It was a dark and rainy night when I made my way to Åkeshov sports hall for a swim :-) but the journey was surprisingly pleasant. Stockholm's public transport never cease to impress, the bus ride was smooth and comfortable, complete with USB charging ports on every seat.
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October 2025
Åkeshovs sim- och idrottshall, Åkeshov, Stockholm, Sweden
Swimming (Indoor,Water,Waterbody-Pool); Sauna (Normal)
Finnair has managed yet another unnecessary screw-up: washing their A321 seat covers using water, when dry cleaning would have been the approved method to avoid the fire repellent treatment to deteriorate. The previous screw-ups included ground collisions that damaged one of their wide body aircraft for instance. And this is on top of the incredibly long period of strikes and flight cancellations.
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October 2025
Helsinki-Vantaa, Vantaa, Finland
Flying; Travel
It has been a while since I skied properly. I skied in July at an indoor ski resort in Madrid and Oslo, and in June also in Oslo. But after that in August and September only on some snow piles outside ice skating halls... so it was time to ski again! Last year for October I went for a day trip to Levi (alt. link), but while fun that was a gruelingly tiresome travel and way too short time in Levi. So this year I went for the whole weekend.
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October 2025
Levi*, Kittilä, Finland; Levi Hotel**, Kittilä, Finland; Helsinki-Vantaa***, Vantaa, Finland; Kittilän lentokenttä***, Kittilä, Finland
Skiing*; Hiking*; Swimming** (Indoor,Outdoor,Water,Waterbody-Pool); Sauna** (Normal,Steam); Flying***; Travel***
Had a chance to fly to and from the Athens airport, coming in on KLM and flying out with Lufthansa. It is a nice airport. Not having had time to eat breakfast, I particularly liked that the even at the downstairs bus gates there were kiosks with warm food on offer. Usually those kinds of gates are void of any services. Well done.
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October 2025
Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos, Spata, Greece
Flying; Travel
A Greek island has to have nice beaches, right? They do in the island of Idra, though not all beaches may be sandy... some may be pebbles, others may be just ladders to the water from the cliffs. In any case, the water is superb, views are great, and there's excellent food available. This article discusses three remarkable beaches that one should at least visit on Idra.
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October 2025
Spilia Beach Bar cave, Hydra, Greece; Paralia Kaminia, Hydra, Greece; Paralia Mandraki, Hydra, Greece
Swimming (Outdoor,Water,Waterbody-Sea,Beach)
One would expect there to be plenty of caves in mountainous Greek islands, but it didn't seem to be the case for Idea. There are some beach caves, however, the easiest to access being right in the main village, Hydra, at the "Spilia Beach Bar". That, is the cave beach bar.
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October 2025
Spilia Beach Bar cave, Hydra, Greece
Caving (Basic,Swimming,Rock,Morphology-Erosion); Swimming (Outdoor,Water,Waterbody-Sea,Beach)
Had to pick up the car from Kangasala, near Tampere, after the breakdown (alt.link). They had fixed it for mere 40€, though only a temporary fix: the heating system is now bypassed, so now heating in the rainy fall weather. But, on the positive side I managed to get a swim in a new place: the Kangasala swimming hall.
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October 2025
VMS Racing*, Kangasala, Finland; Kangasalan Uimahalli Kuohu**, Kangasala, Finland
Car*; Swimming** (Indoor,Water,Waterbody-Pool); Sauna** (Normal)
Another surprise Volvo breakdown. Beyond towing back home distance, so car is being towed to Kangasala. Coolant hose connector broken. Now on the train towards Helsinki, after riding first on the tow truck and then a taxi.
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October 2025
Vähä-Koveron silta, Teisko, Finland
Car
Decided to drive to Lohja for a quick swim at the Neidonkeidas, the local public swimming hall.
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October 2025
Virkistysuimala Neidonkeidas*, Lohja, Finland; Lohjan jäähalli**, Lohja, Finland
Swimming* (Indoor,Water,Waterbody-Pool); Sauna* (Normal); Skiing** (None)
A few quick dips into the Adriatic Sea and one hotel pool. Sadly missed a sauna on this visit, had a visit to the hotel sauna lined up but their sauna had closed earlier than the rest of the spa, so missed it on a busy day. Oh well, at least I got a new country to swim in!
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September 2025
Bigova beach*, Bigova, Montenegro; Queen's Beach*, Pržno, Montenegro; Milocer beach**, Pržno, Montenegro; Avala Resort & Villas***, Budva, Montenegro
Swimming* (Outdoor,Water,Waterbody-Sea,Beach); Swimming** (None,Outdoor,Water,Waterbody-Sea,Beach); Swimming*** (Indoor,Outdoor,Water,Waterbody-Pool)
Had a chance to fly to Tivat, Montenegro. On Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, and Air Baltic. The airport is called the Kai Tai of Europe given the tight maneuvering needed to land there.
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September 2025
Tivat Airport, Mrčevac, Montenegro
Flying; Travel
Another cottage swim, this time by the light fires and a sunset. Wonderful! A bit cold though.
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October 2025
Arkko summer cottage, Teisko, Finland
Swimming (Outdoor,Waterbody-Lake); Sauna (Normal)
Fail. I drove a long way to see this cave, but ... the coordinates are a bit uncertain and I can't find a safe way to climb the cliff on top of which the cave likely is at. The forest is also almost impassable. And I can't find a path that would take me through.
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September 2025
Vilina Pećina, Dragalj, Montenegro
Caving (None,Rock,Rock-Limestone,Morphology-Karst)
This was the backup cave after the failed trip (alt. link) to find the first one. But what a cave! Sometimes it is a raging tube shooting water at 50 m3 per second out to a waterfall and then free falling tens of meters to the lake. And sometimes it is a dry cave that you can explore. Very interesting! Just make sure you choose the latter time when you go caving :-)
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September 2025
Sopot Pećina, Risan, Montenegro
Caving (Basic,Rock,Rock-Limestone,Morphology-Karst,Surveying)
The Ivanovići Pećina is a small, 18-meter cave located east of the town of Budva on the Adriatic Coast of Montenegro. The drive to access the cave is a long one up the hills on narrow roads, then there's a well-marked half a kilometer hike down a small valley and then up to the cave. But it is well worth the trip! The cave is nicely shaped, and the hike offers wonderful views. Indeed, even from the cave entrance you can see the green hills sloping down to the sea, and the coast. Recommended.
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September 2025
Ivanovići Pećina, Bečići, Montenegro
Caving (Basic,Rock,Rock-Limestone,Morphology-Karst,Surveying)