Thanks to walking and riding the bike all winter, Ken and Kaarna have managed to save almost a full tank of diesel. They can start a road trip now and drive at least 800 km without spending a penny on fuel! So long Melukylä! Welcome freedom!
They decide to drive slowly to the center parts of Finland which they’ve never visited. The holiday season starts in the end of June so the beaches and hiking trails are empty.
Ken can rest his nerves in the silence.
And Kaarna enjoys hiking on paths she has never walked on before.
In Joutsa Ken forces Kaarna to visit his cousin Timo. Timo has recently moved here and started to work in the @dolllandia miniature village. He proudly presents his home.
- I inherited this piano from a very dear old man, who I took care of during his last times, Timo says with a little teardrop in his eye.
Cousin Timo takes them to see the huge miniature world where he works at.
It’s really worth seeing, even if it’s not even completely finished yet.
Both Ken and Kaarna love the little houses and dolls.
There’s even a train that moves around the tiny town.
Timo has made a great job. Ken is really impressed:
- What a great way to make a living! I hope this will become a huge success!
After such a social day it’s lovely to get back to the silence of the nature.
Unfortunately the drought that has been continuing for months is now over.
- Just our luck, Ken sighs but he knows how much his beloved nature needs the rain. So he must not complain.
Libraries are a salvation on the days when it just won’t stop raining.
You can do so much more than just borrow books.
There are board games, puzzles, coloring books, music…
And comfy sofas and even vending machines to get hot coffee or cocoa for a coin!
The lakes in the Central Finland are weirdly brown or even almost red. It’s because of all the swamps and peatlands.
- It feels like swimming in a lake of cold tea, Kaarna says.
- Doing the dishes feels funny too, Ken thinks.
Kaarna is disappointed, because they can’t find any weird ITE art like they did in the West and South a couple of years ago. And Ken misses the breathtaking castles and manors.
- That trip was so special! We saw so many funny and amazing places almost every day during that summer, didn’t we. If I now try to search for interesting sights on Google Maps, it mainly suggests dog parks or shops. Strange.
- Is Google Maps broken or do we just happen to be in the most boring part of Finland?
- Or maybe we have lost our touch?
They visit a lot of old churches.
Sadly they are closed, but if it happens to be a Sunday morning, the doors are open during the mass.
Kaarna prefers not to enter, but Ken likes to take a look inside whenever he can.
Meanwhile Kaarna takes photos or searches for geocaches.
Eventually however they both begin to get fed up with churches.
But one day they come across the church of Toivakka, which is an exception! First of all it’s open daily all year round.
The building itself is just like any other beautiful wooden church from the 1800’s, but the big surprise is on the ceiling!
The paintings are made in the 1970’s by a local artist.
Kaarna especially appreciates his vision of Jesus:
- Look at that dude wearing his groovy fashions like a rock star!
It’s difficult to find nice spots to spend a night or two.
Many small roads to the swimming beaches and recreational spots are either blocked or there’s a sign that forbids camping.
Cars must be left pretty far on the main roadsides. Mobile homes are not allowed even at some of the boat harbours.
Legally sleeping in your car is not camping and legally Herbert is not a mobile home. But Ken and Kaarna don’t want to piss off the locals, when clearly they are not welcome.
Finally they find a perfect place. There’s a parking spot right next to a composting toilet and a lean-to shelter with a place for a camp fire.
A small pond is close by and there are also some hiking paths. Everything a vanlifer can hope for!
Ken starts to build a fire and Kaarna thinks she’ll go and get some water from the pond.
But Kaarna hasn’t even left when an army vehicle approaches.
- Sorry folks, you can’t stay here. We have military training in the woods. For your own good you must leave immediately.
Kaarna can’t believe it and protests:
- There’s not a single sign anywhere!
- We announced it on the local newspaper. The area is reserved within a 5 km radius from here.
- A goddamn local paper! Are you idiots?
Ken has to step in:
- We’ll be on our way in five minutes, is that okay?
The coldness starts to be unbearable.
Kaarna can tolerate it better - she has spent her days in the woods the whole winter and spring anyway:
- The key is to keep moving. Just walk, walk and walk and you’ll stay warm.
Luckily there is a lot of hiking trails in the Central Finland and they are easy to find with certain apps.
Ken picks up some flowers and remembers the trips from the previous summers.
- Well, it’s only May. The warm days are still ahead of us!
Meanwhile at home people are enjoying the heat and sun.
Poor Elisabet has to deal with the house-related problems on her own.