Copenhagen and A New Record
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Saturday, 7 June I was up at 4 am to get ready to go to Istanbul to catch the connecting flight to Copenhagen. Though I went to bed at 1 am a few hours earlier, it was a cinch to wake up. Picked up the last few items that I have yet to put in my bag and off to the airport.
The flight was full and at the airport were two Antonov 124's and a C-17 I supposed, the new USAF transport plane. I think I got the name of the plane right. The 4 hour flight to Istanbul was just fine. Breakfast on board was great. Being Turkish Airlines, everything was halal and the omelette, the pastries, the beef ham was just dandy and the cheese selection was just superb. Burp!! And being used to planes with no entertainmant, the flight had inflight movies and the 4 hours went just like that. Then it was a 4 hour wait at Istanbul and when you travel with interesting people, time flies. My colleague, Naira, who is travelling with me speaks five languages fluently - English, Russian, Armenian, Turkmen and Turkish.
"And a spattering of German, Mr. H...."
From Istanbul to Copenhagen it was also on Turkish Airlines and again, the food was good. There goes my diet. And the inflight entertainment too. But it was only a 3 hour flight so it was over in a blink of an eye. Plus the fact that I slept most of the way. Except when they were serving the food. Yum yum.....
At Copenhagen, Victoria was waiting for us. After a brief trip around the city, we went to the hotel to freshen up and then to dinner by one of the canals. That was when Natalya, Dmitri and Anatoly joined us. The four of them represents the company from whom we are chartering two tankers. For the next two years. Wth an option of another twenty maybe. Maybe that explains why they are happy to see us. Naira has been communicating with them for the last two years or so but they have never met. I guess that makes all of them happy. I'm happy too, I've never been to Copenhagen. Now, to make my boss happy, all I have to do is negotiate a few bucks off the daily rate. That'll make him happy. And his boss will be happy too. When my boss' boss is happy, I'll be delirious..... Visions of a promotion play in my mind. Ah, wishful thinking. As for dinner, I tucked in everything except the pheasant. Plus the chocolate cake and the cappucino. Burp again. But the weather turned cold and there I was in a T-shirt. I resisted the blanket until it was really really ubearable and to hell with being macho and I joined Victoria, Natalya and Naira under a blanket each. Yes, they have blankets in restaurants in Copengahen. Green blankets in today's case..
As for tomorrow, it'll be breakfast, a tour around the city, lunch, another tour along the canals and maybe shopping after that. I have got a heavy agenda on the shopping. Nazzim's birthday is on 21 June and maybe something good from Copenhagen would make him happy. And of course not forgetting Sofia and Lina too.
"Not fair!", that was what Sofia said last week when she heard that I was going to Copenhagen.
"Adik, Papa pergi sebab kerja, You know I'd love to take you, Mama and Along if I could. Maybe I'll take you somewhere later this year when your exams are over OK? We'll see...."
Both she and Nazzim started laughing. For them, "We'll see...." is like a sure thing. Too late I realised what I had just said. Oh well......
For the record, the room I am staying in now must be the smallest I have ever stayed in my whole life. But it's clean, there's a TV, the bathroom is fine, the internet connection I am using now is fast and free and the chances are, I'll only be spending time in it to sleep.
Yawnnnnn....... Good night.
.
Saturday, 7 June I was up at 4 am to get ready to go to Istanbul to catch the connecting flight to Copenhagen. Though I went to bed at 1 am a few hours earlier, it was a cinch to wake up. Picked up the last few items that I have yet to put in my bag and off to the airport.
The flight was full and at the airport were two Antonov 124's and a C-17 I supposed, the new USAF transport plane. I think I got the name of the plane right. The 4 hour flight to Istanbul was just fine. Breakfast on board was great. Being Turkish Airlines, everything was halal and the omelette, the pastries, the beef ham was just dandy and the cheese selection was just superb. Burp!! And being used to planes with no entertainmant, the flight had inflight movies and the 4 hours went just like that. Then it was a 4 hour wait at Istanbul and when you travel with interesting people, time flies. My colleague, Naira, who is travelling with me speaks five languages fluently - English, Russian, Armenian, Turkmen and Turkish.
"And a spattering of German, Mr. H...."
From Istanbul to Copenhagen it was also on Turkish Airlines and again, the food was good. There goes my diet. And the inflight entertainment too. But it was only a 3 hour flight so it was over in a blink of an eye. Plus the fact that I slept most of the way. Except when they were serving the food. Yum yum.....
At Copenhagen, Victoria was waiting for us. After a brief trip around the city, we went to the hotel to freshen up and then to dinner by one of the canals. That was when Natalya, Dmitri and Anatoly joined us. The four of them represents the company from whom we are chartering two tankers. For the next two years. Wth an option of another twenty maybe. Maybe that explains why they are happy to see us. Naira has been communicating with them for the last two years or so but they have never met. I guess that makes all of them happy. I'm happy too, I've never been to Copenhagen. Now, to make my boss happy, all I have to do is negotiate a few bucks off the daily rate. That'll make him happy. And his boss will be happy too. When my boss' boss is happy, I'll be delirious..... Visions of a promotion play in my mind. Ah, wishful thinking. As for dinner, I tucked in everything except the pheasant. Plus the chocolate cake and the cappucino. Burp again. But the weather turned cold and there I was in a T-shirt. I resisted the blanket until it was really really ubearable and to hell with being macho and I joined Victoria, Natalya and Naira under a blanket each. Yes, they have blankets in restaurants in Copengahen. Green blankets in today's case..
As for tomorrow, it'll be breakfast, a tour around the city, lunch, another tour along the canals and maybe shopping after that. I have got a heavy agenda on the shopping. Nazzim's birthday is on 21 June and maybe something good from Copenhagen would make him happy. And of course not forgetting Sofia and Lina too.
"Not fair!", that was what Sofia said last week when she heard that I was going to Copenhagen.
"Adik, Papa pergi sebab kerja, You know I'd love to take you, Mama and Along if I could. Maybe I'll take you somewhere later this year when your exams are over OK? We'll see...."
Both she and Nazzim started laughing. For them, "We'll see...." is like a sure thing. Too late I realised what I had just said. Oh well......
For the record, the room I am staying in now must be the smallest I have ever stayed in my whole life. But it's clean, there's a TV, the bathroom is fine, the internet connection I am using now is fast and free and the chances are, I'll only be spending time in it to sleep.
Yawnnnnn....... Good night.
.
posted by dudae_simboyo at 04:58
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