Our Reflectons

PETE’S REFLECTIONS
 Five and a half months after completing our ride from London to Helsinki…..we are once again back home….in the place we love with family…friends and our dog. Travelling is fantastic….it enables us to see far corners of this wonderful planet and interact with a huge variety of different nationalities and cultures. Although I took longer than Julia to settle back into my stride….I love the life we have.
So….where to start....?
We’d been talking about doing another cycling tour for years….but after building our home and then having three kids….setting up a company for someone else…..and finally setting up our own….it always seemed to be slipping further away. We’d been very fortunate with our employees over the years but it was in the last year that we were able to start planning a tour. Caro and Kim had been with us for a number of years and I had known both of them for 20 years. They are a huge part of  our business and are loved by our clientele and Julia and I.
Last year, a phone call out of the blue….brought our other employee Alex, to our attention.
Alex and his girlfriend Nicky were coming to New Zealand for a couple of years to see if it was a place they may like to settle. As it turned out, after meeting Alex, who is from the North East of England, we knew immediately that he was in tune with our way of life and would fit in perfectly.
So in early 2014 we began putting our tour together. We had asked two of our children if they wanted to come along, but because we were cycling, the answer was no. Just as well, as they would not have enjoyed it.  Unless you have toured before it’s hard to picture what a daily routine involves, but there are times when even the most resilient bikepacker wonders what the hell they are doing it for.
We never doubted the fact that we could do the cycling, but we did wonder if our 54 and 50 year old bodies could cope with life on the road and living in a tent. As it turned out, this was one of the features of the trip that we enjoyed the most.
Our health throughout the tour was great and we felt fit and strong and healthy. Living outdoors was amazing and we actually felt a little claustrophobic when we spent time in a hotel room. People in every country were so helpful. If they thought we looked lost or were pondering where to go, they would stop and offer assistance, even if they didn’t speak English.
There are good and bad in every country and we also encountered the bad as well.
Hoons are hoons anywhere and we had our share of those, usually of a night, just as we were trying to get to sleep. Beggars were common place throughout Europe even more so than 25 years ago.
I have no time for people who sit holding a cup, waiting for someone to place money in it. They plead poverty and hardship whilst sucking on a fag or guzzling on a beer and they pester you at the same time. So, sorry….get off your arse and find work. It may not be easy….but at least try…!
The scenery varied from country to country, but everywhere had something to offer on a large scale.
From the picturesque lanes and stone walls of England to the beauty of old world towns such as Gent, to the diversity of Amsterdam, the modern architecture of Rotterdam and Antwerp, the rocks lakes and forests of Scandanavia…..all were wonderful.
Like the people, we encountered courteous and terrible drivers. The majority were great….some have no regard whatever for human life and it was only evasive action from ourselves that avoided any injuries.
When flying with bikes, it would be nice to have every airline on the same page, but as we found out in Finland trying to ship the bikes home, sometimes you will meet people who are not helpful and only want to place barriers in your way. Thank goodness most are not like that and their unhelpful attitude is not the only thing you remember about a country.
Now it is back to reality and I must admit to finding it hard. I enjoyed the freedom and simplicity of life on the road. The lack of responsibility for anything other than ourselves and our equipment.
The food was simple yet we thrived on it. We drank water for the most part, with the odd beer thrown in. The water in Sweden was the nicest and coolest I’ve ever tasted.
Our equipment was all purchased in New Zealand, a total about turn from our last tour when we bought everything other than our bikes, in America. Our tent we picked up in Wellington and apart from a few design faults, it did the job of keeping us warm and dry admirably. Sleeping bags, mats and our camp stove were also first rate. All our clothing was bought in N.Z.
Our Trek mountain bikes served their purpose very well and although some die hard bikepackers would only use touring bikes, ours gave us the freedom to go anywhere.
Fortunately, for me, my gorgeous wife….best friend and cycle tour adventurer still has the same desire as I to get on the road less travelled and experience all that it has to offer. She is tough, resilient and the best riding partner I could wish for. Nothing fazes her, whether it’s endless hills….pouring rain….stinking hot sun…..lunatic drivers ….or the odd dodgy situation. She has always been and still is the only one I would care to share these adventures with.
I look forward to our next cycle tour [already being thrown around between us ] but one thing is certain….it won’t be another 25 years in the planning…!

JULIA’S REFLECTIONS
Well there’s not much to add, but I will say this.  Being easy-going is a blessing and a curse.  I am content to be wherever I happen to be and without Pete I don’t know if I could have been bothered organising this trip.   I was entirely happy with my life at home and enjoying all the good things New Zealand had to offer, especially the surf!  However, I knew it was absolutely vital for Pete to get overseas again, so fuelled with memories of how good it was the last time, I booked our flights and hotels and happily went along for the ride.  One thing I was not expecting was that I would enjoy this trip even more than the trips we had done previously.  I think this was down to a couple of things.  Firstly, when you become a parent, your freedom is severely curtailed and tripping round Europe for three months with no particular plan is pure freedom and man, it felt good.  The other big plus was the endurance that seems to come with age.  I felt I could cycle forever if it wasn’t for my muscles, knees and backside letting me know that over 100 kms was just too much.  It was also a divine freedom to not have to worry too much about having that ice-cream, glass of wine, extra couple of jam butties or whatever as you knew you were working it off!
Living outside – man I love it!!!  It’s the way we’re supposed to be isn’t it?  It just feels so good to have fresh air all the time and be in tune with the weather (you know when it’s going to rain because you can feel it before all those office workers!), as well as moving constantly.  Our bodies were made to move and they feel so healthy when that’s what you are doing.  Plus being outside and communing with nature means you get to see nature.  Our unexpected wildlife encounters were one of the biggest thrills for me, especially the moose and deer.  Even seeing snakes was cool as we don’t have them in New Zealand.  That is another big plus when bikepacking.  No engine means no noise so we didn’t scare whatever creatures were about.
Quiet and solitude are also rare commodities these days with most of us carrying cellphones and available at any hour of the day or night.  Advertising besieges us every way we look and implores us to spend our hard earned dollars and it is a non-stop cacophony of noise and colour, wheedling and manipulation that the human soul can well do without.  It was a relief to be away from all those mindless distractions and just have time to think and dream.
One thing travelling always brings home to me is that the majority of people in this world are nice and want the same things out of life.  I feel very blessed to have the freedom to go and explore this world and enjoy the wonderful things it has to offer and especially lucky to have my best friend to enjoy it all with.
Really looking forward to the next trip, wherever that may be.....

14 August 2014

Woke this morning on the other side of the world…..very strange.

One minute you’re riding your bike around Scandanavia, interacting with Danes and Swedes and Finns……and the next, you’re in a hotel 12000km’s away and already your life on the road is sliding further into the distance.

It was about 7am when we began our lives once more in New Zealand. First, Julia claimed a nice long shower….to be followed straight after by me. Confirmed our flight to New Plymouth and after checking a couple of messages, we strolled along to breakfast.

Very nice too, as was the hotel itself. At 10.30am a lady shuttle driver came to pick us up to take us to Auckland Domestic Terminal. Now….last night our bike boxes had virtually been torn apart….thanks to a customs security check, so we were turning up this morning hoping we would still get on our flight. In the terminal there was a long queue, so Julia went to the service desk to get some help. They sent us down to  oversize baggage, where a guy oohed and aahed about the state of the boxes.

‘Not our fault’ we said and told the story. He was actually very good and gave us some of the ticket tape to act as a makeshift binding. However…he did then make us take a bedroll from one of the boxes as it weighed 1 kg over the allowance. Did that and then went and waited with a coffee for our flight. Message over the speakers reminded passengers to make sure they were not overweight .as they would be scrutinising passengers getting aboard.

Had no problems there and we were soon winging it toward New Plymouth with a sou-westerly wind blowing. Got pretty bumpy coming into land and I thought the pilot did really well to get her down.

So….here we were back home after three months tripping all over Europe……

I  should have felt great to be home and seeing the kids and family and friends….which I did….but part of me felt I should still be out on the road. See …that was always the way it was with me years ago. We’d go touring somewhere and when it was over Julia was ready to return to wherever we were and carry on. With me…it would always take a few months.

It was good to see everyone and after cutting the boxes down, we loaded the bikes on our bike rack and headed for home. Spent the afternoon catching up with family, just talking, before pottering around putting stuff in for wash….or placing gear away.

The hours rolled by and after everyone had gone Ju the kids and I sat down for Taco’s for tea.

Whilst we were away the kids coped. I won’t say they excelled in many areas….but hey at 19 and 17….they didn’t wreck the house with wild parties, they still went to work and did socially what they normally do. Georgina did the business paperwork for us and took care of the banking, which she did admirably. Both the kids will soon be ready to do their own travelling which….as with Julia and I….really opened our eyes to what’s out there and broadened our outlook on life.

So…. That’s it really. It was a long time in the planning…..even longer in the actual getting round to doing……and now that it’s done….well…..now comes more planning…only this time……it won’t take anywhere near as long to do.

Our final blog will be our thoughts on the trip.

13 August 2014

Awake at 4am [who needs wake up calls with body clocks ]

Into the shower…. Cold….but refreshing and definitely the way to get your eyes open.

Bags were all packed last night, so once Julia was ready…..which was virtually straight away….we took the gear downstairs, having decided to catch the 4.40am  shuttle rather than the 5.00am, just in case. Into the restaurant after checking out, for brekky, just a bowl of cereal and an orange juice.

Upon waking, it had been thundering and lightning, but now it had cleared and was fining up for the day. Even now at 4.35am [there were plenty of people milling around outside…..nearly all of them smoking……[ what at that time…? ] waiting for the bus.

Shuttle arrived 20 minutes late…? and you guessed it…..there was a mad dash for the seats. I’d said to Ju that it would happen and there was no way we were missing this bus. So turning the boxes on end we proceeded to push amongst the throngs and secure a place on board. No one offered any assistance [ knew they wouldn’t ] so it was a mad dash. At one point the bloody driver….a right useless git….started the engine and went to close the doors. No friggin way fella…..I yelled at him to stop which gave me just enough time to climb aboard and we set off.

At Helsinki airport we disembarked and made our way into the departure terminal….up the stairs….couldn’t fit bikes into elevator….to British Airways check in. After a few minutes we saw a nice Finnish girl who was losing her voice….who took our details and got ourselves and our bikes through the process. She did however tell us that we had a 30kg baggage allowance, rather than the 23kg we thought we had, after confirming it earlier with the airline. Now come on people…..surely it doesn’t take too much to all be on the same page, especially as we had given away or thrown out stuff because we didn’t think we could take it.

So, now we had time to relax whilst waiting for the flight, knowing that the bikes were taken care of.

She did tell us to see the service desk in London, as our Malaysia flight had us sitting apart.

At 8am we were off on a pretty crappy B.A. flight. The service was very average and we were served a cold roll and told to wait for half an hour for it to thaw out. Fantastic…..and if it’s that cold maybe I could crack a couple of teeth on it whilst I’m at it…!

Arrived at Heathrow after circling for 20 minutes, but still early. Landed first time I can ever recall at a major airport and walked down steps to the tarmac, to be transported by shuttle to the terminal.

From here for us, it was follow the signs to another shuttle to Terminal 4 for our Malaysia Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpar. All good and arrived at passport control…..no queues…..on to service desk to get our seats changed so we could sit together. Had a chat to a nice Italian service operator who fixed it for us. On towards our departure gate and found a café for a nice breakfast….since we hadn’t eaten much in Helsinki. Saw here the news that the comic Robin Williams had committed suicide.

That I find extremely sad. Very often the case though with people who succeed in making others laugh. Their own lives are very dark usually. Boarded a very flash flight at 11.15am and took off at 12pm. Great seats…huge leg room and service brilliant…..so far.

Great flight….service brilliant…..with massive amount of leg room.

Into the transit lounge to wait it out for our final flight and into the homeward stretch. The wait in here was bloody awful….stinking hot….do they not know about air conditioning in Malaysia. Got chatting to a girl and her daughter who are heading back to N.Z. for a holiday to see her parents. She’s been living in England now for 11 years after going there for her O.E. No sign of her moving back to N.Z.

Flight was late leaving K.L. which meant we were going to be late into Auckland. This flight wasn’t as good. Plane wasn’t anywhere near as good….and the cabin crew were just doing what they were required to do and with no frills.

Eventually….with hardly any sleep overall….we landed in Auckland at 11.05pm. Cruised through the check points as most of the officials were pretty impressed with our venture. Had to wait a while in baggage claim though and it was freezing cold (well it was for Pete who refused to accept that he was heading back to a NZ winter and wore shorts).

Into Arrivals hall….called the hotel we were staying at and 15 minutes later a nice driver picked us up and whisked us to the Jet Park Inn. At this time of night we weren’t really interested as to what it looked like, but the room was very nice and the service good.

After a quick cup of tea we  crashed in a King sized bed and for the first time in a long while…..snuggled up to keep warm.

12 August 2014 (warm, sunny, showers early on) 7 km

Eight countries,

4700 km,

5500 pageviews

And 350 cans of tuna!

Yes, we made it and more importantly, loved it!  We’re rapt with the planning we did and the planning we didn’t do.  Researching a place too much before you go there can give you preconceived notions of what you should be seeing and leave you disappointed if it doesn’t live up to the brochure or the weather lets you down.  The only thing we know we missed is a bloody great castle at Karlsborg – which is amazing as Karlsborg is not a very big place!  We found plenty of other unexpected treasures though to make up for that.

We are pleased with most of the things we chose to bring with us with all having done their job to some extent.  The tent kept us dry but we felt a few design improvements could have made it even better.  We are really pleased we chose a bigger than average tent (for two bikepackers anyway) to be our home for the last three months and having enough height to kneel up made a big difference to the roominess.

We also both felt living on the floor as it were, was very good for our aging joints – I’ll be interested to know if our yoga instructor notices a difference.  Simple things like getting in and out of the tent and sitting on the floor for the majority of our meals probably helped open up our hips more than sitting on chairs all the time would.

How good does fresh air feel on your skin???? We have both noticed since coming into the hotel a sense of claustrophobia and are very glad we have four windows in our room and three of them actually open.  Whenever we get out on the bikes to go to the shopping centre, we feel happy and free again.

We are very keen to see a wave again as we have not seen one wave since we left NZ.  The closest we’ve come to it is the bow wave off the ferry.  We just want to see some movement instead of all this still, refined water, a bit like the people??  We crave the exuberance of the antipodean water and spirit.  Very noticeable was the absence of NZers and Aussies in northern Europe and Scandinavia.  We only met one Aussie couple in Belgium and that was it.  No NZers whatsoever.  It’s obviously an indication that if NZers are travelling to Europe, Scandinavia is not a popular choice.  This could be due to the perception that it is so expensive, but really it is only slightly more costly than NZ.

Today we had to cave in and satiate our curiosity.  When we caught the ferry from Stockholm to Turku, we saw two women dressed in elaborate outfits of black velvet jewel encrusted skirts with bustles underneath and hooped skirts and embossed, lacey white blouses.  We stared at them unashamedly thinking they were part of the entertainment on the ferry.  However, no floor show followed (that we saw anyway) and other people seemed to regard them as just another piece of the furniture.  As we moved through Finland, we saw more and more of these women and wondered what the go was.  So when we saw a couple in the shopping mall today, we stopped a young Finnish girl and told her we were leaving Finland tomorrow but had to find out why these women were dressed like this before we went.  Apparently they are gypsies.  I asked if they were travelling gypsies but she said No, they just live in a house and choose to dress this way.  Never saw any corresponding men so guess they get to dress like your average joe while the women stick out like bloody great moving lampshades.

About  4 ish we rode back to the Cumulus… for the last time. It was time to pack the bikes in their boxes ready for an early start tomorrow morning….4.30am in fact.

With a 23kg weight limit….it’s always going to be testing, especially when your bike alone weighs 16.2 kg. Doesn’t leave much room for sleeping mats….sleeping bags…..tool kit….helmets…..pannier bags and the like. After the pack we weighed the boxes. Mine was 24.2kg….Julia’s was 23.6kg.

That is as low as we could get them, so we are hoping for friendly check in people….won’t hold breath..!  As if she couldn’t find anything else to do…..my beautiful wife and partner in life….decided to give me my first haircut in 13 weeks….to make me presentable to the world.

As is always the case….and I should know…..since she’s been cutting my hair for 28 years…..she did a fine job….yeah…yeah… I know what you’re thinking………he hasn’t got any hair………that’s because Julia keeps it so tidy….!

I think she also thought that if any check in person….or passport control officer…….in fact anyone…..I may have offended with the blog due to almost any reason that came to mind as I wrote it…….should come in contact with me ……she at least wanted me to look presentable as they threw a punch…or aimed a gun [if your hubby’s gonna die…… he should look his best…!]

It is now 10pm.  This is our last entry from Finland, but we will be reflecting on the trip over the next week. The sun has just set…not just on Helsinki….but on a trip that was 25 years in its conception.

One things for sure….with our children now grown…..it won’t take another 25 years….!!!

Alright! We've got our robes and we are ready for the beach man!

At last!  The long anticipated conclusion to “The Cock and the Pigeon”……

In front of my eyes was a photograph…… of a building……titled…..Kok and Café.

‘How is this supposed to torment me……you’ve even spelt cock wrong’ I laughed

The pigeons feathers ruffled…..and his beady…birdy eyes glared at me

Sven replied ‘Once dis is unveiled to the public….you vill  be  amazed vot happens to your reputation’

‘People you don’t even know….will valk past you in der street…..sniggering’

‘You do realise I was trained to resist torture…..and also ……to never let your wife say she’ll just have a swig of your beer…..knowing full well that there will hardly  be anything left when she’s finished’

‘I came here expecting to have to use my wide variety of former t.v. and film weapons in a moment of anger…..and you torment me with a photograph…..

‘You are obviously not the 4 foot nine inch Swede I was anticipating….you have lost a couple of inches in my estimation’

Sven smiled a knowing smile……and I felt a chill run down my spine

At that moment I  would have sworn I saw the pigeon smile and a glint appear in his eyes

I turned and strode from the room…. Sneaking one last look at Sven’s girlfriend….whose name I never had discovered ….in that Onesie…..my God she could drive a man crazy in that I thought …..as I pushed open the door and made my way out into the back streets…….to the sound of distant laughter…!

Time moved on ….

Julia had abandoned Pete to take off with a Norwegian Pogo Adventurer, who was planning to pogo stick across the Antarctic…..?  She hadn’t been able to help Pete with people constantly laughing at him wherever he went……. [“What was new” she thought] and when the surf was pumping…..she didn’t give a shit anyway……!

In a forest in a secluded part of the German countryside…. Stands a grand old building…..in stark contrast to the lives lived within its walls. A private Sanatorium………

Down one of its expansive corridors walks a man….his footsteps echoing throughout the building.

On his shoulder……sits a pigeon.  The back of the man’s suit is covered in bird droppings. He is admitted to a room by an attendant and strolls across to the far window…..just providing sufficient light by which to see.

‘I told you I would bring it’ he says

With that, he removes a Harry Potter Nimbus 3000 wand and hands it to the man sitting with his back to the light from the window.

‘For you’ he says, laying it in his lap

Coo Coo…..Coo Coo…..Coo Coo……………     ………………    …………said Pete.

11 August 2014 (showers early am, then hot and sunny) 27km

Some more photos from Helsinki........

Pete on the Bridge of Love where I guess you lock your padlock and throw the key into the water below

I would guess the grass wouldn't get this brown too often in Helsinki

I love riding round the streets and seeing what you discover

Woke to clear skies at 6am which by 8am would be grey and by 9am it was raining.  This was our final wake up call in the tent on our London to Helsinki adventure.  It was quite sad to think that this time would be the last that we would be going through our routine which has been commonplace for the last three months.  Over to the facilities block for showers – getting in before the rest of the camp was awake – then back to the tent for jam butties and a coffee before shedding excess gear that would not be making the return trip home.  This included our Bunnings groundsheet which had served its purpose very well, numerous plastic bags which were very handy for a variety of uses, the last of the rice, muesli etc, our plastic drinking bottles, maps and notes that were no longer needed etc etc.  The biggest thing we had decided to leave behind was the tent.  It had done its job well but we had come to the conclusion we wanted a new tent for the next venture.  We offered it to the staff at the campground free of charge who were delighted with this procurement and we were 4kgs lighter for the trip home.

One of the dog owners wagons...it's double storeyed.
Might have to sell the Corvette Toff if you want to compete
with the big boys at the World Dog Show.  Saw a couple of
Bernese at the hotel but they didn't rate compared to all the
Bernese we know!

Next we managed to skype Briana who, after reading the latest blog post says she needs to have a chat with us about the judgmental tone and less than PC comments.  I told her she read the watered down version and it was a good job she didn’t read what her Dad really thought!  After a visit to the supermarket to quell our ravenous appetites (after all it was 9.30am now and breakfast had been two hours prior!), we then began our final 20km journey on the bikes to Vantaa and the Cumulus Hotel, following directions from the best map we’ve had all trip!  Nice to finally get it right just in time for our Finnish finish.  Nice sedate ride – it had to be as I only had a mild front brake that also started playing up near the end and completely disconnected the rear one to stop it rubbing on the wheel – and arrived at the Cumulus at 11.50am.  They let us check in early much to our delight, into our Superior room which we had booked and paid for before leaving NZ.  It’s a good job we did because after three months of penny pinching, we find it really difficult to part with any money that we don’t need to.  For example, we thought 40Euros at the campground for two nights was a bit steep, so 167 euros per night at the hotel really goes against the grain.  To compensate, we went to the supermarket to buy our food for the next two days and then cycled back to the hotel where we enjoyed a fabulous lunch….and plenty of it!  In fact while we were eating it, Pete commented that he couldn’t wait for breakfast tomorrow morning….I hope the Cumulus have managed to restock since Friday when we were last here for breakfast.

Pete's stack of gear

Stomach’s satisfied it was over to the shopping mall to check out the shops.  Not too different from NZ except slightly more expensive I’d say.  Similar stuff, similar format, so we just satisfied ourselves with buying a few essentials and having a look around.

Julia's right pannier

Julia's left pannier

And across the carrier Julia had tent poles and
pegs, the air matresses and trusty jandals,

Got back to the hotel around 7.30pm for dinner and then had a bit of a practice pack to make sure we’re not going to exceed the weight limit.  By that stage it was 10.15am and time to hit the hay on our penultimate night in Finland.

10 August 2014 (hot and sunny) 22 km

Life is an adventure

As you travel many roads

With only bare necessities

Making up your load

Your tent…a home and shelter

To keep you warm and dry

Your bike…to take you where you please

It never questions ..why..?

The world becomes your playground

And your school along the way

Mixing with the locals

That you meet from day to day

Language proves no barrier

When you show a welcome smile

Communication in many forms

Though it sometimes takes a while

And with your travels over

We take the road for home

With experiences we’ll treasure

From the gypsy life we’ve known.

We had so many photos of Helsinki yesterday, we had to save a few for today and we'll put some in tomorrow too as we won't be doing much touristy stuff.

A  few modern buildings

We weren’t expecting much of a sleep at this busy campground full of dogs and festival goers, but all the dogs quietened down as darkness fell and we camped well away from any festival people so they didn’t bother us either and we both had a great night’s sleep, waking at 6.30am.  Decided to hit the showers before everyone else did and then brewed up a coffee and ate a nectarine before wandering up to the supermarket to see if it was open.  In Finland, supermarkets tend to close at 6pm on Sat and not open until midday on Sunday and that was the case here too.  So we had to make do with a toastie from the garage which came with a free coffee and an orange juice.  It was another lovely day so we decided to go for a little exploration of this area which is full of forests and beaches. 

After cycling a couple of kms along forest tracks, we came upon a lovely little bay, which looked to be a family beach.  With the chance of harming Anglo-Russian relations, I do have to make a comment here.  As a male, when I hold a door open for anybody, male or female, I expect to have at least some form of acknowledgment.  The Russian Finns we have encountered of the female kind, are not only extremely pushy when it comes to waiting in line, but extremely rude in all forms of social etiquette.  At the beach we witnessed another side to Russian Finn females, in the form of a woman and her three children.  The kids were demanding to be noticed, not just by Mum but by everyone on the beach and Mum was definitely being noticed because she was so loud.  The whole time we were there, she and her kids never shut up, especially the one named Alex.  The whole beach knew who this kid was in five minutes.  So even though our swim there was extremely refreshing and enjoyable with lovely deep, cool water, we were glad to be leaving 45 mins later.

Outdoor gym equipment is very popular in Finland and Sweden

Continued our ride which took us through the pine forest and out to a marina and apartment area which was very well laid out and had the usual playgrounds as well as an outside basketball court and outside gym equipment. 

However, it also contained Neanderthal Russian workout junkies complete with their eight pack of “water” bottles which probably contained all sorts of “juice” to get them fired up for their next workout.  These guys, on a stinking hot day, were dressed in jeans, t-shirt and shoes, which they proceeded to workout in.  To be cool, you’ve got to be hot – that is temperature wise.

Younger Russian-Finn women, love to decorate themselves with tattoos.  We aren’t talking one and two, we are talking arms and legs and torsos covered.  It has been one of the most noticeable aspects of females in Finland.  Another is the amount of males and females who smoke.  The anti-smoking message has not been promoted here at all and NZ is light years ahead.

Another peculiarity has been the handheld bidet showers at nearly every toilet we have visited in Finland – even the campgrounds have them.

Had lunch at a café by the popular beach of the area, which got deep very quickly, much to our relief.  There are no waves here at all and people don’t swim…they bathe …or splash water over various body parts… whilst trying to look cool.

Not a bad place to spend our last few days!

As we write this blog , we are being annoyed, as is usual in Finland, by wasps. They are really annoying and anyone who is scared or allergic to the bloody things, should not choose Finland as a holiday destination.

Met a couple of Froggies at camp today [Christian and Patricia ] who are serious bike packers.

Their latest venture hopes to see them travelling the globe for four years. They are currently four months in….so good luck with that…! They have done a fourteen month tour from France to Beijing, so definitely roadworthy souls.

After our enjoyable swim in deep water….we returned the way we had come….since it was so scenic….but half way back, Julia encounters a problem with her brakes. Nothing immediately obvious and after further examination….still no solution.

Now…..if we were beginning our tour….we’d be right on to it……but ya know…..it;s the last day of cycling tomorrow…..we have 20km’s to ride…..we have already achieved what we set out to do and we are packing the bikes up tomorrow afternoon……sooooooo…….stuff it……it’s not going to stop us getting to the hotel…..

Back at camp….we donned our cleaning gear…..and attitude…and spent slightly over an hour cleaning the bikes ready for packing….before riding to the supermarket to pick up some beers and nuts and dinner [posh version ] for later.

This is Also the last night we will be spending in our tent…..and we will not be bringing it home with us….so we are on the lookout for someone who may want a tent….other than that…it’s a sign saying FREE TENT written in Finnish….and left by the side of the road…!

We are also shedding other well used articles….including clothing….dishcloths….flannels….plastic bags….useful for those rainy days……????

Apparently …the curtain falls on the ‘Cock and the Pigeon’ very soon…..can’t wait to see what happens there….

9 August 2014 (hot, sunny with cloud) 47 km

Great sleep….!

We made it to Helsinki!

No noise…..no birds….no disturbances..

Up about 7.30am and both had showers and then wandered downstairs for breakfast, which was included in the room rate. Big mistake on their part …..

Little did they know that two ravenous kiwi cyclists were about to alter their pricing structure.

Began with the biggest bowls of cereal and fruit the Japanese tourists sitting around us had ever seen. Ju had an apple juice, whilst I had orange.

Then … into the main dish. Meatballs….Sausages….scrambled eggs….something that looked a bit like a Yorkshire pudding and pancake puff thingies….?

Back at the table we pondered why they hadn’t included…..bacon…black pudding…baked beans…mushrooms….hash browns….

Downed that in quick time…before casually strolling up for a second main.

Two cups of coffee and multiple danishes to follow….completed breakfast.

When we left, there was no one in there, from when we first went in.

Breakfast over……we were ready for lunch….?

Back up in the room we managed a skype with Brody.  It was great talking to him and we can’t wait to see the kids.  Mapped a route into town and being paranoid about the boxes we had finally acquired yesterday I went to see the girls on reception, to ensure no one moves them from their storage place, before we get back on Monday.

Asked them to put a note explaining the situation, on the boxes.

There were hordes of dogs at the hotel as there had been at last night’s campground out at Espoo.  It must be quite some dog show as there is every breed imaginable, except for Briards.  Haven’t seen one yet.  There are people from Russia here too showing their dogs.  They had bowls of water for the dogs just outside the hotel, but the dogs were staying in the rooms with their owners.  We didn’t notice anyone weeing in the foyer though….dogs or otherwise.  I was glad to see they didn’t allow the dogs in the restaurant as we didn’t want to be tripping over them on our numerous trips up to the buffet.

!

Out of the hotel and making our way toward Helsinki. Vantaa certainly has some great shopping opportunities available, which I can imagine Julia may want to check out on Tuesday, which will be when we hope to check the bikes in at British Airways…ready for take off on Wednesday morning.

Had a few missed turns…but with the help of the locals, we were soon cruising into the centre.

Our final goal had been completed. It had taken 25 years to finally get around to doing it….but we did it….and we did it well….!

After taking just one photo yesterday, we made up for it today.  Helsinki was a bit slow to get started but as we cycled further and further, exploring all the city had to offer, we found some worthy subjects for the camera.  We just can’t get over how efficient bicycles are when you’re trying to get round a city.  All the cities today have great cycle lanes so it makes it a breeze – well it does when you have no destination to get to and just cycle where whim and fancy take you.  Otherwise cycle lanes can be a bit of a nightmare as the signage hasn’t caught up with the amount of lanes there are.  They are probably more often used by locals than travellers like us, but we have managed.

Stopped at a Picnic café for lunch which was very nice and stopped again a bit later by the harbour to brew up our own coffee which we had with a muffin.  I love being so independent that we can just stop wherever we want to make a delicious cuppa, just the way we like it, free of charge, with no queues.

A bunch of punk rockers were protesting about something,
but this sign caught our eye.

About 5pm we started to meander our way out to the campground which is the only campground in Helsinki and about 12 km from the city centre.  We had to fight our way through hordes of people going to the Flow festival and I started to worry there may be no room at the inn.  We had also noticed lots of people in town with football shirts on and suspected there was a match on tonight – there was.  Then you had all the dog show people here as well!  We can’t get away from them and their yappy mutts.  

So when we eventually rolled up at the campground at 6.30pm, we weren’t surprised to be told they were full.  They were redirecting people to the campground out at Espoo, 35 km away.  As the guy was telling me they were full, other people who had been turned away left the office and I was the only one in there with the three staff.  I said to them we’d already cycled 80km today and I was too knackered to cycle another 35km so asked them, seeing as they know the area, if there was anywhere to freecamp.  They said there was a forest area about 5km away which you weren’t supposed to camp in but if no-one saw you………

I said thanks very much and went outside to break the news to Pete.  We sat down to have a bit of a planning meeting with our map when the guy came out of the office and said they’d just had a little meeting and agreed to let us stay the night but they just couldn’t put us on the computer as it would take no more admittances tonight.

We thanked him profusely and I went back inside to fill out the paperwork while Pete witnessed a girl have a tantie at her boyfriend as they had just been turned away……on their motorbike!  I mean Come on.   You just have to turn your key and drive 35 km.  

So pitched our tent for the last time in a not overly crowded campground – we’ve been in worse.  I then cooked up Chilli Sin Carne (was looking for chilli con carne but this was the closest I could get), a tomato based stew with beans and corn and had that on a bed of rice – very nice too.  A couple of jam butties followed and then a cup of coffee and a lemon muffin.  Headed to bed at 10.30pm hoping for a peaceful night in this busy campground.