Wednesday 6 July 2011

Day 4 – Pietarsaari to Vasa

Took it slow this morning as I wanted to make the most of the nice hotel that Susie had booked me. Despite the pain in my Achilles it was a very pleasant evening last night spent talking to a Swedish and Dutch chemical dry cleaner technicians. Don’t people have weird jobs!

The cycling today was just fantastic. Rolling countryside with farms and tidy little villages with hardly any major roads. Finland is so beautiful with its mixture of lakes. forest, sea and summer houses. It sounds silly but I spent a good 30 minutes talking out aloud to an imaginary audience explaining just how wonderful everything was. Actually if I was to be honest I really miss my Susie and would so love to have had her with me. I was even doing the calculations of how much mileage she could do (not a lot) and how much we would get to see.

Passed the battlefield at Oravainen which was a pivotal battle in the Finnish War of 200 years ago. In fact I cycled through a battlefield that was a continuation of this war last year just outside Umea. Not much remains but I came across a few monuments. I wonder how history will remember my tiny contribution to history on Tumbledown?

Lunch was at one of the many ABC service stations that are dotted along the E8 that I am following, They do a cheap 11€ lunch that actually is good value in a country where food is expensive.

Arrived in Vasa in good time so decided to make the most of being in a big city (not many left) and checked into a SAS hotel. Washed my bike kit for the first time in 4 days and rested my Achilles. Still have 400KM to go so making the most of a little luxury.


1 comment:

Richard said...

Here is a thought.
Why don't you get an electric bike or moped for Susie, then she could tag along :)