The River Vuoksi runs through Imatra and it�s rapids are the oldest tourist sight in Finland. We wanted to get to know the river very well. So we bought a yellow boat from an old fisherman. "What about the oars and an outboard motor?" asked Paul. But the fisherman said: "I left them back in the 1980�s. You won�t be needing them." (He had also left his hair in the 80�s... what a strange little guy!)
We walked down the river banks only to find out that the rapids were dry! There wasn�t any water at all!
Then I noticed the great dam. "Look Paul, they have harnessed the rapids in order to make some electricity." The rapids get to run freely only in summer time, but only once a day for 15 minutes at a time. It is Imatra�s biggest tourist attraction. They play music like Finlandia Hymn from the speakers as the water roars through the dam.
We understood that we needed to go to the other side of the dam if we want to sail our boat.
Finally! Vuoksi doesn�t freeze in the winter. Even on a very cold weather, when it�s -30 degrees celsius, the river stays open. "So long, we�ll be back at dinner time!"
But then a terrible thing happened. The river was running too fast and the waves were too big! The old yellow boat from the 80' s didn�t do so well at all and it started to sink! "Help! We are drowning! Somebody call 112!"
Luckily the rescuers were quite close. They came full speed and pulled us out of the freezing water.
Miss Paramedic was very beautiful. She told us that we should be more careful: "The water is only 4 degrees celsius. You were lucky that we were so near." I was so worried about Paul, but Miss Paramedic told me that Paul is going to be fine.
In the evening we returned to doll house and warmed up by the fireplace. We enjoyed some hot tea and delicious chocolate cake. "Well, Paul, what do you think about todays adventure?" I asked. "It was the best, Hans! The very best!"
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