In the summer 2004, I took my Japanese friend to the Savonlinna Opera Festival. Other than opera, we also attended the Timo Mustakallio Song Competition. The music in an old castle,in the middle of Finnish summer night by a lake was just amazing. It makes a person who does not like opera to love it. We stayed at hotel Pietari Kylliainen, and the location was just excellent. The staff was friendly and informal, and they did not even ask my friend's passport..even she is not Finnish. The breakfast, was really good. I heard they would have moose and so on for dinner....and they said it was good. However, the room was a little bit of a disappoinment. Little worn out and so. Surely clean and tidy, but if you spend more than a night, or much time at the hotel, it is not the most pleasant in decor and condition but the friendliness of the staff and the location maybe compensate for that.
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