Category: Finland

Estonia

We reluctantly started to make our way south. Both of us really like Finland and resolved we should try and come back to spend a bit more time here. The mosquitos are a bit of a pest so our plan would be to arrive in the north at the end of summer. Once the temperature drops the mosquitos go away. Then we would stay until it gets too cold. Hopefully catch some more aurora. We saw the Northern Lights in Finland just once this trip, the day Cent had his operation. Another motorhome had arrived late on and they came banging on the door about 11pm to tell us the aurora was out. It was faint in the late twilight sky but still quite visible and exciting to experience.

Meanwhile, plodding south, there were still many forests and lakes to explore. They are a complete delight and we spent many contented hours wandering small tracks and lakesides. Gave me chance for a bit more swimming as well.

  • View from the tower

Also, many mushrooms still to collect. Our identification skills are slowly improving. It can sometimes be difficult to be certain about a mushroom from the picture and description in a book. We have taken to occasionally accosting other foragers to see what they are collecting. They are usually quite obliging and even a bit proud of their collections. Once you have positively identified a particular species it tends to get a lot easier to spot them again. On this trip we have extended our knowledge of edibles by at least eight more fungi. One high light was discovering Matsutake mushrooms. These are highly prized in Japan and can fetch a significant price but have only fairly recently been recognized in Finland. We only found a modest handful but they made a tasty snack fried up in butter with a bit of garlic.

Arriving at Helsinki in the afternoon, we found a quite parking spot well outside the main part of the city. Our ferry to Tallinn sailed the following morning so we got the motorbike out and had a run into town. This gave us a bit of a look around the main parts of the city and was also a useful reconnaissance of the route to the ferry terminal. To be honest, neither of us are great lovers of cities and a brief tour by bike was fine. Helsinki seems like a very nice place but was very quiet. Most of the bars and restaurants are still closed. The harbour area especially, was clean and colourful with many small boats, sailing yachts and immense power boats.

  • Sun
  • Rain
  • River ferry
  • Leaving Finland

Next day we boarded a half-empty ferry and three hours later arrived in Estonia. Getting out of the harbour area proved tricky because of the narrow streets and weight restrictions. We were happy when we had not only escaped the confines of Tallinn but also avoided any damage or fines. So we headed for the country and by the evening were back in a forest. Our natural environment.

  • Arriving in Tallinn
  • Log train

Finland

The range and quantities of mushrooms in the north of Scandinavia is astounding. They are everywhere. I’ve always had a bit of a fascination with mushrooms so spending a few hours each day wandering through forests collecting fungi has been wonderful. We have a couple of good mushroom books and occasionally manage to identify something edible. Then we have the added bonus of cooking up a tasty snack at the end of our walk. It is not quite living off the land but there is a certain satisfaction in a successful foraging trip.

  • Don’t eat these

The further north we go, the more reindeer we see. They tend to be quite nervous and bolt at the slightest noise. Trying to sneak up on them in a truck is tricky. Eventually, we spotted a small herd grazing in a distant field. We stopped Baloo well short of them, left Cent in the cab, and like deer stalkers of old, attempted to sneak up on them. I think my stalking skills are lacking a bit but I did manage to get a few photos before they ran off.

For the whole time we have been in Sweden, there has been no visible signs of the pandemic at all. Life appears to be completely normal. The next day we crossed into Finland and this took us back to wearing masks. At the border we needed to provide proof that we were vaccinated.

There are bears in Finland. European Brown Bears. The cubs are exceptionally cute and look just the original child’s toy. We haven’t seen any cubs. Or bears. Or moose. There are a lot of road signs warning of moose. Every few kilometres there is a warning sign but, as far as we can tell, there are not actually any moose. I am starting to believe that my chances of seeing a bear riding a moose are vanishingly small.  

As soon as you drive off the main roads you are usually onto dirt tracks. This makes a lot of sense when you realise that these roads are covered in snow and ice for much of the year. Road vehicles are fitted with studded tyres and the tracks also get used by snow mobiles. Everywhere is criss-crossed with tracks most of which are used by forestry vehicles. So, we have been able to drive for days on end without touching any tarmac. Quiet tracks deep in the forest. Perfect.

  • Border to Russia

We took Cent to the vet for a rabies booster in preparation for coming back to the UK next month. The vet examined him and then said he had big balls. I felt a momentary twinge of pride. “No, really. He has a swollen testicle.” she explained. Oh. “This could be cancer.“ Yikes! Next day we brought him back for an operation to remove his testicles. They did a very good job and two hours later we were carrying a virtually unconscious dog back to Baloo. A short way down the road we found a pleasant and deserted camping area where he could lie in the sun and sleep it off. He is fine now and completely back to his normal self.