Okay, I’m done sugar-coating it: I am officially over forests and mosquitoes. Finland, I wanted to love you. I really did.  I was hoping for solitude and reflection, instead I got pine trees and itchy bites. Norway set the bar high, and it seems like Finland tripped over it and face planted into a swamp.

That sounds really mean, but it hasn’t been all bland. We’ve had some stunning camping spots, viewed through the van window of course, because stepping outside means donating blood to the locals. On the upside, it’s been warmer, so we haven’t needed to worry about our diesel heater being on holiday. I’m just wondering if It knew what was coming! 

Originally, we’d planned to explore here, but we’re now fast-tracking it south toward Helsinki,  where we hope to catch a ferry to Estonia so we can explore eastern Europe. It’s time to leave the wilderness and vampires behind and become tourists, exploring historic cities and cobblestoned streets.

Today was mostly highway driving, though to be fair, in Finland the scenery doesn’t really change whether you’re on a main road or a goat track. The only real difference is how often a logging truck overtakes you.

But then, just when we were ready to leave, Finland drew us back in. Tonight, we stumbled upon a free camp spot by a perfectly calm lake, the kind of place that makes you forget all your petty complaints. The pine trees reflecting in the water were perfect, like a forest growing upside down. It’s like Finland wasn’t happy with the amount of trees it already had and decided it needed MORE! 

We admired the view for a few minutes and promptly fell asleep.