To the Ladoga skerries
Tired of isolation, failure at work and the inability to go on vacation, we decided to go to Karelia, which has finally opened up. Not far from the border. On one day. But to nature.
Let's go to South Karelia, not far, for one day (the metro is still open until 22.00), almost at the border with Len. area. Our path lay to the island of Koyonsaari in the Ladoga skerries.
The program is rich. It has been raining since morning.
On the way, we first stopped at the Tiversky town near Melnikov. This is a fairly large fortification between Vyborg and Korela. The stone boulders from which it was built are visible today.
Remains of the Tiversky town
Excavations were carried out there. It was raining, but you could see something by wiping your glasses.
Plan of the Tiversky town (near Melnikov in the Leningrad region)
Then we crossed the border! (There was an inspector who got on the bus and checked that we were wearing masks, asked for a list).
Next we went to Kurkijoki - a town approximately in the middle between the highway to Sortavala and Ladoga. The road is quite serpentine. Not far from Kurkijoki, we climbed a hill, where in our time they made an altar of the Slavic god Rod.
On the day of the summer solstice or the day of the summer Stribog, rituals of followers of Slavic beliefs are held here
There are boulders nearby, which supposedly heal diseases of the back, gynecological and something else. Have not tried. Even if your back hurts, you don’t want to lie on wet stones. On the slope there is a labyrinth, through which it was necessary to move, in some special way, directing the hands and head. I didn't go into it.
They also examined a stone "chair" that healed seriously ill people.
A stone chair where sick people were left to be cured
Nearby we sat astride a stone.
We saw holes with water, which I would not have paid much attention to on my own. And they are also considered sacred.
In a word, places of power have begun.
In the town itself, we planned a local history museum (Kiryazh Museum). It is being reconstructed, but we were allowed to see the lichens and hear about them. I didn’t know before that reindeer moss is a lichen. In Finnish, "lichen" sounds similar to "moss". There we learned that there are lichens that are thousands of years old. They grow slowly, by fractions of a millimeter, clinging to bare stones, where there is nothing to eat, from the air. Who would have thought? They make an energy drink. They gave me a sniff - it smells of spring cranberries.
There was also an exhibition of straw crafts.
Straw items in the Kiryazh Museum
Further along the bumpy road we traveled at a speed of probably 10 kilometers per hour to the island of Koyonsaari. Moreover, another 2 kilometers had to be walked: cars are prohibited (which pleases). A bridge has been thrown over the island. They say the island is privately owned. I was pleased that I saw only one abandoned plastic bag. And so clean.
We climbed a rather steep climb to the goblin rock (Hiisi).
Goblin Rock (Hiisi)
The view from above is, of course, breathtaking. This is a view of the Ladoga skerries.
View of Ladoga skerries
After museum lichens, I, like a Buddhist, afraid to crush a worm that could have been your family in a previous life ("Seven Years in Tibet"), was afraid to step on them. All the time it was in my head: they are so old, and you will trample them!
Lichens on rocks
It's good that there was no rain in these places.
Ladoga drove the waves ashore. They rustled softly, calming the bad townspeople who live in constant noise and seem to be afraid of silence.
