COST Action 626 –Management Committee Meeting and Working Group Meetings

Oulu, Finland, May 30-31, 2002

 

Dear all,

 

Here you have some information on the next COST Action 626-meeting in Oulu, Finland.

 

First, general information on the Oulu area  you can find from

http://www.ouka.fi/english/index.html.  Check the weather from this web-page before you leave to take enough warm clothing, especially if you’ll participate in the excursion (see below).

 

NOTE: Attached is also a ‘reservation questionnaire’.  Please, do fill that ‘questionnaire’ and send (fax +358 205751649 or e-mail (ari.huusko@rktl.fi))  it back as soon as possible. This will help to organize flexible lunch-times during the meeting and to reserve transportation for the excursion.

 

 

 

HOTELS (this information you have got earlier)

 

Below you find information on hotels, where I have made a pre-reservation. Our meeting place is in the Hotel Ramada, so I recommend to book your hotel room from it. The other one is within 300 m from the Ramada, so its about 5 minutes walk if you choose that one. Book your hotel AT ONCE, and no later than 6^th of  May. Mention the acronym “Eu-Cost action 626” when you make your reservation. After the given date the prices etc. will be different.  If suggested hotels do not suit your needs, additional hotels can be found http://www.ouka.fi/matkailu/english/hotellit-frame.html

 

 

HOTEL Ramada Oulu

Address:  Kirkkokatu 3

Phone: +358 8 8839111

FAX: +358 8 8839100

e-mail: oulu.ramada@restel.fi

Cost per night

Single room: 93 euros including breakfast

Double room: 128 euros including breakfast

 

HOTEL Cumulus

Address: Kajaaninkatu 17

Phone: +358 8 8827111

FAX: +358 8 8827299

e-mail: oulu.cumulus@restel.fi

Cost per night

Single room: 118 euros including breakfast (from Friday to Sunday 82 euros)

Double room: 129 euros including breakfast (from Friday to Sunday 82 euros)

 

HOW TO GET  TO THE HOTELS

 

From the Oulu airport a bus (number 19, a blue bus) ride takes 30 minutes to get to the downtown (the price is  4 euros). You can ask the bus driver to stop at your hotel or at the bus-stop nearest to it. A good landmark to get off the bus is the church in the downtown Oulu, located opposite to Hotel Ramada.  Of course you can take a taxi to get to the hotel from the airport (about 25 euros).

 

MEETING PLACE

 

The meeting place is indicated on the map: Hotel Ramada (street address: Kirkkokatu 3).

 

 

LUNCH, DINNER

 

‘Get-together’ on Wednesday evening (29^th May) will be at “Jumpru pub” (see map). Beer, drinks, and snacks are available with ‘reasonable’ price. You can drop in at any time.

 

Lunch: either in the hotel Ramada restaurant (buffet, 10 euros) or nearby in downtown (there are pizza-places (from 5 euros…) and ‘normal’ lunch-restaurants (from 8 euros…).

 

Afternoon coffee break: in the hotel Ramada restaurant (coffee/tee and snack, 3 euros) or nearby in downtown.

 

Dinner: On Thursday evening (after a hard working day), light food and snacks will be available (free of charge, sponsored by NOREC), after which everybody can head to downtown restaurants…

 

On Friday evening (after even a harder working day) we can have a joint dinner (Finnish Archipelago Style Buffet, price 45 euros, drinks not included).

 

 

SHOPPING, PUBS, BANKS ….

 

The hotels and the meeting place are close to the downtown area. All the local people involved in the organization of the meeting will try to give you all the information that you require during the meeting about good restaurants and pubs, place for shopping, etc ….

 

 

EXCURSION

           

On Saturday, its possible to join an excursion. We will start at 0930 hours in the morning, and go from Oulu to Paltamo (a small municipality, 2 hours by bus from Oulu). During the journey, we make a short visit to have a glance on habitat enhancements in a large short-term regulated river.

 

In Paltamo, we’ll visit Finnish Game and Fisheries Research and Aquaculture Station, where you have possibility to get information on the Institute’s aquaculture, to check an experimental research unit (flumes), and to have a light (field-)buffet lunch.

 

From this place we continue our way to the Holiday Club Katinkulta in Vuokatti (see more http://www.holidayclub.fi/english/katinkulta/katinkulta.html, 45 minutes bus ride from Paltamo).  Here you’ll have several possibilities to spent the next two hours, e.g.: 1) go to spa including sauna-world and swimming (take your swim suit with you if you prefer this), 2) have a walking trip in the forest-covered hills,  3) go to a nearby village and join the local life, … etc.  By 1800 hours we get together and go for dinner to a forest cottage. Before the dinner there will be some preceding competitions for volunteers. Return to Oulu starts around 2100 hours and arrival time will be by 2400 hours.  So you’ll still have time to enjoy the ‘white’ night at downtown Oulu. 

 

Total excursion costs will be 70 euros (supposing that there is about 45-50 participants), the spa ticket (11 euros) is not included.

 

 

FURTHER INFORMATION

 

Do not hesitate to send an e-mail to any of the persons mentioned below if you need either further information or any help:

 

ari.huusko@rktl.fi

teppo.vehanen@rktl.fi

timo.yrjana@ymparisto.fi

 

 

After arrival, in case of emergency you can get in touch with us at the following telephone numbers:

 

Ari Huusko  +358 400 284240 (mobile phone)

Timo Yrjänä +358 400 386593 (mobile phone)

Teppo Vehanen +358 40 5708498 (mobile phone)