So close to Russia...

We're only a couple of hundred metres from Russia, here in this cottage. What does that actually mean then? Well, they're not really visible in this picture, but there are markers in the lake behind Olivia, and it's forbidden to pass these markers, as they mark the border. Our landlord Martti was very firm about this yesterday when he showed the cottage to us. He told us that it's ok to swim close to the shore on our side, but even if we want to go in the rowing boat at all, we need a licence, and for that, we need to produce our passports. With the licence, we are allowed to go as far as the markers, and to fish if we wish. Who has created all these regulations, I asked him. His reply was that it's the rules of the Russians, with a shrug of his shoulders!