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The Small Newsletter For
Friends Of Citroën
Vol. 27, 2007 - founded in 1981
email to the editor:
homepage of the local
2CV club of Saarbrücken:
www.happyents.de
Double click the thumbnails to open larger pictures.
Text: Karsten
Schreiber
Fotos: Karsten Schreiber, Monika Westfal and Alain Descamps
top2nd Mini Raid Vehu Feb 1-5, 2007
The climate change has serious consequences. There is no more winter in Germany. We decided to drive less with our cars. Consequently, we had to fly to Finland to experience real winter. Even in the far north, they had problems with the winter until January. Yet we knew we could trust the SFROT, the Super Finn Raid Organisation Team. Being a low temperature specialist, Veikko managed to direct enough snow laden clouds to the continental divide of central Finland where Vehu is situated.
"Always heading North" is the Superfinn motto. But as the experienced reader knows, the road to the North sometimes takes interesting detours. After driving from Saarbrücken to Helsinki via Vienna, Warszava, Riga, and Tallinn in 2004, the routes of this year's Mini Raiders seem quite normal (to see the complete road map to Vehu, klick on pre-view map to the left).
Those who are interested in mere statistics of meetings will be quite pleased: Compared to the 1st Mini Raid Vehu, the number of participating 2CVs tripled from one (1) in 2006 to three (3) in 2007. If you include all A-type Citroens, their number even quadrupled thanks to one participating Ami 6. The number of persons almost doubled from 11 to 21. The lowest temperature though could not fully satisfy as it reached only inofficially measured -14°C in the morning of our departure. Those who stayed a day longer are reported to have experienced a really satisfying -35°C though.
Vehu is situated in the eastern corner of the Finnish province of Österbotten which is known for the special character of its inhabitants. The main attractions in Vehu and its vicinity are woods, few roads, and scatterd farms. Houses are sparse, as well as villages. The Vehu Schoolhouse where we gathered used to be the hub of community life for the surrounding area until it was closed down in the sixties. Later, the Jousmäki family carefully turned it into a cozy meeting place for groups from near and far. The big classroom was converted to a conference and dining room, and in the second floor, you find simple but nice bedrooms for two to eight people.
The main attraction of the complex is - besides the wonderful old Finnish wooden architecture - the adjoining sauna building with a real woodstove and a wood powered wooden hot tub for five to six people. There is nothing more soothing than to linger in a moderately heated finnish sauna, smell the scent of a woodfire, sip a beer or two and have a chat with the fellow visitors while sweating out the stress of the day. Later you relax in the wooden spa and gaze to the stars in the wide open northern skies.
In spite of the loneliness of the Vehu forests, the vicinity is not completely free from tourist attractions. On the first day, we visited Aapo-Matti Hokkanen in Ähtari who is making the bathtubs from especially heat treated spruce tree wood. We were delighted by his beautiful craftmanship and the wonderful products he makes. If you want to buy a hot tub or a circular sauna: www.amhpuu.fi (site in Finnish and German).
In nearby Tuuri, a resourceful salesman over the years converted his former small town grocery store into Finland's second largest shopping center, called "Veljekset Keskinen". Today, in the sleepy village of 500 souls, over 300 emplyees work in a 10.000 sqare meter complex selling grocery, hardware, sporting goods, clothing and electronics. In one corner, we even could admire the original mask of the 2006 European Song Contest Winner "Lordi". Perhaps he was born in the backwoods of Vehu. On the second day, the group took a "Raid Shopping" to Tuuri and raided the shopping center. The most exciting fact for the 2CV friends was the sign for the automotive department: It showed a 2CV from the fifties.
There are rumors under my second hand drivers that I become unfriendly when I don't get food every two hours. Even the raid organisers heard of these completely wrong prejudices. First thing after welcoming us in Tampere was a visit in the "Mustamakkara Baari", the restaurant of the Tapola factory where the famous black pudding, boudin or Blutwurst from Tampere is made.
Once in Vehu, Päivi, Alain, Andreas and Erik fed us night after night with excellent homemade dishes which were washed down with beer, wine and spirits the participants brought from all over Europe. Even though we were far from crossing the polar circle, the organisers did not hesitate preparing another version of the famous Enough Drink. This time, the ingredients were so well balanced that not a drop of the miraculous punch had to be disposed of improperly.
The liquids worked according to their destination. Saturday night was spent singing Humppa songs directed by Jukka and playing games with toy cars. At midnight, everyone joined into a birthday chorus for Monika who became honorary citizen of Vehu and may bear the title of "Vehu Finn" since. According to an old German tradition, she had to wear an old box around her neck from this day on.
Between the meals and the parties, we spent most of the daylight time testing different means of transportation on snow. The most fascinating vehicle for the visitors from central Europe was the potkukelkka, a kick sledge especially made for the icy Finnish roads. It is said that the aboriginal people of Vehu were impressed by the multitude of different ways we developed to move with this old fashioned device. They preferrd to use powerful snow scooters. We noticed that Jukka himself had great fun playing with us in the snow by pulling a train of potkukelkka with his 2CV "Kallefarao". Not everyone was happy about this exhausting excursion, though. In the picture below (right) two participants are seen argueing about the right to sit on Kallefarao's passenger seat instead of having to walk with a kick sledge.
On Sunday, the Vehu Finns gathered for yet another demonstration for an 11th Raid Laponie. Even the organisers who demented the existance of any further Raid Laponie joined the protesters. After taking some pictures, the group peacefully dissolved and drove home. Those who stayed longer experienced a taste of arctic cold on Tuesday. The others flew back to the subtropical rainstorms of modern central European winters.
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