Finland - middle area

3 July 2015

We are travelling southwards in Finland. We have now crossed the Arctic circle after spending 10 days above it. Surreal!

There are a couple of remarkable things about Finland, especially in contrast to Norway. Finland's beauty lies in lakes, rivers and conifer forests. There are rolling hills, straight roads, and SO many lakes. Most of the lake views are obscured by trees but then a wide view appears and delights. 

And then there are mosquitoes! Millions of them. Thankfully they are repelled by DEET so we have overcome our impulse to stay inside, and we are enjoying the outdoors despite them. 

We have also discovered recreational areas beside streams and lakes, provided by the local "commune" ( ie. Municipality). There is a shelter with a fireplace, split wood supply, tables and seats. 

These are shared facilities and both times we have stayed at one we have had company of Fins, along with lively conversation. Otherwise we have little contact with them, so this is a bonus. 

And we are seeing more reindeer. 

4th July 2015

Today we have tried to find Finnish wilderness. We want to see some wildlife! So we took minor roads, and very soon saw some small creatures run across the road (shrew, voll). We saw a red squirrel. 

But the real surprise was the Russian border!

And the watch tower with cameras..

 For some time we drove along a track which ran along the border. 

We came across this hunter's hut very close to the border and were tempted to camp there but the biting flies warned us off. Eventually we did camp close to the border zone -about 50m from the signs! There could be no passing traffic here! 

The silence was wonderful. But we soon became aware that it was too silent. Where are the birds? This is peak season and we expected to hear many birds active. We heard a cuckoo and a few small birds, no more than three species. Where are the woodpeckers? We heard them quite a few times in Japan but not here. There should be a number of different species of woodpecker here, and their sound carries a long way. 

This wilderness also has 4 large carnivores - brown bear, lynx, wolves, and wolverine. Of course we didn't see them. They have been hunted almost to extinction! 

5 July 2015

We are in the Karelia region of Finland. This area has a history of conflict with Russia, with an attempt by Russia to take it from Finland in the so called "winter war" in 1939. There are a number of monuments, including this one called "the silent people" - a thousand scarecrows representing the war dead.