Dwti Draig

Finally! After a week of staying put so my back could heal we have finally moved on and are back on the road, and it sure feels good.

Looking back, it all seems a bit of a blur. The days seemed to drag, but I also lost track of time. For the most part it was all about managing pain, and how to do the essentials. Going to the loo took planning, thought and strategy; how could I most effectively move along the couple of metres towards the bathroom, and then, how in God’s name was I going to sit down and get back up? All riveting stuff! I definitely had time to count my blessings; this whole ordeal would have been much more horrendous in our old T5 camper van, and much less comfortable in our Hymer motorhome. At least in Dwti I had space to move positions so I wasn’t sitting or laying in the same spot all the time. 

A couple of things definitely made this week easier; most importantly was that Lyn was able to take over all the day to day admin tasks, such as cooking and washing up etc. It also helped that I had an ever changing view to look at out of the window. The harbour we stayed at was a busy one, with lots of comings and goings. It’s obviously time for them to lift the boats out of the marina before the sea freezes, so there were constant tractors and cranes there and lots of activity. The weather also played a part; it was much easier for me to be content and stay put when the weather was awful outside. We had days of stormy rain, where being indoors seemed by far the best option.

My back only started to ease a bit on Day 5, and then made huge improvements till we left on Day 7. I was quite excited to leave, and was raring to go. I was going “Out Out” aka a visit to Prisma supermarket! This was going to be the highlight of my sad week, so I showered, put makeup on, and actually put clothes on. What a day to be alive. Full of confidence I managed to pull myself up into the cab, and we drove southwards for about an hour before stopping. This time I was going to walk around Prisma like a Boss Babe; no hunching over the trolley like a Finnish crone for me this time. I did manage to walk around, but my over-enthusiasm meant I eventually paid the price, and I had to hobble back to the truck. Never mind; mission accomplished. We drove for about another half hour to Nantaali, and found a lovely park up on a little harbour, with a swimming jetty within hobbling distance. 

We’ve had interesting responses off many Finns regarding Dwti. Two people have actually followed us to stop and talk about her. We were filling up yesterday in a fuel station when a car suddenly pulled in alongside us and a very stern looking man got out and strode around to Lyn. I was quite anxious until I heard him ask Lyn “Can I buy this off you?” They were talking for ages, and he even invited us to his house to fill up with water if we needed to. Another bloke stopped us in the car park to admire her. He was an 87 year old Finn who was parked nearby in his little red campervan. Thank goodness they all have such good English as my Finnish Duolinhgo is definitely not at the truck specs level yet. Our number plate intrigues them as they don’t recognise the CYM on it for Cymru. They say that they don’t see many Britsh people at all here, it is mostly Finns, Swedes, Latvians and Germans. They are keen to know what we they think of Finland and their supermarkets! One bloke yesterday told Lyn we will pass “Finland’s biggest and best supermarket” on the way to Helskinki! We can’t pass that by! One bloke told Lyn the Finnish joke of “Where do you find a woman in Finland in winter?” The answer is at home or in Prisma. Can’t say I blame them. 

Our little harbour stop was so lovely in Nantaali that we ended up staying for 2 nights. We had a fabulous view to look out over, and the most perfect swimming jetty to swim from. We swam twice there, it was just perfect. The Baltic Sea didn’t even have a ripple, and had the most beautiful reflections of the autumn trees. When we got in this morning the air temperature was 4 degrees and the sea was 9 degrees, so it was warmer in than out. I swam out to a little pontoon further out and climbed up. It was idyllic, but I wasn’t tempted to jump off. I think I now have a mission to buy a winning lottery ticket and buy a little cottage on the edge of the Baltic Sea in sight of a swimming jetty—my idea of heaven. It felt really special to be there; we really took the time to appreciate the ten minutes we were in swimming, and not at work like so many other people on a Monday morning. All Lyn’s hard work has definitely paid off, and we are super grateful to have this opportunity and intend to make the most of every minute. 

We had to tear ourselves away, but feel pretty sure we will be back at some point, as we love this area. After a brunch of home made chocolate protein bread and butter pudding we headed to “Finland’s best supermarket” and yes, we were wowed. It was huge, with the biggest Pick n Mix I have ever seen, with my favourite Reisins and licorice fudge there. I bought a little carton of fresh lingonberries and cranberries that had been crushed ready to drink. It was delicious! I also found Kombucha for the first time in a supermarket, so that made me happy. Lyn got some reindeer soup and some sushi for lunch from the huge sushi bar. I also ended up buying an instrument of torture, aka a massage ball to use on my back. We also managed to replace our pack of playing cards that Lyn picked up in Amsterdam in 2014. Maybe the new pack will bring me some luck in our nightly game. I need it!

We then took the motorway to our final stop in Finland before we move on. The road was surprisingly quiet, (unlike the M4 back home) right up until we were on the ring road at rush hour. Then it got a bit hair-raising due to lots of traffic and narrow lanes. Lyn aced the driving as usual, whereas I had my eyes closed at times. We are now parked up in a campsite for 2 nights, ready to take the metro in for a city day tomorrow. 

Well, it’s safe to say I am completely knackered after our city day out! After over a week of virtually not moving, and only walking around a supermarket it was strange to be full steam ahead in a busy capital city. We bought a travel card at the nearest Metro station to the campsite we are staying at, which was only a few minutes away. The one-day travel card is great value at 9E, and for that you get to travel on all trains, trams, metros, buses, and even a ferry. Like the other Scandinavian capital cities of Oslo and Stockholm, the travel system here is first class. It is fast, clean, on time and easy to navigate. What are we doing wrong in the UK? 

I

t took 20 minutes to zip into the centre of Helsinki, and we got out at the Central Train Station, which is huge, and an incredible building. Our first stop was to a whole foods store to get me some more mushroom coffee as I have run out. The shop was amazing; like Holland & Barretts on steroids. We caught a tram down to near the seafront and walked around for a bit, looking out at the little islands dotted about, and the huge ferry that was docked ready for its trip to Stockholm. I was quickly tiring, so we caught another tram back up to the brewery Lyn wanted to visit. He had visited Helsinki twice in his working career, both times in February and over Valentine’s Day. He had fallen in love with Helsinki, and relished walking around in the dark cold February days, where the temperature reached -12, snow lined the roads, and the sea was frozen. He had always been keen to show it to me, so now was his chance. He particularly loved the Helsinki Bryggeri brewhouse, so we made our way there, only to find we had an hour to waste before it opened at 3pm. We whiled away the hour by walking up to the cathedral, and had a cup of very expensive coffee in a cafe overlooking it. We then climbed the 52 steps up to the cathedral from Senate Square. 

We then walked around to see the beautiful Orthodox cathedral and the Presidential Palace which serves as one of the official residences of the Finnish president but is used mostly for state events and functions. We finally settled in the Brewery for a lovely hour or two, where Lyn had a few pints and I had a local Helsinki gin, before returning to the train station to return to Dwti. 

Tonight marks our last night in Finland, after spending 31 nights here. We have thoroughly enjoyed it and will return, although we will probably not return up north. We have both loved the Baltic Coast, which is unsurprising as we loved the Swedish Baltic Coast. We can see a future holiday where we visit the archipelagoes of Sweden and Finland and just cruise around staying in different little harbours and on different little islands. Sweden has about 30,000 islands, with Finland having around 70,000 so I am sure we can find the perfect one for us! Finland has consistently been ranked as the world’s happiest country in the World Happiness Report, and I can see why. The Finns benefit from a huge strong social safety net, with access to one of the world’s best education systems , universal healthcare and support during unemployment. There is also huge trust in institutions and trust among individuals, which we definitely saw in action. Finland also places a high value on work/life balance, with policies that promote reasonable working hours, good vacation leave and parental entitlements. They also have a huge connection to nature, which is known to boost mental health. We saw so many people out walking, hiking, swimming, cycling, and they have the right and freedom to enjoy their beautiful country with the “right to roam” It has a very high standard of living and low levels of corruption, with a strong sense of community that values fairness and equality. Most of all, I think the Finnish lifestyle values simplicity, contentment and finding joy in the smallest moments; this concept is often referred to as “sisu” a kind of resilience and determination to overcome life’s difficulties. The Finnish people we have spoken to are rightly proud of their country and love that we have visited. 

We have loved it here; it is unbelievable to me that we have seen no litter, graffiti, anti-social behaviour or homelessness, even in the capital city. It is clean and safe. What more could we ask for? Finland we will be back!