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kzoo_swmmr
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| Joined: | Fri Jan 5th, 2007 |
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Posted: Thu Apr 10th, 2008 03:03 pm |
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The title is pretty self-explanatory!
I'll be in Finland for a few days for work & would like to add on a few days to explore. A supported or unsupported cycling tour is, of course, at the top of my list.
Has anyone done this? Do we have any Finnish Bellas out there? Can anyone recommend routes or a tour group? Looking forward to your responses! Monica
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MariaS
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Posted: Thu Apr 10th, 2008 08:38 pm |
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Take the time to explore Finland!!!!!
I lived in Finland for 2 months last summer. Most of my time was in Savonlinna on the East side of Finland. I did a lot of exploring in the Lakes region where Savonlinna is located. At the end of my stay, instead of taking the train all the way from Savonlinna to Helsinki, I took the train part way to Kouvola (near Lahti) and then I rode from Kouvola to Helsinki over 2 days. Bikes are really easy to take on the train (or coach bus) if you want to ride point-to-point. The train and coach bus system is pretty easy to use if you can get someone who speaks some English, and they are very bike friendly.
Cycling in Finland is great. I found some excellent bike maps at a bookstore in Helsinki (can't remember which one- maybe by Stockmans Dept store?) There is a set of 10-20 maps that cover the entire country. You can pick out which map fits where you are going/want to go best. The detail on the maps was very good.
I brought my own bike since I was going to be there for so long. I'm not sure about bike rental besides "bike path" type bikes. Green Bike in Helsinki rents bikes, but I'm not sure about touring bikes. Most people in Helsinki speak English, but if you get into the smaller towns or rural areas, fewer people speak English.
All this talk about Finland makes me want to go back! Please let me know if you would like more information.
maria
BTW- have you ever been to the UP of Michigan? If you have, the UP will make WAY more sense to you after you've spent time in Finland- lots of Finnish immigrants settled in the UP.
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kzoo_swmmr
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Posted: Fri Apr 11th, 2008 01:56 pm |
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Thanks, Maria! I'll PM you soon, with some specific questions -- especially about the area around Turku. In the mean time, here's some frizzle 
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allieburch
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Posted: Fri Apr 11th, 2008 09:39 pm |
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MariaS wrote: BTW- have you ever been to the UP of Michigan? If you have, the UP will make WAY more sense to you after you've spent time in Finland- lots of Finnish immigrants settled in the UP.
Funny - I stayed in Vierumäki for about a month in '94 and that's exactly what I thought. It looks just like the UP!
Have a great time there!
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kzoo_swmmr
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Posted: Sat Apr 12th, 2008 12:42 pm |
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| Fascinating. Haven't been to the UP (...yet, it's on my list), but I have been to the north shore of Superior & to north-central Ontario. I imagine the UP is similar, and Finland (at least the northern part) too? Trees, lakes, a little rocky, and not too many people.
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