The shoreline of Valaam is one of the most dramatic in the Russian north: smooth granite slabs drop into the cold, clear water of Lake Ladoga, and the view over open water stretches further than you expect from a lake. On calm summer days the surface is glassy; in storms it churns with waves that rival a northern sea.
The monks shaped this shoreline over centuries without clearing the forest — only timber blown down in windstorms was used for construction, preserving the original boreal taiga right to the water's edge. Walking the coastal path in the long midsummer evenings, when it barely gets dark, is an experience particular to this latitude.