Caravanning in Finland part 2

Some photos

Dave

Good that you have loaded some photos but did you know that you can load them into your actual story?. I still think you need to give us a bit more detail. Don't forget these stories are meant to be blogs about what you are doing and where you have been. It's all very well saying that sites are in this book or that book but far better for your to give us the name of the sites and a short impression of what they are like.

David

Initially I considered it unlikely people would be interested in this trip. I can't second guess what might be interesting and what might not. Everyone's experience will be different. I am trying to relay some basics for travel here in Finland. I can name the sites and describe personal experiences but they would be pertenant to us and our preferences. Today for instance we visited a large open air museum in Lieski and learnt about a Finnish culture and especially the log industry of yesteryear. We are located by the lakeside and as I speak I can view the lake. However the down side are mosquitos. The days are long and light and it is very pretty to our eyes here. Maybe not to everbodies taste. I hope some of the info is of interest. I iniatially wrote the article to publish in the magazine to get a mug!

Thanks HD, I think you may be surprised by how many people will be interested in your trip.  I'm an avid reader of members trips looking for ideas when we will be able to do longer trips of 3 months plus.  More detail will most certainly be welcome. 

Thanks from me too, seeing the photos of a place I don't really know does make it more interesting. So few of us make it to places like Finland it's enjoyable to read more details. Please keep us posted! 

Your story makes me long to re-visit Finland.  My wife and I have been there six times and travelled extensively on teaching/mission trips in various churches across the country.  We loved both Lappeenranta and Savonlinna.  

When we were not far from Savonlinna our Finnish friends drove us along the road East to the Russian border.  At about 300 metres before the border crossing Russian soldiers came out of their hut and pointed Kalashnikovs at us.  I have not often experienced such a fast three point turn.

The following summer we drove deep into the forest on the Russian border and found a memorial to the lives lost in the Winter War of 1941.  The memorial is deep into the forest and some miles from a made up road.  Although this was 1998 the forest around us looked devastated by shell fire.  The sun was shining but there was no bird song; just an ominous silence.