Trip Postscripts

I had a long and weary travel day getting back home via train, plane, bus & foot which had me awake at 0400 Helsinki time and in bed at 0130 the next day Eastern time.

Sokos Vaakuna had provided an early breakfast takeaway sandwich and coffee. The main railway station building was locked and one of two ticket machines on the platform was working so I got my I train ticket and boarded the train.

About 28 minutes later I was in Helsinki airport and ready for my 0845 flight which went without a hitch.

The layover of close to 7 hours in Keflavik airport was a bit much so I left the secured area and walked down to the shoreline and back, stopping for a sandwich and drink in Keflavik itself.  There is a recreational path from the airport of about 3.5km which is edged by clusters of purple Lupins.
I was warned to be back in plenty of time so I hoofed it at about 6kph.  The automated entry gate would not honour my boarding pass, saying it had already been used, so I had to have human override in order to enter. Guess not many people go venturing into Keflavik.

Keflavik airport suffers greatly from the successful tourism campaign of Icelandair.  The D gates filled up with passengers for four flights unfortunately scheduled at the same time; Seattle, Boston, Vancouver and Toronto.  There is minimal seating, no announcements, very little discrimination as to lineup areas, and inevitable delays. It is very unpleasant.

A little over 5 hours and I was in Toronto making my way through their increasingly chaotic hodgepodge of border control systems.  People, smarten up and design a decent system!
Another 5 hour layover and then my final Westjet leg to Ottawa where a 97 bus was waiting outside.
The ride downtown with the inevitable mall rats going for a late night on Rideau brought me to Albert and Rochester where I walked a few blocks to home and collapsed.

Keflavik Shore

Recreational Path

Party Boat in Turku

 Art Gallery Courtyard, Turku

Street Food Turku

Ferry Cafe

Art Trail, near Hotel Nestor, Korpoo

Don't get lost in the Finnish forest.

That is all,

Jim

Final Ride back to Turku

Nothing much of note here except that my GPS was misbehaving and I led the group a few kilometers astray at one point. Later on it was still a little off but I rebooted it and we all made it expediently back to the bike shop to return our bikes in Turku.

The bike shop was closed with a note saying to lock the bikes in the back yard and drop the keys off in the mail slot.  This we did and then walked the few blocks back to the Sokos Hamburger Bors hotel.

That evening we had a celebratory farewell dinner as most were leaving early the next morning.  I was glad to have met such a wonderful group and we've exchanged e-addresses.

I had an 11:30 train to Helsinki the next day so I got to sleep in and have a leisurely morning before my trip and second stay at the Sokos Vaakuna where I got a 9th floor single room with balcony.

My last night in Helsinki was rainy and I got up early to catch the I train to the airport where I am currently composing this post.  A 7 hour layover gave me a chance to walk down to the sea and back.

Waiting for the Train to Helsinki

They Take Cars on Some Trains

My 9th Floor Room in Helsinki

View of the Station Square

Walking to Keflavik

Lupin Land

Keflavik Waterfront

I'll be back in Ottawa after a 5 hour layover in Toronto.

There'll probably be a postscript post when I get some photos off my phone and do a few movies.

Jim

Back to Naantali

We set out for Naantali this morning.  A couple of kilometers to the first short ferry, then a few more to the one hour ferry ride, a ride to the next small ferry and then a final ride into the Hotel Palo in Naantali.

The final ride was quite a trial with winds, both cross & head, challenging hills and narrow shoulders.

But the group took it all in stride.

Church in Nauvo

The Group Parking in Nauvo

Ferry from Nauvo to Hanka

Nauvo Harbour

The Stragglers are Allowed on Board

 (Their vouchers did not arrive so they had to negotiate)

Short Stop in Seili

The Dreaded Missed Hairpin Turn

I waited here to point it out.

Scenes from a Walk in Naantali

We Had a Lovely Meal in a Room to Ourselves Here

Later,

Jim

A Day of Riding from Home Base

We have another night in this same hotel so today's rides were to Nauvo and Korpoo the former being on the next island 13k ahead in our track and the latter in the opposite direction about 9km from our hotel.

Nauvo is a larger town with a busy harbour with little shops selling clothing, fresh vegetables and, at least to me, an enticing supply of freshly smoked fish.

Tomorrow we head back to Naantali on the mainland for one more night before the final short leg back to Turku.

Here are some photos:

Touring Cyclist Having a Break

Nauvo Beach

Church Grounds Nauvo

Antique Store, Nauvo

Churchyard Korpoo

Later, from Naantali,

Jim

Kustavi to Korpoo

I left Peterzen's Boathouse after breakfast and rode the short distance to the ferry dock where I had to wait for the 10:10 boat. This meant that all the other tourers arrived and we began to take shape as a group.

The day's forecast was accurate and the rain which had been constant during the night tapered off around 9:00 and was replaced by sunshine, a few clouds and wind which got quite strong by noon.
A couple of the ferries kept being blown off course and having to back off and make several attempts to dock.

There were six ferry crossing today, the longest ones being 45 and 30 minutes trips with the boats themselves having little seating areas and cafes.

Our last leg to Hotel Nestor had the wind at our backs with rolling hills and a few speedy downhills.

Dinner was included at this venue and it was first rate; beef tenderloin, roasted vegetables, potato croquettes, bread with pesto spread,  and a berry dessert with small puffs of white chocolate mousse and thumb-sized meringues. Breakfast is due in a couple of hours and I expect it won't disappoint.

Here are the photos:

First Ferry Trip - The Dreaded 15:00 Only Trip

Stone Church

Latte and Brownie Break

Peterzen's Cabins

Peterzen's Harbour

Inside my Cabin - Repurposed Shipping Container

Waiting for Another Crossing

A 2 Hour Wait in the Ferry Dock Hut

These 2 Guys Were Biking the Whole 210km

Circular Route in One Day

Crowded in the Ferry Cafe

Waiting for the 5:00 Ferry

Hotel Nestor

The Dining Room

A superb dinner last night with 

the whole group around one table

Waiting for Their Next Assignment

Later, after our second night at Hotel Nestor,

Jim