We had left the coast of the Gulf of Finland and were on the way North to the lakes Finland is so famous for.
We reached Lappeenranta on the southern shore of the fourth largest lake in Europe, Lake Saimaa. First we went to explore the old fort, the harbour and the city before we headed to one of the islands and found the perfect spot for a campfire.
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| Harbour bay of Lappeenranta |
Lake Saimaa is the largest lake or better lake system of Finland with 4.370km2. Its shore line measures 14.850 km and it has 13.710 islands!
Like the other lakes in the Finnish Lake District, Saimaa was created by the thawing of the glaciers. In the south a terminal moraine prevented the meltwater and rainwater from flowing away, so that until around 5,000 years ago it was dammed up in the Saimaa basin and a lake more than 400 km long covered the area. 5,000 years ago it found a natural runoff with a breakthrough of the Vuoksi river, so that the water level lowered and today’s topography began to emerge. The Vuoksi river now connects Lake Saimaa with Lake Ladoga in Russia.
The Saimaa Canal, which was opened in 1850 connects Lake Saimaa with the Gulf of Finland. From Lappeenranta cruise ships take you to Vyborg or St. Petersburg without a visa. Just that they didn’t run during the Corona lockdown of Russia. It would have been an easy way to explore these towns.
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| Old city hall |
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| Nice cafe at the old fortress |
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| Not only sunshine in Finland |
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| Looking for a spot between the trees |
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| Our first Finish camp fire! |
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| The next morning we started the fire again … |
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| … to prepare our breakfast! |
In Finland you will find countless places for a campfire. Some can be reached with the car or caravan, but to most of them you have to hike or take a boat. Normally they are equipped with a hut with dry wood and a saw and axe, so you can make your firewood. There is usually also a compost toilet and sometimes a shelter. This was our first campfire spot we went to and there will be more to come. (Campfire Nr. 1: 61.171970,28.365789)
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| Hopping from one island to the next |
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| Wood industry – a major part of the economy in Finland |
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| Signs everywhere but no moose 🙁 |
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| Aaahh! Here they are!! |
We had stopped at the Lusto forest museum near Punkaharju, to learn more about the Finnish forest and the history of the wood industry.
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| Foto exhibition documenting the hard life in the woods |
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| Finland as a travel destination |
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| Harley Davidson with skies and a trailer |
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| Tracker optimised for Finish woods |
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| Chainsaws – the most important tool |
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| Bus stops in the middle of nowhere |
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| Autumn leave of the Day! |
