Myself and my wife will be departing for Lappeenranta,Eastern Finland,tomorrow morning.We here in Helsinki received our first snowfall early this morning.As there is likely to be more snow before Christmas and the temperatures will plummet,we have to turn on the heating in our country cottage.This will prevent any damage to the water pipes in the kitchen and bathroom.
Lappeenranta Finland(Suomi)
The city of Lappeenranta is approximately 230Km east of Helsinki,at only 211Km from Saint Petersburg.This is to give you some idea as to where it is situated.On a traffic less day,the journey can be made in 3 hours.However there are usually a lot of heavy goods lorries destined for the Russian border.Whilst it is possible to over take them on the early part of the journey,the second half is a grind as there are few places to pass.
Lappeenranta is primarily known as a summer city.Its biggest attraction is the nearby Lake Saima.The Lake is a beautiful place to swim and lunch.As Lappeenranta is situated inland,the winters tend to be colder and the summers a little warmer than locations closer to the coast.Lappeenranta at this time of year,still attracts tourists.There are many holiday chalets situated around Lake Saima.These cabins allow visitors to visit the various activities based around the area.These include,sledding,snowmobile,and skiing.These same chalets usually are supplied with a community sauna nearby on the grounds.
As the Russian border is so close,12Km,many lorries that are seen,tend to have Russian number plates.It amazes me sometimes,that these lorries actually are allowed across the border.I have been behind such lorries that are visibly listing to one side.If you are prepared to sit and wait in a queue,some 8Km long some times,you are able to cross the border and visit Russia.With the dramatic increase in wealth amongst some of the Russians,property prices in and around Lappeenranta are increasing rapidly.Great for those who already own properly.Not so good for first time home buyers in Finland.Out when walking in our local area,I cannot fail to notice,that many of our new neighbors are in fact Russians
Should you visit the city of Lappeenranta,you will immediately notice the presence of Russians.If not by car number plates,certainly by hearing the language spoken in public places.Another tell tale sign,is the use of Cyrillic letters on sign posts in and around shops.
We intend to drive to Lappeenranta and back to Helsinki in one day.So with any luck,I should be back home in Helsinki late tomorrow night,preferably with some Russian goods.
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I like your travel blog here. I have one as well which I hope to be a good resource for those looking to go on vacation. I’d like to exchange links with you and help spread some traffic around.
Please let me know if this is possible.
Jason
ThatVACATIONfeeling.com