We both slept in until after 830. So we had a shower and went downstairs for breakfast (much the same as yesterday). We packed our bags and wandered aimlessly in the sun for an hour or so. Then we checked out of the hotel and walked to the market to buy some Strawberries to snack on for the journey. We also bought a savory Lorsty for lunch; this was not very good at all. Maybe if it wasn’t partly soggy it would have been a bit better.

Our train arrived on time (12.30) to take us toParikkala. This time we got to see Parikkala station; it had a modern looking, quite trendybar. Not what you expect at a little country train station. After about 10 minutes our connecting train arrived to take us to Helsinki. We enjoyed the strawberries on the 3 hour journey.

At central we changed to the metro train home. Tommi was already there, waiting on Pipsa to get home before they go to the farm.Once she was back we went over and said hello, and saw Tommi’s new car before they left. Kaoru and i caught a train back in to the city and went to the viking restaurant for dinner, where we took the chef’s plate, givingus reindeer, quail, roe deer and lingonberry sausage, served on a sword for a skewer. Together with beer and red wine, it was quitea treat, and we were over full as we walked out.

We walked home rather than train – god knows we needed it! It took about an hour. I went to the supermarket downstairs to buy acouple of ginger ales, and had some of the wild turkey i bought in Japan, as we watchedsome tv. We also had grabbed some long bits of plastic wrapping from Pipsa, which we stuck together to make a custom “sheet” for sitting on tomorrow.