Hello from Helsinki

The sun is shining, it's getting warm and Helsinki is slowly turning into the summer city it really is. The sand so necessary during the snowy season has become a real nuisance. It is dry and dusty and gets up in the air along with the increasing amounts of pollen so that all people, especially the allergic ones, get breathing trouble. This is the season, when it grinds in the teeth. If you happen to open your mouth walking, you'll get grains of sand in it. I understand very well, why the beduins in Sahara wear protective clothing in front of their mouths.

Tomorrow, we fly back to Düsseldorf and the two-week business-holiday is over. Apparently and as anticipated, the weather in Germany is even more summery. We've had reports...