Going out in style: lunch at Wirtschaft zur alten Post. Best rösti in St. Gallen!
Fahr'n fahr'n fahr'n auf der Autobahn! After bidding farewells to Switzerland, I was stoked about the chance to drive through Germany. Although I worked in Bavaria, I had seen very little of the Bundesrepublik (Bavaria is the Texas of Germany anyway). Now I would get to see it all – at least as a green blur while blasting through it. Germany has some of the best road networks in the whole world so driving there is a bliss. Even though the highways don't have any speed limit at all and you're allowed to drive as fast as you please, construction zones and slower drivers often limit your pace. I was able to unleash the full power of my car only until I had reached the northern parts of the country. I actually enjoyed driving SO much that I purchased a souvenir: a picture of me in my car with my trademark stupid grin! Jawohl, there are speed cameras even in Germany, often purposely placed as traps right after the unlimited zones – to "maximise road safety". Scheiße!!
Sunrise at Lake Constance: last morning in Switzerland.
Since I wasn't in a horrible hurry, I decided to spend some time as a tourist on the way. The idea was to stay one night in Schwarzwald (the Black Forest) and next one in Northern Germany (I picked Hannover). I wanted to eat a Frankfurter in Frankfurt a.M., a hamburger in Hamburg and enjoy a Beck's in Lübeck (because no-one else ever has had the same idea). However I spent so long wandering in the Black Forest that I had to speed past Frankfurt. Hamburg was organising a city marathon without my approval and the running course rendered Altstadt and St. Pauli quarters inaccessible. Therefore I couldn't take a stroll on Germany's die sündigste Meile (the most sinful mile): - Reeperbahn. Perhaps it wouldn't have been that glamorous anyway since it was an early Sunday morning and I was driving a Volvo. I ended up spending the day in Lübeck instead, and that was a great decision. Lübeck is a lovely seaside city with a glamorous history as the capital of Hanseatic League - a merchant union that once dominated the Baltic Sea. I really enjoyed my day walking and dining in the old town of Lübeck.
Very Swiss! St. Galler Bratwurst with rösti.
The last stretch of the trip was through Sweden. I could've taken a direct ferry to Finland, but driving through Finland's beloved arch-rival was cheaper. I didn't have any time for sightseeing though. Not that it would've mattered: Sweden looks pretty much the same as Finland. The people are just prettier, wealthier and happier: in Sweden even the men know what abstract concepts like "moisturiser" or "manicure" mean. I tried to hide the fact that I was "en finne igen" - "yet another Finn" - but my cover was blown by the credit card I used. Every time I paid, the user interface switched automatically in Finnish. Pahus!
It's now been two weeks in Finland and I am already having a culture shock. After living with the Swiss and the Germans, it feels that people here don't have manners. I feel like an idiot every time I accidentally greet a neighbour or even a stranger. The Finns probably think that I'm either a drunk, a foreigner, or both.
Hallo, Deutschland! I decided to enjoy my drive through Germany and take it a bit slower, by spending two nights there. It would be possible to drive through the whole country in one day if you really push it. This photo is taken along the scenic Schwarzwaldhochstraße through the Black Forest.
I stayed over in a town called Freudenstadt not too far from the Swiss border. The Black Forest is on the left.
Kloster Allerheiligen - ruins of a monastery abandoned centuries ago, deep in the forest. What a fascinating place.
Alpirsbacher, a local choice. Life is good.
Wasserfälle Allerheiligen in Schwarzwald.
I really enjoyed my hike in the Black Forest. A beautiful peaceful place.
Mummelsee in Schwarzwald. Nixes/Necken/näkkis live here.
The Germans have a lot in common with Americans. Loud voice. Endless self-confidence. Huge dishes. The bigger and unhealthier, the better. I thought I had ordered just a small sandwich with some leberkäse.
After a hamburger in Hamburg, I drove to the old Hanseatic city of Lübeck. It's a nice town and definitely worth a visit if you're in the region. For some reason Lübeck is famous for its marzipan.
Lübeck is like Lindau in the other end of Germany: old, cozy, located on an island. Starts with an 'L'.
Bavarian Lion in Lindau is very attentively observing Bodensee. His Lübeckian counterpart appeared to be off-duty and not too bothered with the Baltic Sea.
Lübeck was swimming in money back in the day. The old city has five churches, the biggest of them, Marienkirche, is third largest in Germany.
So many churches. This one is Lübeck Cathedral, Dom zu Lübeck. Protestants don't fancy the bling like the Catholics do.
My favourite photo of the trip. Huddle and cuddle in Travemünde, Germany's largest port on the Baltic sea. Passat in the back.
Auf wiedersehen Deutschland! Hejsan Sverige! I took a freight ferry from Germany to Sweden.
Mr. Blurrycam took this shot from a moving ferry. Seaside of Travemünde and STS Mir, a Russian training ship.
G'morgon Skandinavien! Øresundsbroen or Öresundsbron connects Denmark to Sweden. It is the longest combined road and rail bridge in Europe.
I arrived in the morning to the southern tip of Sweden and I was planning to take a ferry from Stockholm to Finland in the evening, so I spent most of the day behind the wheel. My dad recommended stopping in a small town called Gränna, so I had a lunch there.
A big disappointment! I wanted to eat genuine Swedish kötbullar med potatismos - meatballs and mashed potatoes. What a scam! Did they notice I'm a Finnjävel? I was served canned meatballs, heated in a microwave oven, and regular boiled potatoes! Jävla svenskar!
Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, was my final stop before arriving in Finland.
Public transport in Stockholm. According to Wikipedia, Djurgården 4 was built in 1897.
Last day as an immigrant. I took M/S Amorella to Turku, Finland. It was quiet on the ship even though it was the May Day eve.
My loot from Mother Svea: Polkagris, Swedish hand-made candies. Developed in 1859 by a lady called Amalia Eriksson.
Finnish windflower. Spring has finally arrived! When I drove towards north, spring was still in Skåne/Scania region in southern Sweden.
Spring lasted for a week. Then summer arrived. For a passing moment, Southern Finland was the warmest place in the whole Europe!
Sakura in Finland. There are surprisingly many cherry trees in the country.
We enjoyed hanami in Kirsikkapuisto (Cherry Tree Park) in Helsinki.
The only problem with the hanami was that all the cherry flowers were already gone! ...except for this one, single tree.
Beach life: Finland edition.
A tern, tiira in Finnish, is a great diver. These beasts freaked the heck out of me as a child: if you walk too close to a nest, they dive at you and try to hit you with a "payload". *Splash*
Finland can be pretty when the wildflowers bloom.
I think I entertained (or creeped out) my new neighbours by crouching in the nearby bushes, enamoured by the flowers.
My birthday present! Some of the few positives about Finland: midnight sun, and salty liquorice vodka. I took the photo after 10pm using only natural light.
Sunset over Keilalahti, taken from Lauttasaari. My wife and I were trying out Helsinki's affordable city bike system. Long live socialism!