The ferry to Helsinki started shortly after 12 o'clock. It was my first ferry of this size. A ramp drove you into the hull of the ship. Placekeepers showed you where to place the bike. Then you grabbed lashing straps, which were available, and fastened the vehicle so that it could not fall over or slip during the crossing. The ride took about two hours. Arrived in Helsinki, the straps were released and you could go back out to the mainland.
The ride out of Helsinki cost me more than an hour. Almost every traffic light was red and the traffic was slow. Once out of town, the highway headed east quickly to Savonlinna, where I spent my first time in Finland. It had been a long day and I went to sleep at sunset. There should be no more night in a few days.
The next targets were the castle in Ovanlinna and the easternmost point of the EU. I stopped for a moment at the castle, took a little walk and drove on. The ride was quiet and it had little traffic. 18 kilometers before the finish the asphalt stopped and it started a gravel road. It was not loose gravel, but beautifully pressed and you could drive in the lanes without big problems. I started slowly and got more and more confident in myself and the bike, meter by meter. After all, my experience on such roads was limited to the few meters on the campsites. Arrived at the easternmost point, I took a short break and looked across the river to Russia. Robert was there the day before and was molested by mosquitoes, I had not seen or heard any. The 18 kilometers of gravel had to be driven back again. This was much easier than the way out. On the straight stretches, the gas was turned up more and more and around the curves it drove also faster around.
The roads I drove to Finland do not have much to offer. If one looks to
the left, one sees forest, one looks to the right, one sees forest, one looks again to the left, there is a lake .... That went through all of Finland like that. Most of the time it's just roads with a few gentle bends. In the north it gets a bit hilly. A pretty monotonous ride.
I drove northwest and in two days I came to Kemi, where I looked at the Sampo. An old icebreaker, which is now used for round trips. I stopped in Rovaniemi for a day. I wanted to visit Santa Claus Village and Rovaniemi. The campsite was near the village center. For Santa Claus it was a drive of a quarter of an hour. And what I found there was pure disappointment. A souvenir shop after another. Although the way to Santa Claus itself was well done, everywhere were boxes and boxes around and you could hear it banging and sawing, for children certainly great. Then you got to Santa Claus and you could sit next to him, it was taken a few photos and it went out again. See Santa Claus is for free, if you want to buy the photo with him, it costs 30 €. And so the whole village is built. Nothing of the Christmas magic, just commercial.
Nevertheless, there is a highlight for travelers like me there, the Arctic Circle leads directly through the village. North of it there was no more night.
After Santa Claus I went back to the campsite to have something to eat. Afterwards I walked through Rovaniemi and suddenly found myself in "Lordi Square". I looked around and saw a big poster, "Extra Lordinary - Lordi Exhibition Rovaniemi 2019". For free. So, get in there. The exhibition was not big, but there were at least three costumes of every band member. From 2001 to today. The 2006 ESC Cup 
was also on display. After the disappointment in the Santa Claus village, the exhibition was a nice pick-me-up and the highlight in Rovaniemi.
When I arrived in Rovaniemi, it was 30 ° C, when I drove after two days only 9 °. I drove to Inari, where I stayed one night in Finland. I was freezing all day. Arrived at the campsite I asked for the prices. 20 € for camping and 25 € for a small room with two beds. Bathroom and shower were in the building opposite. The decision was not difficult for me. After the cold day, I was looking forward to the warm room. When I was unloading, I met Anne Kathrin. She had been traveling in Scandinavia since May with her VW Caddy and a kayak. We decided to eat together and talked about our travels. I had already organized something to go out after dinner. Shortly before the meal, two Germans arrived with a Bimobil, an big off-road camper. When I saw them, I immediately asked if maybe I could take a look later, camper like interest me and if ever the opportunity offers ... They said, I could just knock and look at their vehicle. So after dinner Anne Kathrin and I went out and knocked at the Germans. They showed us their vehicle and explained some things, and we also spoke about our travels. Sometimes you don't need more, just people you've just met at the campsite and have a nice conversation.
After that it was bedtime, the next day it should go to Norway. I met Senni and Heidi, two Finnish girls whom we had met while eating. We talked for a while and they told me that there was no hot water in the showers after 10.30pm. Crap! We talked for a while and then all went to our beds. The next day we were all ready to leave about the same time. We said goodbye and everyone went their own way again.
It had not gotten warmer. I drove well packed in the direction of the Norwegian border. On the way there I saw the first reindeer. They were standing right in a meadow and eating. I immediately stopped and took a few photos. When I came to the border the weather got better. The sun was shining and it was pleasantly warm. Just one last refill and it went over the border to Norway.
After my visit to Heiko and Anja I went a bit further through Germany. On my way to Poland I visited the Göltzschtal bridge, the largest brick bridge in the world with its 98 arches. Then we continued towards Spreewald. I stayed at a small campsite near Finsterwalde, the campsite Bornsdorf "Am Waldsee". The night before, they had a line dance event there and were busy with dismantling, the kitchen was closed. I just had some bread and a few nuts with me. The nice lady at the front desk offered me something from the grill they had set up for the workers. That was just great! This are people I like to remember, they make a trip like mine even more special. In conversation with the people there, I was recommended to look at the F60, the largest mobile technical machine in the world. "Just go there and have a look at it from the outside, you can also go in if you want". So I drove there the next day. It was full of festivalgoers who were on their way home. Apparently there was just a festival over. So I looked at the machine from the outside and drove on towards Spreewald, made my round through Lübbenau. About the highway, it went north.
The next destination on my bucket list was the geographic center of Europe near Vilnius. I made it to Suwalki near the border with Lithuania. There I found a small bikerfriendly campsite. The whole check-in process went smoothly and easily. "Have you got a free place?", "Yes, find some place, there are the showers and toilets". Simple, uncomplicated, friendly. That is what one wants to have. I drove on over the border to Lithuania and on to Trakai for a photo stop. I just looked at the moated castle from the outside, it was hot and there were too many people there. So a few photos, have a drink and continue to the center of Europe. There I met a Lithuanian who was waiting for friends. When they arrived, a man and an old lady, the man told that someone had stolen the battery from the car. After a short conversation about this and that I drove on towards the mountain of crosses. I knew that I could not get there, so in the evening I searched for a campsite on the sat nav and found one in the middle of the forest. In the forest I came to an intersection, straight ahead, gravel, left, gravel, right, asphalt. On the sat nav, I saw that a camping site had to be right, so I went there. There was no one to see, only two dogs barking. I looked around a bit. It looked like a summer camp. Several cabins, sports field, shared room ... Then came a car. A young woman got out. I asked if this is a campsite and if it is possible to stay overnight. She explained that they were not going to open until one day later and that it was a camp for children. But she asked the boss if I was allowed to stay there and I even got one of the rooms for one night. The next morning no one was there, again only the dogs were there. I grabbed my motorcycle, put the money and keys on the table in the room and drove to the hill of crosses. When I got there, I already saw that it was furnished for many visitors. I parked my motorcycle and went to the mountain. Well, actually it is just a hill and not even a very big, rather a small survey. But there are over 200,000 crosses on it. There I met Thomas, who was traveling with his GS in the Baltics. He told me that we are there early enough, even before the onslaught of tourists arrive. So take pictures and get away.
The next day we made our way on foot through Tallinn's old town. We visited the sights and searched for beer for a maximum of 3.50 €. In the old town we found nothing. On the way back to the hostel we passed a bunker. Outside stood the typical billboard of bars and restaurant. We went down the stairs and finally found our beer for 3.50 €. The decor and decoration reminded of the old Soviet Union. The bar had its special charm and certainly not for everyone. In the evening we got in the supermarket to eat something and ate in the hostel.