Jagannath
2012-2017
My first van, a Ford Transit -97 "Jagannath", roamed the Balkans and Central Europe and I spent two winters in Spain and Portugal. The first trip lasted a year, but when I was at the mercy of the harsh Finnish winters, I lived in the van for the summers and autumns. Jagannath was very ascetic, with only the most essential items for survival inside, such as a bed and a camping stove. In rainy or cold weather, moisture would form on the metal roof and a drops of water would occasionally fall on my forehead. The "sink" was a plastic ice-cream box and later a luxury enamel bowl. Most of my life was spent outdoors adventuring and cooking over a campfire, so being used to camping and washing out of a bucket, I didn't really need any other comforts.
Back then I didn't travel much on my own, and usually had a friend who would jump in for a few weeks or months. In 2013, a small and feisty puppy called Chaos joined the team, living in a small Spanish village in the yard of a warehouse with his mother. My trusty first van never broke down and the only reason I eventually gave it up was to move to a full-height van where I could stand up straight! I used to call Jagannath the Hobbit's Nest, because you always had to hunch down. My beloved enabler of my freedom took me through Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Italy, France, Germany, Spain and Portugal and will live forever in my heart and in my memories.

Break in the Tatra Mountains, Poland 2012

Sunset in the mountains, Serbia 2012

Marianne washing, Spain 2012

On the beach, Portugal, 2014

Breakfast at Tara Canyon, Montenegro, 2012

Lapland motorway, Finland 2016

Jagannath under the stars, Spain, 2014

Bocairent from bedroom window, Spain 2013

Tired laundry sister, Spain 2013

Mountains, Montenegro 2012

Coffee break, Kuusamo 2016

Morning coffee in bed, Kuhmo Finland 2016

Miriam sleeping, Spain 2013

Rebel in the blue of a lake, Spain 2015

Perfect morning, Kuhmo Finland 2016

Durmitor National Park, Montenegro 2012

Laundry Day, Serbia 2012

Rebel in morning mist, Croatia 2012

Lake Camp, Portugal 2013

Tourist in Venice, Italy 2012

Chaos in the house, Spain 2013

Miriam and the Chaos Child, Spain 2013

Tired travellers, Portugal 2015

Under the shelter of a eucalyptus tree, Spain 2013
Kiito
2017
Then came Kiito, a full-height '05 Ford Transit, where I could finally stand up straight! This time I wanted to build the van properly, to make it a comfy permanent home. The van has good quality insulation, a solar panel on the roof and in 2019 I finally had a diesel heater installed, so no more freezing toes and dripping water from the ceiling! Apart from the roof hatch and the electrical system, Kiito has been lovingly built with my own hands. The furniture is mainly made from recycled materials, for example, the cupboards are made from pallets or boards that had been dumped and the sofa bed has birch wood for legs.
Later I painted white Kiito green to blend in better with the landscape. Kiito has so far passed through Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. In addition to Chaos, we are now accompanied by Kaino, a shy Russian rescue dog, and Kipinä, a perfect adventure cat adopted from Spain as a kitten.

Home, Spain 2020

Chaos' 9 years old portrait feat Kipinä, Spain 2022

Curious neighbour in the Cantabrian mountains, Spain 2020

Kiito bathing in the glow of the Milky Way, Spain 2020

In the forest, Spain 2021

Co-drivers ready to go, Finland 2019

Paradise Park in the mountains of Asturias, Spain 2020

Elves in the window, Spain 2021

Evening in the Pyrenees, Spain 2021

Kipinä entered the house, Spain 2021

My pack at sunset, Spain 2021

The perfect adventure cat, Spain 2021

Morning at Blåvatnet, Norway 2018

Northern lights in Lofoten, Norway 2018

Shipwrecked, Norway 2018

Teepee, Norway 2018

Chaos at the top of Ryten, Norway 2018

Night at Kvalvika beach, Norway 2018

Chaos as a driver, Hailuoto 2018

Bonfire of the Nightless Night, Saimaa 2018

Ears like the tops of Segla, Norway 2018

Island hopping in Lofoten, Norway 2018

Jump, Norway 2018

Chaos in the freshness of Blåvatnet, Norway 2018

Picnic in the mountains, Norway 2018

Morning coffee at Blåvatnet, Norway 2018

Laundry Day, Oulu 2018

Landscape from a bedroom, Norway 2018

Light painting in moonlight, Norway 2018

Seaside hotel, Norway 2018

Evening mood, Spain 2021

Harry Potter and the seascape, Spain 2020

Afternoon tea in a bush, Spain 2020

Rush hour in Cantabria, Spain 2020

The mark of a good park up, Spain 2020

Top of the mountain, Spain 2020

Lake Park, Spain 2021

Northern Lights, Inari 2019

Office landscape in Galicia, Spain 2021

Sunset, Spain 2021

Morning dew, Spain 2020

Kaino Above the Pykeja, Norway 2019

Chaos on the dunes of Råjberg Mile, Denmark 2019

Laundry Day, Spain 2020

Curious neighbours, Spain, 2023.

5 million star hotel, Spain, 2023.