We drove the short distance into Hamina, parked at Lidl (to shop there later) and walked into the centre of the town. Hamina is an interesting place and has long been a military town. It was founded in 1653 as a Swedish outpost, its fortifications were begun in 1722 after Vyborg fell to Russia but Hamina was later captured by Russia in 1743. Work continued and construction was eventually completed in the early 19th century but the fortress was closed in 1836 once it lost its military importance. Much of it was dismantled over the years but there has been a steady repair and restoration, largely completed by 1998. At the north end is the restored central bastion of the fortress, which hosts the annual Hamina Tattoo and other events, covered by an enormous open sided canopy.
The centre of the town is based on an octagonal grid and the streets radiating out are dotted with churches, houses and other buildings built in the 1700s and 1800s, painted in various pastel shades.
Both the Lutheran and Orthodox churches were locked but the town museum was open where we were welcomed by the lady curator who said they didn't get many English visitors. She gave us a guide to the displays (and a torch because some were badly lit!). One of the rooms was set up to represent how it would have been when there was a historic meeting there between King Gustav III of Sweden and Catherine the Great of Russia in 1783.
From Hamina, we took a minor forest-lined road to Virolahti, then the E7 for a few miles before turning off to take the road to Vaalimaa Camping, a rustic year round site looking out to an inlet of the Gulf of Finland. Reception was not manned but I rang the number given and the lady site owner said to settle in and she'd be along later. I went off for an hour exploring forest paths nearby.
Amanda
A peaceful night! and a
dull and chilly morning. The winter clothes bag has come out from
where it has been hidden for nine weeks and scarf and gloves extracted.
This morning gave a better chance to see the site properly. Although the smallish area for caravans and campervans is fairly nondescript, it is totally adequate, and has a very nice view across the water. The harbour and small marina, with the facilities to which we had access, are really quite smart and interesting, with some old buildings dating back to Russian times, and a little boat moored here which has its own fascinating history through wartime and later as a tug and an ice-breaker, and is now licensed for pleasure trips.
The town of Hamina itself was a real discovery, only made because the Camperstop book had taken us there. It was built as a garrison town in the 18th century, based on 16th century fortress principles, like an eight pointed star. As with so many of the fortifications we have seen, the fortress was built in fear of attacks that didn't happen, fell into disrepair, and has been restored relatively recently. A part of it is now used as an event arena, and holds a Military Tattoo annually, and other spectacular sounding shows. Very impressive. The centre of town has many interesting old buildings, dotted around the streets which radiate out from the Town Hall in the centre in an octagonal spider's web pattern. We enjoyed a visit to the little town museum. Money had been spent on it, but it didn't seem to get many visitors, sadly. The Russian influence shows in everything in this part of the world, not surprisingly, as we get closer to the border. It is a shock every time to see St Petersburg on the road signs!
We took the back road close to the coast to reach our campsite destination for the night, between Virolahti and Vaalimaa. Our camping places have all been so different, and the variety is part of the fun. We never know quite what to expect. Last night's proved to be much nicer than anticipated. Tonight's, an 'open all year site', we have read described as a 'straightforward little site'. My immediate reaction was that was being kind to it! It has all the necessary things, including the mandatory sauna, and is in a lovely location, looking out over the Gulf of Finland, but feels uncared for.
I decided not to brave the showers - in an unheated little hut with corrugated plastic roof - and regretted our decision to skip showers last night. Instead, while Geoff went for a walk in the surrounding woods, I put the heater on in the camper, closed the shutters, boiled a kettle of water and had a nice wash in the warm! But we are thankful to find a campsite open, the position is great, and we are a mere five miles from the Russian border.
This morning gave a better chance to see the site properly. Although the smallish area for caravans and campervans is fairly nondescript, it is totally adequate, and has a very nice view across the water. The harbour and small marina, with the facilities to which we had access, are really quite smart and interesting, with some old buildings dating back to Russian times, and a little boat moored here which has its own fascinating history through wartime and later as a tug and an ice-breaker, and is now licensed for pleasure trips.
The town of Hamina itself was a real discovery, only made because the Camperstop book had taken us there. It was built as a garrison town in the 18th century, based on 16th century fortress principles, like an eight pointed star. As with so many of the fortifications we have seen, the fortress was built in fear of attacks that didn't happen, fell into disrepair, and has been restored relatively recently. A part of it is now used as an event arena, and holds a Military Tattoo annually, and other spectacular sounding shows. Very impressive. The centre of town has many interesting old buildings, dotted around the streets which radiate out from the Town Hall in the centre in an octagonal spider's web pattern. We enjoyed a visit to the little town museum. Money had been spent on it, but it didn't seem to get many visitors, sadly. The Russian influence shows in everything in this part of the world, not surprisingly, as we get closer to the border. It is a shock every time to see St Petersburg on the road signs!
We took the back road close to the coast to reach our campsite destination for the night, between Virolahti and Vaalimaa. Our camping places have all been so different, and the variety is part of the fun. We never know quite what to expect. Last night's proved to be much nicer than anticipated. Tonight's, an 'open all year site', we have read described as a 'straightforward little site'. My immediate reaction was that was being kind to it! It has all the necessary things, including the mandatory sauna, and is in a lovely location, looking out over the Gulf of Finland, but feels uncared for.
I decided not to brave the showers - in an unheated little hut with corrugated plastic roof - and regretted our decision to skip showers last night. Instead, while Geoff went for a walk in the surrounding woods, I put the heater on in the camper, closed the shutters, boiled a kettle of water and had a nice wash in the warm! But we are thankful to find a campsite open, the position is great, and we are a mere five miles from the Russian border.
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