This country fascinated us with its free night spots. Often we could get one at the lake or river if there weren't too many mosquitoes or midges. And at almost every one there were even campfire sites, where many residents grill their lunch or dinner and then drive on.
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Rovaniemi - there is Santa Claus
We spent the night at a lake fed by a river. Since it was an hour's drive to get there, we were also lucky with the weather there. We had a great sunset and a really quiet night.
The next day we met Sonja in Rovaniemi because we women urgently needed to wash. There was a laundromat with a dryer in the industrial park and we got our laundry completely dry.
Then Basti drove to a place on the street by a lake and has already secured parking spaces. Sonja and I are then to Santa Claus Village hazards. However, we were a bit disappointed with it. There was no Christmas music, many shops were closed due to Corona and Santa Claus was also not to be seen. He was already in the evening mood. We looked around a bit and of course crossed the Arctic Circle, but then drove again after half an hour.
There is also a Santa Claus Park, which is only open in the winter months. I imagine it to be really great in winter, when everything is covered with snow and glittering. Let's see if we do that to ourselves.
At the lake we are all hungry and we wanted to make pizza with the grill for the first time, but that didn't work so well. So we won't make pizza with the grill anymore, because the base always bakes, turns black, with or without parchment paper, it just doesn't work. You have tried it and are now smarter.
Tankavaara - gold museum and gold rush town
On the way to the gold rush town in Tankavaara we drove to the last Lidl supermarket. For the time being we will probably not see any more, definitely not in Norway. You have to be really careful when driving because of the reindeer. Because suddenly an albino animal was standing in front of us in the middle of the road. Basti really had to hit the brakes and then had to stop because there was oncoming traffic. At least this gave me the opportunity to photograph the albino.
We wanted to spend our next night before Tankavaara on a river. After 1 hour we packed everything again and drove on. Because when we were outside, after half an hour we had a cloud of small flies around us. In the car we saw the cloud on our windows. It turned out that they were little midges that didn't sting like a mosquito, but rather bite like a horsefly. And then they can get through everywhere because they are so small. So far we only knew about Midges in Scotland. Well, that's how you learn.
The next day we drove to Tankavaara and looked at the gold museum there. It is the only international museum in the world that deals with gold panning in the past and the present. Since the weather was very cold, we could leave Finja alone in the bus, as she was not allowed to go to the museum. The museum was very interesting as the history of the Gold rush in the 19th and 20th centuries. was shown.
Several people were named who found various gold mines in Finland and built a small town around the mine. The cities were very simple, just a little hut where everything was inside, an outhouse and what they all had was a sauna. The material they needed for dismantling ranged from simple means in the 19th century to large machines in the 20th century.
Other countries were also shown, such as Africa and the circumstances under which gold was mined there. In Germany three quarters of the length of the Rhine is shown with mines on both sides. But of course not only gold was found, but also special metals and stones. Because “not everything is gold that glitters”, was a saying that was displayed here in German. Gold could have been mined on the neighboring river. There are still 6 active mines in Finland. More information is available at official website of the gold village Tankavarra.
Ivalo - some relaxation and veterinarian
In Ivalo we first drove to the vet and actually wanted Finja's worming treatment so that we could get to Norway. Well, there were no opening times on the homepage and of course it was closed. Sebastian had then photographed the phone numbers to call for an appointment the next morning. Later we noticed that it was already Friday and after a quick look at the photo it was clear that we had to wait until Monday. At the weekend you should only call in case of emergencies and worming is "unfortunately" not an emergency. So a forced break over the weekend.
We had arranged to meet Sonja on a square in Ivalo to spend two days together. The place was right on the river and we were all happy that the weather was nice. But then Sebastian's chair gave up and it was also windy and cold. So we sat and ate on the bus. The next day Basti got a new chair and Sonja and I had a bad day.
In the evening we had a barbecue, talked a lot and laughed a lot. Basti and I thought about where we would spend the third night, as it was clear that Sonja was going on. We have to provide service, so we wanted to drive to a campsite in Finland for the first and last time, for which we of course have to pay. Otherwise we only stood for free in Finland.
So the next day we said goodbye to Sonja, as she is going back home. After our paths always crossed for 5 weeks and we did a lot together, it was a bit sad. But at some point somewhere you will meet again. At the campsite, we took a real shower again. It was nice, hot water from above and not cold sea water. Basti still worked a bit and I was still cleaning.
Monday morning we got up quite early because we had to call the vet to make an appointment. At noon we could come so that Finja could get her pill. The entry from the vet is important for the border crossing and there must be 24 hours between taking the tablet and crossing the border. Everything went smoothly and was also relatively cheap.
We had already found out in advance what that might cost. We found blog entries where prices were between 80 and 100 euros and only for the signature. So that was not the case with us. We paid 20 euros for a tablet we brought with us. The doctor watched how the tablet was administered and made the entry and checked the chip. So that's fine. The animal practice only has a telephone consultation time from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., Monday to Friday, when the appointment is made. Emergencies are handled via a separate emergency number.
Towards the Norwegian border
Finland is a very beautiful country, with a lot of forests and even more lakes. However, it was often very windy, even when the sun was shining, and therefore fresh to cold. From the upper half of Finland we had a daytime temperature of 9 degrees. The summer here in Finland is really very cold this year and we actually have to turn on the heating during the day. What was great about Finland was that the sides of the road were always mowed with a slight ditch and 2 meters from the forest and were free of trees. So you could usually see reindeer in time if they wanted to cross the road.
The last Finnish night spot was again on a small lake. We stayed about 60 km from the Norwegian border and got there very early. So we could still work a bit. In the morning, while we were drinking coffee, we received a visit from wild reindeer. They ate in the appropriate distance from the car, Basti still had the time for photos and then they moved on. Reindeer seem used to being close to people because they take their time with everything. After the coffee we went on to Norway.
You can find more pictures in the Finland photo gallery.
Our conclusion too Finland:
Finland is really impressive !! The capital Helsinki is a must-see when you get there. It has many large buildings and squares. Because of several tips we drove along the Russian border and were not disappointed either. There were many lakes and long roads with little traffic. If you like free standing, the east side is definitely worth it to get a great place on the lake. We have only stood on a campsite 1 time.
General travel tips:
- Top places in Finland: around the Saimaa lake, capital Helsinki, Oulanka National Park, Rovaniemi,
- Currency: Euro
- Capital: Helsinki
- Language: Finnish, partly Swedish. You can get on very well here with English.
- Internet: Excellent network. Usually 4G is available everywhere at a good speed.
- Reindeer: From the 2nd half of Finland, i.e. near Lapland, you have to be extremely careful with reindeer. They run up to or on the street as they like and sometimes you can't tell them apart from the environment that quickly.
Tips for traveling with a motorhome or car:
- Drive: There is a 24-hour light requirement in Finland. Don't forget, otherwise it will be expensive! The blood alcohol limit is 0.5%. There are many fixed speed cameras. It is better to keep a little below the specified speed. The locals drive quite defensively, so that you can spare your holiday budget and your nerves.
- Refueling: Diesel or gasoline is just as expensive as in Germany. On the ADAC homepage you can find out an approximate value per liter, country and currency.
- Refill gas bottle: In Finland there are only bottles with one (Epsilon sign) refilled on the gas cylinder. The gas bottles common in Finland often do not fit in the cabinet with the prefabricated dimensions. With adapters you can connect and use the standard bottles from Finland.
- Pitches / campsites: With the big apps like Park4Night for parking spaces and Camping.Info you get along really well for campsites. In addition, there are often rest areas with a fireplace, which are then signposted. But also the right to everyone. If not a prohibition sign or a private sign prevents a nice place, you can stand where you want if you don't hinder anyone while driving.
- Traveling with a dog: An EU pet passport with a valid rabies vaccination and a chip are required. In addition, the dog must have been wormed 24-120 hours before entry. The entry from the veterinarian is important here. We paid 20 euros for the entry in Ivalo.
- Shop: The big supermarkets are open Monday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Smaller shops in the country are also generally open every day, but the opening times can vary greatly.
