We decided to have a rest in Imatra, east Finland. We wanted to see lake Saimaa and the dam of Imatra. We stopped at Imatra Spa hotel, which was situated on the very coast of the lake Saimaa, at the last stop of public bus. We enjoied the buffee breakfast, also spa with the cliff waterfall, Yorokobi hot pool, outdoor pool, massaging showers, therapy pool and two saunas. Sometimes we happened to hear even thunder, see lightning with small rain in pools.
The town Imatra was very green with many parks, good shops,good public transport, helpful people.
Unfortunately we were there too late, at the beginning of September.
Imatra rapids are blocked by a dam, but during the summer there are daily shows, when dam is opened. The last show took plane in August 23rd.
It was also too late to catch a visa-free cruise to Vyborg,Russia, where you could admire the city’s sights in addition to the stunning views of Saimaa.
Local cruises that take a few hours are a great way to enjoy a summer day on Saimaa lake, the largest lake in Finland, the fourth largest natural freshwater lake in Europe. There are 3507 islands counted in the lake. Unfortunately we missed the last local cruise to lake also going to Imatra too late.
What we did not miss were black bilberries and red bilberries (lingonberries) in the nearest forest to the cottage where we lived. We also used to walk witk walking sticks and without them in forest, on an island Lambasaari connected with coast and walking in town.
