Stockholm county and Turku

Xabier Osteikoetxea
Sep 18, 2019
2 min read

After Oslo I traveled through some of Norway and crossed Sweden from west to east coast. I was really lucky to have some sunny weather which allowed for one of the most spectacular rides in my life. From previous trips I have always considered the Scandinavian countries to have some of the most beautiful landscapes. Now it was such a treat to ride across these landscapes in smaller country roads for 6 hours.

Ride through Norwegian and Swedish countryside.

My first destination was Stockholm where I planned to take a ferry to Finland the following night. Due to work exchanges during my life I had already spent several weeks in the city of Stockholm, it is an amazing city, but for that reason during this 1 night visit I looked to stay in the surrounding countryside. I was very happy to find a wonderful place in Järna for a relaxing evening in a cottage surrounded by fields and some horses. Indeed it was a great idea because I totally disconnected from the world and relaxed while experiencing the rural side of Sweden. I also discovered that this 6000 inhabitant town is the centre of the anthroposophical movement in Sweden with a private clinic and other institutions affiliated with the movement. This movement is rooted in spiritual ideas and philosophies that extend to alternative approaches for education, medicine, and nutrition. But there are also critics denouncing the movement as a cult with dangerous pseudoscientific beliefs especially in regards to alternative medicine and nutrition.

Cottage in Järna.

View from bedroom window.

After relaxing in Järna for one night I next traveled to the Stockholm ferry terminal to board the overnight ferry to Turku, Finland. After loading the motorbike and leaving luggage in my cabin I went for a nice dinner with live music and found it cute that most passengers were older couples, perhaps in their 60s, dancing to the music.

Overnight ferry from Stockholm to Turku.

My cabin.

Upon arriving in Turku at 7am I first decided to find a parking spot and bag storage to be able to visit the city before continuing onto Helsinki where I would spend the next 4 days. I was really happy to squeeze in a short day visit to Turku as it is the third biggest city in Finland after Helsinki and Tampere. I was really impressed by the very well preserved castle, the Turku cathedral, and the maritime museum. The castle and cathedral were both founded in the 13th century. The castle is to this day the most visited museum and largest surviving medieval building in Finland. After this short visit I continued to Helsinki to spend the next 4 days with more beautiful landscapes on the way and at some point I was extremely close to running out of petrol.