The bike path is to the left of the street
The bike lanes in Turku aren't really bike lanes; "bike paths" is a more accurate descriptor. The amazing thing to me is that there is a bike path on nearly every street. Part of what kept me from biking more in Seattle and Portland (aside from the hills) was the knowledge that I'd have to ride side by side with traffic at some point in my journey. Often, bikes don't even need to cross major streets; there are underpasses for bikes under most thoroughfares!
Bike underpass in Turku
Obviously, to bike in Turku, I need a bike. Everyone, meet Little Buddy. I bought him last week at the police auction in Turku, where they were auctioning off around 65 bikes that had somehow ended up in police custody. I'm amazed bike theft isn't more prevalent in Turku, because no one locks their bikes. Around campus, they'll just leave them lying around (sometimes literally).
I bought Little Buddy for 35 euros at the bike auction, but most bikes were going for around 70. Why was mine such a deal? The back brake was loose, the back tire was flat, there were two holes in the inner tube, and what I didn't realize when I bought it (but I'm pretty sure everyone else did) is that the back tire was locked to the frame. This meant that I had to carry that heavy sucker over my shoulder 1km from the police station to the nearest hardware store because I couldn't roll it. All in all, getting the lock cut off, walking a non-functional bike all over campus, and getting the holes in the inner tube patched took about 6 hours.
Little Buddy
Honestly, though, I lucked out in my bike purchase. My bike is sturdy, and is extremely easy to ride (thank you 21 speeds). It has front shocks, which are nice, because I do a lot of riding over curbs and other bumpy things. I've already taken it out on an adventure, but I think I'll save that for a later blog post.
The only downside of biking in Finland I've found is how muddy it gets. I should just start wearing all brown, and it'll be a non-issue!
Finland + Rain + Bike= Mud everywhere
