I leave our family country house in midsummer's night, canoe on top of my car.
Short stop home in Tallinn to take my stuff and then with the ferry to Helsinki. Heavy rain. In Finland are lupines, occasional sunshine and rush hour. Not too difficult to find Kirkkoranta and occupy the camp site.
A bird keeps an eye on me in the morning. I start late and there is strong wind. It's only 13 km to Pitkäsaari but it feels like a full exercise day. I put up hammock and make a new plan. A lazy plan. That means limiting my visit to four small islands and not moving on every day. Instead I make short day trips, swim, doze off in the hammock and read. Mirror-landscapes in the evenings, water is only moved by small insects who run on the surface. Get aquinted with a snake called kyykäärme. Should be poisonous. A few Finns, a few tourists. Ducks. Lots of mosquitoes in the evenings. They balance the painting-like sunset views. I almost get a glimpse of the Saimaa dolphin. At least I think it is the dolphin I see catching a fish that was trying to jump out of the water.
Going back the last day there is again strong headwind. Alone with a canoe on a lake with strong wind is not the easiest of packages. It takes a lot of time. Rivers are easier.
Back in civilization I take a burger and witness two old men pressing their faces on the window to watch a tourist filling the tank. Not me. I'm almost a local.
A bird keeps an eye on me in the morning. I start late and there is strong wind. It's only 13 km to Pitkäsaari but it feels like a full exercise day. I put up hammock and make a new plan. A lazy plan. That means limiting my visit to four small islands and not moving on every day. Instead I make short day trips, swim, doze off in the hammock and read. Mirror-landscapes in the evenings, water is only moved by small insects who run on the surface. Get aquinted with a snake called kyykäärme. Should be poisonous. A few Finns, a few tourists. Ducks. Lots of mosquitoes in the evenings. They balance the painting-like sunset views. I almost get a glimpse of the Saimaa dolphin. At least I think it is the dolphin I see catching a fish that was trying to jump out of the water.
Going back the last day there is again strong headwind. Alone with a canoe on a lake with strong wind is not the easiest of packages. It takes a lot of time. Rivers are easier.
Back in civilization I take a burger and witness two old men pressing their faces on the window to watch a tourist filling the tank. Not me. I'm almost a local.
Add a comment