With sunny hot weather and blue skies, Port of HaminaKotka welcomed AIDA Cruises’ AIDAbella on Sunday June 15th for her inaugural call in Hamina. The coastal charm of the Eastern Gulf of Finland National Park lured hundreds of people welcoming the port on deck. The guests were welcomed warmly by the local parade girls and our local accordion expert, highly appreciated by the guests when waiting for departure into the city center and organized tours.
The Historic Charm and Unique Experiences of Hamina
Some 2400 guests discovered the enchanting allure of Hamina by walking, bikes, buses and horse-carriage, a world-class fortress town that captivates the aesthete’s senses. Behind the gates of the old wooden city houses, the guests dived into the fascinating past of the fortress town Hamina (est.1653) with all its amazing historic characters. The guests could experience the old-world city life, enjoy pop-up cafeterias and take a short walk around to get to know the unique circular town and its famous star-shaped fortress.
A Day of Historical Exploration and Natural Beauty
Guests visited also Langinkoski Imperial Fishing Lodge. Russian Tsar Alexander III visited the Kymijoki delta at Langinkoski at the end of the 19th century when Finland was a part of the Imperial Russia. He was enchanted by the natural beauty of the place and commenced building a fishing lodge for himself there. It became the favorite destination of the imperial family, a place where they could relax and forget the strict court etiquette and the golden rooms of the Winter Palace in St Petersburg.
Many groups wanted to visit Salpa Line, a defense line that was built during the Interim Peace between the Winter War and the Continuation War to defend Finland from Soviet. With a total length of 1200 km, the Salpa Line is one of Europe’s strongest and best-preserved World War II fortification lines.
On top of history, the day had to offer a lot of nature for the guests, as for example tours to the Kymi River in the forms of rafting and relaxing river cruises, archipelago tours to Island of Tammio and the Svensksund Battle areas. Not forgetting a 50 km in length bike tour in the surroundings of Hamina. One of the many Nature Parks, Valkmusa, was also visited.
It was a very happy day for us all and we welcome AIDAbella back next year!
Cruise Finland has a very good networking program going on with cruise lines and we are very confident for the future. For more information, please visit www.cruisefinland.com
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