When left the lovely Metsäranta campsite on our 9 day roadtrip through the lake region in central Finland (Helsinki-Heinola–Kangasniemi–Lievestuore–Jyväskylä so far), we drove west. We passed the famous and unique church in Petäjävesi but didn’t stop to take pictures because we were hungry.
We stopped for breakkie in Keuruu, and what we saw of the little town made us want to explore it a little more; It was so tidy, there was a nostalgic paddle wheel next to a lovely restaurant, a picturesque blue wooden train station, lovely old wooden houses hosting museums, small design shops and events. Kids also found something they liked to climb on.
When we left Keuruu and drove northwest through a few other small towns, the ones close to Keuruu and Jyväskylä where cute and tidy. If we’d known that it was such a pretty area, we would had stopped for another night but now we had to continue to our main destination on the flat west coast leaving the lakes, hills and forest behind us. Well, as we found that there is more for us to explore in Jyväskylä, when we come back, we may have to spend some time in the surroundings as well .
Free But Fun 
[…] Keuruu, Petäjävesi church […]
Beautiful pictures! You had a 9 day road trip with young kids! Impressive!
Thanks, but it really was more fun than work! I thought it would be tougher but camping was actually in many ways more relaxing than hotels and restaurants, you have it all were youa re and you are not depending on anyone elses schdules, kids can roam/ play close to you and there is loads to play with! Also, we chose not to cover huge distances, we wanted to enjoy more than travel. I’m happy with the choice.
That’s really true since camping is all about doing everything in the camp and campsite. Time is slow and you get to take in every single detail and enjoyment in depth 🙂
Well said, that is how it was! We’ll definitively do more of that. At least Sweden and Norway should be covered by camping (and how many years of travel plans was I looking at again…? 😉 So many places to visit… )
I love that church – so Scandinavian! I’m really enjoying your photos of your road trip and all the small towns along the way.
Glad you like it too!
The first photograph is gorgeous! And how many shots did the kids fire away? 🙂
Haha, at least they tried very hard! Thanks for the compliment 🙂
[…] houses and yards only added to the character. As we continued our road trip from Jyväskylä and Keuruu to Jakobstad to mainly catch up with friends, we didn’t do a lot of sightseeing. We visited […]
You always find such cute places!
How cool to find a little gem hidden away!
Yes! And surprising!
Love the architecture. This place looks very peaceful.
I share your feelings on this one!
The story of travel – always more to explore! But looks like you took some time to slow down at the places you did stop.
The little train station looks nice. Is it a mainline station or a tourist attraction?
I wouldn’t call it a mainline station but it was in use, and not even marketed as a tourist attraction. But it was lovely!
Wow, that red building with the spires is beautiful! So unique looking!
It is quite a famous church because of the unique look!