Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
run to Helsinki (€48.90, 2¾ hours), Kuopio (€28.90, 1½ hours) and further north. For oth-
er cities, change at Pieksämäki or Kouvola.
WORTH A TRIP
MARVELS OF MECHANICAL MUSIC
It's worth visiting the timber-pulp town of Varkaus for a wonderful attraction:
Mekaanisen Musiikin Museo
MUSEUM
( 050-590-9297;
www.mekaanisenmusiikinmuseo.fi
;Pelimanninkatu 8;adult/child €14/7;
11am-6pm Tue-Sat, to 5pm Sun Mar-mid-Dec, to 6pm daily Jul)
'You must understand', says the personable owner, 'it's not a normal museum; more a
madhouse'. A truly astonishing collection of mechanical musical instruments ranges from
a ghostly keyboard-tinkling Steinway to a robotic violinist to a full-scale orchestra eman-
ating from a large cabinet. This is just the beginning; political cabaret in several languages
and an overwhelming sense of good humour and imagination make it a cross between a
Victorian theatre and Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. It's an extraordinary place.
Entry is by guided tour that lasts around 75 minutes. Having a coffee outside under the
steely gaze of a sizeable macaw seems like a return to normality. The museum is signpos-
ted 1km west of the main north-south highway.
Valamo
Valamo)
is a great visit. One of the ancient Russian monasteries, old Valamo, set on an is-
land in gigantic Lake Ladoga, survived the Russian Revolution's aftermath because it fell
just within newly independent Finland, but was endangered during the 1939 Winter War.
Ladoga froze (a rare occurrence), allowing a hurried evacuation of monks, icons and treas-
ures. Those that survived the journey resettled here in a beautiful lakeside estate. Monks
and novices, almost a thousand strong a century ago, can now be counted on one hand, but
the complex in general is thriving.
Visitors are free to roam and enter the churches. The first was made by connecting two
sheds; the rustic architecture contrasts curiously with the fine gilded icons. The new
