From a Boutique Hotel to a Spa Hotel

Our 64-mile ride today (Friday) took us from Turku to Karjalohja, Finland. Our lodging in the historic Finnish city of Turku was the Park Hotel, a marvelous boutique hotel. Turku (population 180,000) is the oldest city in Finland, settled in the late 13th century. It was the original capital of Finland before Helsinki took over in 1812. It is the major economic and cultural center of southwestern Finland, and two years ago was designated (together with Tallinn, Estonia) the European Capital of Culture for 2011. It has a beautiful old market hall, built in 1895, that now houses the Turku Food Market, with numerous stalls selling a wide variety of excellent pastries, meats, and fresh produce.

We arrived at our destination hotel today in the late afternoon. Unlike our lodging yesterday, it is a modern hotel that features a health spa. It is situated on a lake in the countryside, with aquatic facilities and activities for families with young children. Tomorrow, we're off to Helsinki.

Park Hotel, boutique hotel in Turku

Our well-appointed room in the Park Hotel. Peter, who fears and hates dogs, initially thought of changing rooms because of the life-size ceramic dog on the window sill, but quickly came to his senses and enjoyed the room.

The old market hall in Turku

Fine food inside the market hall

An outdoor, riverside restaurant in Turku

Bike path, en route from Turku to Karjalohja (though most of our ride was on roads)

Our spa hotel in Karjalohja

Outdoor deck at the hotel