A snow shoeing is a perfect way to spend an outdoor day - you get a fresh air, you can go in deep forest, where you could not walk by just a normal shoes and it even burns quite a lot's of your calories ;-)

Yesterday I decided to have a real "off road" trip to the rocks and hills and forests. It's actually a quite incredible, when you look at a sharp cliff and think that it's impossible to up from here, by the snow shoes it becomes possible :)

I began my trip "easy way" along the frozen Lake Saimaa..

Then I climbed up to the snowy forest..

A little break :)

Sceneries to Linnansaari National Park

Finally back to the ice :)

You can rent snow shoes or have a guided trips in Savonlinna region e.g. in the following places:

Linnansaari National Park - Holiday Resort Järvisydän and SaimaaHoliday Oravi

Punkaharju - Hotel Kruunupuisto

Kerimäki - Hotel Herttua

Anttola - Anttolanhovi Wellness Village

 

  

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. 

Tour skating along Lake Saimaa

This year we had a change to begin a tour skating in Linnansaari National Park and in Punkaharju already before the Christmas and now, when the days are getting longer, the skating is getting better and better :)

If you don't have our own tour skates, you can rent all the equipment from the starting points of the skating tracks: in Oravi - SaimaaHoliday Oravi, in Rantasalmi - Holiday Resort Järvisydän and in Punkaharju - Harjunportti Tourist Centre and holiday resort Punkaharjun Lomakeskus. SaimaaHoliday and Harjun Portti Tourist Centre provides also a skating diary, where you can check e.g. what is a condition of ice.

Tour skates in Holiday Resort Järvisydän

For now, the weather have still been a little bit chilly, but when it's not windy, the skating is really really nice! If you haven't tried it, but you have tried cross country skiing or roller skating, the tour skating is much more easier :) And of course you can always choose a kick sled!

Nature's own ice sculptures in Linnansaari National Park

By a kick sled, you can sit for a while and enjoy the views of Lake Saimaa...

In Punkaharju, they have even a skating event called "Torch skating" during the full moon !

So I guess I don't have any problems to decide what to do also during the next weekend :)

Check also the latest skating news and pictures from Facebook:
From Savonlinna with Love
Holiday Resort Järvisydän
SaimaaHoliday 
Harjunportti Tourist Resort
Punkaharjun Lomakeskus
Tour Skating in Finland, Linnansaari National Park

Driving in the Snowy Winter Roads

Sometimes it might be a little bit exciting to drive in our snowy and slippery roads. Of course the Finns are quite used to it and they even teach the driving in the slippery roads in the driving school, but still you have to be focused on driving in the slippery roads.

In Holiday Resort Kuus-Hukkala, they have developed a new product for tourists, company clients and for any groups, who would like to spend a nice day together and learn at the same time how to drive in a slippery and snowy road. And what's the best thing, you can drive by completely new cars! BMW, Subaru, Ford and Peugeot :)

BMW is an automatic and rear-driven, Peugeot and Ford are with the manual gears. 

My favorite!  Subaru with the 4-wheeler and a lot's of power ;-)

My friend is starting to speed up a car to 80 km/h and in the end she has to hit the breaks and dodge  all the barriers..

From here you can see a small video of the driving school :)

A Wonderful Christmas!

This year the Christmas season was just perfect. The weather was amazing - lot's of powder snow and approx. -20 c degrees and the quietness of the nature gave the peaceful Christmas feeling.

Chistmas Eve

After the short walk in the snowy winter wonder land, we had a Christmas sauna, wooden heated, of course... In the Christmas Eve, Finns usually bring the candles to the graves of the friends and the loved ones and on the Christmas Day's morning they have a service in a local church. In Savonlinna region the world biggest wooden church in Kerimäki provides the most amazing atmosphere in the Christmas Day's morning, as the church is in use only this one day in winter season and thousands of candles gives the soft light in to the church..   

One of the most important thing in Finnish Christmas is of course the food. We serve lot's of different kind of casseroles - made of carrots, meat, swedes, potato, liver... A big ham, different kind of fishes, Karelian pasties, plum soup, spicy cakes, ginger breads etc.. And you have to eat a lot and slowly..

Ham and swede casserole

Finnish salmon made of different ways - with pepper, cured and smoked salmon

Ham and spicy mustard :) Jam! 

And after a dinner comes the Santa from the Finnish Lapland and Korvatunturi :) This yera he could come even by a nice sledge, because we had so much snow! 

Dear Santa Clause brought again so nice presents :)

After the Christmas we begin the preparations for the New Year and welcome our neighbor friend from Russia to celebrate the coming year together. With the sayings of Russians "How you spend a New Year, you'll spend your coming year" - we wish you all lot's of happiness for the year 2013! 

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas...

...fortunately this year I don't have to dream about it - it will certainly be a white Christmas in Savonlinna region! At the moment there is snow everywhere and the weather forecast for coming weekend is sun and around -25 celcius degeers, so it won't melt away :)

Here comes some pictures from the town center, but I try to find some time to get few snowy pictures from the countryside as well!

Pictures from Wednesday morning, 19.12.2012, -15,5 c degrees.

The stream next to the castle is almost always open. 

A steam made the museum ships and the scenery quite exciting :)