day 69 - Joensuu

Day 69
September 9th

Our stop in Joensuu, as hinted by the glamorous welcoming, was supposed to be a busy and productive one. So, after each of us had some nice breakfast with our hosts, we gathered at the North Karelia Regional Council for the morning session.

We were officially welcomed by Ms Outi Savonlahti of the International Office of UEF and participated in a workshop on Cross-Border Cooperation.
Sisko Kaarto, Director of Public Relations and Cross-Border Cooperation of the Regional Council, gave a few welcoming words to the group. Unfortunately, we would be meeting Pentti Hyttinen, the Regional Mayor and one of our supporters.
Then, Prof Heikki Eskelinen from UEF's Karelian Institute taught us about Karelia in Finland and in Russia, followed by Dr Minna Piipponen from the VERA Centre for Russia and Border Studies, who told us about the research carried out at UEF.
Later we heard from researchers Olga Davydova and Pirjo Pollanen, who presented us their work entitled "Gender and Checkpoint". They elaborated on gender issues in the border area and also gave us some advice about Russian roads, which might come in handy...
Finally, Ms Tiina Moisala and Ms Ulla Aanismaa from the Regional Council spoke of cooperation with Russia and other Eastern Border Regions in the European Union.

This interesting but long session led us to our lunch break, after which we gathered at UEF to meet the Rector, Prof Perttu Vartiainen. Over coffee, we had a lengthy talk about UEF, Student Mobility and our project. This nice meeting was topped off with the signing of the Bike of Honour.

After our meeting we visited the Faculty of Science and were introduced to many of the brilliant projects and fields of research going on at UEF. During our tour we learned about Colour studies, Andi showed what he can control with this intense stare and we might have sighted the Grinch...

In the evening, we all gathered at Sini's place for a little get together with buffet. Matt tasted reindeer meat and he was never the same again.

day 68 - Tuusjarvi to Joensuu

Day 68
September 8th

This morning's challenge was to start riding as early as possible. We had a long way to cover until we'd reached Joensuu, the final stop for this stage. Also, we had to be there in the early afternoon, as there were plans laid out for us which we wouldn't want to miss...

We had to face the rain again, and we kept riding on the main roads to avoid losing time on the way. We took a lunch break by a gas station, in a sort of open hut with a fireplace. We needed that fire badly, and the folks from the station were kind enough to restock the firewood reserve for us. At the end of lunch a polite gentleman sat beside us and began to speak Finnish for quite a long time, choosing to ignore the fact that we didn't understand anything he said. It was time to hit the road once more.

Much to our own surprise, we made it to Joensuu right on time and headed to the UEF campus, where were met our hosts. Nothing sounded better than enjoying the best kind of hospitality, crashing on the couches of our fellow students! We got our luggage, split to make our beds and gathered again for a promising evening.

A respectful delegation from UEF welcomed us to a magnificent villa, where we had a great dinner and the mandatory sauna session. We met some fellow students, including our friend from Vilnius, Kristina. We enjoyed a wonderful time, before going out to visit the Student Union and to check out the local nightlife.

Stage N completed, one more to go.

day 67 - Kuopio to Tuusjarvi

Day 67
September 7th

Again treated to breakfast at the cafeteria, we visited other spots of interest on campus, particularly the International Office. None of us really knew much about Kuopio and UEF, but we were all very impressed (some actually consideration moving here). Having said goodbye to our wonderful local team, we finished packing and moved on.

It was impossible to get lost, since we were crossing lakes all the time and there was only one road ahead of us. When there was no road, there was a ferry. Since today's distance was smaller than usual, we took some more time to enjoy the sights and do some filming. Even Tricky caught a fish "that big".

We took a lunch break by a small marina and checked our route thoroughly, since our accommodation for tonight was on a farm, far away from any populated area. Rolling through dirt roads, we arrived to find one of the nicest places we could dream of. Comfortable rooms in cottages, with the mandatory private sauna, a great garden with swings to enjoy a beer at sunset and a nice warm meal. There were lots of hunters staying there, or just stopping for dinner, who were a bit puzzled by the group of bikes. All in good spirit, of course.

day 66 - Pieksamaki to Kuopio

Day 66
September 6th

With a good night's sleep, the usual wake up call doesn't sound so bad. We had a nice complimentary breakfast in the cafeteria, bounced up and down just a little bit and waved goodbye to our friends, as we resumed our way North.

During today's ride we rode across a couple of nice little towns, which make up the great setting we've been getting to know lately, with the green forest, the blue lakes and the rollercoaster roads. We were even approached by some locals at a small shop, who asked us about the purpose of our visit and recommended us the nicest roads. The weather was pleasant and so was the overall cycling, as we entered Kuopio, one of our main, yet short, stops.

When we arrived at the UEF campus we were met by the press, gave an interview and came in contact with a crowd of rowdy first-year students, off to spread their fueled joy across town. We stayed at the Student House, again turning an otherwise tidy room into a nomad camp for the night. We met our local organizers, Eeva (who we'd met in our first real riding day) and Kai, made introductions and got ready for dinner.

We were invited for dinner with two distinguished guests. Ms Sari Raassina, Chairman of the Kuopio City Board, and Prof Kalervo Vaananen, Academic Rector of UEF, both signed our Manifesto and the Bike of Honour, showing their support for the project. Ms Raassina's speech was particularly heartfelt, as she praised us for being so bold and active in defending our Rights and working towards a better society.

The rest of the evening was spent fixing bikes, playing games and attempting to learn some German. Unfortunately, learning Finnish is a bit beyond our reach.

day 65 - Hartola to Pieksamaki

Day 65
September 5th

Waking up in such comfort and peace is a great source of strength to face the day. Only problem was, we had to say goodbye to Riina, who's been such an amazing guide. Parson Jeremias came to wish us luck and we took a special group photo - the eleven going to St P.

Our day was long, which came as no surprise. Though we've established a strict routine and must always cover half the day's distance before lunch, one thing is for sure: lunch break is by the lake. No shortage of lakes around here, much like the forest.

In the evening we arrived in Pieksamaki, and were welcomed at the Diaconia University campus. We were a bit late for dinner, but nothing that would make the canteen lady too upset. The Director sent her greetings, as she could not meet us, and we settled at the gym. We spent a wonderful evening with our colleagues from the local Student Union, highlighted by the Singstar competition between Matt and himself.

day 64 - Lahti to Hartola

Day 64
September 4th

This morning we had breakfast, cleaned up the teachers' lounge and had a little group conference on group routines. These stretches are demanding and we plan on working as a tight group to get to our destination safe and sound. Properly fed and motivated, we hit the road again.

We rode through small roads in the woods, avoiding the highway and the dreaded traffic. There is no shortage of peaceful green scenarios along the way, and we try to enjoy the ride as much as we can. The lack of incidents means a lack of stories, but the feeling is both nice and hard to describe.

After this long day, we came to our stop for the night. Courtesy of the Hartola Congregation, we stayed at their Summer cottage, by the lake. There we met Sini, our coordinator from Joensuu, who drove all the way to meet us.

The rooms were cozy and comfortable, and the main house was fully equipped for a group of crazy cyclists to recover from a day's ride in the sauna, jumping in the lake or enjoying the bonfire outside. Dinner was waiting for us, and after that we met Parson Jeremias, with whom we spent a nice relaxing evening.

Finland just keeps getting better.