Baltic tour- 11 capitals

[Keith Clements]

We are in Faaborg and have met up with the Harwich ferry contingent. We were joined for dinner by two Danish car clubs. Lots of good food and drink, so this post is not very coherent. Night night.

We will try to post something more informative when we can find time.

[Jack]

Hi Keith,

Aim for the next 24 hours - photos! The newspapers want photos with people in them, so can we try and get you and Scott with the Jupiter, and a big group photo with all the club members you have met up with.

Jack.

[Keith Clements]

All photos are in TOPIC

[Keith Clements]

We left Neils and Hannah after a breakfast with Ib. Scott had a spirited drive following Ib in the racing Jup to see where he worked. We stocked up on Castrol fluids and made our way to the ferry to Sweden arriving there at midday.

Once we worked out the car was smooth at over 120kph we stuck there getting to Stockholm (600k) at 18:30 where we took some great photos. We have met up with Jorma and Maikii with a room on a hotel boat with view over the harbour.
Some pictures TOPIC

[Ib Rasmussen]

last picture in Denmark just before leaving for ferry to Sweden, good tour to both

regards Cira and Ib

[Keith Clements]

Two men in a Jowett were intrigued by a sign near Södertälje just south of Stockholm. The speed prevented us from getting the camera out soon enough. You may like to follow this link http://www.tomtit.se/english/InEnglish/

Thanks Ib and Cira for some great organisation and the challenging routes on the scenic tours.

Another lovely day in Stockholm where, for the first time, we have time to be a tourist.

[Keith Clements]

yesterday we spent a lot of the day in the Vassa museum looking at a boat that sank after 20 mi9nutes on its maiden voyage in 1685.

Then off on the overnight ferry to Finland where we landed at Turku from which this picture was taken.



We have just visited the Finish version of the 'Tomb' where there are lots of rusty cars ; but unlike 'The Tomb' many are under reconstruction.

[Chris Spencer]

No divorce yet then

[Keith Clements]

We have not even divorced the sat nav.
Now in Tampere at 61 deg North. The farthest we are going from home.

Met up with Jouko Tulppo who has a Jup E2 SAL 686 R, Body 478, after being met at our hotel by Hannu Aalto, who acted as our translator and guide.

We started with a tour of Tampere which is surrounded by water looking at the various styles of houses. Then off to look at an incredible revolving theater in the middle of a forest that Jouko manages . Look at the pictures.

Then to a tower where we had a 360 deg view across some stunning scenery, which was next to the Vehoniemi car museum. Hannu seemed to know everything about everything and was very informative.

Then we spent an hour or two looking at the Jup which we eventually managed to start. Hopefully with JowettTalk help Jouko will get this on the road soon. Mind you he is building his house as well. He has a few friends and his brother to help on the car.

We then saw Hannu's comprehensive collection of car badges, many cars we had not heard of! No wonder he was so knowledgeable.

Before we set off for Tampere , Jourma , took us on a tour of Naantali seeing some pretty restaurants for which he does artwork and a car restorer that did some work on his Bradford. Since we now have to drive back to sail on Jourma' s boat I do not have time to fill you in on all the things we saw in an action packed day.

But look at the pictures. TOPIC

[Forumadmin]

Now in Helsinkii at Maikki's flat. We have had a couple of days sailing the Baltic in Jourma's boat, staying on his private island, having a sauna and skinny dip, tasty food with berries and chanturelle mushrooms gathered on the island, cooking with wood chopped up and fired from the indigineous trees. A Robinson Crusoe experience!

Off to Estonia tomorrow.

Still have overdrive vibration; so limit speed to 96kph. Changed the midship rubbers again with ones strenghtened with Plastic Padding bought in Helsinkii but made just 3 miles from Kings langley.

[Keith Clements]

We have had a good day photographing the car outside the 1952 Olympic Stadium in Helsinkii and then walking around for a couple of hours.


We had pole position on the boat (which was like a crusie ship) so had a quick exit to be met by the local classic car mag rep who took us for a photo outside St Olaf church, once the tallest building in the world. Some young people from Riga were very interested and said they would see us when we arrived there.

Then we went to the Russian Prison. A desperate place, left as it was left. But we were given special permission to take the car in and take some photos.


A good meal and drink was had in the Yacht Club, before we went to Maart Aarne's restoration workshop. Lots of photos of how to organise a workshop and how to do proper bottom up restoration replacing everything with new material from the old rusty bits.

Now in hotel in Tallinn or at least Viimsi, a beach resort close by. Unfortunately we have drizzle.

[Keith Clements]

Latest piuctures of Sea cruise, Helsinkii and Tallinn here. here

[Keith Clements]

After torrential rain in Viimsi overnight, it cleared up so we went for a walk and found some food to take with us for breakfast and lunch.

Then after an uneventful 2 hour drive , we arrived in Parnu where the town was hosting the finish of a marathon run. We booked into the hotel and then walked back to town along the marathon course along the river bank.

Parnu is picturesque with some dilapidated buildings as well as some pretty ones. Lots to photograph. We heard some racing engines in the disatnce so went back to the hotel to find out where they were and went to the circuit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audru_Ring

We first went to a corner outside the circuit and then found our way to the pits. Standing on the pit wall with superbikes wizzing past you is exhilarating.

Off to another country and another capital tomorrow, but that is hopefully after a good meal in a restaurant we selected from the many in the town.

[Keith Clements]

The weather forecast says light rain today but currently it is 'peeing it down' so light must be relative.

[Keith Clements]

Left Parnu after viewing some cars owned by the hoel owners. Scott will tell you about them. The heavy rain stayed with us for an hour but cleared up as we reached Latvia. We stopped for a stroll along the beach at a nature reserve. Then endured some bumpy roads as well as some new ones provided by the EEC.

Now offto see RIGA.