Day 7: To Kuopio

We didn’t rush this morning –only about 40km to ride into Kuopio.  But we spent a heap of time trying to get Gary Garmin set up with some back tracks.  Eventually we loaded our bikes and headed off at around 11am. 

Bikeway into Kuopio - very nice!

We turned left and then right onto the dirt track, but it was totally loose sharp gravel again, freshly graded so I said no way!!!  Karina happily agreed, so we turned back and went the ‘normal’ way along the minor highway alongside the major one.  We had travelled only about 10km when we spotted a bike path on the other side, so we crossed over and were able to pedal along side by side and chat away.  It was mostly sunny and so a very pleasant ride. 

Looks like a nice place for Lunch:)

 As we approached the outskirts we spotted a huge Ikea complex, so we decided we would have lunch there!  I nearly didn’t get my foot out of the cleat when stopping at a pedestrian crossing – I was so close to taking a buster that I still break out in a sweat, thinking about it!  Karina had meatballs of course and I had the cheese pancakes – and we both had a kanelbulle – but it’s never as good as Ciri’s!

Rocky Finnish islands

So from there on, it was bike path all the way, touring through some smart new suburbs, along a series of bridges connecting small islands.  We had a chuckle when we overtook three young lads that had been strolling along.  They had glanced back just as we were approaching them, spotted Karina and started to jog – trying to impress these cool bike riders – they must have been a bit disappointed with the tail-ender!  But it was a downhill slope off the bridge, so we blitzed them!

This way brought us in close to our accommodation for the night – Hermanni Hostel - which we easily found – OK, thanks Gary!!  It was an old-style brick building, but clean and tidy – and a porch around the back where we could store our bikes for the night.  We collected the key, unloaded the bikes, then rode into the centre; checking out the train station and trying to find the harbour where the lake cruises leave from.  The centre of the city was being dug up, maybe to allow the traffic drive under the city streets – but at the moment it’s a nightmare to try and negotiate with a bike. 

Koski born 1898 still going strong!

We found the passenger harbour, but the evening cruise with meal was booked out, so we went on the 5pm cruise – which was getting ready to leave.  It was a cute old tub, built in 1898 (I think) but felt very stable.  





waiting for cider!

Finns doing what Finns like doing best!

We sat inside as it would have been totally freezing outside and we hadn’t brought our jackets. It was a bit of a shame that the sun had been covered by the clouds now, so it was all a bit dull and grey. But it was an interesting trip with a really Scandinavian feeling about the area – tiny islands with just room for a small cottage, a sauna and/or hot tub, pontoon with fancy speed boat tied up and generally people laying around relaxing on summer holidays. There was also the commercial side of town shown, water treatment place that is very environmentally energy efficient, a paper mill and a high-rise complex – I think government housing but the broadcast was really static. We sat back and relaxed and enjoyed the watery tour. But we could see it had started to rain also…  











 

Now that is more like my idea of heaven!

This where the rich people stay I think



 























 

How about owning your own island, speed boat included?



There goes the neighbourhood!

When we got back to port, we rode off up the main drag looking for a likely spot to stop.  There was one place with placards of Jacobs Creek – so we went into the restaurant.  It was a bit medieval-themed, with stained glass windows, some scenery and some art deco.  Karina went with the cider and I had a pale ale (our second drink for the day – we had cider on the boat) and Karina opted for a large steak while I had asparagus and ricotta tortellini (without the prawns!) It was really yummy and went down a treat!

So we pedalled back to the hostel, just as it was thinking about raining again.  We had time to do a bit of blogging, emailing and listening to other guests (Russians) singing and yacking away – with a couple of wild kids.  Thankfully by 11pm they were also tired, so things quietened down for us to get some sleep. 

Another great day with some easy riding, some ‘proper’ sightseeing and generally a good time.  Kuopio is a bit of a ‘new’ city – there were only a few old buildings – not really giving off vibes of ancient history like Savonlinna.  There was a wine festival happening down by the harbour, but we decided the mix of loud rock music and too much wine was not our scene.

Stats – 15avg 49.2 max 37:35 (635.7) 38.91km