Driving Towards Northern Finland | Nordic Road Trip 2022 [2/6]

In the summer of 2022, we decided to take a Nordic road trip. We started it in on the Åland Islands, from where we continued to Nastola, right outside of Lahti, in Finland. The plan was to continue all the way to the Lofoten archipelago in Norway, with a few stops on the way, including in northern Finland. You can read the first part about our Nordic road trip here.

As it turned out, the second day of our road was also one of the main celebrations of the year, Midsummer Eve.

The Mosquito Invasion at Lake Sihvojärvi

We had embarked on the journey in a caravan, but nobody was happier than me to sleep in a proper bed. We spent the first night of the road trip at my aunt’s place in Nastola before continuing to her cottage at Lake Sihvojärvi. In this part of Finland, there are many lakes, both big and small and many people own a holiday home or a cottage by a lake. Lake Sihvojärvi is a part of the Kymi water system.

Finding the cottage, in the middle of the forest, was something of a challenge so we were relieved once we arrived. There was not much here: the cottage, the lake, and plenty of mosquitoes. The highlight of the stop was the late lunch. My mother has a tendency to bring food wherever she goes, and this was no exception. There was delicious bread, salmon, salad, potatoes… a typical Midsummer meal, in other words.

Usually, Midsummer celebrations entail a drink or two but after the very delicious dinner, we decided to continue or trip towards northern Finland.

An Evening in Jyväskylä

The next stop on our way to northern Finland was Jyväskylä, a city in the Finnish Lakeland. I had actually never been here before, so I was looking forward to our stop. We arrived in Jyväskylä rather late and there were a lot of people out and about. Jesper and I took a walk in the center while the others were resting in the car. On the way back we made a stop at McDonald’s to grab some food.

We didn’t have to see much of Jyväskylä but I definitely liked the easy-going and cheerful atmosphere by the lake (Päijänne). The center looked very typically Finland, nice but nothing special. This might be because the city centers in Finland are, in most cases, rather modern and I personally think they lack personality. However, there are many buildings by architect Alvar Aalto in the city, so perhaps those with a better knowledge of architecture would appreciate the city more.

As we felt ambitious, we continued the drive toward northern Finland and Oulu.

Approaching Northern Finland: A Morning Stop at Uljua Reservoir

We tried to find someplace to spend the night, a camping or such, but we slept a few hours in the car at a rest stop. The road between Jyväskylä and Oulu, two of the major cities in Finland, is not very exciting. As we started to approach Oulu, we decided that we should make a short stop. The Uljua Reservoir is a medium-sized lake in Northern Ostrobothinia. The sun was shining and we knew that from here it wouldn’t be so far to Oulu and the border to Sweden.

Oulu

Another place that I had never been to but wanted to see was Oulu, or Uleåborg in Swedish. Actually, I’m not sure if Oulu qualifies as northern Finland even though it is the fourth northernmost city in the world.

It was a sunny day and as we arrived in the city we all felt it was time for lunch, As it was Midsummer Day, we could not count on too many places being open but we found a nice lunch restaurant with a buffet. I was so happy when I found a coffee shop with proper coffee. The instant version is fine enough but it was time for an iced cappuccino.

Many people were out and about as we explored the Market Square and walked along the waterfront. As with Jyväskylä, I wasn’t overly impressed by the architecture (what can I say, I know nothing about these things). However, Oulu felt like a lively city with a lot of things to see.

An Evening Walking Across the Border Between Sweden and Finland

Right after entering northern Finland, it was time to head to Sweden. This time we knew where we would spend the night. Tornio and Haparanda form a cross-border twin city on either side of the Torne River. Our accommodation was a camping on the Swedish side, in Haparanda.

There’s something very interesting about twin cities and the fact that you can cross the border whenever you wish. We took advantage of the possibility twice on that first day in Haparanda. First Jesper and my dad took their bicycles to Tornio. Later, we took a walk along the river and crossed the border there.

It was nice to be in a peaceful place where Little A and my mother could take a swim. The water was too cold for me! There were also good paths for walking and running, which I enjoyed.

It was rather amazing that we had driven through most of Finland in such a short time, and yet seen so much. Now new adventures lay ahead of us as it was time to explore northern Sweden before entering Norway.

Read more about the places we visited