Vaalimaa Camping - Wednesday, 21 September

Geoff
We drove the short distance into Hamina, parked at Lidl (to shop there later) and walked into the centre of the town. Hamina is an interesting place and has long been a military town. It was founded in 1653 as a Swedish outpost, its fortifications were begun in 1722 after Vyborg fell to Russia but Hamina was later captured by Russia in 1743. Work continued and construction was eventually completed in the early 19th century but the fortress was closed in 1836 once it lost its military importance. Much of it was dismantled over the years but there has been a steady repair and restoration, largely completed by 1998. At the north end is the restored central bastion of the fortress, which hosts the annual Hamina Tattoo and other events, covered by an enormous open sided canopy.

The centre of the town is based on an octagonal grid and the streets radiating out are dotted with churches, houses and other buildings built in the 1700s and 1800s, painted in various pastel shades.

Both the Lutheran and Orthodox churches were locked but the town museum was open where we were welcomed by the lady curator who said they didn't get many English visitors. She gave us a guide to the displays (and a torch because some were badly lit!). One of the rooms was set up to represent how it would have been when there was a historic meeting there between King Gustav III of Sweden and Catherine the Great of Russia in 1783.

From Hamina, we took a minor forest-lined road to Virolahti, then the E7 for a few miles before turning off to take the road to Vaalimaa Camping, a rustic year round site looking out to an inlet of the Gulf of Finland. Reception was not manned but I rang the number given and the lady site owner said to settle in and she'd be along later. I went off for an hour exploring forest paths nearby.

Amanda

A peaceful night! and a dull and chilly morning. The winter clothes bag has come out from where it has been hidden for nine weeks and scarf and gloves extracted.

This morning gave a better chance to see the site properly. Although the smallish area for caravans and campervans is fairly nondescript, it is totally adequate, and has a very nice view across the water. The harbour and small marina, with the facilities to which we had access, are really quite smart and interesting, with some old buildings dating back to Russian times, and a little boat moored here which has its own fascinating history through wartime and later as a tug and an ice-breaker, and is now licensed for pleasure trips.

The town of Hamina itself was a real discovery, only made because the Camperstop book had taken us there. It was built as a garrison town in the 18th century, based on 16th century fortress principles, like an eight pointed star. As with so many of the fortifications we have seen, the fortress was built in fear of attacks that didn't happen, fell into disrepair, and has been restored relatively recently. A part of it is now used as an event arena, and holds a Military Tattoo annually, and other spectacular sounding shows. Very impressive. The centre of town has many interesting old buildings, dotted around the streets which radiate out from the Town Hall in the centre in an octagonal spider's web pattern. We enjoyed a visit to the little town museum. Money had been spent on it, but it didn't seem to get many visitors, sadly. The Russian influence shows in everything in this part of the world, not surprisingly, as we get closer to the border. It is a shock every time to see St Petersburg on the road signs!

We took the back road close to the coast to reach our campsite destination for the night, between Virolahti and Vaalimaa. Our camping places have all been so different, and the variety is part of the fun. We never know quite what to expect. Last night's proved to be much nicer than anticipated. Tonight's, an 'open all year site', we have read described as a 'straightforward little site'. My immediate reaction was that was being kind to it! It has all the necessary things, including the mandatory sauna, and is in a lovely location, looking out over the Gulf of Finland, but feels uncared for.

I decided not to brave the showers - in an unheated little hut with corrugated plastic roof - and regretted our decision to skip showers last night. Instead, while Geoff went for a walk in the surrounding woods, I put the heater on in the camper, closed the shutters, boiled a kettle of water and had a nice wash in the warm! But we are thankful to find a campsite open, the position is great, and we are a mere five miles from the Russian border.

Rampsi Marina, Hamina - Tuesday, 20 September

Geoff
We didn't have to be off the site till 3pm and our 24 hour transport tickets were valid until then as well so we took ourselves back into the centre of Helsinki. The Hop On Hop Off red double deckers doing city tours with audio commentary cost €30 for each of us so, being the cheapskates that we are, we had ascertained from Lonely Planet that the number 2 & 3 trams did a circuit of the city and we obtained a leaflet detailing the sights to see from the site reception. The cost was covered by our 24 hour tickets so, effectively, nothing.

We had gone only a few stops before Amanda pointed out Café Ekberg, apparently the oldest café in Helsinki. We were right outside at the time but the tram was moving off so we got off at the next stop and walked back. We ordered coffee and a very ornate (and expensive) pastry to share. Getting back on a tram outside, we continued on our tour. It was pleasant enough just watching the city go by.

Having time to spare, we wandered round the square beside the station which was occupied by numerous stalls flying national flags and selling food from their countries. There was a British flag, the stall selling a vast range of fudge, teas and china ware. Feeling peckish, we opted for a Finnish stall and enjoyed a plate of tiny battered fish like whitebait, fried potato and vegetables.

Later, leaving the site, we made our way to the nearby ferry terminal for our passage to Travemünde in two weeks time to check out where it was and also to reserve a cabin for the night the ferry arrives in Travemünde as we are able to disembark the following morning, rather than leave late evening and then have to find somewhere to park the camper overnight.

We then headed east to Porvoo where I had thought there was a camperstop but I must have had the wrong co-ordinates so we carried on, switching to the motorway E18 towards Hamina and covering fifty miles in good time. There is a campsite a few miles beyond Hamina (called Hamina Camping, not surprisingly) but we weren't sure if it was still open. However, we had the co-ordinates for what we found to be Rampsi Marina (60.55911°N 27.18329°E) and found it open. It is on a little peninsula beyond a car park and café. We are in a gravelled area, with hookups, overlooking water that ultimately becomes, I think, the Gulf of Finland. Anyway, it has only cost €15 and facilities are very clean. We are about 30 miles from the Russian border.

Amanda

Checkout time at the site was 3pm, but the helpful girl at reception said there was no rush - 4pm, 5pm, they weren't full! Geoff had already asked about next week and, again, being off season, they are happy for us just to pay the reduced pitch fee for the camper without people or electricity for the two nights we will be away; excellent!

We set off back into the city on the Metro, using our 24 hour passes purchased yesterday. They also enabled us to use buses and trams, and we had discovered that you can take the number 2/3 tram in a figure of eight from Central Station, which gives you a tour of the city, getting on and off wherever you like, AND with a free leaflet guide which points out all the buildings on the way. A very good alternative to the expensive tourist tours.

We hadn't gone very far when the guide pointed us to Cafe Ekberg, said to be the oldest cafe in Helsinki, 'on your right'. We quickly alighted at the next stop and went back for coffee and a shared pastry. Although it was not yet noon the place was full of people enjoying the buffet lunch - three courses and coffee, which was about 10 Euros, I believe. The place was smart and comfortable, and we spent far longer there than we had intended.

Back on the tram we covered more of the city, before getting off to walk back to the square in front of Central Station for a meander through the outdoor international food market. By now it was nearly 2 o'clock, so we shared a plate of tiny fried fish (even smaller than whitebait), fried potatoes and veg from the Finnish stall before catching the Metro back to the site, where we packed up and left just after 3.

On our way, we went to the Ferry Port from where our Finnlines ferry to Travemünde will depart in order to amend the booking slightly so that we can stay in our cabin for a second night in port at

Travemünde, rather than leave the ferry and try and find somewhere to stay at 9.30 pm. It was also good to find our bearings in the Helsinki North Ferryport, which was rather confusing. Both missions accomplished, we emerged from the Finnlines office to find that the camper had gained another admirer. This time it was a chap who wrote for a caravanning magazine (he said). Again he was impressed with its compactness, and kept saying "you have a lovely car". Like the earlier admirers, he couldn't believe it was eight years old.

Moving on, and heading east, we had intended to stop for the night in or near Porvoo, but quickly abandoned what looked likely to be a fruitless search for somewhere suitable. Maybe we will stop there during the day on our way back to Helsinki. Quick decision made, and we got straight on the motorway to get to our next possibility, just over an hour away, at Hamina, on the coast. Here we found the small site open. It is near the town, on a lake, with simple clean facilities. It will do very well. Some boy racers on their buzzy mopeds have been a minor irritant, but hopefully they have beds to go to! 

Rastila Camping, Helsinki - Monday, 19 September

Geoff
On the move again, we set our sights on the capital, Helsinki. Rastila is a year round site, very convenient for the city centre. We had an uneventful drive of 98 miles, arriving early afternoon. On the way we saw a road sign to Pietari/St Petersburg, an indication that Russia isn't so far away. After a brief lunch on the site, we headed for the Metro station only five minutes walk away. The journey time to the Central Station stop is twenty minutes.

We went straight to tourist information and made enquiries about trips by ferry to St Petersburg. The price was very reasonable for two nights in a cabin and various necessary add-ons - a total of €164. We decided to go for it and we depart on 27 September.

We had nothing else we particularly wanted to do this afternoon. We wandered around the stalls in the Market Square, then sat on a bench from where we were able to see the Uspenskin Katedraali (Uspenski Cathedral), an imposing red-brick building which stands on nearby Katajanokka island. Built as a Russian Orthodox church in 1868, it features classic onion-topped domes and now serves the Finnish Orthodox congregation. Maybe we will have time to visit it tomorrow.

Much closer to where we were was the Vanha Kauppahalli, an ornate market hall, built in 1889 and recently renovated. Inside were numerous stalls, most of which were selling food, much of if traditional Finnish, but all sorts of other things as well. We saw tins of bear meat; also elk, reindeer and many different kinds of smoked fish.

Making our way back to the Metro, we went inside the domed Tuomiokirkko, the Lutheran cathedral, very spartan inside but its lofty position overlooking the city and striking white stonework made it impossible to miss.

Amanda

We took the direct route to Helsinki, including motorways, but it felt like a long journey. Not difficult, though, and the roads were pretty empty until we got to the Helsinki ring road, which took us all round the city as Rastila Camping is on the east side. This is a proper all year round site serving the city, and has a lot going for it. Although urban - there are a lot of blocks of flats around - it is very green, and all the individual bays have shoulder high hedges around them. Although not full, there are plenty of motorhomes and caravans here. It is also close to the river, although we haven't found that or the "beach" yet. Or the wifi, for that matter, but we had been warned on TripAdvisor that the wifi was underwhelming.

No matter. The best thing is that the shower block is actually heated! And the Metro station is just round the corner. Twenty minutes, and we were right in the City Centre, with just time to get to the Tourist Information Centre before it closed at 4. Our mission - to find out about the visa-free overnight cruises to St Petersburg. We are duly booked for next week. Really, we had to give it a try. St Peter Line offer an overnight cruise with cabin there, a day in the City with a ticket for a shuttle bus that you can get on and off, and cruise and cabin overnight back. Total for the two of us 164 Euros. Given that a ninety minute bus tour of Helsinki would have cost 54 Euros, it sounds like good value, even if it is pretty basic. All the security bits and warnings do sound a little scary, though. We shall see.

We then spent a couple of hours around the harbour, market place and Senate Square, with the imposing Lutheran Cathedral mounted high above and overlooking it. It had lovely clean lines, inside and out. Very unfussy, especially inside, and all bright white outside. The old Market Hall, a covered market, was also interesting, with its fixed wooden stalls now housing a fantastic array of very modern delicatessen counters. A lot of them were fish, but Geoff noted some rather exotic sounding meats.

We hopped back on the Metro and were back "home" in no time. We are just booked in here for one night, but plan to return next week and make this our base for the last few days before we get the ferry back to Germany. It has been good to have the opportunity to suss it out, and a bonus to discover that the ferry port we need to get to on our last day is only 10 minutes away! 

Camping Silversand, Hanko - Sunday, 18 September

Geoff
A relaxing day today and the weather continues to be dry, clear and sunny - war is but definitely not hot. We hear of monsoon and flash floods in the UK and we haven't had a drop of rain for at least two weeks or more.

Before breakfast, I took a walk out of the campsite and into the adjoining forest, following a clear path which eventually led to a waymarked path to a rocky outcrop with clear sea views to the north of the Hanko peninsula. It was maybe a mile each way.

All that we had on the agenda today was a walk around Hanko. We had a delightful little booklet that provided a route taking in some of the more notable turn of the 20th century buildings, mainly large villas, the Regatta Hotel and what was a restaurant and dance hall (now a casino and sushi bar).

Hanko is a very popular summer resort and we have been very fortunate, helped by the good weather, to have been able to enjoy it when it is quiet. We shall be moving on tomorrow.

Amanda

As promised, a quiet day. The weather is still lovely, and much warmer than expected after yesterday evening's chill. We spent most of the day in Hanko, following the Architectural Walk trail - half before lunch and half after. We are so fortunate again to be seeing the place in lovely weather but with no crowds, when it is looking absolutely its best. Hanko is situated at the end of a peninsular, so there are little rocky coves and bays wherever you go, and wooded walks between the villas linking them. It is quite delightful.

The few families who were on the campsite seem to have gone now, leaving it very quiet indeed. We cooked and ate in the kitchen again, and again there was a beautiful sunset.

Tomorrow we head for Helsinki. We have been doing some reading up in advance, but are not very good at planning city visits. Hopefully things will fall into place when we get there.

Camping Silversand, Hanko (Swedish: Hangö) - Saturday, 17 September

Geoff
We set the satnav for Camping Silversand and overrode it to make sure that we went by what we thought would be more interesting minor roads and we were right to do so. It was a delightful drive with very little other traffic. Inevitably, we had to join the 52 main road for a few miles but then turned off at Tenala to return to minor roads, before following the 25 for 33km to Hanko.

We went straight to Silversand and were pleased to find it open. In fact, as the owner/manager told us, rather proudly, it is open all year. It is a lovely site and the unenclosed bays are dotted amongst tall conifers. We are by no means the only occupants but it is far from being busy. Behind reception is a cafe and behind that is a "pub", both of which are open. We had coffee and pastries whilst using the wifi. The beach is about 100 yards away and then the Baltic.

We then drove the 4km into Hanko. It's an interesting place. It was a well to do Russian spa town in the late 19th century and opulent seaside villas from the era line the principal road into the centre of the town. As the southernmost town in Finland, Hanko was a strategic base well before its foundation as a town in 1874. It was also a point of emigration: between 1881 and 1931 about 250,000 Finns left for the USA, Canada and Australia via its docks. At the end of the Winter War, the March 1940 peace treaty with Russia required the ceding of Hanko as a naval base. Its inhabitants evacuated as the Russians moved in with a garrison of 30,000 and constructed a huge network of fortifications. Hanko was isolated from the Russian front lines and eventually abandoned in December 1941. Citizens then returned to their damaged town and much restoration work was carried out.

Many of the buildings in the centre of the town also date back to Russian times. Outside the centre are a number of blocks of flats which have an Eastern European feel to them.

Slowing down on seeing a crowd gathered and a woman addressing them on a microphone, with a police presence, we were told later that it was a protest against the transporting of live pigs to or from (not sure which) Finland and Poland/Hungary.

We parked outside tourist information. Although it was shut, the building was open as it also housed a gallery. Nevertheless, the TI could be accessed as it was in an open bay; it is simply not manned at weekends out of season. In the gallery, there were two separate photographic displays, one of wildlife and the other of black and white photographs taken in Rio in 2008. Both photographers were present manning their exhibitions and gave us personal tours of their work. The photographs were for sale, either framed or unframed. We could have been tempted.

We have decided to stay a second night here and will explore more of Hanko.

Amanda

Leaving our strange little overnight place behind - the 'workers had arrived back in three identical pick up trucks yesterday evening, cooked in the 'summer kitchen' and gone again by the time we were up this morning, but not disturbed us at all - we drove along side roads to our next destination, Hanko, the most southerly town in Finland. By now the camper is used to getting dusty on rough unmetalled roads, and Geoff's eyes positively light up at the chance to get right off the beaten track. Pocket Earth is also proving more help so far in Finland than it was in Sweden.

We were surprised and very pleased to find Silversands Campsite, just outside Hanko and right on the coast, open for business. It is a big site, but there are few visiting units scattered among the trees. There are also the usual little cabins dotted around. We had coffee and cake in the little cafe, whilst doing the internet stuff. Wifi, though free, is 'unreliable' - the owner's words - and patience was needed.

Hanko is an interesting place. It was built as a spa town in the late 19th century, and was a popular place for the Russian nobility; there are rows of large, faded, once glorious, villas in tree lined roads to be seen. The centre of the town and the beach areas are also very attractive, with small green parks, tree-lined squares, and pleasant buildings. We visited a photographic exhibition in the TIO building, part of the Town Hall. The photographer and his wife live in North Karelia, and his photographs - some wildlife, some views - are taken near their home. We very nearly bought one, and would have done, I'm sure, had we not each fallen in love with different ones. We are planning to visit South Karelia, to the east of Helsinki, next week.

A quick walk up to the church, where a wedding had been taking place as we arrived, but was now closed, and a massive water tower, and we resolved to stay an extra night and explore more tomorrow.

Outside the areas already mentioned it is all quite drab and utilitarian. It very much has an Eastern Bloc feel to it, and is very different from the rest of Scandinavia - indeed Finland does not consider itself to be part of Scandinavia. The language is totally different. Most signs are in both Finnish and Swedish, as Swedish is also an official language. And whereas we found that pretty much everyone spoke English in the other countries we have visited, here those who do, do so much less fluently.

We shopped in Lidl, and cooked in the campsite kitchen near the beach, whilst watching the red sun set over the sea, and looking forward to a Sunday rest day here! Although we managed to eat in the outside covered area by the kitchen, it is decidedly chilly. On our return to the camper, (torches required to find our way through the trees in the dark) a quick blast of the heater was very welcome, and hot water bottles may be required.

Ylönkylä, Southern Finland - Friday, 16 September

Geoff
Getting up quite early, I went for a stroll before breakfast, walking along the waterfront parallel with the street Läntinen Rantakatu, passing under two road bridges busy with morning traffic. I could have gone much further but needed to cross the river so went across on a pedestrian bridge. I then followed the waterfront path alongside the street Itäinen Rantakatu, going past where the camper was until I came to the passenger ferry. This runs every day from 6.15am to 11pm, back and forth endlessly. It only takes a couple of minutes. By the time I arrived back at the camper, all the parking spaces either side of it were filled. The city had come to life again and was quite busy.

We went to the maritime museum hoping to find free wifi but there was none. We took the opportunity to have a closer look at the castle, which was open but we had no particular inclination to go inside and shall find out more about it later. Here is what Lonely Planet has to say:

Founded in 1280 at the mouth of the Aurajoki, mammoth Turku Castle is easily Finland’s largest. Highlights include two dungeons and sumptuous banqueting halls, as well as a fascinating historical museum of medieval Turku in the castle’s old bailey. Models depict the castle's growth from a simple island fortress to a Renaissance palace. Guided tours in English run several times daily from June to August. Swedish Count Per Brahe ruled Finland from here in the 17th century, while Sweden’s deposed King Eric XIV was imprisoned in the castle’s round tower in the late 16th century. He was moved to several prisons including Åland’s Kastelholms Slott to prevent his discovery by rebels. Today most Finns recognise its distinctive architecture as the logo for Turun Sinappi (Turku Mustard).

We set the satnav to help us exit the city. As the route took us past tourist information, we went in to take advantage of their wifi. Having missed the entrance to their car park, I went in through the "no entry" exit, no problem.

Having found Sweden such a meticulously clean country, Finland is a bit more like the UK, judging by what we've seen in Turku.

Once we left the city's environs, the countryside we drove through was really attractive. Many fields where grass had been cut or arable fields ploughed and the rest was forest, but all quite open and not at all oppressive. It came as something of a shock to see that Autumn has arrived here. The silver birch trees had turn a golden colour and were beginning to shed their leaves.

Our Camperstop book provided details of our overnight stop, where we arrived early afternoon. It is a slightly odd place, close to a road junction where we have been very aware of traffic noise although we son got used to it. There is a cafe here where we went in to pay. The food smelled delicious but we were not aware of any customers during the day. We are the only camper van. There are three touring vans which are unoccupied and seem to be permanent. There are showers/loos and also what was described as a summer kitchen. This is a part open sided building with full cooking facilities but rather on the shabby side. We were told that some workers (who were at work) were using it and inspection showed this to be the case. I remarked that it looked as if they had been abducted by aliens as food and all sorts of things were left out as if they had left in a hurry. There were pans with cooked food in them and, notably, a whole salmon, minus its head but still quite large, marinating.

We took a short walk to see what there is of Ylönkylä and the answer is, not much. A few houses, a church that doesn't look like a church and a monument, with no indication of what it commemorates. It is a rough red granite monolith some fifteen feet high, with probably machine made scores on one side.

The workers, maybe up to six in number, returned from work around 6pm. Apart from being manual labourers, judging from their three VW pickups, have been very quiet and spent the evening in the summer kitchen.

Amanda

It was an entirely peaceful night after all, and I slept very well. We went to bed with empty parking spaces all along the Strand in both directions, and emerged this morning with them all full. Free all day parking for people working in the City!

Before leaving Turku we did a circumnavigation of the fortress, on foot. It was worth seeing properly from the outside, very similar in style to other castles we have seen, but much bigger. Although it has

grass and some trees around it, it is basically surrounded by the Ferry Terminal! Imagine building a full-scale Ferry Terminal all around Bamburgh Castle!

A quick visit to the TIO, and we left the city behind and set off to explore the countryside towards the coast between Turku and Helsinki. First priority for tonight was much needed showers and electric hook up, so we headed for a Camperstop which had these. Our Camperstop book has been of limited use since we left Denmark, and has only two pages of entries for the whole of Finland.

The countryside is a huge change from the blue-green of Sweden. More open fields, and the wooded parts have a lot of deciduous trees. The trees are beginning to change colour and it is looking autumnal, but it is still warm and sunny. So with the colours of the trees, the brighter green of fields mixed with some harvested fields and the sun, everything looks very golden.

Our stopover has proved adequate for our needs; in the car park of a roadside cafe place, it is not dissimilar to where we spent our second night in Sweden all those weeks ago where we had to decamp! It is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, at Ylönkylä, although the road is quite busy. There is a 'summer kitchen' which we can use if we wish. Inspection showed it to be a building with large unglazed windows, looking as if it had been deserted in mid meal. There were pans of food on the stove, a large fish marinating in a saucepan and various foodstuffs and piles of kitchenware stacked up. We had been told that it was used by 'workers', people who lodged there but were out at work all day. We think we will give it a wide berth.

We had a walk into the "village", which consists of a wooden church which just looks like a house, a 'monument' which gives no clue as to what its purpose or claim to fame might be, a monstrosity of a modern house with some menacing black cars parked outside, padlocked gates, and signs warning of security cameras, and a very few other dwellings. A very strange little place.

Fortunately we had found a good supermarket on our way here, and have a nice supper of some fresh fish, and the lovely fresh tomatoes we bought yesterday,cooked with fresh herbs to look forward to. When I can stir myself to prepare it!

Turku waterfront - Thursday, 15 September

Geoff
We had a leisurely start to the day. A bit cooler than previous mornings. On looking at our surroundings in daylight, we saw how lucky we were to have chanced on this place last night. For anyone wanting to find it, the GPS co-ordinates are 60.18130°N 21.63705°E, taking a turning to the left just before reaching the bridge and following the roadway that drops down parallel to the bridge.

We went to see what lay the other side of the bridge. It is an island called Wattkast, largely forested with just one road going through it and ending at a holiday complex of log cabins near a lake. On the way back over the island, we stopped at a large greenhouse-like building used for growing tomatoes and other salad vegetables (yes, I know the tomato is a fruit). We bought two types and a cucumber at their serve yourself, enter the amounts and prices in a book and put the right amount in a tin. It was refreshing to know that we would be trusted to do this and everyone else would do the same. We found a similar mentality in Sweden as well.

We then headed towards Turku, a recent European City of Culture, of which I had never heard before we started planning this trip. On arrival, we headed for tourist information for wifi and details of what to see here. We liked what we saw of the city centre, based around the river which flows through the middle. We went in search of the Sibelius Museum (www.sibeliusmuseum.abo.fi) which happens to be very close to the cathedral, dating back to the 1300s. We both had a look round this and were impressed by its Lutheran plainness. I went to the Sibelius Museum on my own. In fact, I was the only visitor there. I was expecting to learn much about the composer and his life but was disappointed. The museum, under a different name, was originally established in 1926 by Otto Andersson as a repository for musical instruments, sheet music, letters and pictures. Over the years, manuscripts and much Sibelius material was gifted to the museum. I spent my time looking at the many musical instruments covering much of the main part of the museum and its ground floor but, for the life of me, I couldn't find anything specifically relating to the man himself, and his life, which was my main interest. Unfortunately, when I wanted to ask about this, the girl on reception was nowhere to be found. A bit of a disappointment in retrospect.

We then went to locate motorhome parking on the waterfront. There are no facilities but the location is good at GPS 60.44197°N 22.24823°E. There is a loo about 200m along the waterfront towards the road bridge. We went for a walk towards the castle and maritime museum (with a number of historic vessels of different kinds moored nearby). There is also a large "sculpture" of a daisy and long green stem.

Close to where we are parked is the Esposito, a bar on an old ship which also does food. We sat on the deck on wooden benches and table and ate fish and chips. Not the best I've ever had but quite edible. We have spent the evening just watching the world and many of the city's inhabitants go by on bicycles, motor bikes, roller blades or just walking and jogging. It looked as if it might get rowdy earlier when a noisy crowd came across the river on the pedestrian ferry but they got on to some coaches that were waiting for them. They will have come from the city's football ground which is quite close.

There are museums here worth visiting but we feel "museumed-out" at the moment.

Amanda

Well, it was an excellent spot to spend the night, although Geoff says he thinks he heard a moose snuffling around at one point!!

The last eleven days in Åland have been amazing. It's strange to think that until a few weeks ago we had not even heard of the Åland Archipelago, let alone planned to visit it. Our intention had been to take the overnight ferry from Stockholm to Turku; we would have missed so much!

So we are now in the Turku Archipelago. First we crossed the bridge to have a look at the island on the other side. A long road ran across it with very little to see - except a large tomato growing concern which we passed going one way and stopped at on the way back. There were great boxes of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, and a serve-yourself shop. We helped ourselves, filling bags with tomatoes and baby plum tomatoes, and a cucumber. There were scales and a calculator provided, with a book to enter what we had bought, and a large cash tin full of plenty of change!

We then drove the 75km to Turku crossing a number of islands - I lost count - linked mostly by bridges, but with two ferries needed. The first was just a quick hop, but the second covered a mile. Both were in position for us to board immediately. We were very fortunate. Still free!

We set the satnav for the Tourist Information Office, right in the centre of Turku, (the second city of Finland, and once its capital under Swedish rule) and paid for an hour's parking just outside. This gave us time to do all the necessary internet stuff, gather info and maps, have a quick wander to look along the riverside "strand", and have a sandwich lunch in the camper. Geoff fancied the Sibelius Museum, not too far away. The satnav took us to parking right outside the cathedral and next to a park. I was happy to stay there while Geoff did the museum, checking up on possibilities for the next few days, and spending some time in the cathedral. When Geoff got back we both did a proper visit of the cathedral, the mother church of the Lutheran Church of Finland.

Next we needed to check out a possible overnight stop along the riverside strand which joins the city centre and the castle. And the ferry port. We decided to stay here, rather than head on out of the city, although we have done all we want to here. We tend to get a bit grumpy in cities, although we know we should be more appreciative, and it has been particularly difficult to adapt to city pace after the unrushed peacefulness of Åland. But I felt Geoff had done enough driving, both on country roads and through city traffic, and all nearby campsites were closed.

After a reviving cup of tea and slice of cake, we went for an early evening stroll along the river towards the castle. It is all very pleasant, but really could be any city waterside development. The large Maritime Museum included several interesting ships moored along the river. We could just see the castle peering over the trees and buildings, but are not concerned to visit, both feeling quite castled out at the moment. I suspect that the best view of it is on the sea approach. But we enjoyed the walk there and back, remarking on several modern sculptures.

Just near where we are parked is a little open air boat bar and cafe offering, amongst other things, fish and chips. We decided to go for it, and it hit the spot. First chips since we left home!

I don't expect it will be an entirely peaceful night, and the earplugs may be needed, but it does add yet more variety to the range of places we have found ourselves sleeping in. Imagine being able to stay in London free overnight in a campervan parked on the Embankment!