Day 3: To Savonlinna

Awoke to find the rain had eased tho the air was still brisk!  14C on window sill.
Our plan for today was to catch train to Savonlinna and then take a look at the castle and whatever we have time for.

Karina in small train to Savonlinna

After a mediocre hostel breakfast, we loaded the bikes and Karina led the way back through the city to the train station.  The train was ready for boarding, so we unpacked our bikes and climbed aboard.  There were fancy hangers for the bikes – but it appears that no-one ever takes a bike on board, so it was full of a pram and backpacks.  So we politely moved them to one side and Karina (no cloth arms here!) struggled with the hanging contraption and hauled our bikes up onto their hooks.  Neat!  We found our seats and sat back for the 4 hour journey to Savonlinna.  There were power points so I plugged in the laptop and tried to blog away, but the network was far too weak for uploading photos.  But I did get to check & send some emails. (I accidently deleted photos (doh!!) of this train journey, so am hoping we will see the fancy hangers on another train! - besides the windows of both trains were dirty and hard to photo thru). 
The view was farms and birch and pine forests – and of course lakes.  Small towns flashed by with speeds around 155-160kph.  Pleasant journey and soon we arrived at Parikkala where we had to change trains.  We were prepared 10 mins before arrival, with all our bags by the door, bikes unhooked, so the 2 min stop was enough!  Phew!  Next problem was to get onto the local train – 3 steep steps up, but the friendly guards helped us aboard and off again to Savonlinna. 

Olavinlinna Castle

We arrived there at about 2 ish and just near the train station was a market and several cafes, so we hitched our steeds up to some railings and bought some lunch.  Nothing flash – cheese Panini & KK had chicken wings with a fizzy drink each.  Junk food!  I ducked over to the market but they were packing up so not much to see.  But bought some yummy strawberries and blue berries!  Very tasty!

Entrance to caslte

Cannon

We then went looking for Lossarinta – our accom for the night.  We pushed our bikes up a steep street along the footpath as the traffic was a bit manic.  Then shot down a steep slope and at the bottom was the lake, the castle and Lossarinta!!  Wowee!  The castle was so much closer than I thought – yes, Emma I know you said it was ‘just there’ and you were right.  It looks really old, much older than photos show, they seem to airbrush it a little, but in no way does it look unloved!

Inside the Great Hall - seats 120

Lossarinta was more than what I expected – Charming with a CH!!  We stayed in Room 10 and we were promised breakfast in the little café near the lake’s edge if the rain kept away.  It was a self contained little unit and (apart from the price) it would have been wonderful to stay a week…..  but we are travellers!

Russian quarters inside castle

Looking over the lake

We unloaded all our gear and headed over to the castle and signed up for the 5pm tour.  It is such a Castle castle.  The tour took us up through two of the turrets – steep as - in a spiral of high stone steps, uneven as anything – but breath-taking views of the lake thru tiny windows.  I usually dodge guided tours, but this was a really informative tour because the alley ways, corridors and steps would confuse no end without someone showing the way.  Google ‘Olavinlinna’ for the history of the castle and the wars between the Russians and Swedes fighting over this area of Finland. 



Lossarinto across the water

 It was getting a bit late when we came out, so we rode on around the lakes edge, past flash boats and wooden ferries tootilng around, until we were back where we had lunch. 

From Huvila Brewery

 We crossed onto the next island and headed off towards the brewery, Huvila – recommended by Em & M.  I ordered a Gold Ale, but Karina had a cider instead.  Karina thought she might like to try goose, while I ordered the Asparagus risotto  - pretty flash tucker and really yummy too.  We skipped the desert and headed off home, after a quick window shop along the main shopping drag.
Along the way home, we bought some vanilla ice-cream. 

Dessert!!!

Our desert plan!  Ice-cream with blue berries and strawberries – ya can’t go wrong!!  Sitting outside – overlooking the lake and the Castle – which is just so close!!!  The mossies and gnats (or Sveea!) eventually chased us inside and we hit the sack. 

So Day 1 on the road – Paradise with cold wet Helsinki just a memory now!

Karl Fazer Rules!