If you would’ve told me 2 years ago that I’d move to California, meet an amazing friend from Finland and then go visit her, snap this picture of us in the middle of the Baltic Sea and travel the world together, I wouldn’t have believed you. So glad I made that decision to step out of my comfort zone and G🌎!
These past 3 weeks spent with Emmi have flown by! We took the trip to Amsterdam and then almost a week later, the trip to St. Petersburg. I have wrote two other blog posts about Finland prior to these trips (check ‘em out!), so I figured I needed one more to fill you in on some more Finnish experiences.
A few more of my favorite Finnish adventures included taking a day trip to a cottage on a lake, playing indoor beach volleyball, meeting Emmi’s parents, and attempting to learn how to fly a plane (or at least riding in a two person plane)!
One day, a friend of Emmi’s (Tuomas) offered to take us to his family’s cottage on a lake about an hour drive from Helsinki. On the way there, we first stopped to grab essential ingredients for a Finnish BBQ! Besides the food, it’s also apart of the tradition to get beer for post-sauna.
After roughly an hour long drive, we arrived to the cottage located along a lake and in the middle of a beautiful forest full of birch and various evergreen trees.
Have you ever seen a wood pile so organized?? I thought to myself, “there’s no way a man could have done this.” When I asked Toumas, he said that his grandmother did this as well as cut all of the wood herself! If the wood pile was this organized, you can use your imagination about how the rest of the place looked!
The cottage was built by Tuomas’s grandfather and now the property is maintained by his grandmother. I stood in awe of the place, from the views to designs and decorations and everything in between.
A short walk from the cottage and near the lake, sat a small building that contained the sauna. I watched Tuomas prepare the sauna and then Emmi light it. Then we waited for it to warm up, the usual temperature of the sauna ranges from 80-100 degrees Celsius (based on personal preferences).
The views from the sauna were incredible. I never wanted to leave! Emmi and I used the sauna once the temperature hit about 80 degrees Celsius. We stayed in for about 15 minutes then went and jumped into the lake! The lake water was 20 degrees Celsius and felt amazing after being in the sauna. We did this a few times. I consider this the Finnish way of improving blood circulation.. dilate the blood vessels in the sauna then constrict the vessels by being in the cold water! Talk about rejuvenating!
*On a side note, I mentioned this to Emmi because at one point I told her how I am concerned by the amount of coffee that she drinks. In a way, too much coffee could be harmful since the caffeine constricts blood vessels. Finns actually drink the most amount of coffee in the world per capita! I now see how they remain healthy even through the amount of coffee that they consume- they use the saunas to improve circulation!!
While Emmi and I were improving our circulation in the sauna/lake, Tuomas fired up the grill. I didn’t think anything tasted better after a sauna than a cold long drink (famous gin drink from Finland)… and then we enjoyed the bbq!
Along with amazing Finnish sausages, Tuomas made guacamole, salad and cheese stuffed mushrooms wrapped in bacon! I was in heaven! I was then proceeded by a state of jumitus- a Finnish word for food coma. This was probably one of my favorite days spent in Finland, seeing the countryside and experiencing some typical Finnish traditions.
Many Finnish families have cottages that they visit during the summer, sometimes for weeks at a time. They go for holiday and enjoy the sauna, nature and barbecues. My short amount of time here at the cottage made me wish I was Finnish so I could do the same thing each summer! (Kiitos Tuomas for such an amazing day!)
Since it was so hard to leave the lake cottage, I needed to cope by playing volleyball to help relieve my sad emotions. Luckily, a couple of Emmi’s friends were looking for players to play indoor beach volleyball the next day! Besides three indoor sand volleyball courts, this huge complex also had a rock wall, laser tag, ice hockey and of course, saunas. The four of us played several games over the course of two hours. The sand was beautiful and powder soft but also very deep, making it very challenging to move!
Forever Finding Fantastic Finnish Friends!! I am going to miss these ladies, they were very fun to play with and get to know!
The last hours of my time in Finland were spent with Emmi at her parents house, where she grew up in Nummela, Finland. (About a 30 minute bus ride from Helsinki.) Once we arrived, her parents had a nice meal prepared for us.
I must say, this meal was just as good as our meal at the cottage! Kippis (cheers)!
We then went to explore a nearby forrest and “campfire rock” where there was a beautiful view of a lake.
I didn’t think it was possible to experience any more adventures until a childhood friend of Emmi (Matias) offered to take me on a two person plane ride! I was comforted by the fact that he is a pilot for Finnair (Finland’s largest airline). He actually returned to Finland on a flight from Shanghai earlier in the day (no big deal)!
It was an amazing experience! Matias did a nice job of explaining everything to me first so I knew what to expect. We were able to communicate up in the air with the headsets on, otherwise it was too loud. He even asked me if I wanted to steer the plane! (I didn’t feel like dying on this day, so I chose not to steer this time.) We flew over the town of Nummela and neighboring towns and he pointed out Helsinki as well. Up in the air, I saw beautiful views of the Finnish forrests, fields and more. I am so thankful to have been able to do this! (Kiitos, Matias!)
After the plane ride, we went back to Emmi’s parents house where I went in my last Finnish sauna for awhile. They had eucalyptus oil we put into the water (loyly) and the aroma made it even more enjoyable and relaxing (which I didn’t know was possible). They also had vihta, which is a bouquet of small birch tree branches that Finns use to gently beat their bodies with to also help improve circulation as well as enjoy the smell of the wood. I think I might miss the sauna more than anything! (Going to try and convince my Dad that he needs one!)
The past few weeks have been nothing but a dream, exploring Finland as well as our short trips. I don’t think Finland would have ever been on my list of places to visit had I not met Emmi. (I’m not sure I knew that Finland existed before meeting Emmi!) From meeting new friends to experiencing Finnish traditions and seeing new countries and cultures, I think I’ve learned more in my time abroad than any form of education has ever provided me with. I am so thankful and fortunate for these experiences, I will cherish them forever!
Kiitos Emmi, for an amazing 3 weeks of travel, new experiences and memories to last a lifetime! Looking forward to planning more trips together! #FarewellFinland
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