Farewells and far aways

My last few days in Tampere were very emotional, both in a good and a bad way. Many not-so-nice things happened in that time, but I also had many great moments. The first unlucky thing happened on the late evening when arriving home after 3,5 weeks. We had a car at the exhibition, which we’d borrowed from a dealer, and it came with a very heavy info sign. When I opened the sliding door of the van back in Tampere, I did not only realize I’d forgotten to return the sign to the dealer, but it also slipped out and fell on my foot. It hurt like hell, so much that I think my voice organs were paralyzed and I was robbed of the ability to scream out my pain.

Since I had only found out a few days before when I’d be leaving with the ferry from Helsinki and because I’d been very busy at the fair, I hadn’t had the time to arrange any help for the actual move. I was going to drive the Sprinter van we’d brought from Germany, all the way down to Frankfurt, filled with my stuff – including the piano… What a scary thought! Well, I did get some help with the piano and the sofa, but then I was on my own. Sure, I should have asked people earlier, but I just didn’t have the chance, and surely Facebook isn’t the best place to ask for help, but I didn’t really know what to do. The truth be told, I was quite disappointed, that after seven years in Tampere, nobody could spare an hour to come help me with carrying boxes into the van. At this point I’d packed my mattress and my sofa in the van, so I would sleep at a friend’s place. She had an old friend visiting from Australia, and he was amazing enough to volunteer helping me the next day. I’d have never managed taking apart the wardrobe and carrying it into the van without his help! On Wednesday I rewarded myself with a massage and a visit to one of my most inspiring friends. She invited me to stay there the next night, and I happily agreed. After 3,5 weeks of eating heavy restaurant food and meats, I was excited to enjoy organic vegetarian food as well as food for the mind. The day also included getting a parking fine and noticing that my bike was stolen, so the good things were balanced out by the bad ones...

Last moments and goodbyes.

Coffee, cakes and meeting up with friends.

Originally I intended to stay in Tampere until Friday morning, but I had a spontaneous change of heart and decided to visit some friends in Kouvola to spend my last evening in Finland with some more amazingly inspiring people. In the morning I headed toward Helsinki and had lunch with two of my best friends in the heart of the city at a great organic vegetarian restaurant called OmNam. Warmly recommended! In the afternoon I boarded the ferry and prepared myself for 27 hours traveling. Luckily I was prepared with a few good books and a laptop full of movies. The ferry had a sauna area with Jacuzzi, which I enjoyed two times altogether. About 28 hours later, late on Saturday evening I arrived in Travemünde and steered the van towards Hannover, where I spent the next day with family and friends. It was very relaxing and lovely! The last leg of my trip started on Monday morning, when I headed towards Weiterstadt and my new working place. The welcome was warm and I even had four strong men (and a forklift) helping me carry the things up in my small apartment.

On my way.

A few others on their way as well.

Beautiful Hanover.

The best way to spend time is with old friends.

So to add it all together, I drove the Sprinter van more than 2 600 kilometers. Even though I was terrified at first to even jump up behind the steering wheel. My friends in Hannover considered me absolutely brave for driving that huge van, but the van was quite easy to drive in the end, and I can even say I enjoyed it! Time to start my new life!