RVing in Finland: Road Trip to the Arctic Circle and Beyond
Here's, our sunlight, t69. L, from, savonia, caravan so let's, go explore Finland. I'm. Riding. Riding riding, in. My RBI, RV. Wherever. I want. To be. You. Guys I'm free in. My RV. Well. Good morning. From our campground, hearing Helsinki, Finland before, we leave towards the Lapland, some housekeeping, is in order here more specifically, dumping. The cassette toilet and excuse. My clumsiness, but, it's only my second, time doing it. If. I. Go to the damn station, I promise. I'll show you how it's done before the trip is over. Let's. Head over to the greywater dump, station, first which is basically a hole on the ground. How. You dump the greywater. And, this is how you fill, up the water the fresh water. Did, you get that mmm. Neither, did I the, GPS lady is obviously talking to me in English but the street names are in Swami and this, language at least for English speakers, is very hard, to understand. I. Still. Have a map, on my phone to glance at and I'm actually more comfortable sometimes, that follow in that then, listening, to the verbal commands and more of a visual kind of guy but, actually, this is one of the most alluring aspects. Of travelling overseas you know trying to figure out how to navigate in, a different language different rules. Different, customs. It is fascinating. Look. How many street lamps, they have over the highway I guess. To bring light, to the long cold, winter, nights perhaps. I'm. Just guessing here. Check. Out this tunnel how cool, it looks inside with just a bare rock exposed, as, also, find out a lot of tunnels in this area of the world are like that always. Very, well lit though, this. Very first leg, of the trip we're just driving a little over half an hour to the nearby town, of porvoo, I'm just getting, used to drive in the Takato here, I haven't, driven stick shift in over 10 years but apparently it's just like we're riding a bicycle you never really forget it well. This is it Porterville as, we cross the port raja key here now, let's, try and find parking. This. Looks promising I see a big P let's. See where that leads. Yep, I'll, take it I think. This will be fine. Let's. Explore a little bit. Macchiato. Now. This place very, nice and our house, is. Right there perv oh by the way is the second, oldest, town in Finland. Founded. In 1380. Let's. Walk towards, the old town. Go. Check out an old Citroen, truck, many. Of the houses here, in Old Town date, back to the 18th, and 19th centuries, and. There. Is a real town not just for tourists, people actually live, here. This. Here is one of the main streets, very, touristy with, all kinds of boutiques, and cafés.
Museum. Here. We have a house sideways. And the, building that used to be the city hall nowadays, the city museum. And. Here is the river. We continue working. We're. Going to walk on this road here uphill. To, reach the cathedral. Very. Old, cobblestones. A. Little, disoriented. Here. This. Here is the kid Kotori or Church Square. Mall. Cathedral, here yeah, it doesn't have that grandiose. Image, that you associate, with other, cathedrals. But. Let's, check it out anyways, it is supposed to be the top thing to do here in Porto, it. Is one of the oldest, and largest, cathedrals. In the whole country, some, parts actually dates, back to the 11th, century and, we, get a little bit of a view of the river from, up here, lucky. For us they're, gonna have an organ concert, and it's going to begin here in a few minutes we, might not be able to stay for the whole thing but how, timely is that for us huh the. Building itself has been through a lot over, the years it, was originally, a Catholic, Church then. During the Reformation, that just removed some icons painted, over some murals and voila now we are Protestant, it, burned to the ground, four times between 1300. And 1700, it, was even hit by a bomb during, World War one and the roof someone, set it on fire again in 2006. So. After all that I wonder, what's really, left from, the 11th, century but, if they say so it, must be true. The. Oregon concert, is definitely, one of those things, that are very hard, to plan and you, are grateful when they happen serendipitously. Like this. Well. Let's, continue exploring. A little bit here on our way back to the RV going. Through the narrow cobblestone, streets. Very cool town we liked it would, have loved to stay longer and we are as usual a little pressed for time we, are meeting up with a viewer for lunch and then, with our friend Petrie for dinner. Shoppin. We have to name our. European. RV. If. We, go to Vitalis, house, continued. For two kilometers. Riding. Riding. In my RV. Wherever. I want. To be. Guys, I'm free if. I RV. I'm. Writing. I'm. Writing, in, my RBI, RV. Wherever. I want, to me. Because. I'm free if. I are me. Batali. And his mum Valentina, are viewers, of the channel and very graciously, invited, us to lunch at, their home here, we. Are at Ali's house and I want to thank him first, of all for the hospitality of inviting, me here to his home. His. Mom. We've. Been watching. Travel, videos and he. Fed me and. They. Have a beautiful home beautifully, decorated and, Vitali, is working on a very innovative startup, called desk, meet calm, well, till, we meet again. Yeah. Vitalis company is really cool you can reserve a desk in an office space by clicking on this 3d, office, map looks. Very cool and he explained the technology, behind it and it is actually a very good idea for travelers. Because sometimes, you need a comfortable, space to work with good, internet while. On the road speaking. Of the road we, are on it again on our way to the town of varrock house where. Our host friend, opt, well. That's where he lives and we're, gonna hang out tonight I just, noticed one, thing in the USA all the semi trucks have a big nose in the front where the engine, is and here. They're all flat in the front. That's. A curious difference. In design. I'm, riding. Riding. In my RV. Wherever. I. And. Guys I'm. Hearing, Finland I've seen lots of cars towing this small, trailers, with a plastic, cover I wonder. What the deal is with those. And. It seems like the weather is improving thankfully. Yeah. Let's follow the RV we're. Probably going, to the same place. In. 600 meters turn right at the first little. Whistlin, time for two o'clock our campground, here is located, at the contour, anta Hotel, and Spa on the shores of Lake Como selca very.
Close To pitiless, home and downtown. VAR cows and, here. We are let's, go and check in here's. The trail very, nice and overall. A very quiet, and peaceful place here, there's, nice, houses on the other side of the lake. Yeah. That's part of residential. Var cows I. Am. Fascinated by, the clouds these, latitudes. They. Seem different, somehow. And. Don't. Be fooled by the daylight, is, 8 p.m. here in early, June and that's, the Oscar where we are going to have dinner tonight but first a Peter II and his wife give us a quick tour of their hometown although. This. Was one of those instances when I was more in the moment they, don't really shoot a whole lot of video with. It take some pictures at the Oscar, with, Peter II his wife Annie and his friend and partner Tommy, Ely. And I had a great time sharing, with them getting, to know each other and one, of the best hamburgers, I've ever had all, the way here in Finland, once. Again I want to thank Peter II for inviting, us to his great country, by. The way it is like 11:00 p.m.. Well. Hello everybody and greetings from the Contenta campground, here in umber, cows of Finland, so here we have the, Finnish. Staple, which is the. Sauna. Let. Me see if I can show you how. It works Lots, right now what what you do after, getting out of the sound are you come running, down this path towards. The lake and, here. You. Jumped, into, the freezing. Cold water and. Then. You come out. Go. Back to the cellar and. Repeat. Let's. Go into the main office to find out where the dump station is, located. Hmm. They're singing, here and, there. Seems to be an Irish pub mmm, too bad we're living. There. Is an indoor, pool with, a slide a. Soccer. Field and. Beautiful. Views of the lake. And there's. A beautiful view of our camper, which we have Christians, savonia. And, now. Time, for the daily chore of emptying, the cassette toilet and, that's. Where you deposit, you, know the, stuff. Looks. Like, I missed a spot by just, an. Inch or self we, continue towards the Lapland. To. Cut the family of little ducklings, grass, in the street. Very. Very, cute. Let's. Fill up with diesel. We. Found this place where you can get propane, and. Now we're, looking for a supermarket. Preferably. One with an alcohol, next to it. That's. A lot of syllables. We're. Going to this supermarket. Here called the little, but. If, we're going to park on the streets we're going the wrong way okay. Much. Better this will do we've. Got an alcohol, and a little what, else could we possibly ask, for let's get our cards. By. The way in order to get a shopping cart you have to deposit a euro or some other going to release it and then, you get your euro back when you return the cart, well. Now that we have enough provisions, to survive a week in the tundra. Not. Really the, journey continues, but before that let's go for a quick cruise around for cows here. Yeah. We drove around here last night, if you can call that twilight, night with, Peter II but, I wanted to see it again. See. Another one of those trailers, with a plastic, top they, seem to be very popular. There. Are all these multicolored. Flowers on, the side of the road and, maybe I'll get a better shot further north. As, it usually is, more. The norm than the exception we. Are again. Behind. Schedule here, going north. Rovaniemi, in the Lapland, region, of, Finland. We're late doesn't, really matter we're gonna see as much as we can. The good thing is that the resin doesn't get dark on the relates up when I tried. There's, this city bowl. There's. Another place after that. Yeah. Check out all these flowers on the side of the road it kind of reminds me of the fire weed in Alaska, we, are going to stop at the next city, here called co-op EO and try to get an invert Eddy which is how you say inverter in Swami, because, it looks like we're going to be boondocking. A lot and we need to charge our devices, using the house battery, and, here, we are eally my navigator, found, this store called the MOT inept they, sell all kinds of, automotive. Stuff including. Inverters, we're, going to try and get an inverter, here, at. Moto net, what. A net and, but an, inverter, so, now we've got power. And. I got me an energy drink just you know for an emergency. Even. Though savonia, here doesn't have solar panels or generator, we're.
Going To be driving daily, so it should stay pretty well charged, throughout, the trip even charging, the phones the computer, and the cameras, nightly. Iceland. Borders the same the same latitude. Or else we're. Getting really really up there. Even. Though we are inching closer and closer to the arctic circle it, doesn't feel very remote. At all there, are small, towns and services, every few kilometers, although, I suspect, that will become further and further apart the, norther we get. We. Change direction here. At asal, me and i'm, getting tired. Okay. Let's, take a break. We're. Gonna take a break here I do, believe that in all these parking. Areas on the side of the road you. Are. Allowed to overnight. You know boondock if you really have to nobody is going to bother. You they have a law here called, every. Man's rights or something like that so so, basically as. Long as you, don't bother the. Property. Or the environment or what have you I don't know exactly how it works you, are allowed to. Stay, and. That's what I might do tonight later. On but it's getting really chilly out, here is like six degrees for and Celsius. I'm. Getting used to Celsius I'm gonna use the kilometers, see. So. I got. My groove back on a driving, stick shift is so. Yeah. It's. Been so far and very, nice trip and the trip is just getting, started. We're. Gonna stop now at this time at this town called Oulu, I think it's right on them on the on the coast very close to Sweden actually beautiful, countryside, here in, in. Finland. We'll. Continue on, the road. That's, a drop at this time by the way it, is like 9. P.m., or something like that. In. My original plan we were going to make it all the way to revenue, Emmy today by the Arctic, Circle how. Funny am i we'll. Be lucky if we make it to Oh loop, but, hey that's why we don't really make reservations. Or have rigid, plans because, they always change. This, particularly, straight, and wide stretch, of highway, here is the road to mojo key highway strip designed. To serve as an auxiliary runway. For, military aircraft. It, is like. The eternal Twilight. The. Sun that never sets. 10. P.m. not. More hours ago. Overnight. Like night. Mmm. RV dealer perhaps. But. Now it looks like they are repaving, the road. I'm. Too tired for this. You. See I almost missed my exit. Here. We are only and we, found this boondocking, spot using an app it is called the motorhome parkings, and it links to the camper contact, website, it, is by no means complete, but, it lists some motorhome. Parkings like this one where we staying at tonight also, regular, campsites, and service, areas which are basically, places to empty the gray water the chemical toilet and to get fresh water this. One here is just a free parking lot at this marina just one kilometre from downtown, most. Of the reviews are in other languages, but there, is a translate. Button. Handy. I. Really. Think we, hit the jackpot here. This. Is our boondocking, spot for the night hearing oulu finland it is 11:30, p.m., and. Yes. It's. Still light out I, think. Sunset is supposed to be at midnight we, have some neighbors. Everybody, is very white. Six. Degrees Celsius here. In. Finland. But. We're gonna go to sleep and. Continue, on the road tomorrow, I think I've earned my, IPA, from. Asami we passed by there today, well. Good morning. Rainy. Morning. Like. I know it is breakfast, time and we're gonna make. Some. Breakfast. Scramble. That's because it's probably have by. The way got some instant coffee Finnish, eggs. You. Know their heart language. Cheese. Let's, eat. While. We're here let's go buy downtown, real quick although with this weather I don't think we're going to be able to do much. There's. A big parking lot but now, let's, just park on the street. In. Downtown always. Rain, very, very bad weather today but. I. Want to show you something, here in downtown by. The way this product gets very nice you. Know a happening, place later. In the day a lot. Of. Outdoor. Cafes here in the summer. Unfortunately. The weather is not cooperating today, but. This is a very famous statue, here, of this. Police. Officer and. We're just gonna check. It out and then back to the RV because the. Camera is getting wet. Right, here. Only. Yeah I think we're going to explore, all loop, on the way back let's continue the, Arctic Circle awaits. That's. An, interesting. Way of driving, I guess people, tread the road as if there was a third, lane in the middle seems. Kind, of dangerous under.
These Weather conditions, you. See that's a practice I had never seen before and apparently it is widespread here. Because everybody. Seems to be doing it and this, is the thing there is a law here that, semi trucks are limited, to 80 km/h which. In my opinion is ridiculously, slow but they, must have a reason for that right then, RVs are limited to 100, now. In many places the speed limit can be as high as 120. So. It's natural, that passenger, cars will want to pass you so yeah, makes, total sense. Different. Countries different, rules but that's, what we travel right. Hmmm, I wonder what's going on, apparently. The road is closed. Is. There another route. Okay yes don't hear okay thank you. The, GPS doesn't, know how to handle this doesn't show any alternate, routes and I totally forgot what she said after Tornillo, so we'll, take it one intersection, at a time the. Rota Roman Rovaniemi. Is closed so we have to seek an alternate route and. Not. Sure exactly what the police officer, told me. Laughs. Dr. Rex friction ball TT oh, my. Get there. The. Good news is that it stopped raining. Turn. I spoke too soon and there, is like sleet I guess, I've never seen sleet before but it certainly, fits the description. Blue. Skies sort, of and rain. Again and ten, minutes later beautiful, weather. I'm. Telling. You the weather is kind of crazy up here, you. Can see it change before your very eyes it's, surreal. We. Are getting close to Rovaniemi. Home, of Santa, Claus and the, Arctic Circle. That's. The Arctic Circle right there. Yeah. It is great to be here but first, things first the red light on the cassette toilet has, turned on again and there it is a nasty job but, someone's, gotta do it maybe, we're doing it wrong but it's like a daily, thing for us and. At. This location is just a manhole on the ground. It's. That new. It. Certainly doesn't look like rain maybe it is lit but since we've never seen it before in, any case it is very emotional, for us to see this type. Of precipitation, let's. Go see Santa Claus. And. We're. Parked exactly. At, the Arctic Circle. According. To legend, Santa, was actually, born in korvatunturi, but. Apparently it is too out of the way by the Russian, border so they decided to make the tourist attraction, here. Of, course this, line changes. Constantly because the earthing seem in constant, change, but. It will be a real pain in the butt to change, the line every every, year. Of. Course they are playing Christmas music, non-stop. They. Have a place where you can take a picture with Santa but you have to pay so we, decided against it. Here's. The restaurant, where we wanted to eat but it, is closed, apparently. We are too early in the season here, on the 7th of June. Let's. Step one more time over there. Arctic. Circle. Okay. Now we are above the Arctic Circle well. Let's see if we can get something to eat here, I got. This out a reindeer, and Ely got this salmon soup. Here. We are straddling, the Arctic, Circle and, decides, this, let. Me tell this was a little bit of a fail because the. Restaurant, that I wanted, to eat at it's. Actually still, closed for, the season I. Was. Able to mail, some postcards. And, see. The Arctic Circle and from here we'll continue north so. Let's. See let's, see where where, we end up hopefully. We'll make it to north cap which is the northernmost, place, in the world where you can that. You can drive to actually we. Still have six hundred and eighty kilometers, to go. We're. Going back to Romania. Me, here real quick, a few, kilometers south. There are a bunch of attractions, and museums in, town but the real reason we're here is we. Forgot to buy some, necessities some, groceries, namely, water, we've. Been to Kay market, and little so now let's try Prisma. Well. This place is huge. Pretty, overwhelming. They. Have a whole aisle devoted. To ice cream. Yeah. I think from now on we're going to stick to smaller supermarkets. If we can find them. Discombobulated. But I'm sure, they understand, that where everything is is just. Strange. And, just potatoes and more potatoes, and. More. Potatoes. Is, a whole aisle of frozen, potatoes, well. That was certainly an experience and, one, of the reasons why we travel probably. To. Us it felt like a mess in there but I'm sure they, understand, everything, it's.
Just It's, just different oh. This. Won't start we got some food as, you can see we. Have all the, essentials, and. We. Have food too whoo this are really good well, I'm sure the Finnish people would find Walmart, as puzzling, as I found this, Prisma. Mega. Store, mega markets. Anyways. Let's continue towards. The. North as. Far north as we can drive. It's, been very hard to find still, you know none carbonated. Mineral water. Here in Finland it almost seems, like old a drink here is carbonated, and the, language barriers, doesn't, help. We. Cross the Arctic Circle again. And here's. Another arch, with, the sign for the people coming south let's, go this way I've seen pictures of a hotel, with glass, igloos, but. I guess we're here at the wrong time of the year for that it. Is supposed to be really cool, particularly. In the winter because, you can see the Northern Lights. The. Arctic Circle here is the southernmost, point, in the world where the Midnight, Sun is possible, and that'll happen here in the summer solstice, now, the further we travel north the, longer that window, of opportunity becomes. For, example at the North Cape where we going the Sun does not set for, 76. Days from, May 14th, through, July 29th, and here, we definitely, have another highway, strip you know a section of the highway that can be used as a runway like, an airport, if needed. We. Start encountering some rolling, hills lots. Of, RVs in this area. Who. Souvenirs. Let's stop real quick. I have, a lot, of cool stuff here. From. The Sami the indigenous culture, of the Lapland, we. Get a magnet, and a sticker to put in the back of minute inning. Okay, let's park here take another break and fly, a little. Great. Views of the Lapland, from this bird's eye perspective. I'm. Actually quite surprised, way, up here in the middle of the Lapland you can find the towns like this one so well developed. Here's. A cafe and I could use some coffee right, now but it is of course closed. Everything, is closed it may not look like it but it's like 8:30, p.m.. We. Continue pushing through but I think we're gonna color night and boondock around here there is a free campsite, here to the left and isn't. This nice if we found it with this other app called Park for night, it's. Really cool with different icons, representing. Different types of location, this. One is in, the surrounded. By nature category. Well. Yeah we have found the perfect. Boondocking. Spot here. Well. We gotta find the perfect shot right. We're. Celebrating, our first, at Midnight Sun with, the bottle of cava.
Because. Champagne. Is too expensive. Salut. Well. It was technically, not our first Midnight, Sun of the trip the, Sun actually set last night for, a little bit we're. Still about two weeks away from the summer solstice here, and I. Guess we're still not at a latitude high, enough where the Sun stays above the horizon, this early in the year. Unfortunately. The weather is deteriorating. And the forecast, does not look promising. There, are a bunch of places in this area on the side of the road selling, souvenirs. Our, next stop is in re where, we are going to have lunch, almost. Dinner, but, before that we need to make our daily, cassette, toilet dump, and get, some VC. Which, is finished for water, and. It is complicated sometimes, because almost, every. Single place is different, let's. Park here and find out how it works at this particular, station there. Vesey, and Alma water, and air I'm telling you I'm getting, the hang of it give me a couple of months and I'll be fluent, in Swami. Maybe. Not. We. Take a quick detour to, see the old hooker Conan national, park but. This is not something you just pass, by and see it to, truly enjoy it you need to do some hikes and, spend some time. There. Are many many, lakes here, as we are approaching finally. In Harry. As. Eager. As we are to get there and eat sometimes. You gotta stop and take, a break. Smell. The lake, enjoy. The, precipitation. It, is like tiny little hail. I think. What, it is snowing in, the Lapland, and. Here, we are finally. In Airy and we, had great plans for this town it is one of the main places to experience, the Sami culture but. We're just gonna have time to eat. We're. Here let's have, lunch. Nice. To have a. Motorized. RV, we're. Going to adhere at the Inari hotel, at the restaurant. He's. Having happy Joe. These. People on the boat getting, ready to leave, that. Would be nice to, take a cruise on the lake. If. They. Go. It. Looks like salmon that is actually trout and the, reindeer, fillet delicious. Let's. Eat. Before. We continue I have to pass by the pasti to, send a postcard. Let's. Continue, Norway, awaits. Hey, no reason flag there we must be getting close. Well. This is actually the junction, with router 92, which. Goes into Norway. It. Is a pretty fun, drive, on, this, hills here, up. And down we go. And. Here. We are at, the Norwegian, border of course, there is no checkpoint, you just drive through I. Was. Really hoping for a large sign, welcoming. Us to Norway but this. Is all we've got. On. The next episode, the landscape, becomes of, increasingly. Striking. Beauty as we, continue, driving north. Basically. Until. The end of the road. My. Videos are made possible in part by the support, of viewers like you so do me a favor if you liked it share it with your friends, spread the word and for more options go to travelling Roberts comm slash support as always, thank you so much and see, you on the road.
2018-08-07 00:54
That weather in Finland wasn't so bad, but in northern Norway it was almost non stop rain.
Great video as always. Don't want to sound picky, but if you crossed the Ocean with your RV in Europe there are over there way more interesting, happening and with better weather destinations than Finland. Some parts of the drives were pretty , but nothing that you wouldn't find in Canada or Alaska( trees, lakes, rain). Roads are neat and beautiful asphalt, sparkling clean, no litter on the sides, like in most Northern and Western Europe, but let's not forget that most of your trip was on a two way road, no freeways. Everything looks perfect over there but your videos from America are so much more colorful and full of life, our architecture is so much more eclectic and vibrant, especially in the suburbs, not to mention the diversity of the people and geography. Hope that Europe catches up in your videos if you are going to travel South, to Italy, France, Spain or Greece.
Robert~ What a lovely country, Thank you for the wonderful view.
You're welcome
How many miles have you made in you Kia car so far.?
Old Kia has about 145K
gorgeous video.
Thank you
Watching this again ... this time on the PC.... beautiful! Two thumbs up.... figuratively and literally!
Thank you!
Jumping around again!!!
Robert dude I really made at you .lol I never had a desire to go to Finland now it's on my bucket list great video as usual can't wait to post the next vid
:-)
Hi Robert thanks so was the most interesting video I have ever seen, your fantastic and I am happy to watch you, nice trip dude, I'm very interested, good job, have a great day in the arctic circle, Garygary
Thanks for taking us along! The weather certainly does change quickly there, was that your first time seeing snow?
I've seen snow before... on the ground, but it's been a long time since I've seen it falling
Spectacular! I'm learning so much from your wonderful videos. Thanks!
Great video, very beautiful country. You do a terrific job! Thanks for sharing your travels, stay safe my friend.
Excellent videography! Your standards are excellent!
Howdy Robert,thanks a lot for sharing this magnificent video on your trip to the Arctic Circle.Quite informative,captivating and entertaining as usual.Keep them coming bud,they are eaegerly awaited and greatly appreciated here.Cordial greetings from William in Bruges,Belgium,Europe
Robert, great video as usual. We don’t RV, but we love watching you do it and seeing all the beautiful places. You are very lucky to be “free in your RV”, or someone else’s RV, for that matter. Big thumbs up!
You have bigger balls than I do Robert to stop at Vitalies home. I'm sorry but what little I saw on your video would have made me run like a banshie.
awesome views!!
Thanks!
Thank you Robert. Thanks is a small word to appreciate your videos.
Robert you are a wonderful host, loved the video and keep them coming.
Robert we watched your video today and I want to say to you....thank you so much for that beautiful trip to the Arctic circle in Finland. We have never had the opportunity to get there, but we appreciate your talents, your videography, your narration and especially your editing skills and abilities. Finland people are so very lucky to live in such a beautiful nation. The lakes, the trees, the light, the roads, and especially the food, looks wonderful. The RV is not too shabby either. Thank you to your wife and family for supporting you Robert, because we would miss this opportunity of learning from you if they didn't. Grateful......Carolyn & Colin Hogarth
Thank you so much
such a nice video I enjoyed it so much ...
33:34 who is tat
I ment that
Robert - so glad I found your channel 6 months ago! I've binge watched everything! Can't wait to see the rest of your Finnish trip! Next year I'm retiring & buying a new Leisure Travel Van Island Bed model ...and it does NOT have a yucky cassette toilet like the Hymer Vans! They are totally gross!! Thanks so much for sharing your adventures...stay safe my friend!
Glad you liked it. That LTV island bed is very nice. One of my favorites.
Wow...I am surprised how green it was at the Arctic Circle there in Finland...I guess I was expecting it to be...more desolate and even though you didn't really completely "get" what she was saying, what are the chances that you would run into a police officer that spoke English.
Close to 100% that police officer speaks English, most people do in Finland.
Yeah, I totally missed the name of the second town she mentioned. Actually most people speak English to some degree in Finland, which was very convenient for a visitor like myself.
Lidil is now in the states , small but expanding.
In Finland we drink tap water, so most of the waters in stores are carbonated.
Yes, I noticed that :-)
6:31 In WW2*. Not WW1.
Traveling Robert You misread. It was in 1941.
According to what I read it was in 1914, which would make it WW1
Have been enjoying your videos. Being from Fl we have been to a lot of the same places but will likely not make it to Finland so thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thank you. Glad you liked it. Finland was great
Nothing to watch on TV, but one more Robert's video :-)) thanks for sharing , greetings from Rome Italy.
Hay thank you! Greetings
Robertico your voice reminds me of freddy cruz with the quiet storm back in the days in miami
The trucks are flat nosed because of regulations that determine the maximum length of those transport trucks.
Cool, didn't know that
Loved the video! Looking forward to the next.
Very nice video, as always. I totally love the climate in that part of the world. I get miserable when it gets over 70 degrees F.
It was very nice when it wasn't raining
Super cool
Pretty Country!
I love your videos! Especially enjoying the Finland trip, you are very interesting to watch!
Great video! Thanks I enjoyed it very much.
Very amazing videos . Keep uploading . Will watch all and cherish too !cheers from , New Delhi , India .
Those free boondocking sites definitely look nicer that a Walmart parking lot .
Oh yeah, plenty of them in Finland
Such a wild and rustic landscape. Some of the roadways were like a roller coaster. Not bad to travel now, but could a challenge in winter. I have never eaten reindeer. Does it taste like venison? Ileana's salmon soup and trout looked good to me! This trip is a treasure! Thanks for taking us along!
The reindeer, it kind of does... it also kind of tastes like beef. It was good. So glad you liked the trip
Thx For Taking Us On Your Awesome Journey's Brother
Been watching your videos for some time now and really enjoyed all of your travels here in in the US. But, going RVing in another country so far away brings the really cool aspect to this! Thanks, not many people do this on their channels.
Thank you! It was an unforgettable trip
Amazing that the cops spoke english! Yet Florida cops don't speak Finnish. #Murrica
My comment was a joke, but _woooosh_
I bet you don't speak Armenian either. English is a universal language around the world. Why would a cop in Florida need to learn Finnish? It's a different story in Europe. Most Europeans speak several languages because it's a necessity. BTW, many cops do speak Spanish in the states that border with Mexico.
Well, you know... most people speak decent english, that's because no one else in the world speaks Finnish
;-)
Wow! The chandeliers in the cathedral are so beautiful and ornate! Very different. Lunch at your You Tube subscriber's home was beautiful. So many lights and flowers! Lovely.
Thanks for making my Sunday morning great...
You're welcome :-)
The reason for you not finding water easily to buy, I believe, is because people in Finland and Sweden drink tap water in their homes. Scandinavia overall I think have perhaps the cleanest water in the world. Further more, often when the Scandinavians want to buy water, they want carbonated water, as regular water you already have as much as you want.
Yeah, I figured that was the reason, and that's what our Finnish friends told us as well. Still I didn't trust the water coming off our RV tank, so we got used to carbonated water rather quickly.
Great video, as always. Can you give a breakdown of the costs associated with this trip? RV rental, total fuel costs and distance driven. Also, any requirements for renting an RV in Finland/Europe?
Very cool video. The Google maps lady has to work on her pronunciation LOL... Happy travels, Robert!
LOL, thanks
Absolutely Gorgeous! What a beautiful country. I can't wait for the next one.
I always look forward to your videos!!
I hope you invited him to Florida...
Robert, the way you start each vlog with a beginning, middle and end of each story and providing the best capture of streets, places and things of interest is truly outstanding. Be Safe.
I really enjoyed viewing this video. Given the increasing secularization of Europe, it's nice to see the preservation of historic churches in Finland. If it were not for the Finish road signs, I would have thought you were traveling in Alaska. I'm looking forward to your next video of Norway, which is another country that looks very similar to Alaska.
Yes, it is hard no to make the comparison with Alaska. Europe, however, felt less "remote" thank northern Alaska. .
Here (Germany) we have a length limit for the trucks (tractor + trailer). As shorter the tractor is as longer they can make the trailer increasing the storage room. Therefore they moved the engine under the drivers cab. Simple as that ;)
Wow cool upload, Robert!
Very interesting!
You have the best travel videos!
Great video, as always! Ever since I discovered your channel, I've always been waiting for new uploads. Also, I love how you do the videos. Very informative, I feel like I'm in the trip myself
Traveling Robert You're Welcome! Keep up the great job!
Not to mention that he does his own music!
Buick Electra Exactly!
He's so talented and deserves many more subs.
Do repeat myself. Great video as always.
Beautiful place .. thanks for bringing us there. From KSA
Lidl sucks
I see that many things there are in English. Great adventure, Robert!
A lot of it is, especially in the tourist attractions.
Your World Wide Robert you talk about getting around,,,
Trucks with flat noses are called "cabovers" because the cab is over the engine.
They are quite common in Europe. I would say to 99%
I didn't know that. Thank you
Many thumbs up.
two weeks after your trip it was like 30c
It is all about the timing. I did enjoy the colder temperatures but not the rain
25:00 I drive past those repairs every weekday to work and back. Feels bad man.
The trailer place by Oulu. Why does it feel bad?
What a fascinating video Robert!!! Great exploring! Great job as always.
Amazing Robert! Thanks...
The Prisma that you visited is considered to be so called "final stop before your destination". That is why it is so huge and complicated. You can basicly find everything you can image from coffee mugs to food.
That place was overwhelming, yet very cool
Great video. Beautiful trip to The Artic Circle.The landscape is fenomenal. ........and go ahead......>>>>>>>>
those things what are half snow half rain we call rakeita.
I loved this video! It was great that Petteri invited you here. I love to watch travellers' videos about Finland because it is very interesting to see our home country from a different point of view. I got a feeling that I want to go to the far north again. I haven't been there for several years and maybe next summer I will take my Sunlight and drive there again! By the way, you pronounce Finnish names of places a lot better than your navigator and a lot better than an average foreign tourist :)
Oh yeah, Norway was beautiful
I am waiting for your video about Norway. I love it and would travel there every summer but the rest of my family don't want to go there every year. I think Norway is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and as an ihabitant of neighboring country I like the people there too and feel somehow like "brothers"with them.
Thank you! I am glad you liked it.
Ohhhhh, we enjoyed that soooo much! Thank you so much for taking us along. LOVED every minute of it. :)
great video
Greetings from South Jersey.... love the vids man great channel. You just topped my most depressing trip ever to Niagara Falls last summer haha keep up the good work. Would like to see a trip the northwest
Thanks! Northwest coming soon... like next year hopefully
Dear Robert Great video(s) Traveled to the Nordkap with a rental motorhome last year. Had snow in June. :o) Great countries to visit ! Will travel to France and Spain this Year. After travelling through New Zealand, great US, Poland and Scandinavia with rental motorhome, Ordered an own travel trailer for 2019. Hope to see you on the road someday Greetings from North Germany
Greetings. Hope to see you on the road as well. Nordkapp was fantastic, even though the weather wasn't
Just WOW!
Thank so much Robert por sus videos.
Robert: Beautiful trip, and we thank you so much for sharing it with us!!! It must be really scary to drive those roads where you can't read the signs!! Did you ever find out more info about the little trailers you saw so frequently? Wonder if they are some kind of camper? Continued safe travels to you!!
Thank you. Some people have commented that they are used for storage, whatever doesn't fit in the car.
Hi Robert awesome video . It was a great scenes of Finland and awesome places to see. That grocery store u went in reminds me of Wal Mart. It has everything u need. The sign Norway was the funny part that sign was so small could have made it a bit bigger. I enjoy watching and made me learn more about Finland. I don't mind going there looks like a nice European place to visit. Anyway Robert it was a amazing video and hope u had the best time ever. I am looking forward to seeing ur next video. Thank you your the best.
Its muy freo there !! Get back to the 305 quickly !!! I get excited when I pass the '' Welcome to Monroe County '' sign when entering from Dade . The artic circle post reminds me of that sign
All pine trees . No oak or maple trees
Reason for the flatnoses are that we have length restrictions on our vehicles in Europe, with the engine in front of the cab would mean less cargo :)
Robert please when you going to do a video in Spain ? We waiting for this to happen.
One of these days. I would love to go to Spain. I used to live there
Varkaus means Theft in english, also pretty close where i live
I didn't know that. I would have mentioned it
@10:30 it's about efficiency. Less total space needed for the same amount of cargo.
My son dated a swedish girl and we were told there are about 30,000 bunkers in the netherlands. If you see and I have in this video a barn in the middle of nowwhere most likely its not a barn its my have a big gun inside. w2. ask a local they will show you one.
Cool. I should have asked
I'm editing it right now
Robert, is there a video after this one that's a continuation in the Arctic Circle? Can't wait to see that one.
Daniel Machado The summers are short but it can be really warm up here. It looks a bit chilly on this video filmed in June but the July was record hot in Finland. Actually most Finns speak at least some English, even the police officers :) Of course the young generations speak better English, I'm 50y old and started English in the third grade, followed by Swedish (the 2nd official language) and German.
I agree. I feel like I am on the trip myself, too. Like you, I can't wait for new uploads.
The speed-limits for bigger cars are more strict partly because Finland is so north that the ice-ages have shifted the land into a very "hilly" landscape. The road often has to go up and down and left and right at a moment's notice. This coupled with a lot of trees (low visibility) and the dreaded invisible "black ice" in the winter can make driving difficult. Finland's driving-test is one of the most demanding in the world for these reasons.
Your background music is awe inspiring...very beautiful...
Beautiful skies...beautiful area..wow!
Im from finland and im proud of my country. every police officers have to learn english in police school.
Nice vid, thank You. We drink tap-water here in Finland.
Traffic signs work same all over the world. You parked before that sign?
There was a mistake in your map showing your route from Porvoo to Varkaus. You clearly passed by Lahti on E63, which wasn't depicted on the map. And now that I took a closer look you drove on 55 from Porvoo to Mäntsälä and then took E63 from the Mäntsälä E exit.
You see that bare rock in Southern Finland and around Stockholm. The Helsinki and Stockholm metro has the same feature, alongside the massive parking areas, coal storage's and open tunnels below Helsinki for infra (like water, data cables etc.). Reason for it is the Fennoscandian Shield that is a solid granite bedrock right on the surface because of the ice age carving much of the material on top of it. Why it is relatively easy to carve these big areas as you don't need to build support as you go along.
About that church.. We Finnish are not Protestant we are Evangelical Lutheran.
According to my dictionary: Protestant: a member or follower of any of the Western Christian churches that are separate from the Roman Catholic Church and follow the principles of the Reformation, including the Baptist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran churches.
The road where people drove like there was a third lane in the middle was a "leveäkaistainen tie" or "wide lane road". It has wider lanes than a normal road so its easier to overtake. However I think they are quite rare.
It's not a bad idea per se, but unfortunately many people don't seem to grasp the idea of keeping to the right and maintaining proper distance to the car in front, which would allow faster traffic to overtake safely. That's why those type of roads are no longer being built and existing ones are being converted into alternating 2 + 1 lanes. In fact, work has just begun on that particular stretch we see on your video.
It was certainly different driving than what I'm used to.
Honestly, most of Finland looks like Northern Ontario and Quebec here in Canada.
Nature and clean air, 200 000 lakes, and more, Lapland, santa, .... and technology all the best. Water can be boiled in every home directly, and anywhere. No plastic bottles. Much more thing is come Finland.Nokia, Darude (sandstrom). Linux, Nightwish, Angry Birds, Max Payne, Dudesons, Pamela Anderson and many actors US ( Finnish family background), Xsylitoli, ( Sweet stuff ) Polar (your heartbeat), Abloy (home lock door and security system) , Kone (elevator) and many many, Okay. Many Finnish live in all the world. This is true. Did you know who directed die hard II, Renny Harlin from finland. And who won the Russian in the war and help many countries. Finland again. Formula 1 Drivers, Kimi Räikkönen, Mika Häkkinen...
you are right
Jaeger233 rakeita are more like ice pellets what are making really loud sounds when raining. It was raining räntää what is mixture of snow and water.
People are hauling stuff from and to their summer cottages. And yes just fill your empty waterbottles from any tap and you are fine.
Finland is very clean. Not carbish
People treat the road as if there was a third lane... Because there technically is. The lanes just past Oulu are about 1,5 times the width of normal lanes, which are meant to be used just like you saw
Had never seen that concept before
Just discovered this channel from recommendations. You dont sound american. My guess is your either italian or latino. Whats your nationality?
I was born in Cuba
That Dancing Queen starts to get annoying.
Robert you are a great tour guide, and I like to see you out of Florida.
Thank you! It was a fascinating trip
I’ve wanted to visit Finland for a while now, especially Lapland. Were you traveling in the center and western area of Finland or did you eventually see the eastern area near Russia?
Unfortunately didn't have time this trip
Suomi mainittu, torilla tavataan!
"Loved" this trip you went on! Foxie Dog and I need to go.
Those big supermarkets are almost as confusing for us finns also if we find ourselves in one we aren't familiar with. Of course the signs in finnish help a bit, but it is still hard to find what you need. Of course, one gets used to the ones that are frequently visited.
Did you have any problems with the RV in Rovaniemi?
1:38 you commited a major traffic violation. You need to make a full stop when another car is stopped like that on a pedestrian crosswalk. If cops see that, they will give you a ticket.
so awesome trip.
1:40 and you broke the law :)
Loistava video. Tilaukseen meni Suomi mies.
Finland is the most heavily forested country in Europe, 70% of the entire land area being covered by forest so it's not really that odd that it's green everywhere during summers. As for English, as others have mentioned, practically every Finn is able to hold a conversation with you. English is the third language that all Finns have to study in school.
sadly this summer was rather warm
29:32 that is two lane roads but it is allowed to over take like that. It's kind a Two-lane expressway.
My old school at 10:44
As Fin it's realy hard tu understand finnish in english accent.
Im from finland
propably the first rainy day in oulu for a month
I guess I went at the wrong time.... it was very nice on the return trip (video coming soon)
The reason it's hard to find non-carbonated water in the store is because tap water is drinkable basically everywhere in finland.
Next time I'll have to buy a container to refill with tap water
This was from last year right? cause last summer was rly cold... but this summer was hottest one in 100years
allright :) great video all the way... shame that you guys could enjoy that great weather :/
This was in early June this year
Nice one! I agree, the weather can change quite fast+suddenly :D its funny. I am from Rovaniemi and still live here! Nice job recording Rovaniemi City and the area around it. Thanks for recording Prisma, the HyperMarket. I will show this to my British friend who is going to visit Rovaniemi+Finland next year. In Finland and many countries you can do roadtrips like this :) just drive the roads and visit places, yup. A bit tiring but you don't always have to travel by plane+bus+train etc... Some countries are so small that from the northernmost point to the southernmost point is not much distance, but Finland is very ''tall''. Bigger country :). From North to South.
We liked it very much
You just missed the best weather for this Summer. May and July were both exceptionally warm and fantastic. Oh and there are actually some roads, which are "wide lane roads" or some such. They're wider than normal roads and you're supposed to drive on the right side so people can pass you. Trucks are limited to 89 km/h. I believe it's an EU wide rule / law.
Sodankylä is the village of war in english.
I usually don't comment on peoples videos but I have to make an exception! Love your way to film the trip, show everyone a little bit from all the biggest Finnish cities (Almost) and also telling us a backstory! Amazing content, I'm a Finn myself and travel across the country a few times a year to visit my grandma, I saw alot of familiar places and that made this even better! Thank you.
This was fun to watch!
Fuck off yanks, we dont need your exploring here.. :D
Very nice!
That's true. That happens to me whenever I go to a new supermarket... This Prisma was very overwhelming though... and the language can be a problem. We almost bought vinegar thinking it was oil
Not at all
Also, the car you passed is actually illegally parked at a crosswalk, that also is very no no
Yea, it's actually considered a quite serious offence. If caught, you'd get a hefty fine and most likely loose your licence for a period of time. Granted, the car was small and there was a good visibility in this case, but it's quite dangerous if there's a van or buss stopped at a crosswalk. We've had a lot of accidents in these situations and that's why there's a stict law for it. But don't worry, finns unfortunatelly also break that law constantly, either by accident or just by not caring. Thanks for the video though, I really enjoyed it. It's fun to see how non-finns view our country, the small differences and such, things that are obvious to us. Like the water thing, the every-mans-right thing (that's pretty exclusive to the nordic countries), summer nights and such.
Didn't know about that law.
Yes it was
I might have broken it more than once
Yeah, lutherans are protestants. And anyway, most Finns are lutherans/protestants only on the paper, nothing more. Finns are not very religious people.
Swedish? Netherlands? Nut this video was about Finland?
I live in Finland and I'd say 80% of the people that live here can speak a degree of english because its taught in school.
+Traveling Robert Very nice video! I think it was 1941. Finland was not much involved in WW1, although Finland was still part of Russia. In 1918 there was a civil war.
In finland people dont really have any big trailers like in the USA, so the small trailers with the plastic covers are a cheap and efficient way to haul around stuff such as bicycles.
Those trailers with plastic covers are normal trailers, the cover is just to cover the things inside and to improve fuel economy. some trailers doesn't come with those and some comes but you can buy those easily and install if you don't already have it.
People treat the road like a three lane road because at that point the road is widened. It says so in the sings before it. This means that there is wide roads and you are allowed to pass in the middle as long as you are careful.
Serendipitous ? My goodness I haven’t heard that word used for more years that I care to think about!
My girlfriend's mother from US was so confused last year when she came to visit Finland. She was trying to find a vending machine in her hotel because she was so thirsty during night and asked the receptionist where she could find one. The receptionist asked "Does the tap not work?", and she was surprised that you could drink the water from the tap. It was funny when she told that story to us haha
11:18 You can carry items there that doesn't fit or you don't want to put to your trunk
We have those plastic covered trailers because of 750 kilograms total weight limit for trailers without no brakes, and we have those flat nose semis because lenght limit laws. Few years ago i rent rv and make same kind trip like you, to all away up Vardoya Norway.
Cool, thank you for the info
When a car has stopped on or closer than 5 meters to a pedestrian crossing, according to Finnish traffic law you are obliged to completely stop your vehicle before continuing through. A situation seen in 1:32 You should stop as if the stopped car was literally a stop sign. The requirement is there to guarantee that drivers won't just speed through the crosswalk while not having the certainty that it's clear. While here your visibility was quite reasonable and it was "probably" sure enough that there is no pedestrian in danger, the police would still enforce the law. Though only a warning is likely for a tourist. The law may seem too rigid, but there is at least the theoretical chance that a small child can wander on your path from behind the stopped cars front. So it is made the drivers responsibility to be careful enough that this cannot happen. Professional heavy vehicle drivers often slow to a crawl instead of full stopping, for the convenience. They do have the benefit of elevated viewpoint. However this is not exactly allowed either. Well, I didn't mean to type only negative things. Hope you enjoyed Finland, and have safe travels.
9:10 What the heck is that interior?
That is Nice...Riding along with your Gypsy Caravan...Finland is in the Arctic Circle,so you did not Go Far...Huh!!
Well only the top part of Finland is in the arctic circle.
The road between kemi-rovaniemi was closed because of an accident. Some guy commited suicide by driving into oncoming traffic and had a head on crash with a truck.
The reason for flat nosed trucks, also known as cab over engine in Europe is because here the overall length is limited (25.25 m in Finland and Sweden, I think 18 m in other EU countries) but in USA only the cargo length is limited, so the flat nose gives few more meters of cargo space over here.
that trailer with the plastic top is called a "kuomukärry"
Stone doesn't burn, all the times the church burned down it was just the roof.
The GPS lady is raping the fuck out of some of the Finnish pronunciation, and sometimes seems to say the stret name in both Finnish and Swedish.
A Wonderful video! This summer so far has been hot and dry in Finland. nowadays winters in south Finland (at least)aren't that cold or snowy like it can snow several times but the snow doest't necessarily stay on the ground for that long. in south Finland the temps during the winter rage from about -20 to 7°C degrees the most part being near to 0°C. It might get down to -20°C but only few times per winter, sometimes for bit longer but that's quite rare. And btw despite being roughly as north as Alaska Finland has a lot warmer climate than Alaska due to the warming effect of Gulf stream. In Lapland the climate however is quite rough.
The Porvoo Cathedral was hit in WW2 not WW1. Finland stayed out of WW1.
I think a bit later in the fall might be better for enjoying nature since 'ruska' is about to start and hits its peak later next month.
Im From Finland
It's so funny watching this as a finnish guy. Great video!
Welcome to Finland, mr. Robert!
Thank you.
IPA tastes utter s*ite, what did you do to deserve that punishment?
I like it
It's so obvious so perhaps many people already have said this, but Varkaus translates to Theft. Fun fact.
Nice video.
Fun trivia about Varkaus - the town's name translates to "theft" in English. Why, though? Golly, I couldn't tell for the life of me.
Suomi perkele
The european and USA truck front end difference is cause by few small factors. the USA style nose benefits compared to european style differences are US design is slightly more aerodynamic. US design is more stable so the driver doesnt feel as many bumps, and humps, at least so severally as European design and therefore better on long distance driving European style is more nimble and agile in crampt spaces, which is absolutely necessary on often much more crampt spaces of european loading yards. Also that "threading the road" That is on "wide lane roads" only thing. The idea is that if there is enough room for two vehicles to go side by side on one marked lane, then that means it's two lanes. How ever as cars and trucks got bigger and biggerthere simply isnt enough room to do so anymore most of the time. Majority of the wide lane roads have now been converted in to normal two lane roads, or 3 lane roads where the middle lane changes it's direction every couple miles, to provide safe passing zone to each direction, or then replaced by an actual highway.
Also, at 3:28 when turning left there were people stepping on crosswalk and they had the right of way. You would've gotten a ticket for that as well. At around 3:45 you park the RV on a spot marked "BUS", right before the parking zone (with a parking meter) starts. That's another ticket right there. :D But hey, great content! It's always fun to see our country through the eyes of a foreigner. My favorite part was your visit to Prisma! Every Prisma is a bit different and the layout needs a few visits to get the most out of your shopping trip. After years of training I can do week's worth of groceries for a family of 4 in just under 20 minutes (if there's no queue)! Thanks for the video! Going to watch some more :)
mrcmies wtf
Actually all finns start to study english (and also swedish) in grade school and continue study throughout in all degree levels. Basically all police officers have at least Bachelor degree, which takes about three years to complete. After at least three years of field experience one can apply to study for a Master of Police Services degree. So to use term school, is not quite accurate, because these are degree programmes at The Police University College.
selvä. sleettiä se oli.
Räntä = sleet, rae = hail.
Nope, they are only in Southern Finland. But (downy) birches grow up in Norway too!
You should have visited Turku. (I haven't watched it yet so idk if he did, but i assume hw didn't)
That first parking at Porvoo... :D I hope you didnt get a ticket, luckily though there are never police around in Finland or anyone else to check for wrong parking.
13:55 little bit of abba dancing queen
Your voice is unique
You just drove past my apartment XD
Semis are flatnosed to maximize the gargospace length due to overall length restriction.
Great story and air views! Welcome back to Finland again anytime!
the music is guite cancerous.
You really got the worst possible summer weather, in July it can get +30C even in the arctic areas. 29:35 the road is extra wide for easier overtaking there, we don't have many roads like that. It's not recommended to do it like that but many people do it.
Yes, it was kind of unlucky weather, but we still enjoyed it quite a bit
Ye tap water is cleaner and taste much better than any bottle water for example in usa or australia
I should have refilled some bottles, since I didn't trust the on board tank on the motorhome
Hi Robert! I saw Your videos now for the first time and you were driving past the places I live :) Great stuff! @30:00 About trucks, Semi´s and longer trailers going so slow (limited I guess to 85km/h) may be safety (its very slippery at winter), just the "we are used to that" -habit, or perhaps the weight... If I´m correct, in US the maximum gross weight of "Your Average Joe´s regular truck" is about 80,000lbs. At the 30:04 time stamp, theres a truck with trailer, indeed very common setup and they usually have the _payload_ capacity at around 88,000lbs (gross 150,000lbs), some are a bit bigger. Also in US there are very heavy trucks at that range but I believe the normal average trucks are quite a bit heavier here. Please comment and correct if these claims are false :)
What a voice you have.
50:54 no trip to Lapland is complete without at least one suicidal reindeer trying to jump under your car...
Greetings from one Finnish person. Lapland is a dear place to me because I have summer house in Inari. :)
That's nice to have a summer house in Inari. Greetings.
At the 1:39 you had a change to get big ticket. If there is car stopped front of the crosswalk then next lane has to make stop there.
You might've broken Finnish aviation law with your drone flying. The airport control zones are quite big, and you can't fly higher than 50 meters in them. https://www.droneinfo.fi/en/no_drone_zones
I used the Droneinfo app every single time.
That stretch of road between Oulu and Ii is called a wide-laned road. A some sort abortive attempt between a two-lane and a four-lane motorway. You can really think of it as having three lanes. It's stupid, I know. I'm from Oulu and drive that road every few months. I believe they're changing it to a regular four-lane motorway in the future, as they should've in the first place.
And another thing is that the reason we drink carbonated mineral water is that tapwater is drinkable everywhere anyway :)
Did you notice most of the other RV's you met always said hello to you? I drove a Ducato globebus 3800km this summer for the first time from the middle of finland to northern norway and I found it really fun when everyone else in RV's said hi during the long drives I did :)
I would like to say that Vitaly's house does not represent well the normal finnish household decorations :D :D
about that supermarket in rovaniemi its actually under a loooong overhaul constrcution no one knows where anything there is i live in rovaniemi really close to that supermarket and my father is one of the lead construction overseers there
I did see some construction inside. I'm glad it was not only me that found it confusing. Thanks!
SoNooB ai toi pelto
4K no its not
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pOkdmdHBsI
löytyhän ees joku jonne täältä kommenteista
I also live in Varkaus, very close to Hotel Kuntoranta.
If you ever come to Finland again, you should try The Western coast called "etelä-pohjanmaa" or southern ostrobothnia in english. It differs completely from the eastern parts mainly due to the overly flat landscape with many fields. Some say the southern ostrobothnia is like another country inside Finland. Enjoyed the video, cheers!
We drove through some of that part on the way back south, stopped briefly in Vaasa
You can meet santa claus for free. If you want to buy the official photo with him that does cost money.
sometimes you sound like a supervillain :D
37:46 That Rovaniemi's Prisma has been under construction for this summer. It feels messy for us too here in Rovaniemi.
29:35 There's a wide lane road near Oulu which is marked as "Leveäkaistainen tie" and it's ok to consider it as three lane road.
It's interesting to see how "different" traffic seems to be between USA and Finland. By the way, we have a saying that goes roughly translated "Finland lives on wheels." It means most of the supplies are transported via those "silly" looking trucks on our roads. Trains don't transport a whole lot of supplies, besides people they transport mainly army's stuff and wood. Nice video.
Thank you. To see those differences is one of the reasons I like to travel
The tap water in finland is drinkable and pretty much as clean (if not cleaner) than bottled water. You can also refill your water at most stores for free. Due to this the market for non carbonated water is very small.
11:16 they are mostly moving large/a lot of stuff with those
Originally from the USA. Moved here when i was 19 been here 11 years now and can agree that the language is pretty hard. Finland is a beautiful place tho.
We liked it a lot. We'll return as soon hopefully
The Porvoo Cathetral was burnt down about a decade ago. It had an old wood roof that had been there for ages, literally generations The damage caused was priceless and ruined lives of those who burned it.
I can imagine it was priceless
I don't see that "3rd lane" overtaking behavior too often in Finland, I guess it might happen more often when you're driving RV.. But you are right, it is dangerous even in good weather, infuriating to see that kind of driving!
best part in varkaus is iskender kebab pizzeria
Porvoo is the 3rd oldest town after Turku and Ulvila
Ah, you drove trough vuosaari. Grew up there and actually can see our apartment at one point. :D Enjoyable video all in all, you totally deserve a subscription!
Cool, thank you!
Haha, funny to watch this. You are struggling with water at Prisma, just like me abroad :D Water is free, you can drink water at rivers there in lapland. Or just tap-water anywhere. Cool video!!
Yeah, I should have refilled some of those carbonated water bottles. Thanks!
Those plastic tops are for protection if it begins to rain.
the trucks have "flat noses" because tight spaces in loading areas, and some vehicle regulations concerning the overall lenght of the vehicle. there is a law that says truck cannot be longer than 25.25m without special permits.
I hope you visited Linnanmäki or Serena.
Oh god he doesn't speak english well..
You should have visited Turku. (I haven't watched it yet so idk if he did, but i assume he didn't)
I did visit on the way back south. We visited Rauma, Turku and Naantali. Lovely city Turku. That is sill about two weeks away in YouTube time
Yes, that was the inspiration
I understand
They have signs saying it is a "wide-lane motor-/expressway".
I knew this comment would already be here. Just had to check.
Actually the tap water is not just drinkable but it is better than bottle water and it contains less bacteria than those water bottles in store. Those bottles are stored usually in warm warehouses and in stores they are kept in warm shelters as well. But cold tap water is always about 4-6 c decrees. That is colder that your fridge, so not the best place for bacteria to live in and in Finland we have the best water purification system in the world and it covers entire country.
And karkkila has the best candy.
And Varkaus is robbery.
Don't worry, most of the Finns don't know / don't care about it either.
Paska Haisee ja banjot soi
Paska Haisee Hirveelle Duunia Olis Kirveelle
I admire the way you pronounce Finnish words. Because it takes some practice.
Gah! You broke the law in 1:37! The car on the right has stopped before the pedestrian crossing and so you should have stopped there too! And the people stopping broke the law too as they are ON the pedestrian crossing!
I can't believe you made it to Oulu in one day and taking the longest possible route too!
The guy who tried to burn down the Porvoo cathedral in 2006 was my friend... he got caught pretty soon and will be in debt for the rest of his life...
Aina sataa, tai paistaa.
drone shot.....................love drone shots.
I really like watching videos like these. Finland for me is very mundane and boring because I live here, seeing it through the eyes of someone who isn't from here gives me a whole new perspective on things. I spent the first 20 years of my life above the arctic circle and couldn't stand living there, but seeing tourists appreciate the place makes me wonder why I never really could.
Quality videos man! Subscribed!
I feel like I've learned more about my own country by watching videos of how foreigners feel about it than what I learned about Finland reading history books and living here. Even the boring places I've lived in for years become more interesting after watching this kind of videos. Thanks. :)
Glad you liked it :-)
You took the boring route to Porvoo
SUOMI FINLAND PERKELE
The first time you parked there, was illegally parked, the parking zone starts from the P-Sign onwards, not before it, you might get fined for parking basically on the bus-stop :/
Holy smokes, that Vitalis home was...special.
Yeah I drive on that exact road now and then and there is even a sign that says "keep right to make overtaking easier". Not everyone gets it though and I have seen some pretty scary situations. Surprisingly I have never seen any accidents there. Considering how much traffic there is on that road they should really make it a proper 4-lane motorway.
4K tervetuloa internettiin!
Että mä rakastan kun mulle tulaan kertomaan että oma mielipiteeni on väärä
No it's not. Especially in this case. Robert here pronounces Finnish words remarkably well in my opinion. And not even in pure English.
No it is not.
They sell still water at least in S-market (at least in Porvoo)
Joo, kyllä mäkin juon hanavettä, ja se on itse asiassa ainoota vettä mitä juon. Turha sitä on kaupasta ostaa kun hanasta saa ilmatteeksi. Helsingissä ja vantaalla oon asunut.
Hannes väitätkö että ihmiset ei juo hanavettä kaupungeissa :D minä oon juonut koko ikäni helsingin, jyväskylän ja kuopion hanavettä eikä ikinä oo mitään ongelmaa ollu
sakkijakki no ei kaupungeissa
Even though it has nothing to do with war ("sota"), but a last name "Sova" .
meeting santa is free but if you want to buy photos with him that costs. :)
Yes, we saw him, but didn't buy the picture
You can use the back end of a key (if it's round) to get a kart if you don't have any coins on you.
That's a nice trick to know
Oh man, you should'v drove east side of Finland and spend couple night's in Kuusamo. Next time maby?
Next time for sure.... this trip called for a month at least, not just two weeks
no ads?
3:45 You are supposed to park after the sign. Where you parked is the busslane, seems like you should know this if you have traveled through many countries.
GPS lady completely slaughters the pronunciation. Holy cow! 01:52 You are passing the Rastila metroasema and my local gas station. Surprised you did not camp out at the Rastila camp grounds.
Yes, I was parked at Rastila
I can only imagine
Finnish laws in its all glory sucks a huge one...
29:37 wide lanes means youre supposed to drive near right lane so peoples can easily overtake you without getting other side of the lane :) ( Sorry for bad english)
What a great roadmovie. One day i Will do that to
Perkele
As saying in Sweden "There is no bad weather, only bad clothes". It rhymes in swedish tho
i see you take a path up north that people speak most finnish if you didnt know swedish is also a official language in Finland
Yes, particularly in the south west
Oh man, have you checked out estonia? Just below finland, its pretty boring but im from there :D
One of these days I will visit
11.30 they are storage for stuff. you can carry sticks and other trash to dump place etc
Yes we had a fabulous civil war instead.
sakkijakki millo ray nettikasinovideoo? Jk läppä
Everywhere you go, you get an Irish pub haha! Finland looks like a good country to drive around. For us folk from the U.K. who drive on the left, a lot of European countries are quite scary as they drive so fast but Finland looks quiet and safe. Can’t wait to visit.
Why does Finland look so much like Canada?
Suomi on hieno maa xd
The street names in google maps english audio are totaly mispronounced eaven finnish speakers can't understand them at all.
That wide road from Oulu to Ii is something called a "moottoriliikennetie" which is just a hybrid between a motorway and a normal highway. It is deliberately wide so you're perfectly fine to pass by staying in the middle even with oncoming traffic. There aren't many of these and I think it's the only one on your route which would explain why you thought it was so weird. Also yeah you get used to the layouts of stores and they're actually pretty logical. Frozen foods are located so that you can pick them up as your last item. Prisma and K-markets have their own kinds of layouts. I trust the purity of tap water more than most brands of bottled water, we have some of the cleanest tap water in the world and everyone drinks it.
You went past my home village, Tupos, when you saw the rv dealer
Traveling Robert yes, from Tupos it's like 20 km to Oulu
Cool, near Oulu?
Hey i saw u in Porvoo!
Cool
but great narration!
Finland < Russia. Finns are super friendly...but Russia is far more fun.
suomi saatana
Robert I appreciate your videos, but the effect where you zoom in and out from the road is nausea inducing , please avoid using it. Thanks
To bad that you missed Vasa and Korsholm. http://www.kvarkenworldheritage.fi/visit-kvarken/?start=1 (Driving on E8 north from Vasa to Uleåborg or Oulu in finnish you will find Kalajoki heikat, an enormous beatiful beach. Another great beach is located in Björneborg/Pori, Yyteri)
We saw some of that on the way back south. That video is coming soon
yeah i would say its more america vs europe thing
I agree and would add that clothing was very wierd for finland aswell... felt much more like american fanboyism to me.
The Prisma at Rovaniemi was under renovation; they are still constantly shuffling products around as I'm writing this. The new, refurbished supermarket will be ready sometime in September.
That was very confusing :-)
You have a lovely accent!
We drink tapwater its cleaner than bottled.
Perkele finland is greatest country in history usko tai älä saatana.
I live 200 meters away from the Motonet you visited at 19:50!
Cool, nice store for auto accessories
Did you got the message?
Great time for a trip. Early June is my favourite time in northern Lapland. No mosquitos yet, the nature is coming alive, birch trees have just got leaves and all the migratory birds can be seen and heard. May offers a more rugged spring experience, with departure of ice in the rivers. 38:05 Prisma Rovaniemi as one of the biggest hypermarkets in Lapland offers many brands of non-carbonated water. And you can find them both cooled in the fridge and bigger containers in room temperature (smaller stores might only have them in room temperature). They even have Aqua Lapland spring water with pictures of reindeer on the bottle. Spring water in Finnish is "lähdevesi", mineral water is "kivennäisvesi". Mineral water can be carbonated. That Prisma has indeed been a messy puzzle to everyone lately, since it's being remodeled for 20 million euros. However I'm sure the staff or other customers are able to give advice on the location of products. Actually it's nice people still ask for help, even for directions on the street, despite their smartphones and maps. I've been asked for help by Finns and foreigners alike.
Glad you liked it.
The feeling when I've driven the Same route from helsinki to rovaniemi
The route map up from Porvoo seems different than the actual path. The path can be seen driven past Lahti, so the route shown on the map is inaccurate.
+RAFAEL ROTTA joo miten sää löysit tän
Tupos is much lestas here they say mättö and Rutto all days i am vittuuntut at it saatana
About the midnight sun: In Sodankylä sun does NOT set on 8 June! You definitely did see the midnight sun but because of the cloud cover and trees you could not see it properly. Sun is above the horizon at Sodankylä's latitude between 30 May until 13 July. (I was born north of teh arctic circel so I know. The sun rise and sun set times can be found on various online resources and there are web pages where the times can be calculated based on the location (latitude) and the date. The sun rose in Sodankylä on 30 May 2018 at 1:24 am and set next time on 13 July at 1:08 am for a very brief time.)
I’m watching this very late, but it was worth it, great video. The flat nose trucks you see were very popular here in the USA awhile ago, called C.O.E. cab over engine.
Nice video! You missed some nice places. You should drive more eastern, forexample Saimaa area? Mayby next time. Wellcome to Finland anytime ;)
I wish I had more time
Everyman's right is more about woods; you can pick berries, mushrooms and such, you may camp - but not too close to peoples houses. For making fire or digging, you need a permit from land owner, and you are not allowed to cut wood. You are not allowed to litter either, there shouldn't be any trace of your visit. RV's can be limited even down to 80kph. 100kph limit is rather recent change. Trucks are heavier than in US, and they are speed limited; typically they lean on the limiter and go 94kph or so.
Trucks in US are smaller than what we have here; 80000lb is just 36 metric tons vs 48 or 76 tons for full sized.
Another great video....especially the aerial (drone) photography! The mother duck and ducklings were so cute! Sorry about your "cassette toilet blues!" I felt the same way when I went to Japan...ugh. No toilet tissue and the "potties" were holes in the ground(ground level). I guess it's whatever your culture/country dictates! Too bad you didn't have a composting toilet.
Just close your eyes on those parts...like you probably do on a roller coaster(lol)!
+Valerie Griner As far as I know, the effects of carbonated water on your health compared to regular are basically nonexistent.
Knitople: Just curious...is there a health benefit in drinking carbonated water? The water in the U.S. is BAD...full of chemicals(like fluoride and chlorine).
Zarniwooper: It was quite festive, you must admit! I thought it was a flower shop...so many flowers!
46:25 to 17.00 Road between Ivalo and Inari by Lake Inari is one of the most beautiful routes in Finland. Among top three in my opinion. Other two are located in southeastern Savonia.
Robert, we love you. But want to see your wife also. Both of you are such a great dynamic. Love from Los Angeles.
Nice entertaining video. Would have been nice if you could have included some pricing
This video is awesome. So well done!
49:35 Kaamanen, epic place in Finnish folklore
1. The design of European truck design stems from the cold climate and the engine keeping the cabbing warmer after you stop driving. This was very important in the early days since the electrical systems could not run heaters for very long with out the engine running. 2. The shop bought water is almost always carbonated because tap water in Finland is safe for consumption with out filtration, how ever there are the 10 liter containers meant for camping etc that are non carbonated. For anyone who is puzzled like you were the Finnish work for carbonation is (Hiilihapotettu). 3. Please don't use the gas station (Vesi) water posts for drinking water they are meant for washing car windows and are not maintained to health and safety standards, you most likely will be fine but for your own safety don't.
1. The design of European trucks stems from the cold climate and the engine keeping the cabbing warmer after you stop driving. This was very important in the early days since the electrical systems could not run heaters for very long with out the engine running. 2. The shop bought water is almost always carbonated because tap water in Finland is safe for consumption with out filtration, how ever there are the 10 liter containers meant for camping etc that are non carbonated. For anyone who is puzzled like you were the Finnish work for carbonation is (Hiilihapotettu). 3. Please don't use the gas station (Vesi) water posts for drinking water they are meant for washing car windows and are not maintained to health and safety standards, you most likely will be fine but for your own safety don't.
Thank you for all the information
Interstate trucks are lighter but they are also much faster, in Texas the trucks can go 137 km/h legally. Many go much faster than that. And speaking of weights for example Michigan has as heavy trucks as Finland.
Did they really tell you that the cathedral was built in the 11th century? No way is that the truth, because christianity didn't land on Finland untill the 12th century.
The small trailers are because EU countries are /very/ strict on weight limits for towing, with the limits based on maximum /possible/ weight, not the actual weight you have loaded. Thus small trailers are very common, about the size of a standard pickup bed. The plastic cover is (i'm assuming, since they're not common here), because it's icy and rainy in finland. :D
Here is one video made by British RV users: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU89j7XbUKI
22:08 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_to_roam 30:16 It's because of how much longer breaking distances are with heavier cars and because of how much more dangerous heavy fast moving objects are then light ones. A small car can stop much faster and does less damage once colliding with something then what a truck would do. Two regular cars colliding isn't neccessarily deadly in this day and age, a regular car colliding with a truck on the other hand? And yeah, passing is normal. But you should try to find a good spot where you have a good view like in a left turn for instance or in a down slope followed by a up one or some such. 38:13 Nordic countries have plenty of water so selling bottled non-carbonated water is kind of a waste, people prefer tab water instead. Carbonated water does the same job as the water without it while also having *something* making it different from tab water. So, yeah that's what is able to survive on the market. 49:34 Yeah, that's *not* a Norwegian flag. It's the flag of the Sami people and is used in all the countries where they live to represent them and their culture. If they ever gain independence that will probably be their national flag. Although I doubt that will happen as the populations are too mixed for any well defined borders between Sami areas and non-Sami areas. Just finished watching. Loved it. That said, one word of warning. You where drinking alcohol the same day as driving. That might fly in Finland, but Norway got one of the strictest road laws in Europe with the biggest fines etc. You can be put in jail for speeding for instance. http://www.speedingeurope.com/theburger/ Not accusing you of drunk driving or anything, it's just that our laws are somewhat extreme when it comes to this kind of things...
Gosh Finland is beautiful.... my kinda place... Robert we really enjoy your videos... hopefully I can purchase your cd... I sing too love it.. safe travels out there to you and yours... GB
Looks boring AF with zero people walking on any of the streets in any of the cities.
Your voice is like butter melting
Can you tell us where you rented the RV and how much was it?
Savonia Caravan... http://savoniacaravan.fi I don't know the exact price because it was provided by my friend Petteri who owns the company.
One thing I learned is NOT to have ANY shedule when having free time ........
love journey
sweet video... Thanks for sharing.
Because the climate and geography are similar.
Love when you use the drone!
Very cool thanks
The southernmost point of Finland sits further north in latitude than Juneau, Alaska.
As a musician you must have appreciated the sound of the pipe organ and the acoustics of the cathedral.
Im from Norway and weather is like the mood of a human..it changes very quickly. xD Scandinavia for ya...well they say Finland is not part of scandinavia..but i feel it is now that im much older.
+kirjo lohi 88 joo miten sää löysit tän
Great video. Loved every moment of it. Do you want to come to South Africa?
Dope Video! Sending blessing your way, Keep inspiring!
The North remembers! You.
Thats a nice looking Ducato RV Robert..you can tell you're not in America bc you don't see that many billboards along the roads.
Great. :D
Can you please tell me the fuel consumption of this RV?
It got really confusing converting Km to miles and litters to gallons so I don't have exact numbers but it was very fuel efficient diesel.
Those trailers are used to haul everything that does not fit in a car. Furniture, building supplies, ATVs, snowmobiles, firewood... you name it. They're relatively inexpensive to buy (or rent) and light enough to be towed behind almost anything. The (removable) plastic cover is there to protect your cargo from the elements, which is especially useful in the winter. As some people have already told you, Finns rarely buy non-carbonated water in stores because the tap water is perfectly fine to drink. Many RV'ers have a container for drinking water, that they also fill up at the campground or wherever it is that they're getting water. Shame about the weather on your trip, it seems you missed the heatwave by a couple of weeks. This July, temperatures of 30°C have not been uncommon even in the northernmost parts of the country.