Finland!

I just got back from Helsinki, Finland!

I am now convinced that Helsinki is one of the great cities of the world. It's a beautiful place, with friendly people, and bonus for me as an American: almost everybody speaks English! In fact, in my two weeks there, the only person I spoke with that did not seem to know any English was a bus driver.

I was working onsite with a customer there, including 4 of the nicest guys I've ever met. We did some work with SaltStack + OpenStack, and I for one had a thoroughly enjoyable time on the project.

Because I was there for two weeks, I got to spend a weekend there. Saturday I went wandering around my part of the city, visiting the Kamppi Center and the Forum Mall across the street. I also went to the Kiasma modern art museum, and saw thoroughly fascinating exhibits on Ismo Kajander, and "Elements".

I loved the bus system while I was there, though I admittedly only used one route, to get to and from work. My host was kind enough to set me up in the Kamppi Scandic, which was in a pretty central location. I should note though that, outside of one cab driver who seemed to have vision problems ("is this a 4 or a 6?"), all of the drivers that I observed tended to drive very conservatively, defensively, and safely. This is in stark contrast to driving in Utah, where it often feels like every driver is out for blood.

If you ever get a chance to visit Finland, I highly recommend it. It's a beautiful country with beautiful, friendly people.