Janne and Katja had tickets to see Amorphis at the Savonlinna Opera Festival (a Death Metal band performing at an opera festival - only in Finland eh?), and since my dad yearned for the landscapes of his youth, we decided to all head down to Punkaharju for a few days.
Janne and Katja left on Friday evening, whereas as we headed off with dad on Saturday morning. We decided to drive by Tampere, as it's quite a scenic route. We decided to have lunch at Tampere - after quickly consulting Tripadvisor we decided upon Ravintola Näsinneula. I was a bit dubious - Näsinneula is an observation tower in the Särkänniemi amusement park. I needen't have worried. The views from up there are, as can be expected, stunning - offering a panoramic view overlooking Näsijärvi lake. But I was very positively surprised by the culinary experience as well - excellent quality Finnish dishes with a modern twist. With a French-speaking waitress! And the view changes as well, since the restaurant rotates. So to summarize, a wonderful experience (if a bit pricy, but then again eating out in Finland is costly...).
The road to Punkaharju from Tampere was quite long, but very scenic, taking classical Finnish lake scenery - and the sun was out as well! We arrived quite late, but had time to join Janne and Katja for dinner at the famous Valtionhotelli. This hotel is actually the oldest one in Finland, dating back to 1879. It's quite a beautiful wooden building - and the dining hall is pretty classy too. The food was not quite as good as what we had for lunch, but the location and atmosphere of the place made up for that!
Our appetites sated, we headed off to sleep at the idyllic cottage Janne and Katja had booked, located (of course) in the middle of the forest, by a beautiful lake.
The next day, me, Mathilde and dad headed off for a bit of hiking. We picked an easy hike that started from Kruunupuisto, and went around Valkialampi, a nice little "pond" just next to Punkaharju (Punkaharju is a 7 kilometre long ridge, which was formed during the ice age). It was a very enjoyably walk indeed - I do miss the Finnish forests from time to time... Great therapy for my dad too, I think.
We then headed off to Savonlinna, for lunch. We put our faith in Tripadvisor again and opted for a brewery restaurant called Huvila, located at the outskirts of Savonlinna, with nice views over the Saimaa lake system. The food was excellent - again modern cuisine with a modern twist. I had horse (not an entire one!) for a main course and a very tasty licorice-themed desert to Finnish off. I wasn't expecting to eat that well in a brewery, in spite of the good reviews.
After the meal it was time for the classic Savonlinna experience - a Saimaa cruise. Lake Saimaa is the largest lake in Finland (4th largest in Europe), measuring no less than 4400 square kilometres. One of the great natural attractions of Finland, peppered with islands and holiday cabins. We're not normally big fans of these kinds of cruises, but it really is the best way to see the lake. And they did serve beer ;)
Of course no visit of Savonlinna is complete without checking out the castle - it's a rather impressive piece of medieval architecture (by Finnish standards, at least). The location is stunning, by the lake, and it really looks like a proper medieval castle. What better place to hold an opera festival ? (or a death metal concert!). We left Janne and Katja to their concert and went back to the cottage to chill out and watch a bit of football.
The next day, me and Mathilde left dad at Lusto (the new forest museum built in Punkaharju), and headed off for another hike. This time we hiked around Laukansaari, a nice little walk through pine forest. A bit too many trees and few views over the surround lakes for my taste, but still, we spent a very nice couple of hours in the dense forests of Finland... We did get some nice views from Karjalankallio.
And then, alas, 'twas time to head back towards Helsinki, after a couple of very nice days spent in one of the most beautiful parts of Finland.
Janne and Katja left on Friday evening, whereas as we headed off with dad on Saturday morning. We decided to drive by Tampere, as it's quite a scenic route. We decided to have lunch at Tampere - after quickly consulting Tripadvisor we decided upon Ravintola Näsinneula. I was a bit dubious - Näsinneula is an observation tower in the Särkänniemi amusement park. I needen't have worried. The views from up there are, as can be expected, stunning - offering a panoramic view overlooking Näsijärvi lake. But I was very positively surprised by the culinary experience as well - excellent quality Finnish dishes with a modern twist. With a French-speaking waitress! And the view changes as well, since the restaurant rotates. So to summarize, a wonderful experience (if a bit pricy, but then again eating out in Finland is costly...).Our appetites sated, we headed off to sleep at the idyllic cottage Janne and Katja had booked, located (of course) in the middle of the forest, by a beautiful lake.
After the meal it was time for the classic Savonlinna experience - a Saimaa cruise. Lake Saimaa is the largest lake in Finland (4th largest in Europe), measuring no less than 4400 square kilometres. One of the great natural attractions of Finland, peppered with islands and holiday cabins. We're not normally big fans of these kinds of cruises, but it really is the best way to see the lake. And they did serve beer ;)
And then, alas, 'twas time to head back towards Helsinki, after a couple of very nice days spent in one of the most beautiful parts of Finland.
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