Cooking in Saimaa Style :)

About a week ago, I was trying to think how could I surprise my foreign friends; something else than sauna, rolling in the snow or e.g. skiing, because they have tried those things already...  Then just suddenly I heard there is a kind of cooking school at Hotel Herttua and it was a perfect solution to my problem :) 

The cooking school took a place in hotel's "Kota" - tepee, on a walking distance from the hotel, but still in the middle of lake nature and next to the nice skiing tracks. When we arrived the chef de cuisine, Jussi, was already waiting for us and he had made also some starters for us - maybe he wanted to be sure, that everybody gets at least something to eat ;-) 

Chef de Cuisine "Jussi" was waiting for us in the front of Kota.

Before we had a change to try the starters, we had to make our own main course.. There were different kind of vegetables like potatoes, carrots and sweet potatoes, then fillet of perch (ahven) from Lake Puruvesi (next to the hotel) and some spices. We had to make our own packets of these ingredients and then the packets were put over the fire..    

Making the main course :)

But while waiting for our main course and our own cooking to be ready, we finally had a change to try the delicious starters - which was a rye bread filled with muikku (vendace, a small white fish) from Lake Puruvesi and a piece of glow-fried salmon.

Delicious starters - rye bread filled with vendace (muikku) and some meat and glow-fried salmon.

Here is my specimen of skill of the main course and it actually was really good! 

While we wre eating our main course or cook made us still some broiled vendace :) 

Broiled vendaces are ready! Buy the way, you have to eat a whole fish ;-)

Even we all were quite full already, there was a dessert waiting - which we had to make by ourselves as well. In Finnish the dessert was called "tikkupulla" a sweet bun, which had to be rolled over the stick and then just bake it in open fire. And you can imagine - it was absolutely delicious!!!

Tikkupulla :)

Testing of Real Horse Power!

After testing the winter driving and Lada Niva safaris, it was so nice to have a change to try some real horse power :) Those cute Icelandic horses were waiting for me, when I arrived to the horse stable. With their big eyes and long eyelashes they were looking at me very gently and I think that they even noticed, that was an amateur...

Winter "field", where to relax while the riding trips..

After I had put on all the riding clothes and "equipment", we went to meet the horses.. I was so exciting! How do I mount the horse? How do I keep myself on horseback? And what if it just runs away!? Well everything was actually quite easy. These Icelandic horses are co calm, that you can just focus to enjoy the ride! Well, at the beginning it felt a little bit difficult, but then, when I had a change to try some "Töltti" a real run, it was SOOOO FUN!! I went faster and faster, but then suddenly the horse just stopped running, even the others continued.. My horse had just decided to rest for a while.. :) Really funny guys! 

Here we are beginning our trip  - still quite exciting.... :)

At the end I was so proud of myself! I had newer ran by a horse so fast!! And that's something I really want to do soon again :)

In Savonlinna region you can do the horseback riding by Icelandic horses e.g. in Paunolanmäki Stable in Savonlinna, in Hevosharju Stable in Rantasalmi and in Hapimag Holiday Resort in Punkaharju.