Southern Finland

My visit to the new Valamo monastery remains a flash in the pan. It was interesting to be there, to get a little closer to the Christian Orthodox traditions, and the evening mass was also interesting. However, it was also good.

This is how the journey continues. I am happy to have traveled this far to the east of Finland. The lake district is very beautiful. Few people, lots of nature, small streets winding along the lakes. Nothing more is needed.

Following a recommendation, I found the Punkaharjun Harjutie - a ridge about 7 kilometers long and 25 meters high from the last ice age - for us today it carries a narrow road between 2 lakes. Very picturesque location; The best way to appreciate the picturesque scenery is from the air. But how often do I have the opportunity to roll through such a piece of Finnish national landscape. Splendid.

It doesn't take long and I'm in the middle of the Finnish-Russian border region. I leave barracks to my right, a cycling battalion of soldiers stays behind me to my left. 10 km south is Svetogorsk. With Lappeenranta I drive through a real metropolitan area - I'm not used to that anymore.

There are a lot of Russian-speaking people in Finland, and I mainly meet them when using services. What else strikes me here is the hardly any foreign holidaymakers. So I rarely meet fellow Germans. However, Finland is definitely worth a visit.

My stop in Askola brings me back into contact with remnants of the war that took place 80 years ago. The Finnish eastern defense line [Suomen Salpa/Finnischer Riegel], hastily constructed between 1940 and 1941, ran here. Luckily it wasn't needed after all. Bunkers, trenches and anti-tank barriers made of granite blocks can still be admired here today as silent witnesses.

I continue rolling through the Finnish Lake District and Helsinki gets closer and closer. I made an appointment for Hildegard at a motorcycle dealership there for the upcoming inspection and a tire change. So I will explore the capital on foot and by local transport. It's supposed to be rainy, that's fine too. I found a place to stay in the big city, even if I tried the key on the wrong door.

[Here it is quite common to access the room or apartment unmanned. There are also key boxes in sometimes quite adventurous places. The code for the box will be sent to the paying tenant via email or SMS. Yes, and then you sometimes spend a little longer looking for the right door... 😁]