Day 33 - Hameeenlinna to Naantali

Michael woke up early, got dresses and went outside to play football. I felt sorry for him so I got up and played with him. After about 40 minutes Timothy joined us. I don't think he really wanted to be up but couldn't stand not kicking the ball.

While Timo made another delicious breakfast, I packed up what I could. I can fit everything in but I have to figure out a more organised way to pack it. We waved goodbye to Timo around 9:30 and set off for Turku.

All went well for about 70 km but then we started smelling that hot brakes smell. I pulled off onto a track and felt and smelt all of the wheels. The last one I got to was the left rear and I didn't need to feel it, it was smoking. I got the tools out, jacked it up and took the wheel and drum off. I couldn't see much wrong. The was a small scour on one of the shoes and perhaps a little more dust than normal. I just cleaned it off backed the adjuster off one notch and replaced the drum. The problem seemed to be solved and we had no problems all the way into Turku.

Timo had arranged for us to meet up with some local Imp enthusiast. Our first stop was supposed to be the home of Veijo Peramaki but I had mistakenly entered the address of our second stop, the workshop of Kalervo and Marko Tvomi. As there was no house with a green Imp outside, and indeed no houses, I checked the address and realised my error. We drove the 14km back to Veijo's home where possibly the most immaculate green Imp I have ever seen was sitting proudly outside.

Veijo and his wife Ylva invited us to their back patio where we enjoyed a perfect lunch. After that the boy started playing Lego while Veijo and I watched the F1 Grand Prix. After this we set off into town while then boys played with Veijo and Ylvas three grandchildren. Back at the workshop that we had first navigated to we were met by Kalervo and Marita Tvomi and their son Marko, Juha Paavilainen, Timo Nikander and Jovko Valkama. Marko is the metalwork magician who transformed Veijo's car from a rusty wreck to its current state. Kalervo is the engine and gearbox specialist. Juha's beautifully prepared rally Imp in Gulf Oil livery was inside along with several shells in various stages of restoration. Jovko has two completed Imps and five awaiting attention. timo arrived in another beautifully finished early Imp in an attractive grey shade.

They all showed me around. The engine and gearbox shop is up on a mezzanine floor. Out the back are more shells including Marko's ex rally car that had such a bad crash that it took half an hour to cut Kalervo out. Roll over protection might be heavy and expensive but its worth every penny/team when it makes the difference between walking away or not. After coffee, cake and much friendly chat it was time to return to Veijo's with Veijo leading, me behind and Timo following. It felt great to be in am convoy of Imps again.

Back at Veijo's house, Ylva had prepared supper. We said our goodbuyes and then Veijo led us all the way to the campsite at Nantali. Putting then tent up for the first time was quite a puzzle. There were no instructions, not even a picture. Eventually I figured it out and we piled into our beds exhausted. It was 10:30 and the sun was just about to set.

Day 32 - Hameenliina

Today was very relaxing. Timo made a delicious breakfast while the boys woke up the neighbourhood playing football out beside the road. Meanwhile, I tried to plan the ferry trip to Sweden. After breakfast Timo called one of the Imp guys in Turku for advice on the ferry crossing. After several calls and some head scratching over the ferry website, we ended up with paid for booking out of Nanntali at 9:30 Tuesday morning and arriving north of Stockholm at Kapellskar at 16:30. This and other meanderings had taken up most of the morning.

After lunch we visited the Hameenlinna Castile. The boys were initially disappointed as it didn't match their expectations of a castle. That is because over the years it has been damaged, repaired and rebuilt many times. The story of rebuilding is written in the many types of brick and stone used in the walls. The castle was used by the kings and queens of Sweden as a temporary home when the visited Finland collecting their taxes. One of its latest uses was as a women's prison.

After the castle we looked over the fence at the cannon museum. The boys were not that interested it seemed. They were more keen on scaling the castle outer defensive wall/mound. This is steeper than 50° with the lower 3m being stone wall and the upper 8m being a grassed mound.

From here we picked up supplies at a supermarket, dropped these back at Timo's house and drove on to Sami's house to pick up a trolley jack and look at his rally car. Semi bought it from Timo along with all his tools and spares. We spent perhaps a little too long about imp stuff while the boys played outside. Then we had a quick look at his neighbour's two Dodge Chargers (1968 and 1973) before enjoying icecream and coffee.

On the way back to Timo's house we stopped at the same supermarket to buy a SIM card for the mobile telephone that I had bought in Russia. This was I will can call out in an emergency. More football for the boys while Timo and I made grilled salmon and new potatoes for dinner.

After dinner I tried to get the boys to bed in good time. I read them a story but perhaps it wasn't a very settling one as they soon were giggles and shouts again. Meanwhile Timo and I jacked up each corner of the Imp and adjusted the brakes. The pedal had had more travel than I was happy with on the drive up. The brakes gripped very well and the pedal travel did not improve with pumping so I don't think they need bleeding. I think each wheel just got one click of its adjuster.

Timo and I chatted more about cars and he showed me photographs from his time as a mechanic for a team running a CanAm style Porsche 917 all over the world. After a sauna and a cooling beer it was 11PM and time for bed.

a very relaxing day.

Day 31 - Helsinki to Hameenlinna

Today we woke late again and had a slow breakfast while the boys wrote an email and entries in their diaries. After breakfast we visited the Helsinki cathedral before returning to the hotel. Then we packed everything up and walked back to the train station. The train was already waiting at the furthest away platform. It was very comfortable for an eclectic commuter train. We bought tickets from the conductor. Six year olds don't seem to need tickets for anything here so Michael rode for free.

We got off at the last stop and asked the chap we had been sitting next to if he could telephone Jyrki. Jyrki came with the Imp on a trailer just a few minutes later. He showed me the head gasket that was close to failure and gave me the exhaust valve from cylinder number 3 which is quite distorted from the heat. Jyrki and Timo surmise that the oil loss was mostly through the valve guides as the seal were hard from age. They had another valve made to fit and readjusted the valve clearances. They have replaced the rear brake cylinders and shores and bled and adjusted the front brakes. They have also replaced the gearbox oil and swapped front for rear tyres. The car drives like new. It is much smoother and is willing to rev.

While Jyrki and I talked and I fiddled with few things and tried to work out where to store all of our stuff, the boys explored the wood behind the workshop. Eventually I called them back and Jyrki offed us some coffee and cake. He then led us to the old highway to Hameenlinna. This is a really pleasant road that runs parallel to the new motorway but has an 80km/her limit. Perfect for the Imp. It still runs hotter than I would like - up to 90°C on the tiny hills. About half way through the 77km journey it became cloudy and some rain fell. Then the engine temperature dropped to around 82°.

Timo Saaristo, the UK Imp club contact in Finland, met us at a petrol station just before the entry to town where we filled up and then followed him to his house where we stayed the night.  He then cooked us a delicious lunch before taking us to a nearby military museum. Here we met Sami  Paavilainen who toured the museum with us. The museum specialises in tanks and has a large variety of them. Many are Russian but there are also British, American, German and French tanks.

On the way back to Timo's house we stopped to buy the boys a football. They have been aching to be able to kick one around all week. Meanwhile Sami and I fitted a  left hand door mirror that he had acquired for me.

We then had a great dinner and chatted about Imps while the boys played. Then they showered and got ready for bed. But we decided to let them try the sauna which was comfortable at 80°C. The boys have had trouble settling to sleep again with what seemed like an hour of giggles and shouts. Another late wake up I expect.

Day 30 - Helsinki

After getting off the train the hotel was a fairly easy walk away. We were having trouble finding it so stopped to ask to be told we were one door away. It is an unusual hotel in that it has no reception. You get emailed a six digit code which opens the outside doors, the lift and the door to the room. It is a small room with double bed near the door and a fibreglass bathroom unit in the middle and then a sitting area next to the window. Two of the chairs fold out to be beds with the linen stored inside. We all slept well and woke after 7AM.

Since I arrived in Finland the first time I have been trying to get third party insurance for the Imp. Jyrki has been asking then agent he uses who advised that they don't offer insurance for foreign registered cars and my insurance company won't insure Australian cars overseas. In the end though someone Jyrki contacted told him that I need frontier insurance and I should have got it when I crossed the border. I did ask but got completely blank looks so drove on without it. Jyrki's information was that there was not going to be anyone at the insurance bureau today and that I'd have to wait until tomorrow. However, I thought I'd try my luck and it turned out well. €180 later and I have insurance for pretty much all of Europe for two months.

From the insurance office we walked down to the market square which is on the edge of the harbour. Here we bought some delicious strawberries and then found a tent for lunch. I had fried whitebait with vegetables and roasted potatoes. Michael had squid rings and the vegetables. Timothy had a combination of both.

From there we caught a boat out to Suomenlinna island. This is an ancient fortress that has been used by all the different nations to occupy Helsinki to guard the city. There are several museums, docks, old buildings and artillery on the island. At first the boys wanted to explore on their own. I let them but after no sight of them for about 40 minutes I began to worry. However, I found them after about 10 minutes of searching. After that we visited the military museum and then wanted to go inside the old submarine but it had just closed. So we had a snack and continued to were the main fortifications and canon are. The boys loved playing around with these. After a wait of around 20 minutes the boat arrived to take us back to Helsinki. I think we finally had a day the boys enjoyed.

Day 29 - Saint Petersburg

Once getting onto the train, we could settle down for a peaceful night. Not that the boys did. They were very excited by the train, bunk beds and the contents of the"lunch" box. However, they were fast asleep two minutes after lying down. I think we all were.

We were woken at 5AM by a knock shortly followed by an announcement that we were minutes from Saint Petersburg. After getting off I struggled through the station with all of the bags. On the way out I noticed the left luggage room and so we left all but the backpacks there for around $10. Then we had a long breakfast at a nearby cafe. The loudest request after that was to go to a park. I found a very small one nearby so we walked there and the boys had a happy short play.

I was keen to buy the tickets for the train to Helsinki before moving on so we returned to the station. In typical Russian style there was precious little signage to tell you where to buy them. We joined a queue for about 15 minutes before the ticket sellers started work. However I then discovered this not to be the correct queue and so moved. Buying the tickets was quite easy in the end. By now it was getting on and do I suggested we collect the baggage and walk the 2 - 3km to the hotel. About half way I was all for giving up but we couldn't find a taxi and were walking down a one way street the wrong way to get one. So we kept on and reached the hotel about 15 minutes before their administrator arrived and could let us in. We left their bags and set off for the Hermitage museum complex. We had lunch before catching the metro to Admiralteyaska station. After the first of several navigational failures today we came to the huge square that surrounds the Hermitage. After a toilet stop we entered and joined the long queue. I had read that one should purchase tickets online to save time but I didn't get around to that and by the time we arrived it was too late. The first queue took over an hour. While I queued, the boys ran everywhere they could. They let people through in batches of around 25. When we finally got let in there was another queue at thee ticket counter. They were having printer problems so took longer than necessary. One armed with tickets, all we had to do was leave my backpack at the luggage cloakroom and go in.

The Hermitage is everything it is reputed to be. It is stunning as are thee exhibits. I this also busy and infested with an excess of tour groups pushing their way through in a rush to pass everything if see nothing. Michael did well at first but got a bit silly after an hour or so. Both boys had had enough by the time we got to the paintings. They couldn't care less about the priceless masterpieces they passed. So we spent a while working out how to get back to the cafe on the first floor. After expensive carrot cake and water Timothy would have continued but Michael was just not up for it. Time to go.

I must have been a bit passed it too as I led us the extra long way back to the metro and then got on the train going the wrong way. The station I should have been aiming for started with Sm not So. Even when we had got to the correct station, I made another false start before once again leading the extra long way back to the hotel. These metro stations are surprisingly deep. We timed the steep escalator at one station. It took 3 minutes and 14 seconds to descend the first section and a further minute to do the second.

I had really been looking forward to seeing a ballet at the Mariinsky while we were here. But I was told that tickets would be impossible to get at a bearable price. The Heritage Theatre was suggested as a better option but when I asked at the information centre outside the Hermitage the lady said there were no tickets available tonight. I'm not sure if that WS true but we are all far too tired anyway.

All in all not the day I was hoping for.

Day 27 - Moscow

We stayed last night at the Adagio Hotel on Pluschikha. like the hotel I stayed in at Irkutsk, you wouldn't even know it was there from the street. All you see is a ugly big brown door in a rundown old building. Go inside the door and it gets worse the stairs and lift look very tired. Stepping inside the door to the hotel is a bit like stepping into the Tardis but instead of dimensional change it is clean and new and comfortable. The hotel only has 4 or 5 rooms so its more like a B&B. Anyway, it was just what we needed.

Timothy and I woke around 6AM but Michael slept on until about 7AM when our breakfast was ready. After breakfast, searching the internet and packing. We set off the find Red Square. It was about a 45 minute walk mostly down Arabat Ulitsia which is a pedestrian mall filled with souvenir shops.

Before finding Red Square we came to the Kremlin complex. This is an ancient walled fortress made of red brick. The various museums and churches are well frequented by tour groups with bossy guides that do their best to push the independent tourist out of the way so they can stick to their busy schedule. The independent tourist is left to figure out the ticket requirements, find the luggage deposit and find the museum with little or no signage to assist.

After a false start we opted to go into the Armoury Museum. This meant a 20 minute wait until they would sell us tickets and then another 20 minute wait until the next batch of sheep were allowed in. By now it was noon and we already tired and hungry. Michael had problems firstly settling down and then with being too tied to be bothered looking at the state treasures on display. There is no food available within the Kremlin so we took a brief walk around past the churches but not in any. We took photographs of the canons and saw a platoon of guards march straight at us. Michael and I went one way, Timothy went the other.

Eating was a priority so we dived into the first cafe we found and ordered three slices of mushroom pizza with roasted potatoes and Greek salad. It was just what we needed but it was only an hour before we were hungry again. After lunch we followed around the outside of the Kremlin until we came to Red Square. Without any parade but with a huge concert arena either being erected or dismantled it was not all that impressive. However, halfway down the square is St Basil's Cathedral and that certainly is impressive. Unfortunately, I'd run out of money so we went to a nearby shopping mall to find an ATM. The shopping mall must date back from before the war as three was a photography exhibition showing people clearing up bombing rubble. Anyway its very flash now and houses shops like Prada and Gucci. After getting more money we wandered around with Timothy leading until we came to a cafe where we had cheese and herb pastries and the boys enjoyed kompot, a drink made from boiled fruit and water.

After this it was back to St Basil's. This is a beautiful if unusual Russian orthodox church. We got to see in various rooms around the tower. Michael again found it impossible to settle and just look at where he was. Giggling and running around are not appropriate in a cathedral of any denomination.

We were pretty tired by now so we headed back to the hotel, first by completing the circuit around the Kremlin and then heading into the Metro for a two stop ride that saved about half an hour's walk. Michael was flagging but just made it back. One good thing about having to change plans was that we had booked for two nights at the Adagio. This meant we could leave the bags there all day and come back for a lie down before getting a taxi to the Leningrad station. Michael fell asleep in the taxi poor thing.

We figured out roughly were we had to go and then set about fining a cafe for dinner. This was very difficult as we have too many bags to move around easily. After a while we found somewhere and ate a simple small meal. Then it was back into the station to find our train. That wasn't too hard but it took two goes to find the right carriage. The one we were first directed to just had a series of beds with no walls or doors separating them. After a couple of goes at questioning this a stewardess realised we should be seven carriages further on. Time was getting short by now so it was a dash down the platform loaded down with bags trying to find the right one. Eventually we found carriage nine and got to our cabin. It has four beds that fold up to make seats. There is linen pillows and such h and they brought boxes of "lunch" with snack food in them.

Tomorrow Saint Petersburg.

Day 26 - Bangkok to Moscow

Well here we are in Moscow. The flight from Bangkok took about 8 hours. I got a little sleep but I don't think the boys did. They watched more video and played games. Michael also enjoyed walking up and down the aisles. There was a particular stewardess who would stop him for a cuddle and a kiss. I don't think he knew what to make of that but did as he was told. Again the food was good as was the service.

Passport control at Moscow airport is a disaster. Like it was in China, there is little to tell you where to go and the queues start off as a crush of people. It probably only took 45 minutes but it felt much longer. Turning the air conditioning would have helped. There was no way we could have negotiated an extension to the boy's visas. I don't think the lady we saw understands any English.

We took the airport express train to the city. This starts from the opposite side of the airport to where we picked up our bags. Sitting in the train I started looming at a map of the subway system and the man I was sitting next to asked me where I was going and told me I would need to change lines at a particular station. All of this was in Russian. After this he called his wife over who speaks very good English. We talked about planning to go to Saint Petersburg and the lady suggested we buy tickets tonight as we might not get them tomorrow. They live in Saint Petersburg and were heading to the station we needed to go to to buy the tickets. So we followed them all the way to through the metro. They even carried Michael's case some of the way. When we finally got to Leningrad station, where it was raining,  the lady took us to the ticket counter and organised it all for us. Once again, these Russians are surprisingly kind and eager to help.

After getting the tickets, we crossed the square to a cafe and had something to eat and apple juice. Then I took us the long way around the building to get back down to the subway. A couple of policemen there helped me find the right line and told me to go 5 stops. So we did and then rode the 45° escalators up to the next line. However, I wasn't sure which way to go so we stopped. A chap came over and asked if he could help. He spent  while wondering which was best but seeing that we were flagging, his led us up to the street level, carrying a couple of our bags as he did so. Up there he negotiated with a couple of taxi drivers to take us to the hotel. This took quite some time partly because of a traffic jam right next to us. In the end though, he put us in the taxi, I thanked him and he wandered off. The taxi ride was only 5 minutes. It would,d have taken me 40 minutes to weave through all that traffic.

The Adagio hotel is one of those that you wouldn't know it was there from the street but upstairs it is small but lovely. Cosy, comfortable and clean. Just what we need. So now we will go and have dinner and then a bath and bed.