International Association of Astacology (IAA)
17th Symposium
August 4-8, 2008
Kuopio, Finland

TRAVEL & TOURISM

Getting to Kuopio is easy: by plane, by train, by bus, by boat or by car. International travelers normally arrive via Helsinki Airport but there is an airport also in Kuopio and connecting flights are readily available. Blue1 and Finnair both have scheduled flights to Kuopio.

Government railway company, VR, will take you to Kuopio or any other place in Finland by train. Some say though that there is only 'trees and lakes, trees and lakes' to be seen on the way, but hey, we still got those! Plenty of trees and lakes to look at. Buses also run from this place to that on a regular basis, both long distance and within Kuopio. Boring? OK, book a ferry trip from one of the inland cities, quite a few of them are connected with lacelike watercourses and you might end in Kuopio! Not enough yet? OK, take a bush walk along beautiful tracks anywhere in Finland.

During the symposium travel is easy. Public transport works and since Kuopio is a small city, anything is walking distance. Buses 4, 21, 23, 24, 25, 29 and 31 leaving from the market place could take you to the campus. These buses could also take you somewhere else (as we got very efficient public transport), just ask the driver for instructions when boarding the bus. Bikes are commonly used here with marvelous bike tracks giving a safe trip among city traffic.

Traveling around Finland and Kuopio after the symposium is a must (if anything after the symposium is anymore a must, but, actually, visiting Sweden should be a must, and even that can be avoided). There is plenty to see in Kuopio, Savo and also Finland and for those interested the fabulous Visit Finland website is recommended.

Lapland is one of the classics for tourists visiting Finland (or Scandinavia if that matters). There is still a chance to experience midnight sun in early August and zillions of arctic mosquitoes if one is lucky. And plenty of reindeer, of course, just to get a hint of why Estonians sometimes call us Finns 'Reindeer'. But beware, there is tendency among tourists from Finland and especially from elsewhere to fall in love with Lapland. We even have a phrase for that: Lapland madness (Loco de Lappi in Latin). There is no known cure for Loco de Lappi (well, you do not want to be cured once you get it).

Countryside with lakes could be worth visiting and if you happen to be invited to summer cottage by a Finn, do not hesitate. Always worth visiting since that is the ultimate place to see into the soul of your Finnish host. Remember: no bathers to sauna and always a naked swim to put the finishing touch to sauna experience.

There is fair chance to meet wildlife including a bear, at least to get a photograph a bear. Some of the locals have had close encounters with wild bears, wolves and even moose while picking berries or mushrooms in forests or when just having a quiet walk there. Not to mention those who lost their scalps while hunting bear and missed the shot.