Finland

• By admin
• June 21, 2016
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We stayed overnight in the ferry port of Umea to ensure we were in the queue for the ferry the next morning at 7am. It was a peaceful evening with the sun dipping for less than three hours, we overlooked the sea and the ferry that would be taking us to Finland in the morning. We had intended to spend a week getting to Helsinki but because I had managed to back into a lamppost and damage my bike it needed repairing. We had found a bike shop in Helsinki who felt they could help with the repairs so we decided to drive to Helsinki stopping overnight in a delightful campsite set in the forest overlooking a lake. We discovered that in Finland campsites all have saunas and communal barbeques with chopped wood for you to use. As Finland is 70% forests, according to the guides,  I guess they can spare the odd ton of firewood.  The next day we found the bike shop, luckily everyone in Finland speaks English so we were able to explain what was wrong with the bike, although with a very bent wheel I think it didn’t matter which language one spoke. The young person that served us offered me the use of his bike whilst mine was being repaired. I declined but was very touched by his offer. We left Helsinki and drove to the pretty coastal town of Ekenas where we intended to stay for a few days.