Hello everyone and nice that you (again) stop by our blog. As you can read in the article “International Roads Again: Northlanders, Here We Come!”, the #ContiEuropeanRoadshow is rolling through Europe again – and heading north. After some time on the road now in Germany, I’m super excited to be back on international roads and exploring new places. To do this, I’m first swapping asphalt for water for 1,132 kilometres, because it’s time for the show truck and me to take the ferry to Finland.

Set sail: from Travemünde to Helsinki

First of all, it’s off to Travemünde at the Baltic Sea for the show truck and me. I had imagined the evening drive there to be less crowded, but everything remained within reasonable bounds. Arrived at the Scandinavian quay in the ferry port of Travemünde, everything goes very quickly at first: registration, room key and I can already drive the show truck onto the ship after ten minutes. So, everything runs like clockwork – I thought.

I park the truck and go into the passenger area, where the big wait begins – the reason: the sleeping cabins are not ready for occupancy yet, as their cleaning has not yet been completed. A real challenge for some passengers with children, as we stand around in the aisles for a total of over an hour, and that at 2 o’clock in the morning. Makes me glad to have only myself to keep entertained! Besides, I can understand how this situation comes up: the arrival and departure times follow each other closely and the crew is already working at full speed.

When the wait comes to an end, I can move into my sleeping cabin with sea view – all by myself, what a luck! Pleased that I do not have to share the limited space with a stranger, I lie down for a very short, but quite good night’s sleep. Of course, curious, what the time on the ferry still will bring, because I spend here, believe it or not, 30 hours! A whole new experience for me…

On high seas with the Finnlady. Photo: Ronny Nittmann.

In a nutshell: 30 hours on the MS Finnlady

Before I tell you about how I experience the time on board, I would first like to state: 30 hours is a damn long time! However, the Finnlines ferry – so far, the only ferry company that offers this route – has a lot to offer to pass the time:

• Live music from late afternoon
• Fitness room and sauna
• Fun offers for children

Admittedly, all this is not really my cup of tea. The fitness room, of course, first piqued my interest because I want to maintain my (sports) routines during the #ContiEuropeanRoadshow – you can read more about that in my post “Road-Routines: My Personal Recipe for Success.” But the two existing treadmills are not exactly what I’m looking for…

So how do I spend the 30-hour crossing? I’ll put it this way: with lots of relaxation, sleep, and surprisingly good food. I’m also lucky that the weather is really nice. So, I can walk around the deck in the morning with coffee in hand and take a few photos for you – that’s a good start!

Morning coffee with a view. Photo: Ronny Nittmann.

The Finnlines ferry in full glory. Photo: Ronny Nittmann.

Arrival in the Finnish capital: Hei Helsinki!

The route takes us past the islands of Bornholm (Denmark) and Gotland (Sweden), and I’m happy that we’ll soon be on the road in these countries as well. But for now, we’re setting anchor in Helsinki’s Vuosaari harbor. I am very excited to see what awaits me here. Especially because the Nordic countries have been on my wish list for quite some time. I could imagine that there are some parallels to my impressions from the Baltic States – but that’s something to find out first!

Until then – see you on the road,
your Ronny

Have you ever been to Finland and have any insider tips for me? Feel free to let me know in the comments!