Familiar Visit to Lahti | Arctic Tour 2024 [13/14]

Arriving in Villähde outside of Lahti the night before, we knew we were going to have one full day to enjoy the city. This would be our last full day in mainland Finland before it was time to continue towards the harbor in Naantali and back to the Åland Islands. It was going to be another very hot day, a continuation of the heatwave that had followed us south. After traveling for over two weeks with Susann’s parents, we wanted some alone time just the three of us. I guess that Susann’s parents were more than happy to get some time to relax as well. So they dropped us off in Lahti for the day to have our own small adventure. This is the thirteenth of fourteen posts about our Arctic Tour.

Lahti is a city located in the Päijänne Tavastia region of southern Finland. It is situated on the southern shore of Lake Vesijärvi. The city is known for its strong identity as a center for sports, particularly winter sports, due to the Salpausselkä ridge that runs through the area. This has made it a famous host for the Lahti Ski Games. In recent years, Lahti has also gained recognition for its commitment to environmental sustainability, having been named the European Green Capital. Its location on the main railway line makes it a key transport hub between Helsinki and the north.

Playtime at Laune Family Park

We started our day in Lahti at the Laune Family Park. This is a large public park with numerous activities for children. The first thing Little A saw was the large, inflatable floating balls on the water. These were the kind where a kid could get inside and float around. She really wanted to try and had a few fun minutes crawling around inside the ball, getting it to move around in the small pool. It was a quite sweaty girl that came back out of the plastic ball afterward. This was both from the activity itself, but I can imagine that it was quite hot inside the sealed ball.

We stayed to play in the large playground for some time afterward. Little A was more than happy to run around and explore for a while. It is just not as fun to play alone for a long time. This usually means that she does not really know if she wants to stay and continue playing or if she wants to do something else. After a while, she was ready for a new adventure. The park was a great start to our day in the city.

Lunch in Lahti

After convincing Little A that we should continue and find something for lunch, we headed into the center of Lahti. Here we found a nice Indian restaurant that had a lunch buffet, which was a perfect option for us. Little A has loved Indian food since an earlier trip to Malta when she was only four or five years old. There is something about sharing a tikka masala and dipping the naan bread in the sauce that she finds fascinating. The food was excellent, and it was a pleasant break from the heat outside.

The city center of Lahti has an architectural character that is largely defined by modernist buildings from the mid-20th century. One of the most significant landmarks is the Ristinkirkko (Church of the Cross), which was designed by the world-renowned Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. The city hall, also a key architectural sight, was designed by Eliel Saarinen. The main market square (Lahden kauppatori) is the commercial heart of the city. It hosts a lively market with stalls selling local produce, food, and other goods.

Swimming at Lake Mytäjärvi

Staying in the center of Lahti after lunch was not an option for us. It was far too hot, and we did not want to spend the day inside stores. Instead, we set our target on Lake Mytäjärvi. This is a lake that Susann knew had a small beach. It was not a very long walk from the center, but in this heatwave, it felt like several kilometers to get there. The walk took us through some of the city’s residential areas and green spaces.

We did eventually spend a happy hour at the lake. Little A went for a swim several times. It is so fun to see how she has developed her swimming skills. She has become so confident in the water. We had initially found a spot in the shade. It did not take long, however, before our shady spot was in the full sunshine again as the sun moved across the sky. We all got too restless and decided it was time for a new plan. We wanted ice cream and something cold to drink, something that was hard to find at a small beach without any kiosk.

Ice-Cream at Lahti Harbor

Our search for ice cream took us towards the much larger lake, Vesijärvi. The name of the lake literally translates to “Water Lake.” At the harbor, we did not only find a spot to buy ice cream; we also encountered the Lahti Iron Man competition. We ate our ice cream at the waterfront, enjoying the light breeze from the lake. The activity in the harbor area was intense with the ongoing competition. Luckily, it was only the children’s competition that had started at this time, so it was still easy for us to get around. I cannot imagine competing in that heat; it must have been one of the hottest days of the summer.

The harbor area of Lahti on Lake Vesijärvi has undergone a significant transformation. It was once a busy industrial timber port. It has now been redeveloped into a modern recreational and cultural hub. A key landmark here is the Sibelius Hall, a large concert and congress center known for its excellent acoustics and wooden architecture. The harbor also has a large marina for pleasure boats. The waterfront is lined with numerous restaurants and cafes with large terraces, making it a popular public space, especially during the summer months.

Cooking Reindeer Stew for Dinner

We were eventually picked up by Susann’s father near the harbor. We had had time to visit a grocery store to purchase what we needed to cook the evening’s dinner. We had bought some reindeer meat in Nuorgam, at the northernmost tip of Finland. It was now finally time to try to cook it. Maybe we will post the recipe at a later stage. We should probably cook it at least once more before that to make sure that it was not just a one-time success.

We cooked a stew with the meat and had boiled potatoes as a side. It turned out really good this first time, probably surprising all of us. It was a nice end to our short visit to Lahti. It was eventually time for us to say our goodbyes to Susann’s aunt. We got back in the motorhome and started the drive to the harbor in Naantali. We had a ferry leaving for the Åland Islands early in the morning.

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