What, Everything Is Free?

HYVINKAS.

The bus option works very well, a twenty minute ride sees us at the bus/railway station. It's a ten minute walk down to the market square. Here there are artisan stalls, cafes selling moose meatballs and reindeer burgers and an indoor food hall. We enjoy coffee and a cinnamon bun in one of the eateries in the latter. There is a nice buzz about the city as we do the typical tourist things like visiting the cathedral.

We agree that we like Helsinki, it would be worth a second visit on a mini city break. There is a free folk museum which occupies a good hour of our time, exhibits focus on everyday life in Helsinki over the ages.

Just miss a bus so call into the railway station for a look at those in transit. There is a large foreign exchange office where they offer the alphabet of currencies.

Time for a cup of tea then we head off up north. Rosie has found a free night's stay with water, electricity and, best of all for Rosie, washing and drying. It is about 30 miles away along a good stretch of dual carriageway. However, the speed limit is 50mph for much of it. A safety feature, no doubt. The parking is at a camper and caravan outlet. The assistant shows us where we can park and explains they will not accept payment for any of the amenities. Rosie almost faints with the excitement. She manages to do 4 washes in the evening.

We walk to the local town. A brush fire is being dealt with by the local fire brigade. A young man on a bike is excited until he sees how small it turns out to be. He points us in the direction of the town. It turns out to be longer than we thought, between 2 and 3 miles. We enjoy a drink in McDonalds and head back.