"They reached the Duomo at twelve minutes past four, when the light had begun to take on a wonderful filtered reddish glow. It was, they heard a passing guide remark, the best time to visit the Cathedral.
The Duomo, Milan's great cathedral, is one of the wonders of Europe. It dominates the city, colossal in size, yet somehow almost ethereal, with its statues, belfries, pinnacles and gables; a monster cake built in white marble to the glory of God, standing at the far end of an imposing esplanade.
Fredericka went up by the elevator, while Bond took the stairs. Both were conscious that Dragonpol, with ease, could be waiting for them, or even lurking on that hard spiral climb.
When Bond reached the top, he saw Fredericka viewing the exit points from the far side of the roof.
Above them towered the famous Tiburio, the central tower, dominated by the statue of the Blessed Virgin.
It was almost four-twenty-five and, following a quick conference, they spread out to right and left so that they both had clear views of the stairs and elevator cage: relatively safe in the knowledge that even Dragonpol could not look in two directions at once."
What: Bradford Comic-Con |
| Photo © 007 Travelers |
"Rovaniemi had been an ideal choice. From the town one can move quickly north to the more desolate areas. It is also only a couple of fast hours' travel on a snow scooter to the more accessible points along the Russo-Finnish border; to places like Salla, the scene of great battles during the war between the Russians and Finns in 1939-40. Farther north, the frontier zone becomes more inhospitable.
During summer, this part of the Arctic Circle is not unpleasant; but in winter, when blizzards, deep-freeze conditions, and heavy snow take over, the country can be treacherous, and wretched, for the unwary.
When it was all over and the two exercises with the SAS and SBS completed, Bond expected to be exhausted, in need of rest, sleep, and relaxation of the kind he could only find in London. During the worst moments of the ordeal his thoughts had been, in fact, of the comfort to be found in his Chelsea flat. He was, then, quite unprepared to discover that, on returning to Rovaniemi a couple of weeks later, his body surged with an energy and sense of fitness he had not experienced for a considerable time.
Arriving back in the early hours, he slipped into to Ounasvaara Polar Hotel - where Saab had their Winter Driving Headquarters - left a message for Erik Carlsson saying he would send full instructions regarding the movement of the Silver Beast, then hitched a lift to the airport and boarded the the next flight to Helsinki. At that point, his plan was to catch a connection straight on to London."
 |
| Pirita / 007 Travelers |
 |
| Mika / 007 Travelers |
"The winter clothing, he thought, would do little for his image with the ladies back home. Damart thermal underwear is scarcely conductive to certain activities. Over long johns, he wore a track suit, heavy rollneck sweater, padded ski pants and jacket, while his feet were firmly laced into Mukluk boots. A thermal hood, scarf, woollen hat and goggles protected his face; Damart gloves inside leather gauntlets did the same for his hands. A small pack contained the necessities, including his own version of the SAS/SBS webbing belt.
Bond trudged through snow, which came up tho his knees in the easier parts, taking care not to stray from the narrow track he had reconnoitred during the daylight hours. A wrong move to left or right could land him in snowdrifts deep enough to cover a small car."
"The snow scooter was exactly where the briefing officers said it would be. Nobody was going to ask questions about how it got there. Snow scooters are difficult machines to manhandle with the engine off, and it took Bond a good ten minutes to heave and pull this one from its hiding place beneath solid and unyielding fir branches He then hauled it to the top of a long slope which ran downwards for almost a kilometer. A push and a machine moved forward, giving Bond just enough time to leap on to the saddle and thrust his legs into the protective guards.
Silently, the scooter slid down the long slope, finally coming to a stop as the weight and momentum ran out. Though sound carried easily across the snow, he was now far enough from the hotel to start the engine safely - after taking a compass bearing, and checking his map with a shaded torch. The little motor came to life. Bond opened the throttle, engaged the gear and began his journey. It took twenty-four hours to meet up with his colleagues."
 |
| Marketa Remesova, Santa Claus and Mika Häkkinen |
 |
| Nightwish and Santa Claus |
 |
| John Cleese and Santa Claus |
 |
| Valo the reindeer |
 |
| 007 Travelers and the reindeer Juntti |
 |
| Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC |
 |
| Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC |
 |
| Photo © EON, United Artists, Danjaq LLC |
 |
| Jenni |
"There was no difficulty about cover in Finland, as far as Bond was concerned. He had yet to test-drive his own Saab Turbo - "The Silver Beast" as he called it - in harsh winter conditions.Saab-Scania hold an exacting Winter Driving Course each year, within the Arctic Circle, near the Finnish ski resort of Rovaniemi. Arranging an invitation to take part in the course was easy, requiring only a couple of telephone calls. Within twenty-four hours Bond had his car - complete with all its secret "extras", built in at his own expense by Communications Control Systems - freighted to Finland. Bond then flew, via Helsinki, to Rovaniemi, to meet up with driving experts, like his own friend Erik Carlsson, and the dapper Simo Lampinen.The Driving Course took only a few days, after which - with a word to the massive Erik Carlsson, who promised to keep his eye on the Silver Beast - Bond left the hotel near Rovaniemi in the early hours of a bitterly cold morning."
