Finnish landscapes

The first thing we do is to visit the village of Ogonyki in the Vyborg district. Until 1948 this former Finnish village was called Lintula (in Finnish it means "bird's place").
The village was known for the first women's Orthodox monastery in the Finnish diocese. At the end of the XIX century it was founded by Privy Councillor Fyodor Neronov. He built the Holy Trinity Church in his estate and invited the nun Smaragda and several sisters from Penza Province.
During the war, almost all the buildings burned down and the nuns fled deep into Finland, to a place called Palokki. In 2007, the revival of the church began: it was assigned as a subordinate to the St. Konstantin and Heleninsky nunnery. They started to make procession to the ruins of the monastery, and soon it was possible to reconstruct the building. Today it is permanently inhabited by Nun Maria.

The peasants of Roschino had to work hard to win back a place for plowing from the forests. Maybe that's why the village used to be called Raivola: in Finnish raivata means "to clear, to shovel".
With the advent of the railway station Raivola became a popular holiday destination for high-ranking people. Of course: the village is surrounded by the Lindulov larch grove, a UNESCO-protected nature reserve. The tradition of resting from the urban noise in these parts has been preserved: today in Roshchino there are many dachas, hotels, and recreation centers.

For lunch we stop at "Shishkin" restaurant in Roschino. Not deviating from the topic of our trip, we order here herring in mustard sauce and Lapland-style soup. Those who are not driving and are of legal age can treat themselves to currant vodka Finlandia Blackcurrant. But it's too early to relax: a lot of interesting places lie ahead!

We stop at Pionerskoe. Until 1948, the village and the lake on the shore of which it stands were called Kuolemajärvi, or "lake of death". The Swedish army, crossing on rafts during a storm, and the Finnish bishop Mikael Agricola, who was sailing home after negotiations with Ivan the Terrible, perished on the lake.
Legend has it that the lake demanded that one person be sacrificed every year. If this did not happen for a long time, it overflowed its banks, flooding the settlements. But let's not think about gloomy Finnish tales: it's better to admire the beauty of this place!
There are no man-made attractions here. At the beginning of the last century in Kuolemajärvi a stone Lutheran church was built, but it was blown up in 1975. Today you can see a memorial sign on the site of the building.

The next place on our Finnish trip is Vysotsk, one of the smallest towns in Russia. Just over a thousand people live here. From 1917 to 1940, the town also belonged to independent Finland. The main supplier of timber was called Uuras, which means "hardworking".
The main attraction of the city are the ruins of the fortress Trongzund, built by order of Peter the Great. Since Vyborg was conquered from the Swedes, the fortress was given a Swedish name: trång - "narrow", sund - "strait. Little is left of the once robust fortress: granite-lined earthen ditches, and interior rooms. And yet, the structure - albeit already overgrown with trees and grass - is very impressive.

In Vyborg the first thing to do is to visit the Alvar Aalto Library (1935). The wavy ceiling of the lecture hall once caused a furore in the architectural society. Now it has been restored according to the original drawings. Exhibitions and interesting events are regularly held in the library.
Library closes at 19:00. Sunday - day off (Saturday is also a day off in summer). Look for the schedule of exhibitions and events on the official website.

Vyborg was founded by the Swedes in the Middle Ages, and at the beginning of the 19th century became part of the Grand Duchy of Finland. In the 1860s, the Finns began to actively change the appearance of the city: avenues, parks and industrial complexes emerged in place of the historic fortifications. Until 1940, Vyborg remained the second largest city in Finland.
After the war and the transition of the city to the Soviet Union, small steps began to move tourist exchange. Finnish communists came to Vyborg in small groups. In the 1970s, the era of independent automobile tourism began: Finnish residents visited the city for cheap goods and affordable alcohol.
After perestroika, all barriers collapsed: private and joint ventures began to be created, the infrastructure in the city changed for the better. By 2010, Vyborg had become "almost like a city in Finland" - according to Finns themselves.

We'll have dinner at Espila, one of the oldest restaurants in the city. It was founded in 1868 - over the last century and a half it has burned to the ground several times and, like the Phoenix from the ashes, has been reborn again.
On the menu you can find several curious items on the theme of our trip. For example, fried herring rolled in rye flour, or herring fillet on warm potatoes with pickled onions. Of course, we have Finnish salmon soup with strong creamy broth. For dessert, semolina mousse with lingonberries.
Since its opening the restaurant was famous for its excellent entertainment program. The current owners have decided not to deviate from tradition. Live music evenings, performances and parties are held here with enviable regularity. A special feature of the institution is a "casino" for hard liquor or sparkling wine.
You can reserve a table by phone, listed on the restaurant's website.

After a busy day and a heavy dinner, I feel sleepy. Hurry to the hotel!