There was no way around it, I had to ride a fair distance today to get down south, were I to make it to the Helsinki ferry on Friday. So I got up early, had a quick breakfast (powder coffee) and rode off. Four hundred fifty kilometers to go to Kemi, on the Gulf of Bothnia.

It was pretty cold outside, about 4 degrees C. When it started raining, I was sure to cover and close every possible windleak in my suit, because at pace you basically get below zero because of the riding wind. That worked out well, but I still needed a break every 50 km's, just to get those muscles warmed up again. I am pretty sure some reindeer secretly observed me from the forest edge as I danced around the bike trying to chase out the cold. Maybe even a moose.

A warm coffee was very much in need, so when I pulled up to Tankavaara, I ran straight into the saloon. Saloon? Yes, it was an actual saloon, because Tankavaara is a recreation of an old goldmining town. Turns out there is some gold to be found in the woods surrounding it, and you can join the gold washers at the local river. I was too much in a hurry for that, but I did enjoy their coffee. The whole thing's a bit of a tourist trap of course, but it's all in good fun.

The Finnish definitely do like to have some fun in Lapin Laani, as they call this region. Everywhere down the road there are signs pointing to this or that activity. Husky rides seem to be popular, skiing and hiking as well. As are the many roadside restaurants and bars. I mean, who wouldn't want to go to Kafe Zippi & Suhaus?

All that creativity got my spirits up. Which was just as well as I was only 100 km's in. 350 to go, so I started to amuse myself by trying to pronounce all those extraordinary Finnish place names. Try for yourself: Akasjokisuu, Kakslauttanen, Pelkosenniemmi, Muodoslompolo. When that had exhausted itself, I thought to sing to myself, as nobody but the reindeer could hear me. I ended up doing at least 100 very loud variations on Pachelbel's Canon and Gigue in D Major.

That kept me busy until Sodankyla, where I hit the 200 km mark. I took a short look around town. Sodankyla is remarkable (if it is to be considered remarkable) for two things: a ridiculous amount of petrol stations and one of the oldest wooden churches in Finland. This so-called Lapp church dates from the 17th century and has a definite non-christian look about it, at least on the outside. Not a cross to be found. I was still wondering about this when I pulled up at my lunch cafeteria. But my attention was soon drawn away by having to choose a meal from the menu. Was it going to be Savuporoleipa or Karjalanpiirakka? Ah, why not both, you only live once.

Appropriately refreshed I made my way south again. It was time for the mental jukebox. In the last two weeks I have accrued a lot of new material. You can listen in if you want, check out this all new Spotify playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6E...ive-share-menu

After about 300 km's I arrived at Rovaniemi. It's where Santa Claus lives, they say. You can pay for the privilege to meet him at Santa Park. I decided to not enjoy that particular pleasure, but to ride on to the town centre. Rovaniemi calls itself the Capital of the Arctic, as it straddles the Arctic Circle. Well, all I saw was a few very large malls. As they didn't particularly appeal to me, I rode on.

I did feel a bit sad to leave the Arctic Circle behind. The magic of the eternal forest had already begun to fade about 50 km's before Rovaniemi, as the tundra started to disappear, being replaced by evergreen spruces and grass meadows. Now the human presence began to make itself felt again. Supermarkets, building sites, vaping shops, graffiti. Welcome back to civilisation.

The last 100 km's to Kemi were heavy going. It had started to rain and the road became busy with late afternoon traffic. When I arrived at the hotel in Kemi, it turned out to be something akin to a medical center amidst council flats. The main door won't open except when kicked, there's a weird buzz in the bathroom and the kitchen has been taken over by Russian builders.

It's comfortable enough though. I just want a rest. And to have a dream or two about the eternal forest.