Lost post 6: Tour de saimaa day 2

Kerimäki kirkko - big in metric and imperial dimensions

Lusto (in a less sunny 2008)

So to continue from last time in our 'lost summer blogs' series...

Next morning was another scorcher, and as we had a short leg and a whole day we started off with a detour back to the Lusto suomen metsämuseo forestry museum which has a loop of the cycle route around it's arboretum.  As we had visited before (well worthwhile by the way considering the importance of forestry to Finland and to understand the hardships people went through in the past working the forests) we only stopped for postikortit, kahvia ja pullaa. 

Boathouses in Kerimäki

After that soft start we skipped the nearby Retretti art centre (feeling self conscious dressed in sweaty cycling gear and continued on to Kerimäki.  Here we stopped by the local ranta (beach, shore) and had our lunch under some trees while the locals cleaned their carpets on the pier (this is a curious Finnish custom which I can't see catching on in UK) while their kids cooled off in the water.  We then headed back into town, and laboured up the hill to the oversized Kerimäki kirkko (the largest wooden church in the world, and not because of a mix up between feet and metres). Having completed our sightseeing for the day (and bought more postcards) we made a supply stop at the nearby interchangeable S/K-market.

From there we headed towards the camping ground on the road toward Savonlinnä, another less pleasant busy route. This led to another unintended detour as we eagerly turned off the main road to follow the cycle route only to miss the campsite as it was on the main road... though to be fair the map was less than clear.  In contrast to the last campsite this one was deserted of people, but made up for it with bugs. Oh well, that's what the insect repellant's for... at least we had another terrace to drink on in the late evening sun to recover after another 40km. Next stop - Savonlinnä.

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