Popcorn and Marshmallows

Randy's Rants
Popcorn and Marshmallows
By Randy Gage
Apr 17, 2008, 15:34

Somebody call Al Gore. Let him know that his global warming isn't working. I'm in Helsinki, Finland, where I would conservatively estimate the temperature to be 87 degrees below zero. Helsinki is the largest city of Finland, located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, by the Baltic Sea. It is the center of Finnish cultural
life with a large and varied collection of museums, galleries, and performance spaces in the city. Be sure and see the Olympic stadium, National Theatre, and Parliament House. At least that's what the guide books tell me, since it's too cold to actually go outside.

Actually the city center is quite quaint and the view out on the gulf is as picturesque as you'll find anywhere. Stay at the GLO hotel which is simply sublime. Very chic, with gorgeous rooms and minimalist interiors. It has a sushi restaurant, a Spanish one genuine Catalonian and Basque kitchen, and the Palace Kämp Day Spa.

Room service is limited to a selection of four "GLO FOOD BOXEX." They're actually delivered in a large black wood box. One is a sandwich and fruit, one is a caesar salad with fruit, bread and olive oil, and another is a chorizo sausage pizza with tomato and onion salad. But my favorite is the "GLO BOX EXTREMO" which is
popcorn and marshmallows.

The restaurants are the same way. I went to the La Cocina Spanish one for lunch and there is a choice of only three entrees: lamb, fish, or a traditional five course meal. But if you can get over your control freak tendencies and go with the flow, it's quite an experience.

There is an airy open kitchen of stainless steel and tile where you see everything being prepared. Service is absolutely impeccable, with servers clad in black from head to toe (including black gloves) gliding around seeing to your every desire. The lamb was the most succulent and tender I've ever eaten. Each table has a wood box filled with fresh baked brown bread that was soft as a pillow, and accompanied by room temperature whipped butter, mixed with spices and Spanish pepper. Carrot cake for dessert came with a scoop of apricot sorbet. Portions are small enough to let you savor each portion and not end up bloated and fat. The place is absolutely funky!

The hotel is connected to the shopping centre Kämp Galleria. It's nestled on a pedestrian street, right off of Esplanade, which is a broad avenue rivaling des Champs-Élysées in Paris, with a park down a the center and shopping on each side.

I spent the last two days in Vejle, Denmark, just a short hop from Copenhagen. It was definitely warmer there. Still in the 40's Fahrenheit, which they think is "sweater weather." When we booked this tour, I thought by mid-April things would have warmed up more.

It was great to get back to Denmark however. The people are as friendly as you'll find anywhere. Style abounds, and the whole vibe is cool. There is a strong earth energy there. Where else can you go and find a wood floor in the airport? Not to mention check-in counters made from beautiful blond timber?

Vejle is a quaint little city on the tip of the Vejle fjord, near the east coast of Jutland. If you visit, stay at the Golden Tulip. The service won't match the GLO, but it's a friendly boutique hotel with views of the city center, forest, and the fjord. Stay in one night for dinner at BRANCHE restaurant downstairs, which has a wonderful singer/pianist named Martin Kaye. He plays everything from the Beatles to Clapton, and Ray Charles to Billy Joel, but does each song in his own unique arrangement and style. I wish every contestant on "American Idol" would learn how to do this (With the exception of David Cook, who could teach this session). Anyway while you're there, be sure and have the upside down pear cake with cinnamon ice cream!

Both Denmark and Finland are like the rest of Scandinavia. People look gorgeous and they're very fit. They walk and ride bicycles everywhere, even in the winter. They wouldn't even think to put an elevator in a building with only three or four stories. You don't see such chronic obesity here like the rest of the world. We had good crowds at both my programs and they have a huge appetite for success.

Anyway, a couple things I wanted to mention to you. If you're in Florida and interested in the program with Ian Percy at the Florida Speakers Association, they say the link in the last issue didn't work. You can get details at: http://www.florida-speakers.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Events.Display&EventID=110

Then you'll want to know about something Derek Gehl is doing. He got challenged by some bombastic blogger to prove his claims about being able to start a money making biz online in a week or less. He accepted the challenge and he's going to do it himself, on camera live. Just my idea of fun, and I bet yours too.

Derek is going to start a brand-new business 100% from scratch in less than one week, film the entire process and turn it into a free video course, so you can see how easily it can be done. He'll be releasing the complete "X-Treme Challenge" video course over a four-day period: April 21-24th.

These videos will be absolutely free, but you have to sign up for his notification list to get access to them. So if you want to learn how to build a money-making online business in less time than it takes for Deepak Chopra to write another book, then go to: http://www.marketingtips.com/xtreme-challenge/t/803011

OK I'm off to Madrid, where the weather is warmer. Talk to you on the other side.

-RG

P.S. Make sure you set aside at least one hour each day on April 21-24th, so you can watch Derek's free training videos and implement the lessons you learn right away. Here is the link again: http://www.marketingtips.com/xtreme-challenge/t/803011