The Mökki weekend - Extra

Oh, what a weekend! Such glory, much wow.

After a long crazy week, I truly deserved an easy exit; and what an exit I got. A weekend at Finnish Mökki, in the scenic city of Hämeenlinna, with some of the amazing people Finland has to offer.

Hämeenlinna

My gal pal Noora, my old roommate Virpi and I met at the bus station of Porvoo to go on this wonderful adventure together. After a bus ride to Helsinki we hopped on a train to Hämeenlinna, a small town about an hour north of Helsinki. There we had a nice little stroll through the city whilst the setting sun created a beautiful purple light over the city and it´s lake.

Small hut with hot tub

Afterwards we took a car about 15 minutes outside of Hämeenlinna to the cottage where we would spend the next two days. The cottage was divided into the main house where we would eat and sleep, a small hut with sauna, hot tub and barbecue where we would party at night and one sauna a little further away, to which unfortunately we were missing the key.

Right after arriving we got to know the rest of the group staying with us at the cottage. Our group of 12 people was quite international. With only two Finns, a whole bunch of Germans, some Sri Lankans and two Indians (of which one helped me to write this post) the group was a perfect mix.

On Friday, as well as on Saturday evening we had a delicious barbecue together and then hopped into the hot tub and enjoyed some relaxing time in the sauna. Later that night we played a (very long) round of beer pong and the dance party started, and lasted into the early morning hours.

The next morning, us girls woke up at around 10 and after some coffee and breakfast we left into the cold Finnish October air to explore the nearby lake and surroundings, whilst the guys enjoyed their German breakfast with Weißwurst, pretzel and beer. After our little walk we played some card games and then, at around four it was time to start preparing a nice lunch with mashed potatoes, vegetables, meat balls and some salad. After cleaning up the lunch table it was time for party number two, which, as everyone was of course already a bit tired, only lasted until 4 a.m.

As the next morning was already Sunday, we slept a bit longer and enjoyed a big brunch of tacos and leftovers before starting to clean the whole place.

The amazing people

Before we were taken back to Hämeenlinna, we took a picture of the whole group, to capture this amazing time we had together.

Truly, a lit weekend.

“I felt a pang -- a strange and inexplicable pang that I had never felt before. It was homesickness.

Now, even more than I had earlier when I'd first glimpsed it, I longed to be transported into that quiet little landscape, to walk up the path, to take a key from my pocket and open the cottage door, to sit down by the fireplace, to wrap my arms around myself, and to stay there forever and ever.” 

― Alan Bradley, The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag

-Lotte