The nice evening on the Cultural Trail of the old Ähtäri City Centre

Great, The cultural trail of the old Ähtäri City Centre has come true!

Last year I heard about this project 

and now 

It is ready and really well done!

Let´s go!

First to the library and cinema Pirkanlinna.
Address is Lukiontie 1, Ähtäri.

From the brand-new mailbox
you can take the map of the trail.

The map is quite small,
so it´s better to have glasses with you
if your age is 40+

Through the school (Yhteiskoulu) yard 

it´s easy to go to the Trenches 

and Pirkanpohja Art Centre.

At the railway station of Ähtäri you can have a cup of coffee.
In my opinion this is the most beautiful building in Ähtäri.
It looks like the railway station of Oulu.
Surprise! I was born in Oulu.

After the heavy ascent of the road Koulutie
you will see the long road Puistotie.
Local people call it Pamppukuja
that means Baton alley,
because there were living two policemen.
Most of the houses on Puistotie are so called veteran houses 
that were built after the Second World War (1939-1945).

 Now we are in the beginning of the old centre of Ähtäri near the church.

The Winter War Memorial

The youngest one of our company has a lot of energy.
Maybe it´s a cultural shock!
Luckily I have something to eat with me
and his godmother is good entertainer,
so we can go on.

The Church Road 

Now we start to walk along the road Alkulantie, 

the main road in the end of 1800s.

This district is classified nationally as
an area of significant built cultural heritage. 

No wonder...

Ollinkulma (from year 1865)
First it was the house of the town doctor,
later a nursery school,
today it´s the home of one local family.

In the building Alkula
there have been
the bank, the pharmacy and the city post office.

The nice old  sign

The House of the Sea Captain Tötterman from the1920s

Mimmilä
A  hundred years ago there was a bank in this building,
later an elementary school and
a hall of residency for girls in vocational school. 

Kuntala (from 1870s)
This is built for holding town meetings.
After that there was the library.
Later also a shop and
a child health clinic and a maternity clinic.

The cat is wondering what we are doing here...

The Old Sacristy

The Civil War Memorial
in the Little Old Graveyard

The magnificent Apothecary´s House on the left
and the Granary on the right.

The graves of soldiers (from Ähtäri)
who died
in the Winter War (1939-1940) and the Continuation War (1941-1944).

It has been interesting to go to church one hundred years ago.
They came by church boats and by foot.
Even 3o kilometers.
Nice way to meet people and tittle-tattle.

The Church Boat (from 1875) is very beautiful.

The Chapel (1963) is designed by architect Touko Saari.

The Church of Ähtäri

This church (1937) is the fourth in order.
 The third church was burned down
because of  lightning stroke in 1935.

This Summer Evening has been so beautiful
as well as our home town Ähtäri. 

After this shower of culture
it´s time for children to take a real shower and listen bedtime stories. 

I am very thrilled about this cultural trail!

Thank you very much for the workgroup!

Around the lake Ähtärinjärvi by bike

You have to do it once in a Lifetime - 

go by bike around the lake Ähtärinjärvi!

Ähtärinjärvi

This summer has been cool and boring in Finland.

We have been watching weather forecasts and NOW, on 25th of June, 

we decided to take our bikes and go for a trip 

around the lake Ähtärinjärvi.

Foreca weather forecast promises five hours without rain since 10 a.m. 

The sky is quite gray, but now we go!!!

From the road Puistotie in Ähtäri we turn left towards Alajärvi

Via roads Suojantie and Pohjantie
it´s nice to go to the main road Lehtimäentie.

I am not sleepy any more after this meeting: 

The first stop by lake Ähtärinjärvi.
No mosquitos at all. A week ago there were too many...

Tour de Ähtärinjärvi - this guy tries to leave his followers.

An idyllic old red house

Turn right. The shortest way to Suninsalmi.

These flowers are a sign of the Midsummer.

The road goes to a forest of fairy tails.

There are often some problems with bikes, also today.
Our mechanic was clever. I´m happy for that.

We are already in the midpoint of the trip. So easily!
It must have been tailwind.

The northest part of the lake Ähtärinjärvi.

This little village with cafe and activities
has been chosen to
the village of the year 2012 in lakelands.

I was thinking about a cup of coffee...

...but boys wanted to eat pizza, definitely.

The cafe is furnished nicely.

One match before the pizza.

After the break it´s time to go to dirt roads towards Itä-Ähtäri.

One sign to Soini City (keskusta) with 2000 inhabitants
and one to a "small poor village" in Southern Finland (Helsinki).

Magnificent Ähtärinjärvi in front of us again.

Crossing over the bourn Kolunjoki

That bike I have seen! Oh yeah!
They did it again!
They are hiding in a milk bridge! 

50 kilometers. Now it´s time for sauna and swimming!
There is not the better way to spend summer holiday.

Riding a bike again.
We have been eight hours on the road with pauses,
but why to hurry...

Only six kilometers to the center of Ähtäri.

Bye-bye beautiful lake!
Now we go home!

I feel some pain in my thighs,

of course, after the trip of 65 kilometers.

Some pain but no rain!

Foreca predicted correctly.

Actually we got the better weather we thought.

This kind of days I will remember even in a rocking chair.

The perfect day in good company!!!