Kotka - Finland

 
Headed off to Kotka, only about 15 klms from Anna-maija's house.
Kotka is a small city of about 50,000 people, the city is located on Kotkansaari island and it is one of the major ports in Finland.
Kotka is very green with lots of parks. The sea frontage is very scenic with a walking track and various playgrounds running around the edge. The water front is the Gulf of Finland.







Four wheel motorbikes can be registered to drive on roads as long as they have road tyres on them

Learning to drive is not easy in Finland. Generally people have to pay for lessons. A licensed driver may teach someone but it is not easy. If Anna-maija wants to teach her sons to drive she first has to pass a test to have driver trainer added to her license. Also her car must be fitted with a brake peddle on the passenger side.

Bikes under a certain power don't need a license, scooters require a license and then motorbikes require another license.

We had a wander around the shops for a short while then headed off down to the waterfront for a look around. Kotka is a major paper manufacturing city. One of it's factories produces paper from recycling and has done so for 60 or 70 years. There is a large pile of woodchips on the waterfront, someone thought the piles of chips looked like sand dunes in a desert and came up with some funny artwork to match. We believe this happened overnight and by persons unknown.
 

All the boats in the harbour  are taken out of the water at the end of summer before the water freezes over.








Walking along the waterfront we were meeting Anna-Maija at 3.00pm, but we got lost and managed to get there one hour late. We did walk around some fabulous scenery including this little beach with an island off shore.


 











Model lighthouses






We went to visit Grandma after that, it's been four years since we saw her last, she is still living alone in her Kotka flat. A recent fall has slowed her down a bit and she is waiting to get into hospital for a hip operation, Grandma is over 90 years of age, it's the sauna that keeps everyone young. 
Tammy was very happy to spot a red squirrel out of her window.


On to Siikakosken Arboretum on the Kymi river. This is a well known Salmon fishing area. 
The fishing rights were given to the monks from the Valamo monastery by Russian emperor Paul I in the 1790s.

Had a bite to eat and a beer at the restaurant. We had the Salmon pie, it was fabulous. The owner came out to tell us a bit about the history of the place. 
Kotka area is not a huge tourist destination so local people like to take the opportunity to speak some English when they turn up. It is wonderful, the people are so helpful and keen to stop for a chat. 

Back home to Hamina for tea and then at 10.30pm off to the lake for a sauna and a jump in the lake.