mountain park Ruskeala has been operating for almost ten years. It was opened for mass visits in 2005. Its creation was sponsored by the travel company "Kolmas Karelia". "Ruskeala" is very popular today. This place has become so famous for a reason. Tens of thousands of tourists visit it every year.

General information

The monument is called "Ruskeala Marble Breaks of the 17th - Early 20th Centuries". At present, the creation of such a complex is a positive and infrequent phenomenon in Russia. This example clearly demonstrates how an object can be revived with private funds. cultural heritage. The place itself is unique. Here it was possible to recreate a rare symbiosis of the work of the past centuries and the natural attractions that Karelia is famous for. "Ruskeala" is a truly unique ensemble. Its natural beauty can be admired at any time of the year.

Special atmosphere

Three quarries were formed here as a result of marble mining. They are located next to the left bank of the Tohmajoki River. The quarries are interconnected by adits. Soon, work on the extraction of stone ceased. The quarries were abandoned. On the site of ancient quarries, picturesque Oni appeared - white marble thickets filled with clear blue-green water. At present, the inactive adits and mines resemble mysterious grottoes and caves.

Local Attractions

The marble quarry "Ruskeala" is the main attraction of the complex. This place is a monument of industrial culture of the XVIII-XX centuries. Ruskeala Park is officially included in the list of cultural heritage Russian Federation. This monument is unique. There is no other such complex anywhere in Europe. This is a kind of man-made "bowl" from a solid marble array. It is pierced by systems of drifts, galleries and mines. Facing blocks were mined here for many architectural structures city ​​of St. Petersburg. The majestic St. Isaac's Cathedral is also no exception. A variety of buildings were decorated with Ruskeala marble. It has a stunning color: white with greenish flashes. Some metro stations are still decorated with this marble.

Quarry marble "Ruskeala"

Its length is about four hundred and fifty meters. It's pretty deep. The quarry is currently flooded. Water rises to the upper underground horizon. The Finns did this before the war began in the 40s. Most of the adits that were formed in the first half of the last century are under water. Only one of them is located above this level. This adit was formed in the bowels mountain ranges in the 30s. A path was built inside it, along which trolleys with marble moved. It is connected to shaft No. 2. It was along it that the workers moved. The mine goes deep into the mountain at a distance of about two hundred meters. mound railway, along which the trolleys moved, is still preserved.

picturesque views

Outwardly, the marble quarry "Ruskeala" makes a tremendous impression. Gray-white rocks descend down to its heavily indented shores. Rocks go deep into a huge distance. There is a regular excursion to Ruskeala. The canyon has its own pier. Here guests can use the rental service and take a boat. While traveling on it, you can look at the canyon from the water. A certain part of the blocks hangs over this space at a negative angle. Travelers can also admire the views of the grottoes. They were formed in sheer cliffs. The play of light on the marble ceiling attracts the eyes of tourists for a long time. The grottoes really look very picturesque. White and vaults are reflected in the calm water surface.

Precautionary measures

There are also dry adits here. However, tourists are strictly forbidden to visit them. This requires the support of a geologist. The heat outside means that the marble adit is cold. You can feel the dankness as you go deeper into the layer. It's hard to imagine what it was like working here. The Quarry Board provided some data from that time. During peak periods, mining was carried out year-round. The drilling process did not stop day or night.

Fundamental differences

There is the main, most famous and visited quarry "Ruskeala". Around it were located several more abandoned ones. Currently, activities are underway to develop them. Most quarries are different from each other. This applies not only to the types of coasts. This also applies to the color of the water. For example, in one career it may be gray, and in another - blue. The main one is slightly different from the rest. The water in this quarry is bluish-green in color. Over time, the walls here have darkened and weathered. This happened during the time when there were no developments in the quarries. However, this does not prevent tourists from seeing their true color. It can be observed on freshly chipped marble pieces. They are quite common. The old "block" quarry is special in this respect. Here you can see the most striking manifestations of picturesque stone. It was in this quarry that marble was mined in large blocks.

Underground research

The speleological commission of St. Petersburg was engaged in the development of a multi-year expeditionary project. It is called "Underground Karelia". Speleologists were engaged in the study in 2010. The mountain park "Ruskeala" and the Marble failure became the main objects of research. The latter is located very close to the place where the main excursion route by the complex.

Features of the complex

In winter, the marble quarry "Ruskeala" looks no less attractive. At this time of the year, the lake is covered with ice. Therefore, it is very easy to get to the mysterious grottoes and adits. One of these places is called musical for its unusual acoustic properties. In winter, "Ruskeala failure" strikes with its magnificence.

It becomes like an ice castle, the columns of which have the most bizarre shapes. There is art lighting here. It helps the majestic canyon to light up bright colors with the onset of darkness. Marble Quarry (Karelia) (a map of the area is given in the article) is a favorite place where divers love to conduct their training. As a rule, they do this in the most remote corners of the quarry, so they do not interfere with the bulk of visitors at all. Several quarries are flooded here. The adits connecting them also ended up in the water. The Ruskeala canyon (the map clearly demonstrates this) included only three functioning underground horizons that were used for mining. Diving enthusiasts will find this place paradise. Tempting labyrinths will not leave anyone indifferent. At the very bottom of the canyon, some equipment is still preserved. For example, motorcycles, cars and even a crane. All this attracts those who are engaged in techno diving. The water here is clear. Muti is practically non-existent. Aquatic vegetation is also absent. In autumn, however, leaves that drop birch trees can fly.

Local staff keep the marble quarry "Ruskeala" clean. Workers periodically make trips to the lake and clean it of debris. Everywhere there are traces of people: papers, plastic bottles and the like. However, visitors litter quite a bit. The guests must be mesmerized by the majestic beauty of the flooded quarry. Pollute the picturesque Mountain Lake conscience does not allow. In the territory mountain park not only ancient ones have been preserved. Other historical objects are also located here. For example, old administrative building. It is made in the style of classicism. The building is entirely made of Ruskeala marble. On the territory of the complex there are monuments of industrial architecture of the XIX century. They are kilns that were designed for burning lime. Their brick pipes are conical in shape. The existing quarry will also be of interest to tourists. You can watch the process of mining large marble blocks. Currently, these objects are not included in the mountain park. For this reason, they are poorly adapted for tourist excursions.

"Ruskeala" (recreation center). General information

Here guests will find a lot of positive emotions. The complex is located in the Sortavala region. This is southern part Karelia. From St. Petersburg to this place about three hundred kilometers. The Ruskeala complex, the photo of which is presented in the article, can receive guests all year round. The base is equipped with everything necessary for their comfortable stay. The rooms can accommodate from two to eight people. There are special rooms for honeymooners and families with children. Together with parents, a child, even an infant, can be accommodated here.

Entertainment

Guests can organize a picnic on site. Barbecue available. Guests can bake fish and cook kebabs. Wood burning sauna available for rent. It is located on the shore of the lake. On the basis of "Ruskeala" a rather extensive program for vacationers has been developed. For example, you can safely go fishing, visit Lake Valaam or see waterfalls and friendly and polite staff work at the camp site. Even if guests are not prepared for fishing, they can get bait, tackle and even professional fishing advice.

Where is the attraction located?

The features of the Ruskeala marble quarry are described above. How to get to this place? You can go through Priozersk from St. Petersburg by car. The path will run through Sortavala along the A-129 highway. In the city itself, you should go along the main road towards Petrozavodsk. From Sortavala, at the 10th km, there will be a turn to the A-130 highway. After Priozersk, a rather winding road begins. Total time, which will have to be spent on the whole journey - 4-5 hours.

The Republic of Karelia is located in Northern Europe, on the border between Russia and Finland. It is called the center of wooden architecture, the pantry of mushrooms and the most mysterious edge in Russia. Lots of things have been done here beautiful photos, but they are not able to convey the whole gamut of feelings that these places evoke in the traveler. Fabulous taiga forests, transparent lakes, virgin nature, an abundance of historical and architectural monuments - all this must be seen with your own eyes.

Mount Vottovaara

In the central part of the republic, 20 kilometers southeast of the village of Sukkozero, there is a curious place - Mount Vottovaara, the most high peak West Karelian Upland (417 meters).

Locals call this place of power Death Mountain and consider it a portal to other world- here an anomalous effect on electrical equipment, nature, and the human body is noted. The dead silence, as well as the depressing sight of trees bent, broken by the wind and blackened after the fire, enhance the ominous feeling.

In 1978, a complex of ancient cult seids was discovered on the mountain - stones-boulders of a run-in form, located in groups. At the same time, huge blocks lie on smaller ones, creating the impression of stones on legs.

Also on Vottovaara there is a mysterious staircase to the sky - 13 steps carved into the rock, ending in an abyss.

Mount Kivakkatunturi

located in national park Paanajärvi, in the Loukhi district. The height of the mountain is 499 meters, and the name is translated from Finnish as “stone woman” – at the top there are many seids, one of which resembles the head of an old woman.

The ascent to Kivakka is quite easy and takes 1-2 hours - in addition to the trodden path, wooden beams are laid for the convenience of tourists. When climbing, you can see around the landscape features characteristic of these places - hanging swamps and high-altitude lakes lying on the slopes of the mountain and indicating the water content of the rock.

The beauty of Paanajärvi Park is clearly visible from the open top. This place becomes especially picturesque with the advent of autumn, when the plants paint the mountain in yellow-crimson colors.

Ruskeala Mountain Park (Marble Canyon)

The basis of this tourist complex in the Sortavala region of Karelia is a former marble quarry. The blocks mined here were used for facing the palaces and cathedrals of St. Petersburg and other Russian cities. Now these quarries have turned into man-made marble bowls filled with the purest water and cut through by a system of shafts and adits resembling mysterious caves and grottoes.

The mountain park is 450 meters long and about 100 meters wide. It is equipped for tourists - footpaths have been cleared, viewing platforms, there is parking for cars, boat rental. It is from the water that the most impressive views of the surrounding rocks, up to 20 meters high, open up. Also on the boat you can swim into the marble grotto and admire the bizarre reflection of water in the translucent vaults.

Marble Canyon Caves

No less curious are the mines and adits of the quarry, where you can get on a guided tour. Most of these caves were flooded, but there are also dry ones - the higher the air temperature on the surface, the more deadly cold is felt here.

For the unique acoustics, one of these grottoes is called Musical. However, Proval Cave is of the greatest interest, in the roof of which a hole 20 by 30 meters in size was formed. Another name for the Gap is the Hall of the Mountain King or ice cave It is best to descend into it during the cold season, when the 30-meter water column in the grotto is hidden under ice. Drops flowing from the arches formed numerous ice stalactites and stalagmites, the beauty of which is emphasized by the backlight.

Ruskeala waterfalls (Akhvenkoski waterfalls)

Not far from the village of Ruskeala, where the Tokhmajoki River is divided into several branches, there are 4 small waterfalls. Falling from rocky ledges 3-4 meters high, kvass-colored water foams and rumbles.

The area around is ennobled, there are wooden gazebos, a cafe, a souvenir shop. Once upon a time, the films “The Dawns Here Are Quiet”, “The Dark World” were filmed in these places, now kayaking (canoeing) is carried out along the Tohmajoki River, overcoming waterfalls.

Paanajärvi National Park

This corner wildlife It is located in the north-west of Karelia, in its most elevated part and occupies about 103 thousand hectares. The park owes its name to unique lake Paanajärvi, which arose in the faults of rocks, the boundaries of the park run along the line of this lake and the Olanga River.

The landscapes here are picturesque and diverse - Mountain peaks alternate with gorges, turbulent rivers and noisy waterfalls coexist with the calm expanse of lakes.

The park contains the most high point Republic - Mount Nourunen. Here you can also see the Kivakkakoski waterfall - one of the largest and most powerful in Karelia.

Daylight hours in winter are very short - from the end of August you can observe the northern lights. But in summer the sun sets only for 2-3 hours - it's time for white nights.

National Park "Kalevalsky"

This park was created in the extreme west of Karelia in 2006 to preserve one of the last old-growth massifs in Europe. pine forests. On the territory of 74 thousand hectares, pines occupy about 70%, the age of many trees reaches 400-450 years.

For thousands of years, these places have been an unchanging habitat for various species of animals and plants, and the virgin beauty of the forests fascinates even now. In the park you can see many large rivers with picturesque waterfalls, deep clean lakes.

There are also several villages here - Voknavolok is considered the cradle of Karelian and Finnish cultures, where the songs of the Kalevala epic were born, many historical and cultural monuments have been preserved in Sudnozero, and Panozero is considered one of the oldest settlements in the region.

Body archipelago

It is a group of 16 small islands in the White Sea, near the city of Kem. In order to preserve the unique landscape and the diversity of flora and fauna, the state landscape reserve "Kuzova" was created here. Now there are special places for visiting tourists on 3 islands - Russian Body, German Body and Chernetsky.

In addition to the beauties of the surrounding nature, the archipelago attracts with an abundance of seids, labyrinths, ancient sites of people from the Mesolithic and Bronze Ages, and religious buildings. The islands are shrouded in many legends and are still a mystery to historians and archaeologists.

Girvas volcano crater

AT small village Girvas in the Kondopoga region of Karelia is the oldest surviving volcano crater in the world, its age is about 2.5 billion years.

Previously, the full-flowing Suna River flowed here, but after the construction of a dam for a hydroelectric power station, its channel was drained, and the water was released along a different path, and now petrified lava flows are clearly visible in the half-empty canyon. The crater itself does not protrude above the ground, but is a depression filled with water.

Waterfall Kivach

Translated from Finnish, the name of the waterfall means "powerful", "swift". It is located on the Suna River and is the fourth largest flat waterfall in Europe. Kivach consists of four rapids with a total height of 10.7 meters, of which the sheer drop of water is 8 meters.

Due to the construction of a hydroelectric power station in this area, there was a large outflow of water, which somewhat reduced the attractiveness of the waterfall. best time spring is considered to be a visit to this attraction, when the Suna is gaining strength, feeding on melt water. In 1931, the State nature reserve"Kivach".

Waterfall White Bridges (Yukankoski)

This waterfall, located on the Kulismajoki River in the Pitkyaranta region of the republic, is one of the highest and most beautiful in Karelia and reaches about 18 meters in height. In summer, the water in the river warms up well, which allows you to swim in it and stand under the falling streams of water.

In 1999, on the territory adjacent to the waterfall, a hydrological nature monument "White Bridges" was established, the area of ​​​​which is 87.9 hectares. Due to its location in the forest, away from the highway, Yukankoski is not very popular with travelers.

Martial waters

This name is given to a balneological and mud resort, as well as a village in the Kondopoga region. The resort was founded by Peter I in 1719 and is the first in Russia.

There are 4 wells here, from which mineral water, their main feature is the amount of iron, which is greater than in other sources in Russia and abroad. In each source, the concentration of iron is different, and the waters also contain calcium, magnesium, manganese, and sodium.

Sapropelic silt sulfide muds extracted from the bottom of Lake Gabozero also have healing properties.

The resort is visited for the treatment of diseases of the blood, cardiovascular, digestive, genitourinary and musculoskeletal systems, respiratory organs. Here, according to the project of Peter I, the Church of St. Peter the Apostle was built, and opposite the temple is the building of the local history museum "Marcial Waters".

Valaam Island

The name of the island translates as " high ground"- it is the largest of the islands of the Valaam archipelago, located in the north of Lake Ladoga.

Every year Valaam attracts thousands of tourists - its rocky territory 9.6 kilometers long and 7.8 kilometers wide is covered with coniferous forests, large and small inland lakes, indented by numerous channels, bays and bays.

Here is the village of Valaam and a monument of Russian architecture - the Valaam Stauropegial monastery with many sketes (buildings located in hard-to-reach places).

Good Spirit Island

This island, located on Voronye Lake, is not marked on any geographical map, for which it is often called Karelian Shambhala. You can get to it while rafting down the Okhta River and only with the help of the tips of the guides.

The place is a paradise for the traveler and is famous for its convenient parking areas, excellent fishing and picturesque surroundings. However, most of all people are attracted by the abundance of wooden handicrafts on the island - real museum under open sky created by the hands of tourists. Some items date back to the 70s of the last century. According to legend, this place is inhabited by spirits that guard the island and inhabit every craft, bringing good luck to its maker.

Solovetsky Islands

This archipelago, which includes more than 100 islands, occupies 347 square kilometers and is the largest in the White Sea. It is located at the entrance to the Onega Bay and is included in the specially protected protected area.

Here is the Solovetsky Monastery with many churches, Maritime Museum, the airport, Botanical Garden, ancient stone labyrinths and a whole system of channels through which you can go by boat.

Near Cape Beluga lives the White Sea beluga whale - a white whale. Beautiful nature and the abundance of historical and architectural monuments attract many excursion groups to these places.

Lake Pisan

This reservoir is located in the central part of the Republic of Karelia, and has tectonic origin- the lake was formed as a result of a break in the earth's crust, as clearly evidenced by the symmetry of its shores. The name of the lake is translated as "the longest" - occupying up to 200 meters in width, it extends for 5 kilometers in length. In some places, the depth exceeds 200 meters.

On the northern shore of the reservoir there are parking lots, convenient places for fishing and launching boats. When moving south, the banks become higher, forming a gorge with rocks rising 100 meters above the water. Virgin nature, silence and absence nearby settlements make this place especially attractive for lovers of solitude.

White Sea

This inland sea, located in the north of the European part of Russia, belongs to the Arctic Ocean basin and has an area of ​​90 square kilometers. Due to the cold water even in summer (up to 20 degrees), there is not too much tourist flow on the White Sea, and nature in many places remains untouched.

On the islands of the sea coast, blueberries and mushrooms grow abundantly, in the water you can see jellyfish, fish, seals and beluga whales. A unique spectacle is the seabed after low tides - it is filled with a variety of living organisms.

Lake Ladoga (Ladoga)

It is located in Karelia and the Leningrad region and is the largest fresh water reservoir in Europe - the length of the lake is 219, and the maximum width is 138 kilometers. northern shores high and rocky, with many bays, peninsulas, large and small islands; South coast- shallow, with an abundance of rocky reefs.

Along the Ladoga is a large number of settlements, ports and recreation centers, numerous ships glide along the water surface. Numerous historical finds from different eras have been found at the bottom of the lake, and even now these places are popular among diving enthusiasts. Mirages and brontides also occur here - a rumble coming from the lake, accompanied by the seething of water or weak vibrations of the earth.

Lake Onega (Onego)

This lake is called the younger sister of the great Ladoga - it is the second largest fresh water body in Europe. There are more than 1,500 islands of various sizes on the territory of Onego, dozens of ports and marinas are located on the shores, and the Onego Sailing Regatta is held annually.

The water in the lake is clean and transparent thanks to the mineral shungite, which is literally lined with the bottom. In addition to fish, there is a bivalve mollusk that grows mother-of-pearl balls of pearls in its shell.

Taiga forests rich in mushrooms and berries, the charm of northern nature, a huge number of historical, architectural, and folk art monuments attract many tourists to these places.

Onega petroglyphs

On the east coast Lake Onega in the Pudozh region of Karelia are located ancient cave drawings dating back to the 4th-3rd millennium BC. They are collected in 24 separate groups and cover an area of ​​20 kilometers, more than half of the petroglyphs are located on the capes Peri Nos, Besov Nos and Kladovets.

In total, about 1100 images and signs are carved into the rocks, mainly drawings of birds (especially swans), forest animals, people and boats. Some petroglyphs are up to 4 meters in size.

Among the mystical figures is the mysterious triad "demon, catfish (burbot) and otter (lizard)." In order to neutralize this evil, around the 15th century, the monks of the Murom Holy Assumption Monastery knocked out a Christian cross over the image.

Kinerma village

The name of this ancient Karelian village, lost in the Pryazha region, is translated as "precious land". The settlement, founded over 400 years ago, has up to two dozen houses, half of which are architectural monuments. The buildings are located in a circle, in the center of which is the chapel of the Smolensk Mother of God and the old cemetery.

More recently, the fate of the village was in question, only 1 person lived here permanently. However, thanks to the efforts of local residents, it was possible to restore buildings, improve life, and attract tourists. For the preservation of the historical appearance of Kinerma, it was recognized as a complex monument of the wooden folk architecture of the Karelian Livviks. She also won the competition "The most beautiful village Russia".

Museum-Reserve "Kizhi"

The main part of this unique open-air museum is located on Kizhi Island in Lake Onega. The heart of the collection is the ensemble "Kizhi Pogost", consisting of the 22-domed wooden Church of the Transfiguration, the smaller Church of the Intercession and the bell tower uniting them, now the complex is included in the List world heritage UNESCO.

The museum is constantly replenished with chapels, houses, icons, household items, outbuildings brought from the surrounding Karelian, Russian and Vepsian villages, it also presents a number of historical objects of Zaonezhie and Petrozavodsk.

Assumption Church

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is located in the city of Kondopoga, on the shores of Lake Onega. The church was built in 1774 in memory of the peasants who died during the Kizhi uprising (1769-1771).

With a height of 42 meters, it became the tallest wooden church in Karelia. The interior decoration has survived to this day and, with its modesty, contrasts with rich modern temples.

A visit to the Assumption Church is not included in the list of mandatory routes, there is no invasion of tourists, but newlyweds get married and baptize children locals. It is worth coming here for the sake of the surrounding beauty and the special atmosphere of this place.

Last year alone, forests were restored in Russia on more than 900,000 hectares. In total, almost 80 million trees were planted as part of large-scale environmental campaigns. Vladimir Putin spoke about the importance of nature conservation in his address to the Federal Assembly.

The President set the task of achieving high environmental performance throughout the country. The quality of life of people depends on them. The preservation of unique natural systems and the creation of new reserves will help the development of ecotourism.

A good example of how abandoned objects find a second life is in Karelia. They put in order the deposit of marble, from which in the 18th century they began to extract stone for the main construction projects of the country. Now life is in full swing again in the mines - tourists are led along them.

Where a century ago loaded trolleys rumbled to the top, the silence is now broken only by the timid steps of tourists and the murmur of spring waters. Journey into the depths of the marble mountain through an adit, the walls of which breathe history.

The same Karelian marble, which was so valued by Russian emperors. It was they who faced the famous St. Isaac's Cathedral, the floors of Kazan were laid out from it. The path of Ruskeala marble leads to the palaces and metro stations of St. Petersburg. But in the twentieth century, the careers of the time of Catherine II were abandoned. And only in the 2000s speleologists came here to revive history.

“More recently, we would not have been able to go further, there was a huge blockage, more than a hundred cubic meters in volume, and we had to start dismantling it manually,” said Anton Yushko, chairman of the eco-efficient tourism commission of the Leningrad branch of the Russian Geographical Society.

Hundreds of meters of a gloomy dungeon lead to the Great Columned Hall. Further, the path is only along special floating paths. Once marble was taken out of here through adits, now it is a giant half-flooded cave.

The route under the marble vaults of the dungeon is like a journey into a fairy tale. Here northern lights the reflection of the water surface shimmers, through which the outlines of marble columns are visible. Groundwater waterfalls fall from above, and where part of the cave ceiling once collapsed, now snow falls like a fluffy carpet.

“You get such emotions, you get distracted from everything, you focus on the sound of water, on the backlight. Even the fact that we are wearing helmets and life jackets is already unusual, ”Oleg Vakulov, a tourist from Finland, shared his impressions.

And also to the cave of the mountain king or the kingdom of the snow queen, which just does not draw the imagination of tourists. There are whole legends about the place where the usual development of the deposit was carried out.

“The story about Kolchak's gold, which supposedly lies at the bottom here. Even that was the story. we have not found the treasure yet, but what we see is also a kind of treasure - a message from the past, and our task is to preserve all this," Anton Yushko, chairman of the eco-efficient tourism commission of the Leningrad branch of the Russian Geographical Society, emphasized.

In marble adits, scientists plan to deploy an underground laboratory. Hydrologists, geologists will study the caves. But how many there are, no one still knows. The secrets of the Ruskeala deposit are hidden under water.

The depth of the underground lake is about 13 meters, and, as the researchers assure, there are three more lower levels below us. The tunnel system goes deep into the earth, at least 40 meters, but it is impossible to get to them: all the entrances are either flooded or littered with fragments of stone.

Divers try to look into the depths every year. But no one has yet been able to reach the very bottom of the deposit. But abandoned from above marble quarries already live new life concerts are regularly held here. Italian opera or piano: in the canyon, instead of the roar of drilling equipment in these mysterious places now the music is playing.

Having slept to the sound of birds singing, we decided to go straight to Ruskeala and thought to find a cafe there and have breakfast, remembering that some eateries are indicated on the official website (http://ruskeala.info/ru). But! Sitting in the car, once again looking at the information on the site, I (as already an expert on Sortavala !!!) realized that there are food stalls that are located in Sortavala, and not in Ruskeala. It would be great to drive there more than 30 km in the hope of eating, and not finding anything on the spot - to go back to Sortavala for food. For a hungry family is generally not suitable for receiving impressions, by no means.

And because it was already about 12, then we missed breakfast, but still went there. The restaurant at the hotel was still closed, but they had already let us in and started serving us. The restaurant is expensive, yes. But pasta, pancakes, potato pancakes and dumplings are at quite normal prices, and VERY tasty. And the portions are normal, I would even say huge .. (we had almost enough until the evening), and the coffee with compote is excellent. In general, we ate and went to Ruskeala.

Road to Ruskeala.

The first 10 km is a good road. Beautiful and again - serpentine.

Local architectural beauties. (well, I'm serious! - the beauty of the same). People with humor, apparently ..

The last 20 km to Ruskeala is a bad road. And in some places it is very bad, you have to drive VERY slowly and carefully, because there are pits, and deep at every step.

And either a hurricane passed through the forest, or something else happened. A strange sight.

Suddenly beauty opened before us! These are the Ahinkoski waterfalls. We did not go on the route, because the crowds of people who arrived on several tourist buses did not inspire us. Therefore, only shots “from the shore”.

Roaring loud..

Marble canyon and caves in Ruskeala.

We've arrived. We got into a large parking lot. In front of the entrance to the park - everything is touristy - parking, ticket office, souvenir shops, cafes - yeah, cafes with burgers and even with gates - i.e. there is a place to eat, and excellent toilets. The tourist infrastructure is being rebuilt - everything is nice and thoughtful. We have finally begun to think and act as we should.

Went for tickets. If you just take a walk in the park - then 300 rubles for adults, for schoolchildren and students - cheaper. But + 10% for holidays and weekends. But we also wanted to go to the cave, which is quite expensive. 1200 adult, 700 student, 600 school ticket. and + 10% for the weekend .. Hellishly expensive, of course. But since we have arrived, we go everywhere. Into the caves organized excursion, you can't do it on your own. Lasts about an hour. Quite interesting and beautiful.

Yes, in the caves year-round 6 degrees above zero, and damp .. Therefore, warm up, especially shoes! All heads are required to wear helmets. (Under them - disposable caps). Everything has been thought of.

It is necessary to go along such dark and low corridors. They warn - if someone is scared, uncomfortable, bad (after all, the caves are underground) - the group is accompanied, in addition to the guide, by a specially trained person who will bring out the one who is sick.

You walk like that, and there are kilotons of stones above you ..

AT great hall all sorts of "tourist lures" - ice sculptures and colored lights. This year Isaac. In human growth, probably.

Shimmers in different colors.

It's still early spring here.