Monthly Archives: July 2019

Petäjävesi is Finnish for “Pine Water”. It was built by Central Finland’s land-owning peasants in 1763-65 with the belfry and passageway connecting the two in 1821. It is completely made of unpainted pine – logs, floor (cut from the wall … Continue reading →

Finland – Northern Ostrobothnia and Eastern (Oulu, Kajaani, Joensuu) July 15-17, July 20, 2019 Day 5 (continued) Lusto The Finnish Forest Museum. This huge new museum has everything you ever wanted to know about logging, especially as it applies to … Continue reading →

This church was excavated into the granite bedrock and completed in 1969. The elliptical church is roofed by a 13m-high and 24m-diameter copper dome (requiring 22km of copper tape). Light enters from narrow skylights between the rock wall and the … Continue reading →

Finland – Southern (Helsinki, Lahti, Kotka)  July 9-15, 2019 OBSERVATIONS AND TIPS 1. MUSEUM CARDS Finland Museum Card. Gives free entry to 280 museums throughout Finland plus 40 in Helsinki for 12 months. Available online and at all included museums. €69 … Continue reading →

Sweden – Svealand (Stockholm, Örebro, Karlstad) September 10, 17-18, 2018, July 28-31, 2019 NYKÖPING. This small city has Sormlands Museum, the country museum and Nyköping Slott, parts of which date to 1180 with multiple additions with the last in 1611 … Continue reading →

TALLINN (pop 435,000) Tallinn is the capital, primate and the most populous city of Estonia. Located in the northern part of the country, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn is a major financial, … Continue reading →

Estonia – Coastal (Tallinn, Pärnu, Rapla, Rakvere, Narva) July 7-9, 2019 I continued my drive from south Estonia seeing a number of castles and manor houses on my way to Narva. Paide Castle (Paide Castle of Order – Pade ordulinnuse varemed … Continue reading →

OBSERVATIONS AND TIPS 1. MUSEUM CARDS Finland Museum Card. Gives free entry to 280 museums throughout Finland plus 40 in Helsinki for 12 months. Available online and at all included museums. €69 This is an incredible deal for me as I … Continue reading →

ESTONIA  June 5-9, 2019 Kilometres Driven: Estonia – East and South (Tartu, Viljandi, Võru, Jõgeva, Põlva) July 5-6, 2019 I entered Estonia in the southeast corner. It is so nice going across Schengen borders. You hardly know you have entered … Continue reading →

Lithuania – Šiauliai, Panevėžys, Utena    July 3-4, 2019 On July 2, I saw these 2 castles from Kaunas and then went north to that part of the country. It was a lovely drive along the Nemunas River that flows … Continue reading →