Visit to Ilomantsi

On Saturday, August 20 we went to see Ilomantsi, a city about 50 miles east of Joensuu. It is the easternmost point of Finland and therefore of the European Union. That also places it very near to the Russian border sign, which warned us not to go any further. We drove about six miles along a dirt road to take the picture of the bright yellow sign and the watch tower. We weren't that close to the tower, but thanks to the miracle of digital zoom we were able to get a pretty good picture.

The large log building is the "Rune Singer's House" (rune is a poem). It is a traditional Karelian house, which now houses a small hotel and a restaurant. Karelia is the part of Finland next to the Russian border, it has its own dialect and unique history.

The landscape behind us is typical Finnish, a bright blue sky, puffy white clouds and lakes.