Finland

We crossed from Norway to FInland the third week of September with no fanfare whatsoever. The Norwegian border patrol stood ready to examine incoming traffic but the Finnish side was deserted. And we were lucky with our timing. We dropped right into a Finnish fall with full colors. Our first stop was the town of Inari where we were looking forward to learning more about the traditions and culture of the Sámi people of Lapland. At the Sámi Museum in Inari we learned a lot from the impressive outside exhibits, but unfortunately the inside portion was under reconstruction.

*Traditional Sámi bear trap. The trapping exhibit was fascinating - a different trap for each animal, each one ingenously engineered.*

*Our Finland route, 11 days driving north to south*

In northern Finland we were constantly running into reindeer, crossing the road, walking down the road, always beautiful to see.

*Reindeer just minding it’s own business.*

Next, time for some national parks. Our first stop was Lemmenjoki National Park with an early fall foliage which was a sea of brilliant oranges, reds and yellows.

*Then you get above the foliage that bleak arctic landscape. With plenty of wind.*

As we started south we stopped off at Karhunpesäkivi rest stop to see the “Bear’s Nest," a short climb to Finland's largest tafone (cave-like formation found in granular rock),

Finland was the easiest European country so far to wild camp in - land o’ lakes and rivers and endless forests. Camping is allowed anywhere out of site of private dwellings and property owners gate off or close roads where they don’t want people. We have started to see some controversy on Park4Night - the apps concentrate travellers in areas which have often previously been local hang outs. It is a difficult issue and one we try to be aware of and respect as we choose sites.

Our travel challenge of the week - propane. We knew entering Finland that it was one of the few countries that there is literally no way to fill your own bottle. We filled up at our last stop in Norway and entered confident that we had enough to last us to Estonia. But it was cold. Three days into the trip we had blown through our first tank and half our supply by running our little heater at night. We ratcheted back, wore hats and gloves in the camper in the evenings and cut our consumption back so much that we ended up entering warmer Estonia with extra - lessons learned.

Continuing south, still in the Arctic Circle we started to lose the reds in the fall color but were still enjoying the visual color feast and the stark beauty of the landscape. Our next hike was in Urho Kekkosen National Park, accessed through Saariselka which was right on our way south.

Our final stop on the mini Finnish National Park tour (there are 40 and we made it to three) was Oulanka National Park where we did what was is reputed to be the most beautiful hike in Finland, It lived up to it’s name. The Little Bear trail, or Pieni Karhunkierros, was an easy 12km loop that showcased foliage, river rapids and calm lakes.

*Oulanka National Park - LIttle Bear trail*

*Known for its multiple suspension bridges*

After our hike, It was laundry time so we headed to a city campground in Rovaniemi and prepared to say goodbye to the Arctic Circle. Campground nights tend to be crazy busy for us - in three hours we pulled off two loads of laundry, tire rotation, finishing the Norway blog, veggie prep for the week and downloading Netflix and Amazon Prime episodes for evening entertainment.

In Rovaniemi we visited the acclaimed Arkitukum -an excellent science and history museum focused on the Arctic. It provided an educational deep dive into the history between Finland and Russia and the moving borders for the enduring people of Lapland.

*Rovaniemi bakery break, complete with reindeer pastry - unfortunately Dawn ate half of her cheese pastry before we thought of taking a picture.*

*Another road side stop - Sukulanrakka or Devil’s Churns - glacial holes*

As we left the Arctic, we were disappointed that the magical confluence of conditions (dark sky, clear sky, solar activity) never came together for us to see the Aurora Borealis while we were in the Arctic Circle, but we are hopeful to see it on a future trip someday. As we drove south, we began our tour of Finnish cities and more urban culture. We hit the fall foliage right on target but found ourselves visiting smaller urban areas after the close of the summer tourist season so cities felt deserted and semi-shut down. Formerly bustling market squares had become ghostly empty.

*Famous policeman statue in Oulu, Toripolliisi, honoring the protectors of the marketplace. In a Where’s Waldo moment, the challenge is to find Andy photo bombing Dawn’s shot*

We worked our way down through Rovaniemi, Oulu, Jakobstad, Vaasa, Tampere, and Rauma and despite the in between season nature of things, found something unique and fun to provide interest in each place.

*Wandering the trails and bridges of Oulu’s islands*

*We thought about it but imagined it would probably only be awkward*

A rare meal out (for us) in Jakobstad at After Eight- a lovely local cafe with a fixed lunch each day - we landed on fish and chip Wednesday - perfect food and ambience. Lunch on a soft couch with Wifi - yes. (We currently do not have a couch in our daily lives.)

We discovered that many towns had a version of the old Kauppahali, or marketplace - beautifully styled buildings with an indoor hall of stalls of all the best foods - fish, bread, coffee, cheese, chocolate . . .

*Which provided the key ingredient for the best salad possible - smoked salmon, feta, avocado, tomatos, boiled eggs, broccoli and fresh lettuce.*

So, our Garmin Overland does a consistently great job in finding us short cuts and routes. This day, not so much. We left our wild site in the woods and were driving an increasingly sketchy road when we hit a whomping peat bog hole.

*But we had planned for this! Pulled out the ARB recovery kit, found a winch tree, hooked up the Warn winch and it all worked beautifully.*

*So before continuing we walked the rest of the road - one more scary spot but no more major incidents*

Our truck is designed to get us places we want to go so Andy made sure it could handle most conditions. But it is not really made for off roading in the traditional sense - just too heavy and it has a high center of gravity. But we were glad to have a relatively easy test of the system so that when we hit African monsoon season we will be ready for it. Out of the woods and back into the cities!

*Exploring the Sammallahdenmäki UNESCO bronze age burial site. We camped here the night before visiting Rauma and were treated to a night of serenading by migrating cranes at the nearby lake.*

For us, Rauma was one of the most beautiful urban sites in Finland. A UNESCO World Heritage site, each street had rows of intricately carved and painted wooden buildings.

*Rauma, medieval town structure with unique wooden architecture*

*Exploring the cobbled streets of Rauma*

*Naantali - coastal town, home to Moomin world, based on famous children’s books by Finnish illustrator Tove Jansoon*

Our final stop in our whirlwind tour of Finland - Helsinki. We spent two relaxing nights in a hotel and walked 10 miles in the city each day - seeking out the architectural and cultural highlights. Cue the photos:

*Another Where’s Waldo challenge - Andy on the Amos Rex Art Museum*

*Kamppi Chapel of Silence - no windows, must be quiet!*

Dawn looking happy outside the Finnish National Theater - waiting for stages to go live again. It may be true that All the World's a Stage but it's not the same as seeing artists tell a story to a live audience in a theater.

*Central Station, statues being Covid safe.*

*Vanha Kauppahahalli - similar design for old market halls seen throughout Finland.*

Suomenlinna fortress on an island off of Helsinki. More history lessons - built by the Swedes to fend off the Russians. It didn’t go well, they ended up ceding the fort to the Russians who used it as a launching pad to take over Finland in 1809.

*Helsinki syline returning from the Suomenlinna fortress island. Well worth the trip for a grand total cost of $4 roundtrip on the ferry.*

*The Temppeliaukio rock church, built into a rock wall in 1969. Apparently a great concert site, but not currently.*

*And then just enjoying the nameless old buildings*

*Interesting suprises up every side street*

So long Finland - it was a fabulous fall. Next stop, journey to Tallinn, Estonia on the ferry from Helsinki. Tickets booked and passports ready.

Thank you for reading and please let us know if you have any questions. We are new to this blog world and want this to be useful to other travellers and interesting to home readers out there. Any feedback is welcome and appreciated!

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania

Norway Part 2- the North