Nordic marathons

My runs have brought me to places far away from home, and while it has resulted in amazing trips it sometimes also makes it quite the undertaking outside of the run itself. It would be nice that I at least once in a while managed to plan a bit more convenient trip to find a run instead of having to fly half way around the world.

So a new project has seen the light of day; running marathons in the capitals of the 5 Nordic countries - Copenhagen (Denmark), Stockholm (Sweden), Oslo (Norway), Helsinki (Finland) and Reykjavik (Iceland). I am considering also including the 3 autonomous territories Faroe Islands (Denmark), Greenland (Denmark) and Åland (Finland).

The 3 latter are a bit harder to do; while the Faroe Islands have an annual half and full marathon, Åland sometimes cancel their run due to lack of interest and Greenland, well - there is an annual marathon which I would consider an extreme run which I'm not to keen on, so I may have to try and find a half marathon instead if there is one (which I believe Nuuk has annually).

Some have already been run, some have recently been planned and others are still up in the air. The schedule is currently as follows:

Copenhagen - May 2019
Stockholm - May 2025
Oslo - September 2025
Helsinki - TBA
Reykjavik - TBA

Faroe Islands - June 2019
Greenland - TBA
Åland - TBA

A small project compared to my other runs (past and likely future), but sometimes you just need to scale down and relax. Which I know is a bit of a contradiction when talking about running marathons. Oh, well. 

21st – Returning home

Coming back I had my usual sleep/nap before lunch (smoked elk soup!) before packing my stuff and getting ready to be picked up to go to the airport. I had a few minutes where I tried to photograph some of the many birds around the house, but only having a few minutes without being able to hide it never really amounted to anything.

The drive to the airport was uneventful; 1½ hours of pine forest with the occasional lake, but no sightings like the reindeer when I arrived. Kajaani airport is small but having one arrival and departure on most days I guess you don’t need Heathrow-level facilities. There are two gates; one for departures (gate 1) and one for arrivals (gate 2). Hence the security check was just and extension of the waiting area at gate 1 – nothing more was needed.

The flight home went almost as expected – with the exception the second flight was almost an hour delayed. At least I had access to the lounge during the wait, and my dad was very nice to pick me up at the airport – had I not been so lucky I would have been looking forward to a 3+ hour trip home by bus.

Knowing full well that wildlife does what only wildlife wants, doing photography trips like this can be very hit or miss. Having generally had luck previously on my trips I did have fairly high expectations – especially because I would be hidden most of the time instead of out in the open in a vehicle. Therefore I can’t help be a bit disappointed by the limited number of bear sightings throughout the week – though the mother and cubs on the Monday and the sighting Sunday morning definitely helped. I was surprised by how many wolverine sightings we had – but that was just positive. I would have liked to see wolves, but alas. It would have been amazing to see lynx but I was fully aware that wish was a stretch – also due to them preferring live prey (smaller mammals and birds) so the lures put out was not what they would be looking for. And my guide confirmed that seeing them would be near impossible. she had seen one 3 times in the last 18 months – all from the car when it was crossing the road, only photos were from trail cams, and earlier than that only once in 8 years. Wolverines are more curious and are happy with getting close to unknown objects which means that they are much more commonly seen. 

In Finland there are app. 400 wolverines (which means we saw 1-2% of the population depending on the number of unique and repeat visits) but 1000s of bears, lynx and wolves. Chances are that we technically have seen lynx with them sneaking around and hiding in the bushes and shrubbery in the dark at a distance. We could have looked straight at one without being able to see it. I should post a photo of a bush with the caption “There’s a lynx, it’s totally there, you just can’t see it because it’s hiding”.

Full album can be seen here.

15th – 20th – Hiding in hides

The original plan was to have two days (from afternoon to next day’s morning) in the hide (Monday-Tuesday), a rest day and then another two days back in the hide finishing off with another rest day before returning home. While I was the only one who had signed up for the 8-day tour, with the exception of Thursday I was joined by others who had signed up for a single day trip to the hides. 

A bunk bed is located just out of frame to the right.

When returning from the Tuesday outing I was told that people usually preferred a break at this point and spend a day doing something else instead which was why the schedule was what is was, but if I wanted I was free to go back to the hide on the Wednesday if I wanted. That was a very easy decision to make. It wouldn’t be possible to do the same on the last night (Saturday) as my hostess would be leaving and her replacement wouldn’t arrive soon enough on the Sunday to be able to pick me up at the hides. That was the plan – which I wasn’t unhappy about as I had already gotten an extra day compared to the schedule – but on the Saturday a pair of one-day hide tour French guys arrived in their own car (and therefore drove themselves back and forth to the hides) which meant that I could hitch a ride with them on the Sunday morning when leaving and therefore not having to depend on my hostess at that point. This meant that every single night after the night of arrival was spent in the hides – that was definitely felt like a big victory (and it was the hostess that offered, and no increase in payment, so I was definitely happy about that development).

Great spotted woodpeckers.

Black-headed gull.

The daily routine would be fairly simple; leave the house around 1430 for a 10-15 minute drive and short walk, get settled into the hides while lures are put out and around 1530 we are on our own until we are picked up again at around 0730, and around 0800-0830 I’m fast asleep. Lunch at 1300 or 1400 (depending on if the hostess need time to brief 1-day’ers who aren’t repeat guests), repeat daily. You were given a pack with sandwiches, snacks, hot water, tea/coffee/soup to keep you going for the night. You were allowed to bring your own if you wanted but there were (obviously) rules about smelliness and noise of food (so no crunchy chips!). The lunches were delicious; a hot meal with a small dessert. Some examples are Spaghetti Bolognaise (but instead of beef it was smoked elk), salmon/rainbow trout soup, meatballs, shredded potatoes & ham with small savory pancakes (or something similar). 

Brown bear.

Raven.

There were 4 hides, all were more or less lined up next to each other; one larger for 3 people and the reaming for 2. I got to have my own hide which I was very appreciative about as the toilet facilities were very basic; two of them had a small chemical toilet hidden behind a curtain, while the third hide was a bit smaller and there was only room for a large bucket lined with a plastic bag with a toilet seat lid with a bit of dirt in the bottom (and a smaller bucket next to it with more dirt which I assume was to cover up your… product), and no small alcove and curtain to hide behind. I guess if you share the hide with someone; if you didn’t know them before you would definitely get to know them during the stay. There was also a “gentlemen’s toilet” which was a 5-liter water jug with a (large) screw cap which you’d empty outside when leaving in the morning. Other than that there was a bunk bed, two chairs, sleeping bags and pillows, a shelf for your stuff you’d need during the stay (food, snacks, etc.) and a desk with a flexible and very stable mounting system so you could mount a camera anywhere along the length of the hide and removing the need to use vibration reduction (which saves a lot of battery power). Above the table there were 6 square holes covered with a tarp with an adjustable hole through where you’d put your lens so you had nothing between you and your subject while not opening up and making you visible to the wildlife. Above those there was a narrow acrylic window spanning the length of the hide so you could always have a relatively good view of the surroundings. And there you’d be confined for 15-16 hours in silence, hoping something interesting would pass by.

Wolverine.

Herring gull.

Black kite.

While one should remember these are wild animals and you can’t decide where they should go I was a bit surprised at how little activity there actually was after the first 3-4 hours when the gulls reigned with a few guest appearances of wood peckers, ravens, a few crows and a black kite. After that the best odds were to see wolverines and a single bear popped up Monday and Tuesday. Thursday no mammals at all showed up which resulted in a very long night. There was also a chance of seeing wolves and lynxes though both are quite shy and therefore rarely show up. It’s worth mentioning my hostess in the last 1½ years had seen lynxes 3 times, and all times when she was driving and seeing them crossing the road. All the mammals are present in the area, the wolverines are the rarest (we ended up seeing maybe 1-2% of the total population in Finland) and there is app. double the number of wolves and almost 10 times as many lynxes and bears. 

Owl of some kind. 

The weather – or rather the temperatures – varied quite a bit. There were a few evenings we had a few showers but it was otherwise dry. On the Thursday it was around 10 degrees when arriving at the hide and during the night it dipped below 0. Crawling out of the bed after my 1-2 hour’s nap I should have known immediately when I could see my own breath instead of some time later when I was wondering why I was feeling so much colder than previously and then realizing there was frost on the grass outside. On the other end of the scale on Saturday it was 20+ degrees on arrival and past 2000 I was still only wearing short sleeves. When getting there on the Monday there were still fairly large patches of snow in the area outside the hides, but when getting to the weekend it had all cleared up completely. 

The last few days a couple of mosquitos got caught inside the hide. Easy to get rid of as there were only a few, but I can’t imagine how big a pain they’ll be getting further into the summer.

I ended up with 100+ photos of blur, backgrounds in focus and/or 

empty shots to get this single photo of a woodpecker in flight. 

Being a bear tour it was a little disappointing to only see a single bear twice from the hide Monday and Tuesday (even if we did see the mother with 3 cubs from the car Monday morning!). The two French guys enabling my extra Saturday hide visit were going on their 3rd visit; they had done Wednesday and Friday, none of them giving much other than a few wolverine visits. They therefore had decided to go for one last chance to see bears before having to continue on their trip. Throughout the evening, night and early morning we had multiple visits from wolverines. I assume there were at least a few different but it could probably also just be the same one returning multiple times. Then, 1½ hours before leaving, a large male and female bear showed up. They wandered the area in front of the hides for maybe 15 minutes finding all the leftover lures before meandering off again. Running close to deadline they were very, very happy to finally get to see them. I was obviously also very happy with how the morning had developed, but not nearly as much as they were when seeing them exiting their hide having huge smiles on their faces. 

The bears on the last morning.

14th – 15th of May – Arrival in Finland

Recently there have been issues with the air controllers in CPH airport as their employer believes their contracts require them to take extra hours (whereas the controllers disagree) as they are understaffed and need to fill shifts. This has resulted in numerous delays and cancellations. I noticed that my flight’s departure a few days ago was app 2 hours late, a minor inconvenience if it hadn’t been for my 1½ hour layover in Helsinki.

Fortunately the departure today was on time without a hint of delay and we were off on an as expected uneventful flight. Finland seem to like blueberries – the only free option apart from water was “Finnair’s signature blueberry juice” which was surprisingly good. After the layover in Helsinki the flight to Kajaani was boarded, a small 2+2 seater plane with an overhead compartment just large enough to be able to contain my bag. With a bit of fiddling around I finally settled into my seat and realized to my joy I had an empty seat next to me. Until 3 people were asked to move to the rear due to balancing the plane – me being one of them. So I quickly scrambled to gather all my stuff (my bag was at least easier to pull out than shove into the compartment) and moved to the back row – getting seated next to a very large man who didn’t seem to enthused about the situation either as he had also been moved from where he had had an empty seat next to him. There was no more room in the overhead compartments but I was allowed to keep my bag under a seat at an empty seat despite part of the luggage hold was accessible from the rear of the cabin. Apparently “camera equipment” and “batteries” are magic words to letting you keep your bag with you.

Apart from it was another uneventful flight – stocking up on more water and blueberry juice – and we arrived in good time at Kajaani; basically a single building and a landing strip. Close to arriving I noticed that there was snow laying around on the ground which was surprising to me as the forecasts had said it would be up towards 20°C during the days and 3-6°C during the nights. I assumed I had been looking at forecasts in a different area until exiting the plane and feeling the warmth. Apparently they had gotten quite a lot of snow in the beginning of May and thus the weather was still working on melting the remains. 

I picked up my checked in bag – it was literally the last one out, but also maybe the 10th bag so the waiting time was limited – and was met by a short French woman who turned out to be the owner of the place and company I had booked with. Reaching her car she recommended getting my camera out as “you never know what you will get to see along the way” and off we went. The 1½ hour drive did end up being a bit longer than planned as we along the way ended up seeing forest reindeers and a bunch of birds at such a distance, I wouldn’t even be able to recognize them even if I was reminded of their names. 

Forest reindeer.

Frogs. Toads? Frogtoads. 

Apparently I’m the only one who has booked the entire 8-day tour, but I will be joined by others who are doing single nights at in the hides.

On arrival my hostess spent around half an hour to dish up with a delicious chicken/mushroom risotto around 2100 before I excused myself and left to my room to get some much-needed rest. The stairs to the first floor ware probably the steepest I have ever experienced. Have to be careful walking up and down to make sure you don’t put your weight wrong on your feet. On the other hand it ensures you always get down – one way or another.

The following morning after a quick breakfast we went for a 3-hour drive-and-walk to have a look around. 20 minutes by car we had to stop abruptly as ahead on the road just turning the corner towards us we saw a mother bear with 3 cubs from last year. I got to shoot couple of quick photos through the windshield and a few out the window before she spotted us after which she turned running into the forest and with the cubs following (after showing a bit of curiosity towards us) following along. The last we saw of them was the adult’s back when racing away among the trees. Apparently people can live in the area for years without seeing a single bear, and I had only been here for 15 hours so far. 

Mother with cubs. Shot through the cars front screen, hence the quality - or rather lack of it.

One of the cubs trying to figure out why mom suddenly starting running into the forest.

During the walk we didn’t get to see any animals, but I was introduced to the local fauna; lichens, birch, pine, blue-, black- and lingon berry bushes. There were no bears on the return to the house and lunch was homemade falafel on a bed of roasted eggplant and potato salad. Half an hour or so later it was time to leave for the hide.

Bearly Finnish(ed)

In recent years few of my trips have had a focus on wildlife. Considering how much enjoy watching and photographing wildlife I feel like having to do something about that and start planning my next trip where I don’t just visit a city or do something silly like participating in a run.

So I sat down and figured out what kind of animals I wanted to see. Seeing polar bears in recent years was amazing, but that was only polar bears, and there are other kinds to see in the world. Canada is a great source of non-polar bear bear watching, but having gone there twice in two years I wanted to go somewhere else instead. And then it’s fortunate there is a country nearby that has exactly that, so transport gets much easier than having to go across the ocean (again).

Finland to the rescue!

14th of May
Flying out to Kajaani airport barely half-way up in Finland with a layover in Helsinki. Here we’ll be picked up and driven 2-ish hours east to the B&B we are going to spend our time there.

15th – 16th of May

The first two days will be spent doing a couple of short walks in the surrounding forest mixed in with some bird watching. Both late afternoons and nights will be spent in bear hides, where we’ll hopefully get some good views of the bears being active during the late hours.

17th of May
Here we will be driving out to see the environment of beavers, together with the moose and forest reindeer. 

18th – 19th of May
These two days we will be back at spending out nights in hides. We will be moved around in different hides, so it won’t be the same area every time we go out; some of them might be in a forest clearing, another by a small lake, so there will be some variety.

20th – 21st of May
On the last (full) day will be leisurely with not much planned. We will be  visiting the local predator center, an exhibition of the Finnish wildlife, and a stop through the town of Kuhmo. Last day we’ll be returning to the airport for the flight out in the evening.

I think this will be an interesting tour. Not only because I get to see bears (get a chance to see bears, it is wildlife after all) but there is apparently plenty of wolves and wolverines in the area too, giving a high probability of spotting them, too. Also I’m looking forward to how it’ll be in the hides; will I end up getting bored out of my mind or will I actually be occupied for most of the time? Only time will tell!

13th – Conclusions

I had nothing planned today other than maybe wander a bit before returning to the airport in the afternoon. This resulted in me taking full advantage of the fact that breakfast was served until 1100 and checkout was at 1200. And a quick and easy online checkout meant that I didn’t have to queue up behind everyone else when I left the hotel for the last time just before deadline.

Inside the Uspenski Cathedral, just after service.

From there I walked north until I reached Linnanmäki, Helsinki’s amusement park. There were some rocks just outside and I realised that it was probably the only place where I could get a slightly elevated view of the city when not behind glass. I realized that there was no entry fee to get into the park so lacking any plans I took as stroll inside. While it did seem busy it did not look like many people were queueing up for the amusements. I got the impression that people came here to enjoy themselves, meet friends and maybe get something to eat. Had I gotten a wristband that would get me unlimited fun the amount of waiting would have been quite limited.

A slightly creepy abandoned-looking building I passed by on the way back from the amusement park.

Afterwards I realized it was inhabited - they were outside in the garden opposite from where I took the photo...

Returning back to the centre around 1600 I realised I couldn’t come up with anything else to do so I, a fair bit early, took the train back to the airport. I arrived, had a walk around and entered the lounge area. I might have had 4 hours to wait but in that time, I had free WiFi and food so time wasn’t completely wasted.

The flight home went as planned, no extra layovers in Stockholm this time, and returned home in one piece.

The weather forecasts seemed quite unreliable when I went to Helsinki. Every single one I read said 10-15 degrees, overcast and occasional rain. Instead I got 20-25 degrees (Sunday at times more), not a single cloud and no rain. I was not prepared for that and while I appreciated the very nice weather I wish I had brought a pair of shorts. But due to the weather it was really nice walking through the city, especially when on Suomenlinna and it had clearly brought people out onto the islands. Spending time out there during overcast and bad weather would have made the entire day much less enjoyable. 3 nights there might have hit the limit for how long you can justify being there but the ease of getting to the centre from the airport makes it easy to recommend going there even if it’s only during a layover.

As usual the full album can be seen here.

12th – Slithering about

The alarm went off as yesterday at 0800. Snoozed it once and then turned if off and the woke up an hour later. Woops.

I got myself ready, had breakfast and then left the hotel to take the boat to Suomenlinna 15 minutes away, the main island of four that are connected with bridges to each other, with a large defensive installation built by the Swedes, taken by the Russians and in the end given back to the Finns.

The island furthest south, i.e. the one furthest towards the sea, has the majority of the walls and cannon placements. Despite the fortification having been converted to a tourist destination it is still being actively maintained as it has been given the rank of UNESCO Heritage Site. You walk around and get some great views of the installation and people come over here when the weather is nice to do picnics, visit the 10m long sand beach or soak up rays on some of the many patches of grass or rocks. Another thing that reflects its attraction to tourists is the relatively large number of restaurants and cafes. In addition to that they also have a church, brewery, prison, school, day care and library.

Some of the many buildings now re-purposed to normal apartments.

Submarine Vesikko.

One of the other islands, Pikku-Musta, has a navy school which means there are plenty of uniformed personnel (conscripts, officers etc.) walking about, and it’s fairly common to see groups marching the pathways on the islands. While this is a very touristy area this is a serious training facility and there are parts of the islands that are strictly off limits.

The main barracks square, had the regular drill just moments earlier.

Finland's "special" lion.

King's Gate.

Due to the many garrison buildings and living quarters for military members and their families that are no longer in use they have been converted into ordinary housing. There are quite a few people living on these islands and you regularly see signs reminding guests that you are walking in or entering a residential area.

At one point I found a secluded spot where there were plenty of birds to spot (had I brought my long lens I could have spent most my day here!) and trying to get a better angle to two birds I took a few steps from a rock onto soft ground. This resulted to my surprise in a snake suddenly quickly slithering out and away. Of all the things I had expected to see when visiting Helsinki, a snake was not on the list.

I would never have expected that I was to come to Finland if I wanted to see snakes in the wild.

The cathedral towering over the buildings when returning to the mainland.

After spending up towards 6 hours walking around I returned to the main land where I had a short break back in my room before going out for dinner. Sushi buffet for 14 euros, and while it wasn’t on the same level as the stuff I got in Singapore (I didn’t have any expectations of that, either!) it was – at least – as good as the mainstream stuff back home in Denmark. And for just a fraction of the price? Yes please!

I returned to the hotel, almost rolling, I’d admit, and had a few drinks at the bar while seeing Finland beating Canada 5-1 at hockey. They must feel a bit better now after we beat them – to everyone’s surprise – 3-2 just a few days ago.

11th – A rocky day

After a late morning, it was hard work getting out of bed and breakfast had a large selection, I left the hotel a bit past 10 and starting going towards the western part of Helsinki.

I came by a large building that turned out to be the parliament building, a small lake with a lot of people spending their time walking, running and generally just relaxing. I reached the winter garden and the Olympic stadium which unfortunately was wrapped in construction so I arched back and came by two odd churches: one that had been dug into a rock and the other a very new wooden construction that from above had the shape of an egg.

Parliament building.

A green spot in the city.

The rock church was basically a circular hole been dug or blown into a large rock near the centre of the city. They had left the rough surface and drill holes all around so it was very rustic. There was also drains all around the walls for when water occasionally would run down the rock face which helped giving it a very cave-like feel. The ceiling was centred by a massive cobber circle made from app. 22km of copper strips. The church was very different and charming. The wooden church was much smaller and had a very calm to it. The interior construction was like the exterior; very minimalistic. With how the light came in from the ceiling it had a very serene feeling about it.

The roof of Temppeliaukion Church, cut into the rock.

The walls are bare rock.

The roof consisting of 22km small cobber strips can just be seen.

Kamppi Chapel.

Ceiling in the Kamppi Chapel.

Coming back to the city centre I started going east until I realized there was not much else there. I returned and unintentionally timed it perfectly for me to return to the harbour minutes before a 1½ hour tour of the archipelago departed. A lot of small islands and every single one is pretty much covered in trees. In between there are houses peeking out and located in some very attractive locations. The views form them must be very nice, especially during the summer and nice weather.

Uspenski Cathedral.

Returning to land a bit past 1600 I walked about a bit before taking a break back at the hotel. I left for dinner at a place a fair bit west; a small homey restaurant where I had a fish platter, a wiener schnitzel with sausage, bacon, sauerkraut and potatoes (basically “pig in 3 different ways with sides”). For dessert pancakes – small ones. Apparently in Finland you make pancakes small, not large thin ones, but small chubby ones.

I returned to the hotel and concluded the day early just past 2200.

10th of May – I am not Finnish… ed

Everything went according to plan; I checked in yesterday, I arrived and went through security and ended up in the lounge, still disappointed with the selection at the buffet but free food and drinks is free food and drinks.

I boarded the plane and noticed the lack of passengers. We were two people in the economy plus section which on this flight was 8-ish rows long with 6 seats in each row. Apparently not a too popular route. I was in the front row and as I therefore wouldn’t be allowed to take shoes off or read anything while the fasten seatbelts signs were on I asked if I was allowed to move to the empty row behind me. I was told “go head – we’re are only missing one passenger and it’s one-in-a-million chance she is sitting there!”. I think we all know what happened next; an out of breath girl boarded, reached “my” row, looked at me and got very confused. I apologized profusely and told her I could move but she just – like me – moved to the next empty row.

We arrived in Helsinki in good order at 1630 and easily grabbed the train to the city centre. I walked around a bit and found my hotel, checked in, and left again to familiarize myself with the surroundings.

The waterfront in Helsinki.

I found a one of the highest, if not highest, rated restaurant, Olo, in Helsinki/Finland but it was the kind with no menu outside. The reviews were very positive and it was quite interesting reading the menu on the website but having to pay almost 400 euros for the pleasure I gave it a big pass. Just around the corner from the there was another restaurant specializing mostly in Finnish dishes with a much friendlier approach to prices so in I went.

I love the fact that almost all streetsigns had names/directions in both Finnish and Swedish.

Helsinki Cathedral in the evening sun.

To start with a plate with 10 tastings of classic Finnish starters (various fish, potatoes, salads and meats) from where I continued with a long-braised bear, something I would admit was a bit pricey but I wanted to try it out. I wasn’t too impressed. It seemed it was braised, pulled apart and shaped into a block to be served. I did taste very good but if someone had served it and told me it was braised elk I wouldn’t have questioned it. I guess I had expected something more… bear-like. For dessert rhubarb crumble in a generous portion with cloud-berry liquor.

A tram passing by the train terminal in the night.

Had a wander afterwards before finally returning to the hotel around 2330.

4-day weekend city visit

The 10th of May is Ascension Day and a national holiday in Denmark. That is a Thursday – and I get the following Friday off. Apparently not even management can be bothered returning to work for just one day before the weekend.

This gives me 4 days in a row to do stuff – like going on a quick trip. One shouldn’t let four days in a row go to waste so obviously I am going on a short trip somewhere. If I go on a 3-day trip to Tallinn, why shouldn’t I utilize my 4 days in a similar manner?

10^th – 13^th of May

City visit to Helsinki, capital of Finland. Not much else to say. Fly there, check into the hotel and then spend a few days exploring the city and checking it out before flying back home on the Sunday.

… and that’s pretty much it.