We had a great time in Lappeenranta; our hosts, Marji-Liisa and Eero treated us so kind. We will always remember their hospitality. About noon Marji-Liisa picked us up at the Lappeenranta Spa and drove us to the train station. Niklaas has become our official tour guide, so we already had our tickets for Wagon 2, seats 81, 85, 86 (upper level), on the intercity train from Helsinki with a stop in Joensuu. It pulled in to the station at 12:26, and 2.5 hours later and that much further north, we arrived in Joensuu. The biggest excitement was winding through 4 cars to find the “kiosk” for a snack. Upon arrival, we were met at the station by Leena Finér from METLA, along with a visiting scientist from Japan, Mizue Ohashi from the University of Hyogo. They delivered us to our accommodations, a sports hostel. We aren’t quite sure what that means, but the room is clean, quiet, with beds, so that should do. We had about an hour to kill so we walked the block over to the big Lutheran church and gave it a once over. It was very ornate, with beautifully painted ceilings. At the opposite end of the street, about a dozen blocks away, was the Greek Orthodox church. I guess that is as close as they could get. About 16:30, Leena and our Japanese friend picked us up and gave us a brief tour of Joensuu, including a stop at the METLA building, which is atypical for a new building in Finland. Built about 5 years ago, it is almost completely made of wood and other local materials, some of it recycled (maybe some photos tomorrow). We then swung by and picked up Leena’s husband, Lasse, and went for dinner at a nice restaurant downtown. I had fish and potatoes, what else? The food was excellent, as was the conversation.
Monday, July 6, 2009
On to Joensuu, Monday, 6 Jul
We had a great time in Lappeenranta; our hosts, Marji-Liisa and Eero treated us so kind. We will always remember their hospitality. About noon Marji-Liisa picked us up at the Lappeenranta Spa and drove us to the train station. Niklaas has become our official tour guide, so we already had our tickets for Wagon 2, seats 81, 85, 86 (upper level), on the intercity train from Helsinki with a stop in Joensuu. It pulled in to the station at 12:26, and 2.5 hours later and that much further north, we arrived in Joensuu. The biggest excitement was winding through 4 cars to find the “kiosk” for a snack. Upon arrival, we were met at the station by Leena Finér from METLA, along with a visiting scientist from Japan, Mizue Ohashi from the University of Hyogo. They delivered us to our accommodations, a sports hostel. We aren’t quite sure what that means, but the room is clean, quiet, with beds, so that should do. We had about an hour to kill so we walked the block over to the big Lutheran church and gave it a once over. It was very ornate, with beautifully painted ceilings. At the opposite end of the street, about a dozen blocks away, was the Greek Orthodox church. I guess that is as close as they could get. About 16:30, Leena and our Japanese friend picked us up and gave us a brief tour of Joensuu, including a stop at the METLA building, which is atypical for a new building in Finland. Built about 5 years ago, it is almost completely made of wood and other local materials, some of it recycled (maybe some photos tomorrow). We then swung by and picked up Leena’s husband, Lasse, and went for dinner at a nice restaurant downtown. I had fish and potatoes, what else? The food was excellent, as was the conversation.
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About Me
- Kas Dumroese
- Moscow, Idaho, United States
- I'm a research plant physiologist with the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Grassland, Shrubland, and Desert Ecosystem Program. I'm also the National Nursery Specialist for the Forest Service.
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