Alibaba quickly scurries into hiding when the visitors step through the door. The rescue cat from Spain is used to people, but life at his owner’s place has lately been calm. The four-year-old tomcat is the apple of Altti Krank’s eye and evidently the life and soul of the two-room apartment, which is still being decorated.

When Krank, 82, pops his Borsalino on his head, he immediately transforms into a seasoned traveller. His long life is full of experiences and events. The former journalist and travel writer and current pensioner recounts them jovially and cheerfully, occasionally stroking the cat.

HOME — I worked in Porvoo in the 1970s and got to know the city. I thought I’d have some old acquaintances here, but maybe they have moved elsewhere. Before this place, I lived in Mojácar on the southern coast of Spain. During the lockdown, I was allowed to walk outside for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. It was as if I had an ankle monitor. My friends moved away and I was left alone. I got fed up and wanted to return to Finland. Last July, I took the first flight from Almeria to Finland. First, I lived in a caravan in my daughter’s backyard in the nearby village of Epoo. She found this apartment for me. Lumo kept it empty for me for a month while I took care of some paperwork. That was great. Then I started furnishing the place. My children have helped and bought some furniture. I’ve lived out of a suitcase since I was a baby and lived in many places, in Rovaniemi, Raahe, Tampere, Pärnu and Spain, to name a few. My childhood home in Northern Ostrobothnia is special among my many homes. My grandfather, who worked on the railways, raised me and bought a house in Haapajärvi when he retired. I identify with people from Northern Ostrobothnia, even though I’m from Häme.

Lumo kept the apartment empty for me for a month while I took care of some paperwork. That was great.

RELATIONSHIPS — I’ve been married four times. My marriages have broken up because I’ve been travelling so much. It’s been easier to maintain relationships with my children than with my wives. I have six children: three daughters and three sons. I used to write travel books, several of them about Lapland. They were quite some trips. Sometimes the children came along, they were busy times and I couldn’t take time off. I have in some ways missed my children when I’ve lived around the world, but I don’t usually miss anyone. Maybe that comes from my childhood: we were constantly moving from one place to another because of my grandfather’s work and I never had time to make friends. Forming friendships has always been difficult for me. I do have some friends I can count on, but I’m not that much in touch with them. Of course, it would be nice to have friends and not have to sit in a restaurant alone. In Spain, my friends were horrified by the COVID-19 pandemic and I didn’t meet anyone except one neighbour with whom I had cats and dogs. My Ukrainian ex-wife calls me often. She is from near Kharkiv, and I recognise many places in the news. I follow an unfortunate amount of news.

MONEY — Money comes and goes. I’ve basically lived from hand to mouth. I once invested my money in a machine shop area in Pärnu and a porcelain and pottery store operating in it, but my Ukrainian wife didn’t like working as a salesperson so we turned the store into a hotel. That business didn’t flourish either. My wife moved to Tromsø in northern Norway and I ran the hotel for a year and a half. That resulted in a divorce, and I left for Spain. I left everything behind, I only had my shoes and socks on. I guess it’s not in my nature to make money. I still remember how tight money was after the war.

Right now, I have no desire to travel the world, I’m probably going to stay here.

JOY OF LIFE — My children bring joy to my life when they visit. The forest is also very important, and the sea, too; I used to sail here in Porvoo. Gammelbacka’s forests are near, and I can get around with my walking sticks there. Alibaba was my salvation during the pandemic. In Spain, he was allowed to roam freely in my home, the garden and the neighbourhood; the doors were always open. I managed to get this Lumo building’s last sauna shift on Saturday, which also makes me happy.

Right now, I have no desire to travel the world, I’m probably going to stay here. I go to the Neste service station to buy pipe tobacco, and in the shopping centre, I could go to a café where immigrants learn Finnish. I can get company from the parish’s activities or bars. I’m just hoping to finish decorating my apartment first. I’ve had plenty of books, but I’ve left them behind in different corners of the world and to my children. A small bookshelf I ordered from Amazon will arrive next week. Little by little, I’m trying to make the apartment reflect my personality.