CaravanPress

There is a small country road that is called “Taikayön tie” in Southern Finland. There’s no official English translation for the name. Direct translation would be something like “Magic night’s road”. The road goes from Urjala to Huittinen and through Punkalaidun. So there are these three small towns, which have made the road a route for travelers. A total length for the route is around 50 km and there are two branches to select near Urjala. One branch called “Väinö Linna route” shows the beautiful landscapes that are part of a Linna’s novel “Under the North Star”. The other branch goes through Nuutajärvi, which is known as a glass making district.

I took a plunge and drove the route during a mid-summer night. I wanted to see if there’s any magic behind the name and what it might be. I chose the southern branch near Urjala, because I wanted to see the glass village that has been built around an old factory. There’s been glass making over 200 years in this factory. The famous Oiva Toikka’s birds are made here. So I started to drive the road and I was prepared to solve the mystery. After first few kilometers I arrived Nuutajärvi. It was a mid-night, so the glass village was  not open. I decided to come back here some other day to see the glass making and to browse all the designer boutiques.

I headed back to the road. The night was warm and bright. The sun never sets during the mid-summer in Finland. I saw plenty of white-tailed deers and deers nearby the road. They were having a late night snack. I decided to drive carefully to avoid crashing into them. Driving slowly also allowed me to experience the landscape better.

Faint smoke clouds were rising from many farms. Bonfires to celebrate the mid-summer night were extinguished, since it was so late. I arrived Punkalaidun and I stopped by to see “Koiramäki”, which is Yli-Kirra peasant museum. Yli-Kirra is an old country house dating back to 19th century. The museum was well preserved and I decided to come back to see it when it is open.

I drove back to the road and headed towards Huittinen. The small twisty road was in a good condition and thus a joy to drive with a motorhome. Cows and horses were outside enjoying the nightless night feeling in many farms. I got to see one large bonfire at the very end of the route. It was close to the road and part of an activity of a local dance hall. It was light up only a few minutes before I arrived, so the flames were huge and I could even feel the heat!

I did experience some magic feeling while driving through the route. Perhaps it was more due to the bright and cozy mid-summer night than the road itself. All the sights were closed, so I could not experience those. The atmosphere of the small towns and country road made the journey enchanting. The beauty of the magic night’s road is the whole picture. There are sights, restaurants, bed & breakfast, and beautiful landscapes that form a complete package for a traveler. The magic night’s road provides tranquility that let’s you forget all the rush related day to day life. I decided to return to this road and experience all the sights in a day time.

Magic night’s road web site (only in Finnish)