Finnish Rally Driving

We have our set of wheels and are rallying in the Finnish Lakes District. We actually have a very sedate Honda Jazz automatic and given the number of speed cameras that we have seen, we won't be exceeding the speed limits. We drove along the border with Russia and at one point were only 200 km from St Petersburg.

We picked up the car this morning and headed for the Savo Lakes Region. We drove past beautiful lakes, some covered with water lilies with white and yellow flowers the size of twenty cent coins. We enjoyed a picnic lunch by a lake and managed to avoid the showers.

Savonlinna, the main town in the area, was a hub of activity. It is the height of the Opera Festival season so everything was packed including the hotels. There was not a seat available for the opera tonight - and there were 2,200 seats. We are staying at a hotel in Punkaharju which is about 25 minutes drive from Savonlinna. The hotel is set between a number of beautiful lakes but it is rather ordinary and expensive! At least it has a 25 metre heated swimming pool, a spa and a sauna.

We enjoyed looking at the Olavinlinna Castle, reputed to be the best mediaeval castle in Scandinavia. It is excellent and marked the eastern edge of Sweden and the border with Russia when it was built in 1425. At the moment, it is the setting for the Opera Festival.

We also visited the museum, including a few ships that once plied the lakes. We were able to go aboard and inspect them. The lakeside is packed with old steam ships and market stalls. Savonlinna is a picturesque but touristy spot.

We head for Koupio in the morning.