Roadtrip from Helsinki to Arco takes 3 days, two boat trips and 2500 kilometers. Year after year the trip shows the continent's different traditions, great sceneries and wonderful people. It is an eye-opener and I always see something new that blows my mind.
Here we are again! Just three months ago we got a taste of the late winter snow at Madonna di Campiglio and early spring climbing at Ledro Valley. Now it is time to for a whole month at Lake Garda region.
Drive from Helsinki to Arco takes more than 26 hours by car. Over three days by car is not the fastest way to travel but the only viable option for having 2 dogs, climbing and mountain biking gear packed together. Road trip by car offers a great opportunity to see a completely different side of the Germany than the urban and crowded big cities. By picking small hotels from the countryside we have been able to see a glimpse of more traditional lifestyle. I have to admit that it is actually relaxing to hear the noises of cows and wild animals after the busy day at the highway. And when it comes to highways Germany is well known for having the fastest roads in Europe, except this summer! We learned that knowing the roadworks and closed roads upfront is more than valuable. Our usual way to Italy passes Hamburg. For this summer Hamburg was full of roadworks and closed ramps that had blocked or even disabled the traffic completely. Luckily expensive roaming internet access and phone's handicapped online navigation saved as a day!
What surprised us on highways was the amount of German flags attached on the cars. Germans are visibly proud for winning their very 1st game in the FIFA worldcup in Brazil. We were just wondering that how you can attach a small flagpole on the car that holds at the speed of 160 km/h.
For this year we are not alone, our long time friends Sami, Nora and Jarkko will be joining us later as well my brother Juha and his girlfriend Niina. And on top of that Sami and Nora has invited few of their friends to visit at Arco too over the weeks. It looks like that we are turning Arco into a Finnish town during June and July.
We are finally heading back to our favorite summer camp, Lake Garda! Right now I can tell you that we are seriously busy while preparing all little details for the upcoming trip.
Traveling takes three days from Finland to Italy by car. Our trip goes via Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria to Italy. What scares us are the floods in southern Germany and Austria. It has been a mess out there and we shall see if all the main roads are accessible or not.
Our team is split into two waves this year. I'll be coming to Garda with Heta in the first wave and our reinforcements will be coming 28th and 29th of July ,just after the Finnish midsummer. So this year there will be total of 5 Rock Blockers adventuring at the Garda region.
To get into the right mood I decided to do some eye candy for our dear followers. Switch to full screen, turn on audio and see our summer teaser 2013. And remember to have fun!
Mika Huhtamäki is a part time amateur rock climber, mountain biker and a snowboarder from Finland who travels often in Italy.
See author's other blog(in Finnish about investing) Norvestia Oyj - Punainen muki