Dwti Draig

We had spent a rough night in our deserted forest spot. It was rough because a phone call from our youngest woke me from a deep sleep at 11.30pm, and then I found it hard to go back to sleep. I was checking the aurora forecast which looked promising, and so spent some time standing on our bed with my head through our sky hatch, all to no avail. The heavens were not cooperating tonight, although the clouds did shift and the stars came out.

We went sleepily this morning to the nearby national park of Urho Kekkonen. We had intended to do a short 3km walk to see some WW2 sights, but in typical Lyn fashion he managed to extend the walk by a few km.

The trails were very well marked, and we passed boards telling us the history of the German defense lines in the area as they tried to protect the Norwegian nickel mines and the route north to the Arctic. We were able to climb into dugouts and look at trenches and even see an anti-tank gun. As this trail finished we carried on uphill towards a viewing platform Lyn could see on his map. The route underfoot was not easy; there were so many huge tree roots and rocks in the way you needed to watch every footstep. I must admit I did huff and puff and the smallest little moan might have escaped my lips from time to time. I eventually made it to the peak and climbed the steps to look out at the 360-degree view over lakes and trees. Many many trees. It was so quiet there, we only saw 2 other people on the trail, going in the opposite direction. It wasn’t the easiest walk for me (totally unfit!) but it was good to get out in the fresh air and move our bodies. A lot of mileage has meant hours sat in the cab, and bad weather has meant hours sat in the hab. The air smelt so fresh, thanks to the thousands of trees. 

It is interesting to see the difference between Finnish and British culture. As we walked into the park we could see a set of walking poles stood up against a wall. Obviously, somebody had forgotten them, but they had not been taken, and were still there when we passed on our way out two hours later. The little wooden shelter used by the Germans had wooden guns in there left for children (and Lyn!) to enjoy. I get the feeling these would have been stolen or ruined in Britain. We also came across a little hut called Hopiaoja; named after the creek that runs nearby. This is for people to gather and make a fire in the centre, and sit around. There is even a wood shed nearby, stacked with neatly cut wood and axes, which has not been abused in any way. Lessons to be learned I think! In 1934 gold was discovered from the creek after a dream revealed the source to a local man. Since then gold has been prospected and there is now a panning site for tourists. 

We got back into the cab, with me hauling my aching legs up the steps in a most inelegant manner, before carrying back on down the road south. We stopped at a dam for bacon sarnies, and Lyn bravely put the mileage back in until we eventually made it back to Rovaneimi and Santa’s Village where we are parked up for the night again exhausted. We drove back over the Arctic Circle, so we are no longer arctic adventurers.

We left Rovaneimi, knowing in our hearts we were never going to be so close to Santa again, but we were at peace with that, after I had a coffee and Lyn a full Finnish breakfast brunch, complete with sausages, venison, ligonberries and pickled fish, deep fried sardines, and parsnip soup, as well as Lyn’s favourite mashed potatoes which he thoroughly enjoyed. We drove off in a new direction south. We are going to follow part of the Baltic Coast down. We love the Swedish side, and have been there twice, so now it is time to compare the Finnish side. 

Our first night’s stop was at a place called Kemi, where we encountered both the good and the bad that Kemi had to offer. The good was our visit to Intersport; a sports shop in a shopping mall. We had hoped to see some good quality Finnish winter weather gear, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. I ended up with a pair of winter ankle boots and Lyn with a pair of trousers. Not cheap, but we can get the tax back as non EU residents. It looks like it will be a bit of a faff, but at 24% off it will be worth the effort. The clothes in the shop are mostly marked up with “-30 degrees” labels, so I am sure that means they can cope with a winter in Wales! After the sheer pleasure of looking around this amazing Aladdin’s cave of mostly unaffordable gear, we headed onto Kemi’s biggest attraction; the “Snow Castle”. This is billed as the biggest snow fort in the world, which is rebuilt every winter. In fairness, the pictures do look amazing; it’s just we are several months too early, and what we got to see was a white building! Not quite the same! The two photos below show what we did see, and what we would have seen in a month or two! Timing is everything!

After stopping the night on a river along the route, watching the rain, we drove on further south to our next stop of Oulu. I was particularly excited by this for several reasons, as A) we were going to a campsite so I could get a lot of washing and cooking done, B) the campsite is by a lovely beach and C) I was particularly and most peculiarly drawn to a supermarket on the outskirts called Prisma. Don’t ask me why I was drawn there, just call it a feminine intuition. 

My spooky intuition proved correct, and we were blown away by this gigantic behemoth of a food store. In fact it would be disrespectful to refer to it as a food store. You want an ice hockey stick? Look no further! You want a giant ladle for your home sauna? Over there if you please! You want Gore-Tex Merrell boots? Just this way Sir! We wandered round like kids in a candy shop, literally. They also had a fantastic Sushi bar; just a shame I hate Sushi as it all looked so pretty!

Unfortunately, we had no need to buy a clock for our home sauna as we do not have one, or an ice hockey helmet, but we did have a need for food. All things considered, we were very restrained. Lyn treated himself to some smoked reindeer soup, and we bought some carrot bread rolls, and other necessities that we needed. I bought the most amazing bottle of Bitter Grapefruit mixer for my gin, and let me just add that as a result, a return journey to Prisma is going to be made! They have an interesting way of weighing out the fresh fruit and veg; every item is given a number, and you just place the item on the scales and press that number. So much easier for me than trying to remember the correct Finnish word for a particular variety of carrot, for example, and then get to the scales and have to look up that word that I invariably can’t remember!

We parked up in our campsite, after paying 44E for the night. It is not cheap but does include electricity and is in a great location, almost on the seafront. We filled up with water and parked up to make the most of the electricity. I cooked my little heart out, making a harissa chicken feta pasta bake again for dinner, plus making carrot and coriander soup, cheese and potato pie, and peanut butter cookies, which are all in the freezer. The we started on the washing! How do we accumulate so much, and that is before I stripped the bed, which I declared to be a tomorrow problem!

We headed out for a little walk on the beach, which is lovely. You can tell it is a big summer destination, by looking at the expensive zip line and closed ice cream stands. It is definitely not ice cream weather today though, it is windy and cool; perfect beach walking weather. There is no way we can go in the sea to swim though; it is way too choppy, and has that sort of steel grey look that warns you it is going to be very cold! It was lovely to get out and get some fresh air, and we returned for another visit after dinner and before going to bed, just to clear the cobwebs. 

We  woke up this morning, and the sun is still shining, which is a big bonus. Lyn has ventured out on his first run for months, while I catch up with the blog. The plan is to stay here another night to catch up on a few jobs and get this bloody bedding washed. We can make the most of more beach walks then this afternoon, followed by a beef dinner, complete with roasties. A perfect Sunday I think!