Filmtown in Finland

From Filmtown to Candytown.

Many thanks to my Finnish friend Ion Mittler who has let me know that the Filmtown movie rental chain is stopping film rentals and becoming a chain of sweet shops called Candy Town.

Filmtown is the last movie rental chain in the country. There are currently forty Filmtown stores in Finland, and you can still rent films from four of them for the remainder of 2023 and 2024. The others have already become candy stores.

Ion called into one of the Filmtown stores last weekend and took these snaps. He noted that while there everyone was buying candies and that no one was renting movies.

It's fascinating seeing the change in consumer habits and looking at retail history. We've been to a fair few former video stores on our travels over the last few years.

Check out the Filmtown website for more information.

No Minigolf at Chester Zoo

The Conservation Golf course at Chester Zoo is no longer there.

We had a day out at Chester Zoo yesterday. Unfortunately the Conservation Golf course that our friend John Mittler snapped for us in January 2018 is long gone.

Check out the guest blog post from John's visit for more photos.

Social distancing at a railway station in Finland

Many thanks to my friend and minigolf rival John Mittler for sending me this social distancing sign from Tikkurila railway station in Vantaa, Helsinki metropolitan area. He noticed it while making an essential journey into Tampere.

As John put it "Please socially distance yourself from the train, for your own safety."

He knows me well.

I enjoy seeing different and funny signs around the world, I'm a train nerd and I'm also documenting as many social distancing / Covid-19 signs & posters during the time of the coronavirus pandemic.

Conservation Golf at Chester Zoo

Finding out about the Adventure Golf course at Chester Zoo.

On his recent trip to the UK our friend and minigolf rival John Mittler visited Chester Zoo and while there discovered an Adventure Golf course!

Conservation Golf at Chester Zoo

Unfortunately it was closed and isn't open again until the Spring.

Hole 1

We haven't made it to Chester Zoo yet, we're hoping to visit in the summer. The Conservation Golf course wasn't on our Crazy World of Minigolf 'to visit' list, so it's another one to add to our future travels.

Hole 2

Hole 3 

Hole 4 

Hole 5 

Hole 6 

Hole 7 

Hole 8 

Hole 9

Visit the Chester Zoo website for more information.

All photos courtesy of John Mittler.

Paradise Island Adventure Golf in Manchester

A revisit to the Paradise Island Adventure Golf course in Manchester.

On Thursday 28th December we visited Paradise Island Adventure Golf at the Trafford Centre in Manchester for a round with our friend and Finnish minigolf champion John Mittler. There are two 18-hole indoor courses at Paradise Island Adventure Golf and we picked the Temple Ruins minigolf course for our round.

Dressed for the occasion

Paradise Island Adventure Golf is our local course - a short drive up the M60 - and we've played there a few times on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. They were originally the 85th and 86th played on our travels back in 2009.

John playing the 18th

John got off to a brilliant start with an ace on the first hole, although this was followed by a pair of threes. I started off with three steady twos, while Emily shot two, three, two.

About to ace the 11th hole

At the end of our round I came out the winner with a score of 31 (five aces and no dropped shots), John shot a 37 for second place, while Emily shot the course par of 42.

My round of 31 beat the previous best in December

Check out the Paradise Island Adventure Golf website for more information and opening times.

Emily tackling the 17th hole

Paradise Island in Manchester was the last minigolf course visit of 2016 - and it's likely to be the last minigolf course we visit this year too!

In July this year we played the courses as part of the PIAG Open competition. On that occasion I shot a 39 (including a seven) and Emily had a 42 on the Temple Ruins course. We also had a round at the Paradise Island Adventure Golf centre at Cheshire Oaks this summer.

Related blog posts:
- Paradise Island Adventure Golf
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Manchester

Links:
- Paradise Island Adventure Golf
- The Trafford Centre

Videos:
- John Mittler Ace on Hole 8
- Richard Ace on Hole 11
- Richard Ace on Hole 18

'Riedenburger Gluten Frei' beer

John Mittler, a friend of mine and fellow Minigolfer in Finland, kindly let me know about a gluten free beer he found in a supermarket with a 70% discount! What a bargain. 

The bottle of Riedenburger Gluten Frei beer - and the early stages of the BBQ. Photo by John Mittler

It's not a gluten free beer I'd heard of before!

He gave the 'Riedenburger Gluten Frei' beer a try, and while it wasn't too his taste he did enjoy the first sip! He commented that he was very glad he doesn't have to consume only gluten free beer.

I'm looking forward to giving the Riedenburger Gluten Frei beer a try.

Links:

- Riedenburger Brauhaus Gluten Frei

- Gluten Free Ales, Beers and Lagers - Details of Gluten Free Ale, Beer and Lager that I've 'sampled' since being diagnosed as a Coeliac *hic*