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That hostel looked that it must be an old village school building. It was a pity that there was so bad weather. The Lappeenranta harbour and fortress are so lovely places in a sunny day. I can confirm that the big stone wall, Äiti-Karjala (Mother Karelia), with the soldier names is just like you said and were a little unsure. They are the names of soldiers who were buried or left missing in that area which USSR robbed from us. The bigger text on top of each part is the municipality name.
I was really hoping to take a walk around the village as it looked so nice but unfortunately the weather wasn't on my side! Got worse when I walked along the harbour in Lappeenranta which was unfortunate. Thanks for clarifying the war graves and memorials, very sad things ended like that. So many men died needlessly.
I love those clocks that make that sound, when you get used to them they usually help me get into sleep. Some count sheep, or listen to the waves or whales whatever, clock ticking is weirdly soothing
Yes I've heard a few people say the same thing. My Nan use to have a wooden pendulum clock that would sit on the kitchen top but I guess I got use to that one.
@0:10 "Hostel Old School" so it's an old school building and looks like that too :). Studied 5 years in Lappeenranta University so nice to see where this goes.
Hope you'll stop by at Imatra, which is located 30km up north from Lappeenranta and it is on the route towards Puumala. Not too much to see there, except for the Imatrankoski rapid which is the oldest tourist attraction in Finland. It sure is a place worth visiting.
Imatra is where my relatives fled the war multiple times and tried to return to home when they could but eventually losing their home. My grandfather was too young to take part in the war during it and he was with his mother and 4 sisters as the father had died just before the wars to a lighting strike on his field. One of his sisters husband who was in the war got opened up from left armpit to groin losing his balls. He survived against odds but they ofc never had kids. That scar across his body was quite something to see in the sauna at Imatra when he was still alive.
I went to Lappeenranta several years ago and stayed in a camp ground with cabins by the lake. I wandered through the nearby woods and came across an old ski jumping ramp. It was quite unexpected. I climbed to the top and got some great views of the lake. I loved this city and have fond memories of it. BTW… there’s a cool show called Bordertown (I think) that’s filmed there.
Hi Matt. I do like that you show the rooms you stay in, I laughed at the inch of water. years ago when working in Canberra and staying overnight at a hotel, I not once but twice fell asleep (from exhaustion) whilst drawing a bath. As you might see in a movie, waterfall of water over the lip of the bath, and water running beneath the bathroom door. It is about time I do a map search of the lake and town location. It looks so remote, perhaps in summer it is busier but as I’ve said before, part of the attraction is the remoteness. (PS If you ever are coming to Dubrovnik, let me give you an idea of when it’s ideal for visiting when it’s not overwhelmed by tourists). OK, I’ve located on the map…..it’s a HUGE lake…and that list of names on the commemorative wall seems endless. A staggering number of lives lost…..the futility of war…. With each subsequent upload, I feel more and more that I am traveling with you. You present as a natural in front of, and “behind” the camera. (It was raining alright….)…Until the next video…… Thank you Zoltán
Thank you Zoltán , that's good to hear. I'm always in two minds about showing the room, on some trips I haven't done it but on others I try to show everything so interesting to get your feedback! Haha funny story about the bath, probably wasn't so funny in the moment but these things become more comical with time. I'd be very interested to hear the best time for visiting Dubrovnik, I last spent some time there in September a few years back but it was still packed - I thought that might be the best time?!
@Hongaars1969 Interesting, I’ll keep that in mind. I visited in September and it seemed quite busy then. I’ve nothing to compare it to though as I’ve only visited once.
Lovely video Matt 😊 the rain is unfortunate, I don't mind rain in general, but I have to wear glasses like you and my vision is super poor without them, so its always a big pain in the arse trying to walk and around and enjoy scenery in the rain with (or without; I often just give up and take them off haha) glasses 😅 this place looks absolutely lovely. I really like the colours of the buildings, so cute and colourful. I believe this city was the set of a finnish crime series called Bordertown; I'd recommend watching it, it's a very good show! It was on Netflix for a while. 😊
Yes the rain can be very annoying when you wear glasses, although I'll usually try to make the most of it. Problem is the camera hates it and my main camera isn't waterproof so I switch to the GoPro, however rain on the lens like raindrops on glasses can be quite annoying and make it hard to get any good shots. I've heard of Bordertown but not ever watched it so will try and catch an episode or two. Will be interesting to see some of these places on a TV show!
@@MattWhitingsEuropeHi Matt, yes it was a sunny summer weather when I visited..Lappeenranta is so near Imatra, usually while travelled by car to Joensuu I visited Lappeenranta for cup of coffee , that was a long ago, hope to visit again,,good Sunday afternoon😊❤
@@MattWhitingsEuropeyou are Welcome and thank you Matt, look I wrote Sunday 😂 was Saturday....my day was nice watched your videos and pictures, listened to music .relaxing day..hope your day was good too 🥰😊❤
@vandalfinnicus1507 Ah year I'd forgotten about the little gear switch, I know what you mean. Next time I will but I think I was a bit concerned about breaking it!
Can't wait 'till you get to the "Ask the locals, not the info" zone while going farther north. Less touristy places don't have a lot of info material in English, despite there being quite a lot of things to do.
Thanks for the video and for visiting my childhood hometown, I\m glad you liked it. 15 years ago when I was still pre/teen the town was a buzzling border town which population during summers raised around 80 thousand from all the Russian tourists. Now, because of the detoriating relations to Russia the town will have hard time staying relevant. The town gets often overlooked by foreign and domestic tourists but personally I hope the area could use its lake Saimaa and endless little islands to maybe get some foreign eco tourists to visit it and help with local economics.
You're very welcome, I really enjoyed walking around and seeing the sights despite the terrible weather. Hopefully the city can restore its former glory without the tourists from across the border, I'm sure if more Europeans knew how incredible the area is they would visit in higher numbers. That's where I come in haha!
The Saimaa lake district is a labyrith of almost 120 blue lakes and 14 000 green islands. It has more than 15000 km of shoreline, more than enywhere else in the world. It is the fourth largest lake in Europe.
Nice breakfast, packed away like a school lunch. Fridge needs more cold beers! Hopefully they gave you a good price to park your yacht. Good thing you had your rain jacket with you.
An Englishman never travels without his trusty rain jacket and umbrella!! You usually learn that lesson the hard way. Beer would have gone down a treat, no doubt about it. I can live with no wi-fi but I toe the line at yacht parking - if it isn't available then I'm not staying!! 😂😂😂
lappeentanta is my home town, i left it when i was 22 to Helsinki, but my family still lives there. Vanha koulu means old school, that building use to be school. You prounance it they way it is written, you dont bent the letters Not KULU but Koulu. The bread is ruis leipä, its ray bread. traditional finnish bread.
Thank you for the information, very interesting! Really enjoyed my day in the city, I’m sure with family there you get back when you can! Hope all is well in Helsinki!
Sweden ceded Lappeenranta to Russia in 1743. According to Malmström, SavoPr (Garrison/HQ: Mikkeli) was the first "Western" unit to flee and thus suffered the least casualties 😬😂
@@MattWhitingsEurope It's an common thing in these smaller villages that 4G or 5G doesn't work properly. And for few months now, there's has been lots of GPS and electical interference coming from our "lovely" neighbor, Russian, which might have an effect on these connections near the border region.
As interesting as it is to listen how you pronounce Finnish worlds, it could be useful to not try to pronounce them as if they are English words. An example: A - is roughly the same sound as in German, French, or Italian; thus AA is pronounced roughly as A in AFTER (in British pronunciation); short A resembles u in British English "cup" or o in American English "hot"
@@MattWhitingsEurope Finnish is simple - letters match sounds. They are just not the ones English speakers use and don't change in similar weird ways as is common in English. Unlike English, Finnish worlds are simply directly written as they are said. So in principle reading should be trivial. There are no spelling bees in Finnish. Not needed with a rational writing system.
@@MattWhitingsEurope Lappeenranta... though I also find it tricky to pronounce correctly. The 'ee' doesn't make the same sound as it does in English. It's more like the way we say 'air' (in Yorkshire, at least). Finns roll their r sounds. I can do that but not immediately after an n sound.
THANKS FOR WATCHING!! 👍 If you enjoyed the video please consider LIKING & SUBSCRIBING - they really help me out! 👍 🇫🇮 My FINLAND Travel Vlogs → bit.ly/mwt_finland | 📷 Connect on INSTAGRAM → bit.ly/mwt_instagram 📍 My videos on a TRAVEL MAP → bit.ly/mwt_map
In Hamburg we say : There is no bad weather - there are only bad clothes. ;D What a lovely town! Have a great time!
Said in Finland too 😅
Ha yes that's very true!! Thank you, I will certainly try!
That hostel looked that it must be an old village school building. It was a pity that there was so bad weather. The Lappeenranta harbour and fortress are so lovely places in a sunny day. I can confirm that the big stone wall, Äiti-Karjala (Mother Karelia), with the soldier names is just like you said and were a little unsure. They are the names of soldiers who were buried or left missing in that area which USSR robbed from us. The bigger text on top of each part is the municipality name.
I was really hoping to take a walk around the village as it looked so nice but unfortunately the weather wasn't on my side! Got worse when I walked along the harbour in Lappeenranta which was unfortunate. Thanks for clarifying the war graves and memorials, very sad things ended like that. So many men died needlessly.
well the name is "old school hostel" in finnish
@@Azurall47 oh, I didn't notice.
i appreciate how you take the time to explain the history of the places you visit ❤ hopefully your journey continued with less rain.
Thank you, appreciate you saying!
Very unfortunate weather. Lappeenranta comes alive when the sun is shining. Rain or snow and it's so quiet.
Often called summer city of Finland.
I sure would have loved to see some sunshine! ☀️
Is’t every city and town in Finland called a great summer place though? 😂 but to be fair, Lappeenranta might be a bit more so than the rest
@@Ianassa91 We say the same thing about our city, Turku.. so yeah, pretty much
@@Ianassa91 Never heard that being used for cities like Kajaani or Jyväskylä as an example, so not every city.
I love those clocks that make that sound, when you get used to them they usually help me get into sleep. Some count sheep, or listen to the waves or whales whatever, clock ticking is weirdly soothing
Yes I've heard a few people say the same thing. My Nan use to have a wooden pendulum clock that would sit on the kitchen top but I guess I got use to that one.
You could have most likely taken it down and battery out, then in the morning put the battery in and clock back to right time.
Next time that's exactly what I'm going to do!
Thank you for the well expained trip and the historical sides of it … very intresting indeed
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching 😀
@0:10 "Hostel Old School" so it's an old school building and looks like that too :). Studied 5 years in Lappeenranta University so nice to see where this goes.
Thanks for the info - familiar ground for you then.
Hope you'll stop by at Imatra, which is located 30km up north from Lappeenranta and it is on the route towards Puumala. Not too much to see there, except for the Imatrankoski rapid which is the oldest tourist attraction in Finland. It sure is a place worth visiting.
Thank you, make sure you tune in next week! I don't want to spoil the surprise though ☺️
Imatra is where my relatives fled the war multiple times and tried to return to home when they could but eventually losing their home.
My grandfather was too young to take part in the war during it and he was with his mother and 4 sisters as the father had died just before the wars to a lighting strike on his field. One of his sisters husband who was in the war got opened up from left armpit to groin losing his balls. He survived against odds but they ofc never had kids. That scar across his body was quite something to see in the sauna at Imatra when he was still alive.
Thanks for the personal account, very interesting to read.
Imatran Valtionhotelli is also nice 👌
Thanks, is that the hotel?
You have done a very good job making these videos. I am an old Finnish and I know my home country . Very good job . Interesting for me too.
Thanks very much, that's quite a compliment and I very much appreciate it you saying!
I went to Lappeenranta several years ago and stayed in a camp ground with cabins by the lake. I wandered through the nearby woods and came across an old ski jumping ramp. It was quite unexpected. I climbed to the top and got some great views of the lake. I loved this city and have fond memories of it. BTW… there’s a cool show called Bordertown (I think) that’s filmed there.
Cool story about finding an old ski ramp in the woods, love it when that kind of thing happens. I wonder if it's still there? Thanks for watching!
Hi Matt. I do like that you show the rooms you stay in, I laughed at the inch of water. years ago when working in Canberra and staying overnight at a hotel, I not once but twice fell asleep (from exhaustion) whilst drawing a bath. As you might see in a movie, waterfall of water over the lip of the bath, and water running beneath the bathroom door.
It is about time I do a map search of the lake and town location. It looks so remote, perhaps in summer it is busier but as I’ve said before, part of the attraction is the remoteness. (PS If you ever are coming to Dubrovnik, let me give you an idea of when it’s ideal for visiting when it’s not overwhelmed by tourists). OK, I’ve located on the map…..it’s a HUGE lake…and that list of names on the commemorative wall seems endless. A staggering number of lives lost…..the futility of war….
With each subsequent upload, I feel more and more that I am traveling with you. You present as a natural in front of, and “behind” the camera. (It was raining alright….)…Until the next video……
Thank you
Zoltán
Thank you Zoltán , that's good to hear. I'm always in two minds about showing the room, on some trips I haven't done it but on others I try to show everything so interesting to get your feedback! Haha funny story about the bath, probably wasn't so funny in the moment but these things become more comical with time. I'd be very interested to hear the best time for visiting Dubrovnik, I last spent some time there in September a few years back but it was still packed - I thought that might be the best time?!
@@MattWhitingsEurope seems I never directly replied to this…Dubrovnik in May and June as well October is much less crowded as well not nearly as hot…
@Hongaars1969 Interesting, I’ll keep that in mind. I visited in September and it seemed quite busy then. I’ve nothing to compare it to though as I’ve only visited once.
Lovely video Matt 😊 the rain is unfortunate, I don't mind rain in general, but I have to wear glasses like you and my vision is super poor without them, so its always a big pain in the arse trying to walk and around and enjoy scenery in the rain with (or without; I often just give up and take them off haha) glasses 😅 this place looks absolutely lovely. I really like the colours of the buildings, so cute and colourful. I believe this city was the set of a finnish crime series called Bordertown; I'd recommend watching it, it's a very good show! It was on Netflix for a while. 😊
Yes the rain can be very annoying when you wear glasses, although I'll usually try to make the most of it. Problem is the camera hates it and my main camera isn't waterproof so I switch to the GoPro, however rain on the lens like raindrops on glasses can be quite annoying and make it hard to get any good shots. I've heard of Bordertown but not ever watched it so will try and catch an episode or two. Will be interesting to see some of these places on a TV show!
Really nice area. Understated , for the discerning traveller just like yourself. Great to see you do it justice and I’m looking forward to more
Thanks very much, looking forward to sharing more of my videos as the trip progresses - wonderful area!
@@MattWhitingsEurope Do you have any plans to travel to the paradise island of Corsica? Seeing you there would be beyond epic!
Not right now unfortunately but I would love to visit at some point!
Nice video Matt , I have visited in Lappeenranta ..You are so kind to do these videos with information, thank you very much ❤🇫🇮
You're welcome! Did you enjoy your visit and did you get better weather than me? I hope so!! 😆
@@MattWhitingsEuropeHi Matt, yes it was a sunny summer weather when I visited..Lappeenranta is so near Imatra, usually while travelled by car to Joensuu I visited Lappeenranta for cup of coffee , that was a long ago, hope to visit again,,good Sunday afternoon😊❤
Thank you, hope you've had a good day!
@@MattWhitingsEuropeyou are Welcome and thank you Matt, look I wrote Sunday 😂 was Saturday....my day was nice watched your videos and pictures, listened to music .relaxing day..hope your day was good too 🥰😊❤
No worries, sounds like you had a relaxing day - enjoy the rest of your weekend!
3:22 You could probably have taken the clock off the wall and removed the battery to silence it.
I was just gonna post that. I'll add, that if you then want turn it on again and set it on correct time, there's a gear or something you can turn.
That's exactly what I should have done! I didn't hear it though until the lights were out and I was all settled. Next time!!
@vandalfinnicus1507 Ah year I'd forgotten about the little gear switch, I know what you mean. Next time I will but I think I was a bit concerned about breaking it!
Can't wait 'till you get to the "Ask the locals, not the info" zone while going farther north.
Less touristy places don't have a lot of info material in English, despite there being quite a lot of things to do.
Very true! I'm looking forward to it!
Thanks for the video and for visiting my childhood hometown, I\m glad you liked it. 15 years ago when I was still pre/teen the town was a buzzling border town which population during summers raised around 80 thousand from all the Russian tourists. Now, because of the detoriating relations to Russia the town will have hard time staying relevant. The town gets often overlooked by foreign and domestic tourists but personally I hope the area could use its lake Saimaa and endless little islands to maybe get some foreign eco tourists to visit it and help with local economics.
En tiiä miks mut tuntuu hullulta sanoo Lappeenrantaa rajakaupungiksi ei tunnu siltä
You're very welcome, I really enjoyed walking around and seeing the sights despite the terrible weather. Hopefully the city can restore its former glory without the tourists from across the border, I'm sure if more Europeans knew how incredible the area is they would visit in higher numbers. That's where I come in haha!
We have many nice beaches here in Mikkeli. Orijärvi, Pankalampi, Pitkäjärvi, etc. Mikkeli is in eastern-Finland.
Thanks, I'll keep those places in mind. They all look very nice!
Next time there is a ticking clock just remove the battery. Put it back the way it was when you leave. Maybe adjust the time a bit. 😄
I was scared of breaking it!! Next time I'll know what to do haha
The Saimaa lake district is a labyrith of almost 120 blue lakes and 14 000 green islands. It has more than 15000 km of shoreline, more than enywhere else in the world. It is the fourth largest lake in Europe.
Thanks for the info, it's an incredible place for sure!
Saimaa-lake is also here in Mikkeli. It is a big lake.
It's massive isn't is! Wonderful area.
Nice breakfast, packed away like a school lunch. Fridge needs more cold beers! Hopefully they gave you a good price to park your yacht. Good thing you had your rain jacket with you.
An Englishman never travels without his trusty rain jacket and umbrella!! You usually learn that lesson the hard way. Beer would have gone down a treat, no doubt about it. I can live with no wi-fi but I toe the line at yacht parking - if it isn't available then I'm not staying!! 😂😂😂
@@MattWhitingsEurope ⛴⛴⛴
lappeentanta is my home town, i left it when i was 22 to Helsinki, but my family still lives there. Vanha koulu means old school, that building use to be school. You prounance it they way it is written, you dont bent the letters Not KULU but Koulu. The bread is ruis leipä, its ray bread. traditional finnish bread.
Thank you for the information, very interesting! Really enjoyed my day in the city, I’m sure with family there you get back when you can! Hope all is well in Helsinki!
I saw your photosphere in google maps from Ilomantsi the easternmost point
I sometimes wonder if anyone finds my videos from those photospheres - cool to know that they do. Great trip, those videos will be coming up soon.
Round black bread is rye bread. Vanha Koulu= old school
I see, thanks for clearing that up. Always good to get a bit of local knowledge on the matter.
Sweden ceded Lappeenranta to Russia in 1743. According to Malmström, SavoPr (Garrison/HQ: Mikkeli) was the first "Western" unit to flee and thus suffered the least casualties 😬😂
Incredible, thanks for the info.
Great video! Too bad about the weather🙁
Thanks, yes it was a real shame. You can't win 'em all!
Idk how much in advance you filmed this but if you went a few weeks later you wouldve been greeted with lovely (or torturous?) heat hah
Just my luck haha
In Finland is not 3rd world country, that´s why there is no WIFI because everyone got unlimited internet in their mobile connection.
Fair enough but I couldn't seem to get any 4G or 5G.
@@MattWhitingsEurope It's an common thing in these smaller villages that 4G or 5G doesn't work properly.
And for few months now, there's has been lots of GPS and electical interference coming from our "lovely" neighbor, Russian, which might have an effect on these connections near the border region.
Much like the UK I guess, data connections can be a little unpredictable in rural areas. Gotta keep an eye on those neighbours of yours!
@@MattWhitingsEurope Biggest problem is that 3G network is now shutdown forever.
Yeah I haven't heard much about 3G lately - that'll be why!
Absolutely butchering all names, as is tradition. No, but enjoying your very thorough tour of Finland so far. :)
It's a bit of an English tradition! Old habits die hard ☺️ Glad you're enjoying the videos!
will you go all around finland or just east?
Hello there, just the east on this trip but I'm sure I'll be back. If you have any suggestions or recommendations I'd love to hear them!
Of course terrible weather would ruin the visit in my hometown :D
I was hoping for a sunny day but it wasn't to be!
"The weather has taken a turn for the worse" Finnish summer in a nutshell.
😂😂 Being English I can totally relate to that 😂😂
I think Airbnb is more affordable and better quality than those cheap hostels
From my experience it really depends where you are and what you're doing. Admittedly I haven't tried Airbnb whilst in Finland.
As interesting as it is to listen how you pronounce Finnish worlds, it could be useful to not try to pronounce them as if they are English words.
An example:
A - is roughly the same sound as in German, French, or Italian; thus AA is pronounced roughly as A in AFTER (in British pronunciation); short A resembles u in British English "cup" or o in American English "hot"
Okay which name did I butcher in particular? 😆 Thanks for the guide, that will prove very useful I'm sure. I will have to get some practice in.
@@MattWhitingsEurope
Finnish is simple - letters match sounds. They are just not the ones English speakers use and don't change in similar weird ways as is common in English. Unlike English, Finnish worlds are simply directly written as they are said. So in principle reading should be trivial. There are no spelling bees in Finnish. Not needed with a rational writing system.
Fair enough! I will give it a try!
@@MattWhitingsEurope Lappeenranta... though I also find it tricky to pronounce correctly. The 'ee' doesn't make the same sound as it does in English. It's more like the way we say 'air' (in Yorkshire, at least). Finns roll their r sounds. I can do that but not immediately after an n sound.
I see, thanks for the tip. Will no doubt come in useful!
Hostel vanha koulu = Hostel old school
Thank you, that makes sense!
Don't dare tell me what month it is or I will have you arrested
Ooooookay!! 🤐
Man why are you doing this leave swamp finland there are much better countries to visit
Gotta disagree with you there I'm afraid. It's a pretty spectacular area from what I've seen so far!
@@MattWhitingsEurope They have brainwashed you
Spoken like a true Swede