May 27th We are sitting in our reserved seats on the ship, en route to Britain. We are transitioning from the EU to a kingdom that decided to leave the European Union. I did not vote for Finland’s accession to the union. However, I would not advocate for leaving it either, at least not with …
May 26th Two’s company, three’s a crowd! Eighty years ago, the British and Americans, along with their allies, built the largest invasion fleet in history and struck with full force on June 6th in Normandy. Here, we now witness the French enjoying their holidays. The Atlantic Wall was breached, and the final downfall of Hitler’s …
May 25th It feels somewhat refreshing that tomorrow’s European World Championship final in Prague won’t include Sweden or Finland! It’s a nice change, although it doesn’t really affect our plans much. Today, we were very diligent drivers. We made it all the way to Normandy in one go. It took an 8-hour drive, but that’s …
May 24th If years aren’t brothers, then days aren’t identical twins either! By eleven, we were already on the move. The chemical toilet had been emptied. Water was taken into the tank. The vehicle was all set for the journey. We were promised variable weather, and indeed, we got it. At times, we could admire …
May 23 Lottery and Joker on! Today has gone smoothly – or at least almost! We got the car to the repair shop in the morning. We took the bikes off the rear rack, used the repair shop’s facilities, and set off. In the middle of Avignon is a palace built by the popes (1300-1500), …
May 22nd In the morning, I had a shower and coffee at Auli’s place. Päivi was leaving for Finland on an early flight, so we were up at the crack of dawn. It was wonderful to receive such tremendous help from Auli and Päivi. Organizing these repairs would have been much more difficult without their …
May 21st Today we head from Basel towards Velleron, where Tellu was waiting for us. Tomorrow we will take it to the repair shop and we hope that the necessary spare parts will be available soon and we will be able to continue our journey on Tellu. Fingers crossed!
May 20th No sweet stuff on a full stomach! As the saying goes. It means things are really going well! To balance out our travels, we’ve had the chance to stay put, enjoy long mornings and breakfasts, and the delightful atmosphere with Christopher, Ulli, and River. With warm hugs, we said goodbye to them in …
May 14th. What a day it was! After breakfast, we climbed into Tellu, fresh from renovations – bidding warm farewells to Päivi, with whom we’ve spent quality time here in Velleron (at this point, the enlightened reader pays attention to the phrase “here in Velleron”). We swiftly set off towards Switzerland. Our friends there must …
May 13th Morning wake-up to the aroma of coffee. It’s Tellu’s maintenance day. After a quick breakfast, I climbed into the driver’s seat and off we went following Auli’s sister, Päivi, who guided us to the car service. And it was a good thing she did! Once we arrived, we realized that dealing in French …
May 12th Just another day. Today was spent lounging around and mowing the lawn. The weather warmed up, which brought its own little challenges to the day. We managed to mow the lawn at Auli’s place, had some food, and went to visit Auli’s sister’s daughter’s house and went swimming there. A day of rest, …
May 11th Still in Velleron. Enjoying the idleness. On Monday, we’ll take Tellu to the auto repair shop.
May 10th So, the hockey championships have begun. Unfortunately, I can’t watch them from here with my skills. I’ll have to occupy myself with other things! Eva believes that we might have more important things to do than watch hockey games. I somewhat lean towards that view… although I wouldn’t mind catching a few games …
May 9th Thank you for the morning – a morning of feeling good, that is. There’s nothing to complain about, the shower works, and breakfast was nice. So, we decided to have a proper tourist day. An English breakfast in a French market, walking in the old town among thousands of others enjoying their day …
May 8th Yesterday, I didn’t write. The evening stretched out a bit long, and I didn’t quite transform into a writer at night. I raised a few toasts with Heini, Mary, and Evan. At our age, a few swift ones (= 3 cognacs) and a couple of glasses of wine during the evening mean a …
May 6th We’ve seen it now! The papal palace of Avignon and the old city surrounded by walls with watchtowers. We drove past it with Auli as we drove by to pick up the rental car from Avignon train station. We also had a cursory glance at the Rhône River, reminiscing about how, in our …
May 5th I woke up for the first time in darkness. The urgency to use the restroom forced me outside, where amidst an otherwise quiet soundscape, I heard the solitary hoot of an owl (I believe it was a tawny owl). I returned to my sleeping position, waking up quite conveniently around ten o’clock. Sometimes …
May 3rd Morning routine on a porcelain throne without seat covers is like cold coffee without cream! Luckily, my wife had the foresight to bring along a hefty stack of paper. Otherwise, it would have been a more colorful morning in the sanitation facilities. In the shower, I had to lean on the water tap …
May 2nd After the celebration, returning to everyday life meant a slightly colder night for us (the temperature dropped to 3 degrees overnight, and we didn’t have the heating on. It was a bit chilly in the morning. Clouds were also gathering in the sky, so rain was expected. Leaving the small mountain town meant …
April 17th. Staying between the bullfighting arena and the football field didn’t warrant a long morning routine. A slice of bread with juice and coffee. Then off we went. Heading towards Porto – or rather, finding a cheap place to stay along the way. Mostly driving on highways, we stopped for a break at a …
April 16th. What a pleasant place we stayed overnight. In the morning, I hopped on my bike to the village to buy freshly baked baguettes and croissants. We had them for breakfast. Eva had already brewed coffee while waiting. Watching hawks hovering over the vineyard, we enjoyed our breakfast. Afterwards, we prepared the car and …
April 15th. What a brisk morning it was! A slice of German dark bread with cold cuts, a cup of juice and coffee, and off we went. I’ve seen more stunning river landscapes, so we didn’t linger to admire them. After refueling, we headed to the grocery store to find snacks and a pot lid. …
April 14th. A refreshing shower in 12-degree warmth woke us up. Breakfast on the grass. Coffee with bread. We decided to postpone yogurt and muesli until lunch. The weather is improving – it’s time to switch to summer clothing. After a slow morning, we set off around eleven. Around noon, we stopped to admire the …
April 13 Morning was sunny and slightly cool. The temperature quickly began to rise. After breakfast, we got ready to set off. We decided to drive along the Mosel. It was a splendid river valley bordered by vineyards and successive villages. Large tourist boats cruised up and down the river carrying tourists. We stuck to …