Biketrip 2: From Balloch to Tyndrum and around

kyllä tällä pelillä kulkee  //
the lead actor in this play

Tämä kyltti oli tervetullut, kun 60 kilometrin matkasta viimeiset pari tuntia oli ylämäkeä. Otin kyllä niin rauhassa että matkaan meni koko päivä mutta mikäs siinä ihmetellessä kun maisemat olivat niin upiat :) //
This sign was most welcomed because the last 2 hours of my 60 kilometers trip was uphill. I took my time and spent the day enjoying the trip and amazing views.

 

Tyndrumin hautausmaalla ei ole tunkua //
Tyndrum cemetery



Tallustelin eilen pari tuntia ympäri Tyndrumin maastoa ja lueskelin mitä upeimmissa maisemissa //
I walked around yesterday and I have to say that the views where I read my book have never been better :)

<3 scotland



Vasemmanpuoleinen liikenne käytössä //
sheep know their traffic rules

Lehmä-selfie //
cow-fie

ihan vaan selfie. Tänään jatkuu matka eteenpäin. Skotlannissa kuulemma sataa reippaasti yli 200 päivää  vuodessa. Nyt uskon... // Just a selfie. I continue my trip today. They say that it rains in Scotland way ovcr 200 days a year. Now I can believe that ..

Biking in Scotland 1: From Poole to Balloch

"Please don't flush Nappies, sanitary towels, paper towels, gum, old phones, unpaid bills, junk mail, your ex's old sweater, hopes, dreams or goldfish down this toilet"

-Virgin trains

Tällä aamupalalla lähtee tänään, ensimmäinen pyöräilypäivä edessä //
proper Scottish breakfast to speed up first day's cycling

 

Fearless researcher ready to go // Peloton tutkija valmiina lähtöön

Alla suomeksi.

I have wondered in every forum how can it be that my Masters are over. In one way I am relieved because I have to say, the assignments were soooooo interesting but also a lot of work. But like said, I enjoyed every course I had and got something out of every assignment. Customer involvement in service delivery process in  Budget hotels, co-operative strategy, alliances in cross-cultural business, Corporate Social Responsibility in Hospitality and so on. Maybe not so interesting for everybody but I loved it. My "ready assignments" folder looks good now :)

What is left is my dissertation. Tiny little piece of work. My topic is somewhat "Sense of community in co-created customer experience in B&B's" which does not maybe say much but is a hot topic (value co-creation) in the industry with an individual twist (sense of community and C2C value creation). And I am thrilled. It is definitely outside of my comfort-zone as something more concrete and managerial would have been my cup of tea but that is one reason why I decided to go for it. Even though I have just gotten to the mood of doing the literature review, now it is time to do the data collection.

I am lucky to be able to do my data collection in Scotland because of the funding opportunities in BU. I am combining my dream with a purpose which is a way I can travel more. I am leaving on Sunday, taking trains (plural, yes, I dont even want to say how many trains I need to take) with my bike, arrive in the evening to Balloch Scotland and the next 9 days I will cycle 200 kilometers from B&B to another and observe. I am pretty excited! And even though I tried to ignore my mom who kindly said that it will rain for 9 days because - Scotland, I ended up making a plan B. After making a bullet proof risk assessment I decided to take a waterproof bag for my computer and sunlotion but other than that I refuse to think that it is nothing than from a movie and everything will go well.

So now I have some days to finish my lit review and learn what there is to learn about ethnography as a research method and pack and un-pack until I have a tiny bag with only essentials so I can enjoy my week in Scotland. I will try to write from somewhere magical Scotland, stay tuned...

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Olen mietiskellyt kaikilla foorumeilla miten voikaan olla niin että masterit on gradua vaille paketissa. Toisaalta on helpottavaa että tehtävät, vaikka ne olivatkin super mielenkiintoisia, ovat ohi. Askartelin tehtäviä alliansseista monikansallisessa yritystoiminnassa sekä asiakakkaan osuudesta budjettihotelleiden palveluprosessihin ja niin edelleen, "valmiit tehtävät" kansio näyttää hyvältä nyt :)

Mitä on siis jäljellä on gradu, pikku loppurutistus. Aiheena on palttiarallaa yhteisöllisyys osana yhdessä luotua asiakaskokemusta Bed&Breakfasteissa. Aihe menee kyllä mun mukavuusalueen ulkopuolelle (olen ehkä vähän konkreettisempien asioiden ystävä) mutta siksi valitsinkin sen. Kasvaa voi vaan kun tekee jotain mikä ei ole helppoa eiks niin.

Sain rahoituksen graduun mikä tarkoittaa että voin tehdä datan keruun Skotlannissa. Yhdistän hyväksi todettuun tapaani unelman ja hyödyn reissussa ja poljen 200 kilometria ympäri Skotlantia ja yövyn neljässä eri B&B:ssä ja tarkkailen ja tarkkailen.  Koska äiti ystävällisesti vihjaisi että tulee satamaan 9 päivää putkeen niin tein vedenpitävän varasuunnitelman. Eli otan vedenpitävän pussin mun läppärille ja aurinkorasvan ja avot! Lopuista huolehditaan sitten paikan päällä mikäli huolehdittavaa on.

Eli nyt on loppuviikko aikaa tehdä gradun teoriaosuus niin valmiiksi kuin mahdollista ja pakata ja purkaa kunnes kaikki tarvittavat mahtuu pieneen pyörälaukkuun jotta voin nauttia täysillä pyöräretkestä Skotlannissa. Palailen linjoille sieltä kun on jotain kerrottavaa :)

Dates by myself - why is lone traveling such a taboo

Like completely alone in the movies, spooky
/
"yksin leffaan" sai uuden merkityksen, en nyt olis aivan
kokonaan yksinäni tarvinnu koko leffateatteria

I had a great day couple of weeks ago. A sunny day off, loooong breakfast at home, newspaper, coffee and all sort of food I like. Then I took a bus to Christchurch, wandered around, went to see birds to the riverside, visited a church and ate a second breakfast as a lunch because bfast food is amazing. Then I took a bus to Bournemouth, went to the movies, ate as much of popcorn I liked and even studied when I was waiting for the movie cos I felt like it. After the movies (it was a movie called "The theory of everything" and I cried like a girl) I went to one restaurant which had live jazz and had a delicious glass of red wine, read my book and watched people. Then I went home content and sleepy.

Beautiful church of Christchurch
/
Kävin Chrichurchissa päiväretkellä itsekseni

The day was exactly how I liked it. But when my friends heard about it they were feeling sorry for me and some called me "so Finnish" -  why didnt I ask anyone to go with me. It is hard to explain, but after traveling alone in Asia, it is very natural for me. Week after my perfect date with myself I went to London alone, just for fun for one night since I had to attend a seminar in there anyway. I bought a ticket to London Symphony Orchestra concert, it was on my "must do" list and I waited for it eagerly. I enjoyed the concert and the small trip enormously.
 

London Symphony Orchestra, loved it
/
Kävin Lontoossa ja toteutin yhden haaveistani. Lontoon sinfoniaorkesterin
konsertti oli upea kokemus

So this made me to think, why is lone traveling such a taboo? I mean, I would prefer to go to a concert with someone and would have loved to have someone to watch the superbowl after that but I wouldn't have stayed home just because I couldn't think of anyone who would like the same things. And the day-off was just perfect as it was, I got to do what I liked. Going with a group of friends (asking everyone if this or that is okay and if everyone want to go and see the same things) is not always the best way to do things. And when traveling a "loner" gets to know easily the locals since one person is easily approachable - or what do I know, maybe they just pity me :)


My dear new friends
/
uusia ystäviäni

I came across with an observational research done by one student who studied how it feels to eat alone while traveling. Pure existence of that study tells something about this time. There are more and more people doing this odd thing of traveling alone and finally some companies are waking up and offering packages for single travelers. Intermediaries seem to be quite fixed with their options - do you want a flight and double-room or a flight and a twin room - for one or two travellers. Meanwhile social media and new services like Eatwith are making it easier for "loners" to find company for dinner in their travels - if they wish to have it.  


Girls night out with cocktails and Mr Grey
/
Tyttöjenilta, namidrinkkejä ja hömppäleffa

I get this feeling that in every text I write I end up pondering how to find a balance. But that really is the issue in here as well :) I have to admit that sometimes I am too fixed in doing things alone and I forget how to behave in a group. To start with I forget to ask other girls to go to the ladies room together or wait outside if someone goes (which is funny but a thing people do naturally) or to agree to meet people just to go to the bus stop together. But I also forget to ask if someone really would be interested in classical concert or second breakfast and I just assume and go alone.
 
All in all I think that doing things alone shouldn't be terrifying or pitied, being a single might not be your own choice but what to do while single is. And just to remind myself - doing things with friends is fun too. And compromising and doing things which wouldn't be your own ideas should also exist in good friendships and not just in relationships. There is so much to see and so much to do alone or together :)