The stay at the cottage was spent quite differently from the first two weeks, which consisted mainly of driving. We were now in the raw nature of central Finland. Every day, we went “walking with the car,” or took walks in the woods with the kids in the sleds. When we went out with the Jeep, we drove very slowly to get through the snow and ice, and we entered paths and sceneries that were really unbelievable and deserted. The light and the colors produced by the very weak sun played a big role in creating a relaxing and humbling natural experience. This was why we came to Finland, and it was most impressive.
At around 3:15 in the afternoon, it got dark, so the day ended with the same ritual: wood chopping, stove filling, heating the sauna and then entering it, followed by a snow dive (a great and awakening experience!), then doing some cooking, and reading in the evening. This was one of the most relaxing things we had done up to this point.
The end of our journey was near. We had some distance to drive through the lake district in Central Finland to Jyväskylä before continuing further down to catch the ferry back home from Helsinki, which is, by the way, the nicest capital we have ever visited. Whoever fancies Finnish design should really book a shopping trip here.
The stay on the boat back home left us with a lot of time to play with the overwhelming impressions Finland and the Northern regions left us. To know that even today, in modern concrete-filled Europe, similar experiences and nature can be found, was a heart-warming thought. Soon, plans will be made to come back to Finland. Next time, it will be in the summer.
Related – Maine Mountain Adventure
* Published by JPFreek Jeep Adventure Magazine – The leader in Jeep and adventure enthusiast publications.