Our short but enjoyable stay in Finland began when we left Saint Petersburg on a high-speed train direct to Helsinki. This was a milestone of the trip so far, as we had managed to make it all the way from Hong Kong to Helsinki completely by rail.

We were greeted in Helsinki by something we hadn’t seen in a while… a smile! The Finns were incredibly friendly and happy people, or at least they seemed that way after Russia. Helsinki was alive with people out and about soaking up the sun from the short but sweet Scandinavian summer. The sun never really sets in Helsinki during the two summer months, so we were able to get out and explore the city until late in the night.

Our second day we boarded a ferry across to Suomenlinna, a former sea-fortress built on six islands off the coast of Finland designed to protect Helsinki. We had a nice time inspecting the old U-boat, and cannons that mark different eras of occupation of Finland; we learnt a lot of north European history.

Having the spectre of Russia directly on the door step obviously weighs heavy on Finland, and some people were reluctant to talk about European politics, while others were very forthright and strongly opinionated. This was probably one of the main things we picked up in Finland.

Our short stay finished with us booking a cheap overnight ferry to Stockholm, Sweden. Turning up at the wharf we saw a huge boat that turned out to be a cruise ship, complete with cheesy night club, and duty free shopping. Probably some of our better accommodation we have had on our trip! Hayley was excited about a night on a ship, Pete however… not so much! It gave us a great view of Helsinki and the outlying islands as we sailed off into the white night.