Sunday 24 June 2012

Rexi is a goer

Ok so leaving Stockholm with mixed emotions, but i have to say my feelings for stockholm was a great place to vist regardless of what happend the pros certainly outwayed the cons, no pun intended. So I grabbed the 730 Booze cruise to Turku,Finland. The locals take full advantage of the duty free allowance and do a 24hr excursion. This day however it was also full of the Summer day holiday weekend, which this part of the country celebrates big style the cities empty and they flock to the sea, country and parks. Id spent the day before departing travelling into the country to sample the festivities and also try out the bike. The parks were full of friends and families enjoying the sunshine, it doesnt last that long this far north, I guess stockholm is about 200 miles north of the outer hebrities. The state owned permantly fixed barbies in abundance were used to the full. The young women  dressed up in pretty dresses with head dresses made from floweres while the young Men were basicly strutting around showing off their bare chested physique. Mid summers day according to tradition is about the ritual of mating and its a statistic in Sweden that there is always a baby boom the following march. But hey thats Nature.
 So I arrive in Turku in the pouring rain and headed out to my couch for the night. Id been talking to a cyclist a few days before and he suggested that I join a web site called warmshoweres.org,  it sounds a bit dodgy but it was set up by a couple of cycle tourers who were doing europe on a buget and wanted an alternative to couch serfing.com where at the end of a ride having booked before you spend the night in a fellow cyclists home for free, do a bit of bike maintanance, dry some clothes. So I gave it a try and was allowed to use a cyclists home for the night, picture below, no it wasnt the vw. Her name was Jann and listen to this she was away enjoying the country festvals but let me in while she wasnt there via a hidden key. So Jann your a star if your reading this.
So the next morning I headed to Helsinki a light rain no traffic the holiday weekeng and a flat turrain.A few visits and Rexi my steeds name has been broken in.with 135 miles in one day.she moand a bit but shes handling ok. Finland is resonably flat not so many trees and there is certainly a russian feel happening.

7 comments:

  1. Crikey, that's a hell of a good day. I'm thinking that either you borrowed money from the Turks or there were 'mind the bears' signs everywhere.
    How long in the saddle?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Left at 830 stopped about 8 lots of stops on the way avoiding the finish rain roads were good to me.

      Delete
  2. You beat the Badminton Club record by 17 miles. What a day. Seems like you and rexi are getting along fine. Cheap beer in Estonia - keep going.

    ReplyDelete
  3. about time you stopped messing about , you do realise that giving your bike a name and personality is a bit gay love sel

    ReplyDelete
  4. Janes Dad wouldn't put up with daisies that size in his lawn. He gets them out with a screwdriver when they're little.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  6. James you can hardly see your bike under all that luggage. sounds great over there, very cyclist friendly. Maybe they should change the name to coldshowers.org in spring just to save the baby boom in March. Don't forget to wash behind Mr. Lion's ears every now and again.

    ReplyDelete