a rest for the weary

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Day 16, Friday, 5th August, 2011

Naantali - Helsinki


Yesterday, I woke late. Tiredness must be catching up. The night before we went for a sauna and a swim in the sea, before falling into an exhausted sleep.
A quick trip to Heli’s patch of forest nearby before getting on the train back to Helsinki in the early afternoon. The walk in the forest was really lovely, there were still many blueberries left on the bushes, some cranberries beginning to ripen, and chantrelles still emerging, golden parcels of goodness, through the leaflitter on the forest floor. We also found some raspberries, sweet and tasty. No need to go hungry in the summer here.
I’m noticing that the seasons move very quickly here, the summer swiftly giving way to the darkening of autumn.. The evening darkens earlier and for longer than it has been, It was light all through the night two weeks ago, and now the darkness arrives before midnight, and the sky is dark until after 3am. The spires of purple flowers by the roadsides have begun to release their floating whisps of white dandelion type seeds, roses have set orange red rosehips, and wheat fields are golden.

Train ride was fast and smooth, the train reaching speeds of 160k/h on it’s way to Helsinki. Disembark, catch a taxi back to my aunt’s city flat, and relax for an hour before being picked up by another uncle for dinner. By the time I returned I was absolutely exhausted.
The traffic is still strange. After all this time of being driven around the country, I’m getting used to the right lane driving, although if I was behind the wheel, I would still find myself steering into the oncoming traffic at every intersection. Today, I again caught myself looking the wrong way as I attempted to cross the road. This could be dangerous. The refrain of “look to the right, look to the left, look to the right again” must have been instilled deeply into my subconscious during my formative years.

After over two weeks of almost constant travelling and sightseeing a rest is sorely needed. A day of reading, watching tv and eating restored my sanity and I’m ready to set off on more adventures again.

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