Ruissalo Spa Hotel Turku

... The coach drivers had to take us back at 11.30pm due to their limited driving hours. We said our good byes to the Browns (Margaret and Tim are staying in Turku for a few days) and left our Euros cap and programme with Rachel to be signed by the squad. (It just doesn't feel right asking the players to sign stuff for us after a game, it feels like an imposition on their time with their families). We also need to check the game has recorded on our Sky+ as ...

Matkustus tapahtuu aina itsekkäistä syistä. Niin tälläkin kertaa. Nyt lähdetään juhlimaan Memmun kolmekymppisiä Ilarin ja Memmun tyyliin. Rinkan, passin ja hammasharjan lisäksi varustelistalla :

2 x Housut
2 x Alushousut
2 x Sukat
2 x T-Paita
1 x Huppari
1 x Puolen metrin rauta kettinki

Eiköhän näillä pärjätä...

"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving." ~Lao Tzu

Caught the train from Helsinki to Turku which only took about two hours. They have very nice trains. Easy city to navigate. I'm going to check out the harbour and book a spot on one of the ferries heading for ALands. Unfortunately I can't go today because the ferries only depart at 0815 and 2015. So I'm staying in Turku today which is fine because I forgot that I wanted to see the castle. Now I'm just waiting for the hostel to open so I can drop my bag off. It's getting lighter every day.

... walk it to the ferry, mostly so I can see more of the waterway. Turns out to be longer than I thought with all the weight. I still make it with no problem, just lots of exercise.

The ferry arrives at 6 AM. Almost everyone has a cabin for the night. I opt to skip it. I have to find a seat on the activity level which includes the restaurant, bar … I actually found some chairs that are similar to airline ones with more room. Surprisingly ...

... of Finland has a proud Swedish speaking minority (both are official languages of the country, and also everyone from 3rd or 5th grade also learns English). Anyway this was a festival for the Swedish speaking residents of Finland. Later when we were looking for a supermarket & trying to ask advice, although people spoke some English, they all said "I'm sorry but I don't live around here". Anyway we looked around for a while & then continued up the hill to the art ...

... improving further, we decided to come on to Turku & see what we could see in sunlight. Turku is just across the water from Sweden, and when Sweden ruled Finland the town was called Abo (with a circle over the A). Even now the town is called Turku Abo and Swedish appears on street signs under Finnish. As part of the Finlandisation process, Russia was not happy that the Finnish capital (then Abo/Turku) was so close to Sweden, so the obliging Finns moved their ...

I found Travel Pod after my trip to Northern Europe, but I thought I would just write here so that people know they can ask me if they have any questions about Finland. I studied in Turku Finland for a semester at Abo Akademi University. I lived 4km from the school and town, and the public transportation is what I used, it was not bad at all. I also had a few travels from Finland, that I will post in other blogs. Have fun on your travels and be sure to check in!

Приех 72;ли в Турку на автоб 91;се. Краси 74;ый порто 74;ый город с центр 72;льной улице 81;, кр ...

... klo 04:00. Bussi ylitäynnä(porukka makaa käytävällä). Epämääräisiä taukoja n. tunnin välein.. 5) Tadlo - Vientiane yöbussi: Yhdistelmä yllämainittuja + ajettiin tiineenä oleva lehmä hengiltä. Top 5 Nähtävyydet (sekalainen järjestys): 1) Kiinan muuri. Kiina. 2) Angkor Wat. Kambodia. 3) Mongolian autiomaa. Mongolia. 4) Terracotta armeija. Kiina. 5) Petronas Twin towers. Malesia. "In The End It's All Just A Gag" -Charlie Chaplin-

... via Aachen into the Netherlands day 8 (17.7.): Belgium (Malmedy/Spa/Francorchamps), Luxembourg day 9 (18.7.): Luxembourg, France day 10 (19.7.): Metz/Saarbrücken day 11 (20.7.): Train to Bad Kreuznach, meet Steffi(?) day 12 (21.7.): Train to Rostock day 13 (22.7.): Superfast departs from Rostock 04.30 CEST day 14 (23.7.): Superfast arrives in Helsinki 05.30 EEST