The waterways play an important role in the North Savo region, once making Kuopio a centre of trade and commerce for Finland. The lakes and canals continue to feature strongly in daily life here, as can be seen by taking stroll along the Kuopio waterfront.

The passenger harbour (satama) is a quaint part of the city ... serving as centre of trade and industry, a fantastic recreational area, and a great tourist attraction. On summer nights, the popular restaurants and dance clubs make for a social phenomenon.

Kuopio can be an interesting place in summer, when there are a number of festivals and events around the city. This latr summer festival, taking place on the waterfront, featured a variety of summer harvest goods and LOTS of unique and tasty fresh fish products. Mmmmmmmmm ...

For the first few weeks I was here in Finland, I was amazed at how calm and flat the lakes were. I realized, however, that on rare occasions the winds gust up and the lakes begin to roll and chop --- not quite the Atlantic Ocean, but a little taste of home.

Not surprisingly, many of the islands in Lake Kallavesi are dotted with beautiful summer cottages. The Finns take their summer holidays pretty seriously, and "cottages" are a great way to get away from it all ...

The Finnish summer is a magnificent thing, and the nightless nights were fantastic. Nonelthless, late summer evenings when the days are getting shorter and the sun sinks low in the sky are a beautiful experience. Here, the evening sun stares down on Lake Kallavesi ...

With so many amazing lakes in the area, boating is a popular hobby in North Savo. Not surprisingly, sailboats often dot the horizon of the Kuopio waterfront.

The sun sets over Kuopio and Lake Kallavesi ...