Very (Northern) Finnish specialty: a lonkku (longdrink) made of hilla (cloudberries). Delicious!
I haven’t seen the autumn colours of Lapland (known as ruska in Finnish) since I was a little a child and I’ve never driven through the whole country myself: two itches I wanted to scratch. Since travelling abroad was heavily discouraged (because of COVID-19), my wife and I decided to postpone our summer vacation until early September and single-handedly rescue the domestic tourism industry with our meagre contribution by venturing through the whole nation.
Just as we were planning on the exact dates, the Norwegian border got closed for tourism due to increasing number of infections on their side: jævla! If I can’t see the Arctic Ocean, then I don’t want to go at all! Besides, ruska appeared to be late this year and the weather forecast looked gloomy. After a short pow-wow we came up with an alternative plan, ready for immediate implementation: eastern Finland! The next morning at 6:30am we were already on the road to north, heading towards Koillismaa instead. The region we visited is close to the Russian border and near enough to Lapland to do some serious reindeer spotting. The master plan was follow the border, and visit as many national parks as we could on the way.
The trip itself was a success, even if we had to skip many interesting places along the way. We did tons of hiking: nothing is more energizing than long walks in autumn forests! My wife also insisted on trying white water rafting, an idea I vehemently resisted. Conveniently the only rafting option still available was the most challenging one: I was genuinely concerned I’d have to snorkel her from the bottom of a river after a big bump. As usual, I was worrying for nothing. Who would’ve known rafting can be so much fun?! Now I need to do it again!
Tourism is absolutely critical for the economy of the northern part of the country and I am worried what kind of havoc the next winter will wreak. Especially the smaller businesses will be in trouble. I hope we helped at least a little bit. Many foreign visitors who visit Finland are those who have already seen everything else on this planet, so they are usually quite well off. One British lawyer or dentist brings more money than 10+ stingy Finns, especially if these particular Finns are of the type who pack their own Mettwurst sandwiches, happily drink just tap water, and stay in the cheapest hostel run by some old lady who accepts cash only большое спасибо! Sorry, but we enjoy the economy class. 😳
At the time of writing this blog entry, the whole north is covered in incredible autumn colours and the Norwegian border is open again despite even higher COVID-numbers (Thanks ❤️❤️❤️ Sanna 🤬). Oh well. You win some, you lose some… 😭
You are what you eat. oink I’m a pig.
We borrowed a rowing boat and went for a spin on Rukajärvi (Lake Ruka).
First hike of the trip: Pieni karhunkierros.
We also went white water rafting in Oulanka national park. This is Myllykoski (Mill Rapids), one of the rapids we paddled through.
I would like to do the full Karhunkierros hike some day: it’s 60km long. 😧
We did just a short rafting trip, but it would be possible to ride the river all the way to the Russian border: I hope I get to do that some day as well.
We visited several national parks during the trip and they were all in top notch condition. Interesting to see where the tax money is disappearing.
This is Jyrävä: unfortunately too big for tourist rafting.
My wife is a walking mont-bell advertisement and a true believer of their "Light & Fast® philosophy”. How’bout a sponsorship deal, onegaishimasu?
While in Kuusamo, we visited a local large beast sanctuary. For instance, if a cub loses its mother, it would be brought here.
The bears look scary, but they are absolutely adorable! They love snacks like grapes, oranges or even pulla. The largest inhabitant in the park is called Juuso, weighting over 480kg. He is kind of a big deal: he is a TV celebrity, an accomplished painter and a member of the local arts society.
We drove south along the eastern border. We stopped by in Raatteen Portti (Raate Gate), which is a museum and a memorial for the Battle of Raate Road. Each rock represents a life lost.
Battle of Raate Road took place in January 1940 when Russia had attacked Finland. Although Finns were outnumbered 1:100 in the beginning of the battle, due to extreme winter conditions, clever tactics, better mobility, and a little bit of sisu, the defending Finnish army succeeded in destroying the entire elite 44th Rifle Division. About 400 Finns and almost 10 000 Soviets lost their lives.
I think the tank is a T-26.
Next stop was Hossa National Park. This is Värikallio, famous for its stone age drawings.
These drawings date back 5000–3200 BCE.
It was raining, so we met this fellow hiker along the path.
Next stop: Koli National Park.
I wish I could live on that island: far away from noisy neighbours.😧
We hiked along the Koli ridge. This little guy was going to the opposite direction.
Koli is considered a “national landscape”, one of the 27 selected to “represent the special environmental and cultural features of Finland”.
The lake, by the way, is called Pielinen, fourth largest in Finland.
It’s was the start of the lingonberry season.
Lingonberries taste great with meatballs.
After Koli, we drove to Punkaharju. It’s an esker ridge across Lake Saimaa. My drone has a crappy camera (hence the heavy editing), so I usually leave it home.
Last stop: visiting Savonlinna.
This is Olavinlinna (Olaf's Castle), a late-medieval castle built to protect the East border of the Kalmar Union (and later the Kingdom of Sweden). Nowadays it is best known for the annual Savonlinna Opera Festival.
Enjoying the last night of the trip on the shore of Lake Saimaa. Thanks for watching!