Free Day in Helsinki

Helsinki - Saturday

With only 1 week to go till the longest day of the year it is no wonder why it is virtually daylight for 24 hours each day. It's a strange feeling walking the streets at 11 pm in bright daylight but we are slowly getting used to it. The weather today had cleared to a fine day with extended periods of sunshine and it was amazing just how much better the city looks when the sun is shining.

Of course in the middle of winter the opposite is true when it is dark for about 22 hours of each day. The extensive harbours also freeze completely at that time of the year and the hundreds of privately owned small boats in the marinas must be moved to dry dock before they get crushed in the ice.

Finland shares over 1000km of border with Russia and we are only300 km from St St Petersburg. Russia actually controlled Finland for over 100 years abnd you can still see some Russian influence in the Russian Orthodox Churches and austere architecture. In fact the Finns are famous for their good design and they do not augment their buildings with unecessary decoration. The harsh climate and the strict Lutheran heritage also combines to make the Finnish quite conservative and well behaved. Even the teenagers tend to be modestly dressed and quietly spoken. It is also worth noting that all Finns also speak Swedish and English. In fact English is virtually their first language.

The streets are clean and well maintained and we have seen hardly any graffiti anywhere.

Tomorrow 11 of our riders leave Helsinki to begin their rides. The rest of us will leave the following day. In the meantime I will be taking a group of 10 down to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It is an 80 km ferry trip each way.Read more