Kuopio, Finland
Kuopio from the tower
We had a wonderful time in Kuopio, thanks to the geniality and generosity of our hosts. The view towards the city and the archipelago from the top of the Puijo Tower was spectacular…This is the lake district – and there are little summer houses along the edges of all the little islands!
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View from the Tour boat
It was raining on the morning that we took a boat tour, but we were dry and warm, and there were cinnamon buns!
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A summer Cottage on the lake
Little cottages dotted the shore line – most of them were painted a lovely red colour, but one or two were yellow, or orange.
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Summer House
Feeling exceedingly privileged, we spent an afternoon at this cottage. First the humans participated in a true Finnish sauna, which is located in the corner of the cottage. Women first, and men afterward. The stove in the sauna had been heating for three hours before we arrived! Constance declined, being anxious about what the steam and heat would do to her wooden joints. The humans found it an envigourating experience, including the dip in the lake afterward! After the sauna we had a most wonderful dinner, including kalakukko, smoked muikku, fresh new potatoes, tomato salad and cucumber salad, and Constance’s favourite dessert…
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Dessert!
Fresh mansikka!
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Quimper Hittys 
Constance does the Berry Tour of Finland. This sounds like a terrific day at the lake – it seems to me that Finns are very sensible people to spend so much time in places like these!
Berries here, Berries there – I think we only had one berry-less day in Finland. Constance and I are glad we went in Berry season!
the little lake cottages…delightful! How clever to do the boat tour…complete with cinnamon buns.
Constance and her berries. She is just as sweet as her deserts.
Awww. Constance is blushing – her cheeks are as red as – strawberries!
I just looked up the definations for what you ate….so did the kalakukko taste good? Did it have a fish filling. How intriguing!!
It was stuffed with perch! It was opened up in the approved Kuopio method, by cutting a circle around the top to let the steam out before dishing the fish out with a big spoon!
Those little cottages along the shoreline are inviting. The Finnish Sauna must have been a wonderful experience for the humans. Good thing that Constance did not participate in the sauna. The kalakukko sounds delicious and the dessert – so fresh and so healthy.
We were feeling pretty delightful at the end of the day!