Hotel GreenStar is a certified eco-friendly hotel in the center of Joensuu. They’ve paid attention to electricity and water consumption, including automatically turning off lights, led lighting, sensor-based heating, optimised usage patterns, and so forth. The hotel is also fully automated, you can check in and out using a computer on the lobby. This was precious to me, as I arrived so late that the reception was already closed and I could leave swiftly without queueing to be served.

The room was big enough for three people, two single beds and an armchair bed. There was a big LCD tv, a fridge, a toilet with shower, and a working space in the room. Nothing else, so it was kinda bare. The Internet connection was included in the room price (65€ per night is a bargain) and worked like a charm.

I didn’t notice anything special regarding eco-friendliness, but that is probably a good thing as the place was quite comfy. The only thing missing was a hair blower, but I could cope without that. People with long hair might disagree.

www.greenstar.fi, Torikatu 16, Joensuu, Finland, +358 10 423 9390

Sokos Hotel Vaakuna is the most centrally located hotel in Joensuu, close to the market square, the main shopping areas and almost everything else (except the university). The four star hotel follows the Finnish “no frills” principle; all needs are taken care of, but there are no extras and not much of a personality either.

The rooms are quite big, the beds are very good, the shower works as it should, and the breakfast buffet is sumptuous with some local specialties. The hotel is located next to the biggest department store in Joensuu and there is a huge grocery store downstairs, too. A couple of restaurants are also on the same building.

www.sokoshotels.fi, Torikatu 20, Joensuu, Finland, +358 10 7823 100

I’ve just booked flight tickets to Joensuu and back, and I’ll be travelling just before Easter to visit Ilomantsi for lecturing and hands-on training session. I’ll be in the city for about 20 hours and most of that time either in Ilomantsi, on my way to and fro by car, and sleeping. So I cannot visit my parents in Polvijärvi, as I would just have a short sleepover without any chances of interaction. This will result in another hotel night in Joensuu.

I decided to try a “green” hotel in the city centre. They claim to be eco-friendly on their website, but I’m still a bit unsure what that actually means. Hopefully the green experience will be delightful also from the normal traveller’s point of view.

We have been toying around with an idea to go to Legoland Billund this summer, and finally yesterday we had enough time and energy to put the plans into action.

We’ve visited all the other Legoland parks except Billund (and soon opening Florida, that will have to wait until boys are old enough to handle also Disneyworld and other parks in Orlando), and thus Denmark was a logical choice. Previous trips have been one day visits, but now we’ve reserved whopping two days for the park. The first day is reserved for research: the rides and the shops. The second day focuses on execution: revisiting the best rides and reaping most of the benefits from the shops.

I’ve been lecturing in North Carelia University of Applied Sciences in Joensuu during the past two years. My typical trip includes me visiting my parents in Polvijärvi, about 40 kilometers from Joensuu, and spending a night there. If the course is near a weekend, I might extend my stay and bring the boys with me.

I was once again visiting Joensuu yesterday, but the trip was different. My parents are on the Canary Islands with my younger sister and her family, so the house is empty and nobody could pick me up from the railway station. I decided not to travel to Polvijärvi with a bus, as the timetables were not that optimal (very typical situation, by the way), but stay in a hotel in Joensuu.

I’ve lived in the neighbouring town for more than half of my life and visited Joensuu several times a year after moving to Helsinki region, and I’ve never stayed in a hotel in Joensuu. Needless to say, the experience was weird. I was in a familiar place, but the setting was different. For example, I’ve rarely walked across the bridges from the railway station to the city centre, and I rarely eat in a restaurant in Joensuu. Now I felt partially like a tourist and also somewhat like a local. It was wonderfully refreshing.

The Field Museum is a must destination for families with children and for people interested in science and nature in general. The vast museum is located a few kilometers south from the Chicago downtown, and taxi is the easiest way to get there. Also public transportation works, at least according to the museum site.

There is a lot to explore for several hours, so chances are that you are not going to see everything. I skipped some of the exhibitions just to be able to enjoy the most interesting ones instead of walking my feet sore. The major perk, at least for me, were the fossils — a lot of different dinosaurs and early mammals, including (but not limited to) Tyrannosaurus rex and mammoths. You can spend a couple of hours marvelling the evolution of life. If you bring kids, be prepared to explain a lot of stuff and give answers to at least a million questions.

There was also interesting exhibitions about precious stones and metals, Tibet, ancient Egypt, and plants — to name a few. Besides exhibitions, there is a well-stocked shop and McDonald’s (yes, in a museum).

www.fieldmuseum.org, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois, USA, +1 312 922 9410

Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago is a monster of a name, but it happens to be also one of the best hotels I’ve ever experienced so far. There is no single thing that makes the hotel so awesome — instead, everything is just as it should be. The check-in was swift and really courteous, the bellboys were genuinely friendly and interested in my wellbeing, the concierge desk could provide all answers I needed, and so forth.

I had the smallest room on my floor, probably also in the hotel. It was still huge and had a good kitchenette with a microwave, a fridge, and a dishwasher. There were also enough glasses, plates, and utensils. The bathroom is also big and there is a proper shower — something that is missing from most US hotels. The bed was also huge, but maybe a bit too soft for my taste. Internet connection was excellent and complimentary. There is a spa with a big swimming pool, Finnish and Turkish saunas, and a gym that I didn’t visit.

The hotel is expensive and the minibar doubly so. I got a decent deal from a local travel bureau, and the hotel was the cheapest among five star hotels in Chicago.

www.trumpchicago.com, 401 North Wabash Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, USA, +1 312 644 0900

I’m writing this on board Tallink m/s Superstar on my way to Tallinn. Most of the Finnish gulf is covered with ice, the ship has sailed on free waters only for a few kilometers so far.

The ice field extends to the horizon, and it is fascinating to look from the ship’s cafeteria. The ships have crushed the ice several times day and then the sea has frozen again, making the ice look like a giant mosaic made of shades of whites, greys, and light greens.

One can feel the ship struggling while maneuvering through the ice, everything is vibrating and shaking, and we are moving half the normal speed.

The winds have not yet started to push the ice into packs — I’ve so far seen only small ones, about one meter high. It might be interesting, if this amount of ice gets packed in front of Helsinki or Tallinn. Fortunately, Finland has good feel of icebreakers…