Lappeenranta

We had a bit of fun leaving Helsinki. Google Maps had a bit of trouble providing us the correct directions back to the hotel from the car rental agency. Two dead ends and two more one-way streets later we finally made it the 3 kilometers through town. Loading the car was a bit like one of those games with blocks to fit into a limited space but when we were done everything perfectly and completely filled the space. Our drive out of town also included a couple of missteps, but we finally made it onto the road for Lappeenranta and Savonlinna where we would spend the night. Our Finnish friend Jim Rinta told us this is the  most beautiful part of Finland.

 

Norwegian Troll

Lappeenranta is a city of about 35,000 with a pulp mill John had visited 30 years prior. We saw the mill in the distance. The reason we spend some time there was to see Finland’s largest sand castle. Every summer for the past 15 years, the city has sponsored the creation of a huge sand castle with several different sand castle artists contributing. It sits on the lake shore as a free attraction for the summer before the winter weather puts it to rest. This year, they chose professional sand castle artists from the EU to create sections showing off their country. The result as you can see from the pictures is a fun diversion from more common beach attractions.

Puffins from Iceland

Gaudi Architecture from Spain

After viewing the castle, we took a short walk up the hill to the old fortress of Lappeenranta. Many of the old buildings from the fortress remain although most have been repurposed for city and tourist use. We had lunch in the old jail which has been repurposed as a community hall and lunch spot. Lunch was either a baked potato loaded with goodies along with soup and salad bar or just the soup and salad. We chose the soup and salad for €9.50 (about $11 US), a nice break from the higher prices in Norway and Helsinki. We were able to fill up on the nice tomato soup and extensive salad bar. We were entertained as we waited in line by a small musicial group of local students.

Former commandant office, now the museum headquarters

After lunch, I walked up to check out the oldest surviving Orthodox Church in Finland. The Church of the Protecting Veil of the Mother of God was first built in 1743 after Russian claimed this part of Finland in the Treaty of Turku signed after Russia defeated the Swedes in one of their wars over control of the Baltic. The original church was replaced in 1785 and extensively remodeled in 1901 leaving us with a still small, but beautiful church with a nave and two aisles. The outside view of the church, obstructed by leafy trees during summer, has a grand bell tower and front entrance. I was not allowed to take pictures inside the church where the walls are covered with some amazing icons. Most are painted, but a few are created using gold leaf and even gold relief and halos of gold extend 2-3 inches from the face creating a glittering renditions of God, Mary, and Jesus. Most of the icons, from churches or monasteries in St. Petersburg and Kiev, were created in the 19th or 20th centuries. One remains from the 18th century.

Several outdoor outworks

The original congregation was primarily soldiers from the Russian garrison attached to Lappeenranta. As Orthodox merchants moved to town, a civilian congregation began to attend. Today the church serves nearly 2000 members from Lappeenranta and surrounding communities.

From Lappeenranta, we headed north and east towards Savonlinna to spend the night after seeing our first opera in that city’s castle. On the way we drove we passed through mixed birch and pine forests and more and more lakes as we entered the lake district of Finland.