Day 32, Turku and Naantali (rest day)

Actually, this morning I feel the same way I often do when I haven't been cycling much or at all: I also want to keep going and feel like I don't need a break. In retrospect, however, it has always been a nice and relaxing time to catch my breath.

For me, it has been the perfect combination of nature, exercise, culture, meeting people, cycling kilometers, and rest days. Everyone feels differently, but for me it fits perfectly. I'm glad about that because I had some concerns beforehand whether the stages were too long or if I had planned too few rest days. Even in the past week on the islands, where things had to go at a more leisurely pace, I really enjoyed the time.

So today is another rest day without a bicycle. I had read good reports about the wooden city of Naantali and decided to visit it. Because there is a good bus connection even to the remote areas of Turku, I take the bus and drive about an hour (for three euros!) to the west coast.

Naantali is one of the oldest cities in Finland and is now an important port and a popular tourist destination thanks to its wooden old town. There is a market in Naantali today.

But I'm more interested in the old part of town.

The city is wonderfully empty. I can't imagine what it will be like here next month.

In the afternoon, I return to Turku. It seems like the city is currently undergoing construction everywhere. Construction sites are everywhere. It's too hectic for me. The market hall in Turku promises peace.

There is also nothing happening in the cathedral. The Turku Cathedral is the only medieval cathedral in Finland. The building, located directly on the Aurajoki River, has been the seat of the Archbishop of Turku since its consecration as a cathedral in 1300, and is also the main church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. The Turku Cathedral is considered the national shrine of Finland.

On the way back to the bus, I pass a pub and wonder how Bavarian culture has made it so far north.

I reach Judith and Tino's B&B Amuranta again with flat feet.