Tomorrow, we will drive for almost 3 hours northwards to my wife's parent's cottage. Summer cottages are quite common in Finland and there is quite a variation in type. Typically though, it is a collection of small wooden buildings with the main hut sleeping a small family, a woodshed and outdoor toilet and of course a sauna building that often has another bedroom attached.
This is the kind we will visit. It is nice to be there but I would not be the kind of person to own one perhaps as it takes a lot of maintenance considering it is only used in the summer months. My in-laws love it there though and depending on the weather, will be there from May to September, travelling back to their home as needed.
These are quite basic affairs usually but have been getting upgraded to be essentially summer homes in some cases that have all the luxuries of any place. This of course depends on willingness to invest. The most basic I have been in was a tiny place near the Russian border that had electricity and nothing else. There were 6 of us there and it was a fantastic weekend with friends.
This weekend though a lot of rain is expected but hopefully Sunday will be sunny and warm. In that case, we can take the little tinny with a tiny outboard onto the lake and cruise the waters with our daughter. We bought her a pink life-vest and she looks quite adorable in it.
Since I won't have a PC with me, I will be posting from my tablet (when I can) and thought it might be interesting to show some pictures I take there unedited. This will of course depend on the weather a bit, but if dryish, I will definitely go out and explore the lakeside and forests. There are brown bears in the area so I will carry honey with me to feed them as it should make for an awesome picture and I have always wanted to cuddle one.
Cottage life is nice for a couple of days and nights, grilling and having a glass of wine but the 5 or 6 months the parents stay there would send me crazy. Finns are not the most social of animals so for them, it is heaven.
This photo is from a year or two ago of our dog, Viski. This is the best place in the world for him as he can run free and spends most of his time barking in the bushes and sniffing all of the unfamiliar animals that track through there. He likes it so much there that for the first day or two back home, he is a bit depressed when he must go back on a leash.
I am looking forward to seeing how difficult it is going to be there with a baby and minus all of the little comforts that make life easier, like running water. :)
Taraz
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