Finland

We got to Eckero, Finland on the short ferry and immediately went to the opposite end of the islands to try to attend a festival in Bormasund, a Russian military fortress which was celebrating 150 years of demilitarisation. We thought it would be a unique way to see some culture, but little did we know the President of Finland would be there for the closing ceremony! We ate and drank through the rain and the folk songs and plays, and then struggled through the President's speech in Finnish, but the fireworks were tremendous. We camped across the road and got up early the next morning to explore the castle, have lunch in a cafe with panoramic views (slightly spoiled by rain, but impressive nevertheless) and then down to Mariehamn to catch the ferry to Turku. We stayed in a campsite and explored the town the next morning, dodging rainshowers. The drive to Helsinki was notable for the sheets of rain which came down throughout. We spent the rainy afternoon in the warmth of the laundromat before venturing out to see some of the city before meeting up with Sanna, a friend I used to work with at Community Systems. We had a lovely dinner and then drinks in the penthouse of a hotel with panoramic views before crashing at Sanna's flat. After a leisurely start to the morning we went straight to the ferry to go to Estonia . . . E