First impressions
On our approach to Helsinki airport, looking out the window of the plane we were greeted with views of lakes and forests. This was just a taster of what was to come. We were only transiting in Helsinki, so the best views of the country were still to come. On our 80 minute flight to Oulu we were treated to wall to wall views of some of the 187,000 lakes of Finland, and it seemed that all of the land between them was forest! Oulu is a fairly small city as far as we can see. So much of it is woodland that it's hard to see where the boundary of the city might be. In the lovely suburb where we are staying, your neighbours' house can be seen through the trees, and more than likely, easiest reached by a cycle or walking path through the woods! When I think of the wonderful network of cycle paths, I'm impressed of course, but also I reflect that in olden times people had to travel on foot (or skis) through the forests, and it's likely that the paths were in existence long befor...