Savonlinna is a City of Nature

What never seizes to amaze me is how close you can get to nature in Savonlinna. Yes, it is a buzzing city in July with thousands of tourists and opera festival guests and magnificent boats. Yet, you only need to walk a very short distance from the city centre and you are completely away from the sounds of the city; on an island, surrounded by woods, sitting on a rock and enjoying the peace and calm of Mother Nature.

One of my favorite things to do when I have even a little bit of free time is to go to Sulosaari, an island just behind the Kasinosaaret. Just walk across the bridge and through the parking lot and you find a path that leads you across another bridge to Sulosaari. The island used to be full of beautiful villas at the beginning of the 20^th century which were rented for guests and tourists coming to Savonlinna. However, nowadays there is only one villa standing and it serves as a pancake café in the summer.

Anyway, there is a path that goes around the island and I can always find a spot somewhere along it where I can sit down, chill, read a book or just sunbathe. I close my eyes and listen to the waves hit the rocky shore. It is a little place of peace when I need it. There aren’t many places where you can do that practically at the heart of the city. For this, I massively appreciate Savonlinna.

The other option of course is to rent a boat and explore Saimaa, Europe’s biggest lake district. The same principle of close nature applies here as well. If you rent a boat, you don’t even have to go very far from the harbor of Savonlinna when you already feel that you are alone on the water and surrounded by the most phenomenal scenery.

A few days ago, I was offered the opportunity to go on a short cruise on Babro Classic 1150 XL (check it out, she is a beauty!). I am not much of a “boater” but I couldn’t let the opportunity pass. And boy I tell you, it was amazing! I didn’t get to drive because I don’t know how to, but that worked out fine because I could just sit on front of the boat, take pictures, enjoy the sun and the views passing by while someone did all the work of driving the boat. I can’t describe the feeling you get when you feel the boat underneath you moving in chord with the waves and at the same time hear the sounds of the waves while looking at the surrounding archipelago. It is blend of excitement and rest all at the same time.

I am not a fan of fast boats, moving forward slowly and steadily is more my thing because there is more to feel and more to experience. And Saimaa certainly offers so much to experience. The water and nature is pure, clean and filled with bright colors of the summer! I absolutely loved how the deep blue color of the lake played in contrast to the bright green of the islands. I was just leaning over the side of the boat to stare at the water and get lost in my thoughts when I felt the wind in my hair.  The feelings of freedom and peace spread over me. I know that using the iconic Titanic moment where DiCaprio stands at the edge of the ship, arms spread and shouts, “I am the King of the World!” is a bit of a cliché but please forgive me for using it, just this once. You don’t need to go all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to experience the “DiCaprio”-moment because Saimaa lake district really makes you feel like royalty.

You got to try it. You won’t forget it.