On Wednesday we continued our trip south from the idyllic ski town to picturesque Savonlinna, breaking the long drive up with a few hour stopover in Joensuu. We had dinner, and then the girls and I played while Steffen worked. We didn’t explore too much–the call of the playground was too strong. Luckily the playground had a fabulous view!

We then continued the drive, arriving in Savonlinna late on Wednesday night. Savonlinna is a town deep in Finnish Lakeland, surrounded by over fifty thousand lakes and thick forests.

We ended up at a campground outside of town, Vuohimäki Camping, which was pretty deserted. The camping season is definitely ending! When we woke up in the morning, the wide open spaces were more welcoming and we ended up enjoying our time there. It is located right on Lake Saimaa, Finland’s largest lake. We did school/worked, played and relaxed on Thursday and Friday.

Then late Saturday afternoon, after our hike, I wanted to pop into Savonlinna proper to see Olavinlinna, a 15th-century three-tower castle. The clouds cleared out and the light was gorgeous as we did a quick walk around. (Steffen and Charlotte opted for a rest in the car.)

We enjoyed our stay in Savonlinna, but were ready to move on after a few days. Today we drove to Helsinki, where we will stay at least a week. More soon!