After lunch today, we tossed our stuff into Marji-Liisa Juntunen’s car and headed south and east to Laappeenranta. From Suonenjoki, our travel first took us to Mikkeli where we walked through an outdoor craft fair. It reminded me a bit of Moscow’s Rendezvous in the Park… lots of crafts, folks dressed in renaissance garb. We also saw the Guinness Book of World Records award for the largest “pin” collection (pins, badges, buttons). The record holder was there, proudly showing off his 32,000 pins. I gave him a couple of Forest Service shields for his collection. From Mikkeli, we turned more easterly toward Puumala, driving through the heart of Finland’s lake district. Along the way we stopped at this kioski for an ice cream break. Ice cream is big here. A multitude of flavors. From there, more south and east to Imatra, just a stone’s throw (well, 5 km) from Russia, before heading south and west into Lappeenranta. Marji-Liisa dropped us off at the Lappeenranta Spa on the waterfront. It’s a great hotel, and I really like the European style in the rooms. After freshening up, we headed out to the Juntunen house for dinner. We met Marji-Liisa’s husband, Eero. He smoked us some “rainbow trout”. It was spectacular, pure and simple, although it seemed more salmon-like than trout-like.Birds of the day: Hawk Owl (lifer), Whooper Swan (lifer).
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