Mid-Summer Celebration

We just got back from our friend's summer house/cottage and our celebration of Mid-Summer.  We had a fun and educational time, experiencing both Finnish tradition and hospitality.  It was a beautiful drive to the lake...the furthest north either my husband or I have gone.  I had recently wondered about the Finnish countryside as I flew over coming back from vacation.  Everything looked green and lush, and there were lakes from what I could see in the airplane.  Driving to the lake I was able to see it up close for myself.

There were vibrant wildflowers dotting the countryside as we drove, and in just a little over an hour we arrived at our friend's lake house.  I have heard that the Finns disappear to their lakehouses every weekend in the summer, and then during the weeks of July when everybody is off of work.  It is typical in Europe (so I am told) for there to be a month (typically July or August) when the country is "closed down" and people are on vacation.  In Finland it is July.  For the record, I now understand why the Finns disappear to their cottages.  Not far from the city, they are beautiful and quiet and offer the perfect get away from the stresses of work.  Have I metioned that the Finns have the work/life balance thing right?  They do.

So our arrival at the lake was greeted with a warm welcome and a tour of the cottage, sauna house, and toilets.  You wouldn't think that the toilets would be a part of the tour, but they required instruction and were located outside the house.  They were electric, I think.  They burn waste when they are "flushed."  It's rather ingenious, actually....and a little scary...but mostly ingenious.

We were shown around a two story A-frame cabin with two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a main room.  there was sleeping for eight if you used the two pull out sofas.  And no doors.  Did I mention there were no doors?  Very efficient.  And cozy...and wonderful.  The perfect get-away for the weekend.  You'll notice I didn't mention a bathroom.  There was none in the house.

BUT there was a sauna in a separate, smaller cabin.  It had a changing room and a sauna room, and a nice front porch.  There was a barrel for hot water and a barrel for cold in the sauna room, and that was where you could "shower" manually...no running water or shower head, but any port in a storm....

We sat on the deck over looking the water while we waited for the other visiting couple to arrive..they too are American ex-pats.  We were all looking forward to celebrating mid-summer in Finland at a true Finnish summer house with Finns.  And our hosts were perfect.  They were welcoming and eager to share their house and traditions with us.   It looked like rain, and in order to assure we would be able to grill, we reversed the order of our meals and had sausages at lunch time.  Had the weather cooperated we would have started with the more traditional main meal (also grilled if possible) and then capped off the evening with the sausages.   We decided not to reverse the order of the celbratory drinks and enjoyed a perfect bottle of champaign with our noon meal.  After lunch they took us for a walk around the lake to a public accesss beach from where we then rowed a small boat back to the house.  I say "we"...in fact it was my husband who hasn't rowed a boat for decades.  He got me wet; at first it was an accident, then it was just for fun...his fun.  Anyway, it was a nice outing and, aside from the mosquitos (mosquitos are apprarently universal), a perfect start to the days festivities.

Our next experience was the sauna.  They women went first, and yes (for those who are wondering), it was a traditional sauna during which clothing is not worn.  We enjoyed the heat of the sauna and then went for a refreshing swim in the lake (also sans clothes). We then returned to the sauna, enjoyed the heat once again, "showered" and sat on the porch.  It was then the men's turn and the ladies returned to the house to enjoy a refreshing hard cider.  

Traditionally, and not suprisngly, mid-summer is a drinking holiday.  We enjoyed a number of alcoholic beverages, but did not go overboard.  The time came for our evening meal, and we enjoyed a first course of herring (three varieties), salad, and new potatoes. Please note that I use the word "we" loosely and I myself wouldn't touch herring with a ten foot pole.  I'm sure I am missing out on a fabulous treat, but I'm willing to risk it.  Accompanying the first course was a round (or two or three) of schnapps and Finnish drinking songs.  It was a real treat to share in this tradition as our hosts sang the songs and we dutifully downed our shots.  It turns out that we were supposed to sip our shots with all but one of the songs, but I mistakenly drank them all in just one shot...oops.  Anyway, our next course was "meat."   In this case, lamb, and it was perfectly cooked and delicious.  We enjoyed each other's company, stories of our own traditions, and Finnish music.  Everything was perfect.  Finally it was time for bed, and we ll went to our respective sleeping quarters.

In the morning I was the first up and decided to read on the porch.  The lake had a mist rising from it, the birds were singing, and it was a glorious morning.  Soon after I was joined by the others and the wonderful aroma of coffee.  We sat and talked and had a traditional breakfast of bread with lunch meat and cheeses.  Have I ever mentioned that the Finns have an odd concept of breakfast?  They do.  But it was nice, and we slowly wound down the weekend and got ready to drive home.

So that was mid-summer.  A relaxing and fun weekend for all.  My thanks to our hosts, who could not have been more gracious, for welcoming us into their private lives and sharing their traditions with us.  It is an experience we will not forget.