to my hotel, The Radisson Royal, as I knew the way but with my crutch, pc and suitcase I just had to take a taxi. I had chosen to stay there for old time’s sake as it was where I nearly always stayed when I worked for Nokia from 2000 to 2005.  For nearly 6 years I visited Finland for work purposes some 6 or more times a year and know the main streets and sights very well.  But I hadn’t been back since 2011 and was keen to walk the main streets again.  As soon as I was settled in my room, off I went with my crutch and money and phone in my pockets so as not to have to carry a handbag and ventured out into a new pedestrian area which used to be the old bus station.  I walked to Mannerheim street, past Stockman, the main Finnish department store (there is a saying if you can’t find it in Stockman it doesn’t exist), delaying my entry there for my return as I didn’t want to carry bags in the street.  It was on the North Esplanadi Boulevard that I bumped into an old colleague, the ex-head of communications for Nokia Mobile Phones, globally, Marianne, who today owns a PR agency with another ex colleague.  I was on my way into Strindberg, my favourite cafeteria in Helsinki, to have a bite to eat and she joined me over a glass of wine and another karelian pie (for me).  It was lovely to see her even though I would see her again that night at the ex Nokia communications colleagues meeting I had organized together with Marika, another comms colleague.

From Strindberg I continued my walk until I reached the Market Square which is always a bit dead in the afternoons.

A selfie in Senate Square last Monday afternoon

I couldn’t resist walking from there to Senate Square to take a look at what is perhaps Helsinki’s most famous landmark, the Lutheran Cathedral with its green dome.  It looked spectacular in the evening sunlight.

Helsinki's most famous landmark, the Lutheran Cathedral in Senate Square

Turku, Finland’s second largest city, used to be the Finnish capital until Tsar Alexander 1 moved it to Helsinki in 1812 to reduce Swedish influence on the country and bring it closer to St. Petersburg.  It was virtually rebuilt after a great fire in 1808 destroyed a large part of the town during the Finnish War when Russia defeated Sweden and annexed Finland as the Grand Duchy of Finland.  The Tsar appointed the German architect Carl Ludwig Engel to construct the heart of the city along the lines of St. Petersburg. In many ways Helsinki is like a miniature St. Petersburg.  Today it has some 5 to 600.000 inhabitants.  If you count greater Helsinki the population rises to 1 million.  I love walking along the old streets of Helsinki and once I had seen the Lutheran Cathedral I had only one thing on my mind, to visit the Russian Uspenski Cathedral.

Uspenski, the Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Helsinki which overlooks Market Square

It was built between1862-1868 during the reign of Tsar Alexander II.  It is I think the largest Russian Orthodox Church in Western Europe.  When you go on a city tour of Helsinki, often this landmark is hardly mentioned nor does not feature in the visit.  This, I think, is because of the Finns’ general dislike of their neighbours who dominated them until their independence in 1917.  Today the city and country indeed is full of Russian immigrants.  You hear Russian spoken everywhere on the streets.  In fact I only saw Russians visiting the Cathedral.  What led me to it of course was my own Russian heritage; my Grandfather was an Orthodox priest and my Mother a great believer.  Just knowing she had visited the Uspenski cathedral made me want to go there to light a candle for her, my brother and my Aunty Masha to pray for them.  Unfortunately it was closed.

From the Russian Cathedral I made my way to the old covered market which has been renovated and is magnificent.  The food on sale is just the best of the best.  It is called Kauppahalli and I always love to visit it.

Love the Helsinki covered market

No visit to Helsinki is complete without a visit to Stockman so I walked there from Kauppahalli back up the Esplanadi Boulevard.  But I was so tired and my foot was aching that in the end I didn’t buy anything at all.  Needless to say I took a taxi to my hotel.  

Once there I got ready for the evening out with some of my ex Nokia communications colleagues.  But the time difference between Spain and Finland played a trick on me. I had created the event on Facebook back home in Spain and had set the meeting for 19h.  Once in Finland the event said it started at 20h – it had automatically made the meeting one hour ahead which was never the idea.  So I ended up arriving half an hour late.  It was great to greet Marianne again and to see Arja, Maria, Marika, Kaisa and Maija (my old boss).  We had lots of fun talking about some of the amazing memories of incredible and glamorous trips all over the globe, over dinner and drinks at one of Helsinki’s most fashionable restaurants, Bronda. None of us ever after has experienced the same kind of incredible projects and trips.  Kaisa summed it up: “it is impossible to explain to anyone else” and she was also right when she said Nokia was very much ahead of its times.  Certainly in communication it was and that is where I learned my trade or rather it was my “finishing school” (sorry for the pun!).

Our ex Nokia comms evening out in Helsinki last Monday

I slept beautifully under a thick white duvet at the Radisson falling asleep whilst listening to the BBC World News and woke up early as always. I had plenty of time before I had to join my colleagues from our European Communications team at the Scandic Park Hotel on Tuesday morning at 12, so I had a leisurely breakfast, dealt with some emails and then decided to have a sauna at the hotel. I had it to myself and thus avoided the embarrassment of being naked with unknown women! At 11.45 I was at the Scandic and happy to meet my Finnish boss Tatu, his local team and our colleagues Peter and Madeleine from the head office in Stockholm as well as Metti from Denmark, my new colleague Henning from Norway, Antanas and Audrone from Lithuania, Elina from Latvia and Kaja from Estonia.  We were to present our best practices and I at least had fun presenting mine.  Here is a photo of the team.

Our team meeting on Tuesday afternoon

After work, at a civilized 5pm we went off in an old tram which doubled up as a bar, to see the sights of the city.  You see trams everywhere in Helsinki; they are part of the heritage of the town and this one was obviously quite antique.  We loved it.

Our tram bar tour of Helsinki 

The trip ended at Market Square where we got off to go and have dinner at Sasso, a restaurant I used to know under another name.  Dinner was great as it always is with my colleagues from the Nordics and Baltics.  I sat between Henning from Norway who is married to a Peruvian woman and who has a flat in Torrevieja (small world) and Timo from Finland who is something of a football fan and we always end up talking about the Champions League.

On Wednesday morning there was no time for a sauna as I had to pack and check out of the hotel and be at our meeting place by 9.  It was to be held at Sonera’s main offices this time.  Sonera which is part of the group of operators Yoigo belongs to, TeliaSonera, is Finland’s number one mobile operator.  The offices are lovely, very Finnish with lots of wood and glass and done in pure Nordic style.  Our meeting was on the top floor in the board room right next to the main sauna.  Unfortunately I could only take photos of it.

The team at Sonera on Wednesday morning

Above is another photo of the team under the Sonera logo in the lobby of the building.  We finished our meeting at about midday.  But my journey to Finland was not quite over.  I had arranged to meet another Finnish friend, Anne-Marjut who came to pick me up and have lunch nearby after which she would drive me to the hotel.  I met Anne-Marjut when she was in charge of selling Nokia merchandising worldwide. After that she left to work for American Express and today is the CEO of Travellink Finland, the Nordic branch of eDreams.

With Anne-Marjut just before I left Finland

We had lots to tell each other and our meeting was short but sweet.  Hopefully her travels will bring her to Madrid soon.  Meanwhile, she helped me check in and this time I did away with the wheel chair assistance as I wanted some freedom to shop at the airport.  Also I didn’t want to be last on and last off the plane and sit together with a group of other people in wheel chairs.  I managed with my crutch and pc and handbag with a small airport trolley which I pushed along with my left hand.  My main shopping was for food at Stockman. Here I stocked up on salmon, brown bread, karelian pies and Fazer chocolates.  Meanwhile I whatsapped Olivia to tell her to make boiled eggs for me to make the egg and butter spread and told her I was bringing Finnish food for dinner.  At a bar next to Stockman I bought two prawn salads and later added the salmon salad I had ordered on the plane but didn’t eat and this is what our dinner looked like later that night.

Our Finnish dinner at home on Wednesday night when I got back

The Finnair flight home was smooth and I spent most of it reading.  But I had another Nokia Connecting people and reuniting colleagues moment when I saw an ex Nokia Spain colleague come on board.  Alessandra who now works for Microsoft had been to Finland for a course.  She told me she had been at what was Nokia House, now called Microsoft, and that it was completely empty.  So different from the memories of my visits there I must say.

It was great to be home and to be greeted by mild temperatures.  I realized that whilst I had been away spring had made an appearance with lots of blossom on the trees.  This is a photo of some of our miniature plum trees with blossom in the garden.  Aren’t they lovely?

There was blossom in our garden when I got home from Finland.

It was lovely to see everybody, Eladio, my Father, Olivia and of course the dogs but I have to admit I was most pleased to see little Pippa. However in the 5 days I had been away she had changed her person of reference from me to Eladio.  I am now a little jealous when in bed at night she creeps out of my arms and snuggles up to him.  She is just adorable.

On Thursday I was up early and after feeding the dogs and having breakfast I decided to install myself in our study again for the first time since my accident.  That morning Eladio took me to Madrid to resume my rehabilitation sessions.  When we came home it was to the wonderful smell of freshly baked bread.  Gema, our home help, had made a batch to last us the rest of the week.

Gema's homemade bread

In the afternoon, I decided it was time for both Pippa’s and my first walk.  The doctor at the rehab sessions said I could walk but not to overdo it. Here is a photo of me and my crutch and little Pippa on her tiny lead.

Pippa's and my first walk this week

It took her a while to understand how to walk with us but as soon as followed Eladio and the other dogs she was fine, only stopping when a car came past or a dog barked.  I had to go slowly and before getting to the top of the hill before you cross the road to the fields, my ankle suddenly protested with a sharp pain.  So I sat on a bench to rest and then we all walked home slowly.  Since then I haven’t been on another walk but have walked quite a lot shopping and going out on errands.  When I finish this post I may well try again to see if I can get just a bit further.

It wasn’t Pippa’s only first that day as she also had her first bath, in our bidet.  I filled it with warm water and I think she loved it.  She is such a little darling.

Friday was of course Friday 13^th except that in Spain it is not their day of bad luck.  In Spain it is Tuesday 12^th when you are not supposed to go on a trip or get married. Well we didn’t do either of those.  I did go to rehabilitation though.  In the afternoon I went to have my nails redone – I have them done semi permanently once a month and they have become so much stronger since.  Eladio and I did the weekly shopping later and came home with a huge load as usual and commenting as we always do, how is it possible we eat so much. Well it is I suppose because there are 5 or 6 of us at home, 3 dogs and one cat!

Being Friday night we went out to dinner and Olivia joined us.  Once again we went to Zurito in Pozuelo.  Oli was on great form as she was officially on holiday until a week next Monday and looking forward to her holiday in Cuba with Miguel, her first proper holiday since 2013.  She well deserves it.  Here, by the way, is a lovely photo I took of her with her Father entitled Father and Daughter.  See where she gets her looks from?

Father and daughter on Friday night at dinner in Pozuelo

And yesterday Saturday was a busy and enjoyable day.  I got Eladio to bathe Norah and Elsa after which we went into town to buy a new blanket for the dogs.  I insisted on taking Pippa with us in her new cocoon or blanket bag. I would be carrying her in my arms and it was to be her debut in society.  She behaved very well, snuggling up in my arms and looking out over the blanket at so many new things for her.  When people came up to look at her and stroke her, I felt like a proud Mother who is taking her baby out for the first time.  This is what she looked like.

We bought a great big blanket for the two big dogs to share in the kennel at night as well as a small bed for Pippa as she is always grabbing Norah and Elsa’s beds in the kitchen.  When she does that, they obviously smell her on their beds and refuse to lie down in them.  So there you have Pippa now hopping into all three.  It’s a battle I won’t win. 

A great pic of our three dogs

Pippa had visitors in the afternoon, some of Olivia’s friends from the “manada” came to see her; Rocío, Elena, Ana and her boyfriend, Carolina and Dave.  Next week Rocío, Elena, Antuan and Carolina will be going to London to visit Elena’s sister, Chati and Suzy next week and we gave them some things to take to her.

Later Pippa had another visitor, my friend Fátima.  She was coming to pick me up to go out.  We had a date in town, in Malasaña, where we had been invited to Jill’s 50^th birthday.  Jill is another ex Nokia friend and colleague.  Also there would be Zenaida, Tapani and Susana.  It took a while to get there, we got a bit lost, parked too far and had to walk along time until we found the bar.  It was one of those nice, happy type of parties and even though we didn’t all know each other, a good time was had by all.  Here is a photo of my ex Nokia colleagues with Jill and myself.  It’s a bit blurred but the only one I have.  Jill is drop dead gorgeous looking and looks more like 40 than 50.  But then again I think 50 is the new 40 and so on for all decades.  Women today look much younger than our mothers’ generation.

With some of my ex Nokia Spain colleagues at Jill's 50th birthday party last night

I was in bed really late for me but was still awake at 7.30 this morning, my latest biological clock being fixed to that time.  It’s funny how it establishes a pattern and then that pattern changes after a certain amount of time.  Or does that only happen to me?

Olivia left with Eladio at about 11.30 and the house seemed empty afterwards.  We shall have a quiet week without her and I will miss her.  Next Thursday is a holiday in Spain (Father’s day) and we had plans to make a long weekend of it and go to Santa Pola. However, the weather forecast is for rain all of next week so I’m not sure now if we will be going or not. 

Meanwhile my friends, I wish you all a great week ahead.  See you next week,

Masha

To Barcelona for this year’s Mobile World Congress, media coverage euphoria after Yoigo’s press conference, home again, journey to my beloved Finland, staying in Salo with Anne, Eladio in Montrondo and other stories.

Sunday 8^th March 2015

Happy to be with past and present colleagues at the Yoigo party at this year's MWC

Hi everyone,

It’s not often I write my weekly post away from home.  Today is special. I am writing it from my friend Anne’s wooden cottage in Salo, a town some 100km from Helsinki.  It is her birthday tomorrow but she is celebrating today and right now is making all sorts of delicious Finnish food for a family gathering later this afternoon.  So this is the perfect moment to write my blog.

Anne's lovely typical Finnish house

I am now in Finland but last Monday I was off to Barcelona for this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) to take part in the PR activities I had planned there for Yoigo (a big party on Monday night and an important press conference on Wednesday morning).  These were big projects I had been working on with my PR and events agencies’ teams for months and in a way it was a miracle I got to go.  When I had my accident and broke my ankle, I really thought I wouldn’t be able to go to either Barcelona or Finland.  But no, I made it in the end, although I took one crutch and was as careful as possible not to tire my leg out.  In Barcelona I mostly stayed put in my hotel only venturing out to my events and for meals.  I did not go to the actual Congress where the approximately 90.000 delegates walked miles and miles around the fair along endless carpeted passages.  So no, I never got to see Samsung’s new S6 or to see or hear Mark Zuckerberg or see the new wearables, all three probably being the main highlights of the MWC.

I went on the same train as my great friend and ex Nokia colleague, Julio and

I would come back with him too.  He was to help with my luggage and to get on and off the train.  As soon as we reached Barcelona, I went straight to my hotel to do some work and he went to the congress.  We met up later for lunch at Cal Pinxo and sat in the sun enjoying our fideua (a sort of paella made with vermicelli).

With Julio at Cal Pinxo on Monday in Barcelona

That night was the Yoigo party.  It took place at Acontraluz, a lovely chalet sort of place with terraces and gardens and big lounges inside.  Thank goodness it was big enough for the amount of people who came – we reckon some 250.  Each year the Yoigo party at MWC gets bigger and bigger and more and more popular.  I have a feeling we are the only company who puts on a party for all their colleagues, ex colleagues, shopkeepers, bloggers, distributors, manufacturers, press and general friends.  I was on my crutch all night and don’t usually enjoy my own parties but on Monday night I was in my element with so many familiar faces to greet.  The photo illustrating this week’s post is with my ex-boss Johan, a colleague Urban and one of my favourite ex colleagues Javier.  The party was themed a “casino” evening and there was black jack, roulette and other table games which we all enjoyed.  I was particularly pleased too to see my ex Nokia colleagues: Miquel, Susana, Cristina, Matti, Marc, Pepe and of course Julio.  Here we are together.  It’s not a good photo but I love the moment.

With some of my ex Nokia Spain colleagues at the Yoigo party in Barcelona

I left the party, like Cinderalla, before midnight as my foot was aching badly but I heard later it went on till past 6 in the morning!  You can see the full collection of photos of our party here.

Tuesday was my quietest day, the in-between day with no event on.  But I still had to work as we had to finalise the press materials for the next day’s press conference.  But I ventured out for lunch which was to be at El Merendero de la Mari, next to Cal Pinxo, by Pau de la Vila with the girls from my events agency, QuintaEsencia. They turned up with more Yoigo friends who are distributors of our company and very close to us all.  So lunch turned to be a long affair where because I was having such a good time I completely forgot about my leg. Here is a photo of us leaving the restaurant.

Lunch with colleagues in Barcelona on Tuesday

I had a small mission to go on before heading back to my hotel, The Gallery on Rossiñol, just off the Paseo de Gracia.  I wanted to go to H+M to see some jeans that I had read people, models, etc raving about on internet.  I was in search of what they referred to as “shaping denim” jeans.  I tried on the dark blue ones and wow they were the perfect fit.  I then bought the black ones too in the same size and didn’t bother trying them on.  Unfortunately when I got back to the hotel and tried them on they turned out be too big.  I always prefer too big to too small!  At some stage I shall have to return them and get a smaller size. 

H+M skinny shaping jeans, they are very flattering

So what did I wear for dinner that night you will ask? The new jeans of course.  I have worn them now nearly every day since I bought them.  Dinner that night was the most relaxing evening in Barcelona as it was with colleagues and my PR and events’ teams.  Here is a photo of us all around the table.  It’s a fuzzy one but it’s all I have.  In my experience when you ask a waiter or a fellow diner to take a photo at a restaurant the quality is never good.  I’m sure you all agree.  We could have done a selfie, but I am not a great selfie fan.  We actually had dinner at Acontraluz where we had the party the night before.  That was a good thing because I was able to pick up my coat which I had left behind after the party.  You see the weather was so good in Barcelona, reaching over 20c at midday that a coat was hardly necessary.

Dinner at Acontraluz on Tuesday night in Barcelona

Wednesday was my big day and it turned out to be huge in many ways.  At 10 am we were holding a press conference in the middle of town at Tuset.  You see Yoigo is not present at the congress itself but gets on the band wagon by doing events offsite.  That means we leverage the presence of press and bloggers but are not officially present.  I should add we provide the organisers with the mobile phone frequencies which gives us many passes so we get to go and invite our distributors, bloggers etc.  If you do a press conference offsite you are at a disadvantage as the press are all onsite and have many events to go.  So you never know how many will turn up at your press conference.  However we had important news or we thought we did – in the announcement of an amazing new tariff – an all you can eat voice and data flat tariff for 29 euros/month including taxes.  In order to get the press to come we did a lot of lobbying before and our efforts were paid off when some 40 attended.

It was full house at our press conference in Barcelona on Wednesday

It was lovely to see my Swedish colleague Linda at our press conference.  She is in charge of TeliaSonera's activities at the MWC and we had been in touch all year.  However, for one reason or another, although we were staying at the same hotel we just hadn't managed to see each other until then.  Afterwards we both sneaked away for a well deserved and quiet cup of coffee together before we had to part our ways.

With my lovely Swedish colleague Linda at our press conference on Wednesday

As head of communications for Yoigo it was my responsibility to make as much noise as possible in the media from the moment of the announcement until the advertising campaign started on 10^th March.  So when just 15 minutes after the announcement we began to be Trending Topic on Twitter (TT means in the top ten of the most commented subject in Spain or wherever at one moment of time).  We started off as number ten and then rose to seven, six and five being TT for more than 10 hours.  That was a record for us and something to be proud of as no other operator or company was TT during the MWC.  Only Samsung with its S6 announcement was TT, so I am proud to have achieved that being such a small company (just 100 employees with 4 million customers) and not even being present at the congress.  Here is the photo to prove we made it to number 5 on TT.  You can see the rest of the photos of our press conference here.

I was so proud that Yoigo was TT for 10 hours on Wednesday during the MWC

All during the rest of the day and on my way home on the train with Julio, I monitored the online clippings and tweets and posts in FB and was so happy to see that the headlines were positive and that customers were euphoric.  You see the tariff is unbeatable in the Spanish market.  We were the first operator to launch an all you can eat voice tariff and now we are the first again to launch an all you can eat voice and data (up to 20 gigas) tariff. If our customers were euphoric with the tariff, I was euphoric with the social networks and media coverage.  By Friday morning we had over 300 online articles and nearly 40 print articles.  In fact I just googled “Yoigo MWC 2015 and found 57.000 results!  It wasn’t all plain sailing though.  Suddenly a top online newspaper carried our news and used the photo of our ex CEO to illustrate the article.  So we did everything in our power in the stretch of an hour for that to be changed.  However that was the one topic everybody pointed out to me as if I or my agency could be to blame.  It ended up being the fault of a trainee webmaster in a financial online paper but it took a while to find that out.  There are people who believe if you are in charge of communications that as a PR professional you should be able to control these errors, but you can’t because you are not present at the newsrooms when they happen.  PR editorial cannot be controlled like paid for advertising and is always a risk. However the latter is much more valuable to a company as it is news and not publicity but news of any sort can always include mistakes, misinformation, etc and that’s often the down side of my job.  

Our amazing new tariff

When I got home I just had one day to recover and get ready to leave for Finland on Friday morning.  It was a busy day of course.   First I had to go to my rehabilitation sesson, the only one I would attend this week.  In the afternoon I had to go to a meeting at the office. Thankfully it was short so I missed the rush hour driving back. On the way home I had to stop off at the Corte Inglés to buy some luxury ham and lomo to take to Finland for Anne and to buy her a birthday present.  Whilst there, I indulged in some gourmet food to take home for dinner.  Oli had mentioned it was her saint’s day; something we never celebrate but as it would be only one of the dinners we would have together that night with her boyfriend Miguel, I decided only the best would do: prawn salad, croquettes, etc. 

And Friday morning came and I was up at 6.45 to be ready on time for my taxi at 7.45.  I said goodbye to Eladio as he would be off to Montrondo for the weekend, going there with his brother José Antonio in our new car.  He would be taking more of the bathroom suites we had bought.  I got to the airport early and was in for a new experience with wheelchair assistance for flying to Finland.  It all went smoothly and soon I was on the Finnair flight which would take some 4 hours to reach Helsinki.  I spent most of the time reading, eating and sleeping and eager to arrive.  I got there at 15.30 and the first bus to Salo was at 15.55 but I missed it as the luggage took too long to arrive.  I then caught the 16.55 bus which would take 1.40h to get to Salo.  Dear Anne, my friend, ex colleague and boss at Nokia when she was the marketing manager and I was the communications manager, my surrogate sister and kindred spirit, although she is 13 years younger was there waiting for me. I had seen her recently but very briefly in Madrid a few months ago, but the last time we had spent quality time together was in April 2011 when I came to stay with her for a weekend after a meeting in Stockholm.  On the way home we picked up a take away order from a new Nepalese restaurant in Salo and were soon enjoying the rice, the buttered chicken and the lamb dumplings in her lovely home.  Afterwards we enjoyed a sauna together and then we watched an episode of Call the Midwife in her comfortable TV room. 

Anne in her comfortable TV lounge

The weather was not on our side, some 0ºc with wind and quite a lot of rain, but it didn’t really matter as because of my leg I cannot go on walks.  The only thing missing in our perfect girly weekend is the walks, but everything else has been perfect so far.

We were up early – Finland is one hour ahead of Spain – and after breakfast we went into town.  First we stopped at the market square by the river and here we bought tulips to decorate my friend’s house for the birthday party today.  Here is a picture of Anne at the lovely tulip stall.

Anne buying tulips

Then I spied a honey stall and got a tub for Eladio as he is a honey freak and I thought he’d like the thick Finnish honey, so different from Spanish honey.

The next item on our agenda was a women’s bazaar at a Finnish school.  That was a great idea and we both enjoyed it thoroughly.  I was keen to see a Finnish school as their education system is so much admired in the rest of the world.  Going to this bazaar brought back memories of English church hall bric and brac sales which I so loved as a child.  The bazaar had many enticing products and things to do including a fashion show, tarot card reading and of course lots of stalls with local produce.  I soon spied a stall with striped tops.  As you know I am a magnet for striped clothing so there and then I got a green and white top for myself and a grey and white one for Olivia.  They are lovely.

Striped clothing at the bazar

After the bazar Anne took me to have a bite to eat at a traditional cafeteria where her Mother had worked once.  Here I indulged in possibly my favourite Finnish food, Karelian pies with egg and butter topping.  Here is a photo of the two of us at Kuiro, a place I loved.  I said earlier that Anne is my kindred spirit and mainly that is because we have very much the same taste in clothes, food and a similar outlook on life.  No wonder we hit it off the first time we met.

Lunch at Kuori yesterday

Next on the agenda was shopping of course and here I mean serious clothes shopping.  I had to make up for lost time after being home bound because of my accident.  So Anne drove me to the shopping centre in Salo and here I made a beeline for Lindex and then KappAhl.  At Lindex we both bought the same pair of dark blue denim jeans.  I also got a blue and grey, and yes, striped cardigan and some gloves. 

The cardian I got at Lindex yesterday

At KappAhl I bought a lovely pastel pink and white, yes striped, blouse, matching pink jumper and again some gloves (for using your smartphone). 

The pink and white striped linen blouse I bought at KappAhl yesterday

Just as we were going to the supermarket in the same centre we came across a mobile phone shop with a Nokia logo which of course should now be replaced with a  Microsoft one.  So for old times’ sake we had a photo taken underneath the logo of the company which brought us together. It was rather nostalgic.  When I posted it on FB I wrote “Nokia connecting people” and “reuniting colleagues which is what we used to say.  We also used to add and “disconnecting families” because the company, although Finnish, was rather workaholic.

We had to have a photo under the Nokia logo

The last item on the day’s agenda was a quick visit to the supermarket.  Here I would have loved to buy many things to take home but they just wouldn’t fit in my suitcase so all I got was Finnish Fazer chocolate for the family, my Father and my friend Julio as well as some cloudberry jam for my Father.  You may wonder what is special about Fazer. Well, it may not be well known outside Scandinavia but I think it is one of Finland’s best kept secrets. 

We came home happy and tired with our purchases and were soon flopping down in Anne’s comfortable TV room where I got acquainted with the Doc Martin British TV series whilst Anne took the dogs out.

Dinner last night was really special.  We went to Salo’s best in cuisine, Salon Seurahuone, which is housed in a lovely old wooden house of which there are a lot in this town.

The typical restaurant last night, Salo's best

Of course we both wore our new denims that night, as I wore my new cardigan.  I so love it I am wearing it again today.  Here is a photo, another bad one, taken this time by the restaurant owner, of the two of use enjoying a wonderful dinner.  Anne had blini for a starter and I had elk pate, muuummmm.

Dinner last night

We were home early as of course in Finland dinner is at 7ish in the evening.  We ended our night by the TV again where we enjoyed a piece of chocolate and a glass of red wine.  Thankfully I didn’t get a headache and slept long and well.

Meanwhile in Madrid I missed an event I would have loved to attend.  Vicente, an ex- colleague, had organised a 25^th Motorola anniversary reunion for all the past and present employees.  I was the 4^th employee to join and would have just loved to join all my friends but I could not be in two places in one day.  Here is a photo of just a few of us in 1994.  Can you spot me?  Motorola was where my career was forged and will forever have a place in my heart.

Eladio, of course was in Montrondo this weekend where he was joined by all his brothers and sisters (there are 6 of them altogether) and his mother, Ernestina, who turned either 93 or 94 yesterday. Unlike me, they have had and are still having wonderful weather and were outside most of the time.

This morning when I woke up, Pili, Eladio’s youngest sister had posted a great photo of Eladio with his Mother and Pili’s dalmation, Trébol, a great favourite of mine.

Eladio in Montrondo today on his Mother's birthday

I would have loved to be in Montrondo too but I’m even happier to be here in my beloved Finland.  You may wonder why I say “beloved” Finland. Well I love this country thanks to my years at Nokia from 2000 to 2006 when I used to come here up to 6 times a year.  The country and its people grew on me.  They are quiet and often shy but very kind and hospitable.  There is zero violence with hardly any police on the street and the country runs like clockwork.  For me it’s the most civilized country in the world not to mention overwhelmingly beautiful if you appreciate nature and the outdoors like me. 

So as I finish now and publish this blog, I have nearly 4 days left to continue enjoying being here.  Next Sunday I will tell you all about the rest of my trip to Finland.

Meanwhile I wish you all a great week ahead,

Cheers Masha