Ski trip in the surroundings of Kista is going badly. Can’t find open skating rinks or their excess snow piles. And I dragged my mini-skis all the way to Sweden for this! Sigh. But, as you know we have ice bears walking on the streets of Helsinki... and they bring the cold, good stuff.
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June 2025, Ritorps ishall, Ulriksdahls idrottsplats, Solna, Sweden; Medley Solna Simhall, Ulriksdahls idrottsplats, Solna, Sweden; Myyrmäen jäähalli, Myyrmäki, Vantaa, Finland
Skiing (None); Sauna (Normal); Swimming (Waterbody-Pool, Indoor); Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts)
I was driving back from a very nice midsummer visit to a friend's cottage when I spotted a grand, 20+ meter cliff by the roadside. I had seen this before, but never had an opportunity to stop. But now I had to, because there was a hole on the middle of the wall, staring me in the eye :-) The question was though if I could get to it without climbing equipment. It turned out that a steep ledge was leading up to it, not great and not for wet weather, but still climbable carefully. So I got to the hole! It turned out to be a pretty small though, maybe 3 meters long. Still something, but as a too short cave I had to return it back to the nature :-)
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June 2025, Toravuoren kolo, Salo, Finland; Kuharanta, Perniö, Finland
Caving (Basic, Surveying, Rock, Rock-Gneiss, Morphology-Crack); Swimming (Waterbody-Sea, Outdoor); Sauna (Normal)
Early June is a perfect time to enjoy the Finnish summer. The nature is so nicely light green at this time of the year. We visited our summer cottage in Teisko, including of course plenty of stops at the sauna and the lake. Summer 💚
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June 2025, Arkko summer cottage, Teisko, Finland
Sauna (Normal); Swimming (Outdoor, Waterbody-Lake)
... or at least the Espoonlahti swimming hall :-)
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June 2025, Espoonlahden uimahalli, Espoo, Finland
Swimming (Outdoor, Water); Sauna (Normal)
Can I have an evening mini-vacation, swimming in the waves? Yes I can! Just drive to Forssa (only 104 km away from home) and enjoy the wave machine at the Vesihelmi spa.
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May 2025, Vesihelmi, Forssa, Finland
Swimming (Waterbody-Pool, Indoor); Sauna (Normal, Steam)
I did my first proper visit to the summer cottage in early May, did a quick dip to the lake from the cottage sauna, but a more proper swim was on the way to the cottage in Tampere, at the Tesoma swimming hall. This is a small swimming hall, but quite a positive surprise. Five pools, including a cold dip pool and a jumping platform pool that doubles as a warm therapy pool. Nice.
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May 2025, Tesoman uimahalli, Tampere, Finland; Arkko summer cottage, Teisko, Finland; Tesoman jäähalli, Tampere, Finland
Swimming (Indoor, Waterbody-Pool); Sauna (Normal); Swimming (Outdoor, Waterbody-Lake); Sauna (Normal); Skiing (None)
Thermae Grimbergen is in the outskirts of Brussels, I chose it as an affordable hotel for my business trip. The Thermae looked like a regular hotel, and a small spa, split among multiple buildings. The entrance to the spa was downstairs past the reception in the main buildimng, and I expected a usual basement spa experience. But, it turned out that the buildings were just a front to what was hidden behind: a lush garden with a pond, more than a dozen different saunas and endless relaxation spaces. You wouldn't think the city exists outside the garden.
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April 2025, Thermae Grimbergen, Grimbergen, Belgium
Swimming (Indoor, Outdoor, Waterbody-Pool, Waterbody-Lake); Sauna (Steam, Normal, Infrared)
Hervanta, a suburb of Tampere. I was told there was a swimming hall here, an underground one. Usually there'd be some signs but now I see nothing, at least not at the parking lot. But the map points to the yard of the nearby apartment block, so after walking just 50 meters I see the entrance, a small concrete building is the only thing that sticks out above ground.
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April 2025, Hervannan uimahalli, Hervanta, Tampere, Finland
Swimming (Waterbody-Pool, Indoor); Sauna (Normal); Caving (Man-Made, Basic, Rock); Urban-Exploration (Bunkers)
The Imperial Palace ... and a swim at their Crystal Spa. Even from the names you can tell that this is a high-level experience. The Palace is the highest end hotel in Annecy, and it is by the lake. It is a nicely renovated classic building from 1912. Even the smallest rooms can run up to 700 € per night at busy times, though we stayed here for much less, on a very nice day but with less crowds. Crystal Spa is their spa facility. Much recommended!
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April 2025, Imperial Palace, Annecy, France
Swimming (Indoor, Waterbody-Pool); Sauna (Steam, Normal)
Salish Lodge is a luxury hotel ledged right above the spectacular 82 meter Snoqualmie Falls. The falls and the lodge are iconic and well known, not least due to their presence in the 1990s TV series Twin Peaks. It is a wonderful park to visit, and the views really are something else, I think objectively a more beautiful place than the Niagara Falls, for instance. And the hotel is superb.
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March 2025, Salish Lodge, Snoqualmie, Washington, USA; Snoqualmie Falls, Snoqualmie, Washington, USA
Sauna (Normal, Steam); Swimming (Indoor, Waterbody-Pool); Hiking
While at a conference in Bangkok, I stayed at the Hilton chain's "DoubleTree" branded hotel, the Bangkok Sukhumvit DoubleTree. Nice, affordable hotel, had nothing bad to say about it even if it is on the lower scale of the Hilton brands. They had a very nice pool at the 7th floor, check out the moon!
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March 2025, DoubleTree by Hilton, Sukhumvit, Bangkok, Thailand
Swimming (Outdoor, Waterbody-Pool)
I had an extra hour plus at the Frankfurt Airport, so instead of hanging around in the sorry Air France lounge (see another report), I decided to exit the airport and check out the spa the the Steigenberger hotel.
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March 2025, Steigenberger Airport Hotel Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt, Germany
Swimming (Waterbody-Pool, Indoor); Sauna (Normal, Steam)
While skiing in the olympics :-) I stayed of course at the Olympic Lodge (of Port Angeles, Washington). They had a pool... which I had to try of course. The main pool was ok but not super warm in the winter (heated, still, of course). But the jacuzzi was very warm!
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March 2025, Olympic Lodge by Ayres, Port Angeles, Washington, USA
Swimming (Outdoor, Waterbody-Pool)
Found another Helsinki area swimming hall, again! Great! This time in Vihti, at the Vihti Swimming Hall. It is a 25-meter swimming pool and smaller kiddie pool, a part of the school building complex in Nummela.
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March 2025, Vihdin Uimahalli, Nummela, Vihti, Finland
Swimming (Indoor, Waterbody-Pool); Sauna (Normal)
I was in Ulaanbaatar for skiing and caving, but of course I also had to visit the local saunas and pools. I stayed at the Best Western Tuushin hotel and their spa had a sauna. And possibly the best hotel in town, the Shangri-La, has an entire sports club with 25 meter pool, saunas, etc.
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February 2025, Best Western Premier Tuushin Hotel, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Shangri-La Centre Sports Club, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Sauna (Normal); Swimming (Waterbody-Pool, Indoor); Sauna (Normal)
Didn’t realize there was a community swimming hall in Siuntio. And I guess it’s pretty new, previously part of the closed hotel but since the hotel has been revived and the Siuntio community took on the spa part in 2023 … quite nice. Dated, but well done. Two 25-meter pools. Just few people, life guards will say hi unlike in Espoo or Helsinki, etc. Worth a visit.
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February 2025, Hotelli Siuntio, Siuntio, Finland
Swimming (Waterbody-Pool, Indoor); Sauna (Normal)