Finland

Keith and I debated the word for it. Lucky, blessed, honored, privileged. For the purposes of this post, I will stick with the word lucky. I feel so lucky.

Six years ago, Keith and I traveled to Cambodia. By chance, we caught a taxi with another traveling couple.

 
One of the great things about travel is that you get to meet people, and the new experience is broadened further through the lens of other travelers.

This particular chance connection was especially lucky. I know someone who explains it this way: In the beginning, there was a collection of pots, and these pots fell to the earth and broke into many pieces. These pieces became people.  Now we wander around the world, full of people, and occasionally find someone who comes from the same pot - and there is an easy connection. That is how it is with Antti and Maarit.



Antti and Maarit told us about Finland - about bleu cheese sausages and saunas - and planted a seed in our mind that set such deep roots, we knew we would have to visit. Our opportunity came unexpectedly with plans to visit Israel. It turns out that traveling to Finland first is more economical. And so, with about three weeks notice, we emailed our friends to let them know we would be 'in town', wondering if we could visit.

Their reply was immediate - You are most welcome, no need for a guesthouse. And as is often the case when we travel, we were humbled by hospitality ever since.










I cannot tell you just how fortunate we have been in their hospitality. Whenever you travel, it is best to stay with someone from the country. You see things in a more authentic manner. With Antti and Maarit, we not only saw the big city of Helsinki, but also their home region of Savonlinna.

The town is home to a Swedish built castle when the boarder between Sweden and Russia was less certain. Steam boats sit in the harbor and give tours around the lakes in the day, and work as a hostel at night.

You only get to know a little about someone when you meet them during travel, since everyone is out of their context. For example, we had no idea that our friends were such skilled chefs!



 Each meal has been traditional Finnish, and very new to us! Karelian pies, smoked vendace, cloud berry jam, salmon soup, emmental cheese, Salmiakki and Koskekorva. Attempting to list the menu does our hosts a disservice.

Now let's really talk about lucky.

We heard about Finland's saunas and lakes. We knew our friends were taking us to a family cottage (built, in fact, by Maarit's father). We knew this made us very lucky. We had no idea what a treat we were really in for.

On a peninsula, we were surrounded be glittering water in Finland's midnight sun. Tall birch and spruce trees hug the cottage and offered us shade, good smells, and beautiful scenery. We heard coo-coo birds, and kept our eyes peeled for moose and fresh water seals.

Set amid this paradise was a comparatively unassuming building. A long boardwalk led from the a peer in the water to the structure's doorstep.

Walking up the steps, you smell the deep aroma's of smokey wood. Inside, there is a stove and second level of benches.

At about 160 degrees F, the sauna was perfect. A pale and large wooden spoon allows you to throw water on the stones sitting atop the stove. This sends up a cloud of steam that burns your lips at first. Then it is as though a release valve is hit, and tension pours through your skin, collecting in water droplets at every surface. You go limp, like a lion cub held by the neck in it's mother's jaws. There is nothing like it.


The practice is to warm up in the sauna, jump in the lake, return to the sauna, return to the lake, and repeat. The lake is also a treat. Even late into the night, there is sun, and you can see the steam rising from your body in the cool water. All the sweat is washed away, and you feel cleansed. Fresh.

We tried three different saunas while in Finland - smoke, wood-burning, and electric. Each a treat.

We are so thankful for the time we had with our friends, experiencing the joys of their country that they shared with us six years earlier. They were not exaggerating. It is a wonderful place.

For a little more of the experience, consider these musical introductions:

• The Finnish winners of Eurovision
• A throw back
• And the really good stuff

We are now in the Copenhagen airport, awaiting our flight to Israel.