Non-season of Finnish happiness
Yes, I love this country and her wonderful, kind, hardworking and friendly people. I love Finns and Laps, Swedish Finns and Finnish Swedes. And most of all I love them for the fact that they are kindly referring to their nature. The same north, as we do, but much more well-groomed, smoothed and, in the cities and suburbs, home-grown, in the truest sense of the word. I love Finns for clean forests, clean lakes, clean fishing and clean hunt, for keeping and nobody will give to the confusion all that we call nature with a capital letter.
I sometimes seems to me that the Finns love their nature as a bride, mother or as a good wife. For them in nature, there is a life-minded women’s start, and they believe that it is not entitled to pay this love to anyone. Love for nature they are inherited by sons and daughters. And those – almost at the genetic level – transmit it to their children. I wish you to learn!
But if Finns think that Finland is one and only they have, they are deeply mistaken. Finland has everyone! I, in any case, is "own" Finland.
By the way, Finland is not Helsinki. This small city in all European standards (the population of the whole half a million people) is good and comfortable and reminds the reduced, but well-groomed St. Petersburg. This city almost leaned me smoking. Not so that in the overnight I became nicotine abstine. No! I’m smoking to this day. Tube. But I strictly remember how one day at the International Airport of the Finnish capital I was in "Union zone". Cube seven seven meters sizes, plastic bedspreads, stood right in the center of the international transit waiting room. Inside the powerful hood was arranged. Outside the cube sat down non-smoking. We were inside there was a five-six person. All smoke, seals beer. And I including. And all non-smoking outside Cuba looked at us, as on lepers. But I thought: and maybe it is in FIG, all this tobacco dependence? A.
But did not throw smoking. But I understood why so many non-smoking among the Finns. They were among the first in Europe in Europe for the purity of their own land.
To understand how they are all arranged, in Finland it is necessary "Go to the village". Lead at least 50-70 kilometers from the capital. Only then will you open all the beauties of the countries of many thousands of lakes. By the way, the Finns themselves do not know how many lakes they have. According to one data, 180 thousand, on other – thousand two hundred. On one of these lakes, we visited. Lived there for a whole week. In Neszon. Naeson is the best time to explore Finland. This means – from October to January. Although it is possible to calculate: if the ice on the lakes will firmly rise in early December, then "not a season" It will end and the winter-catching season will begin. And here the Finnish homes and holiday houses are filled to refusal. Finns love to relax in their own country and in the summer, and in winter, and in terms of trendy fishing, they are equal at all.
For study "rural" Finland me a feat of a long-term friend seppo. He loves his country as a better friend or a new wife. In their own "For sixty" He knows Finland, which is called, from the crust to crust, along and across, from the north to south and from the south to the north: he has been led by the best for fishing lakes, and the best farms where the cranberries and mushrooms are collecting, and the best place in Lapland, where they smoke venison, and the best markets where you can buy smoked "Silac", In our opinion – Salak or Kopchushka. In general, Seppo knows everything. And on his advice, I went to Finland – or on fishing, whether mushrooms. From the Leningrad Station, through the Vyborg, then a car with two buddies to Helsinki.
The best, by the way to say, the way to open Finland – it is by car. Although trains with buses will take you to any place, including the polar circle.
First, naturally, we stayed in Helsinki, from where we went "tips" to seppo – in the western suburb of Helsinki, kilometers 20 from the center.
Seppo was Couner. At first, with his pretty wife, they treated us with local delicacies, to the number of which treated: fish, baked and smoked, including codburn sow (such a Christmas in Finland), tamper blood sausage, traditional Karelian pies with rice and potatoes. And all this culinary well-demanded, he demanded to drink the best of Finnish vodok – "Kostenkorva". And this vodka he gave us to drink. you can’t even call it a glass. Such a glass "tee" – Capacity of three lafiters connected to each other in the form of a star on the principle of reporting vessels. 40 grams each. Each lafit schools seem to be small in itself: Drink, and in all levels slightly decreases. But the fact is that in all three – more than one hundred grams! And do not drink – you can’t leave the Finnish table.
– so drank Finnish knights, – said Seppo. – need to drink to the bottom!
– And where, in fact, you have knights? – I asked a little tongue. – Personally, I do not remember any Finnish knights.
– We had a knights! – Seppo breasts knocked himself. And added: – Another one!
– To us to the filmed house to cut another kilometers fifty! – We prayed.
– from me to your domical police will not be. And if you are calling me, – Seppo said strictly. And we went.
Police really was not.
In the house we were waiting for us. Old Finn with his wife, nor a word not understood in English. We could only say in Finnish "Kiitos", What means "thanks", And back "Helsinki" and "Mannerheim". Nevertheless, everyone understood each other. Since the house was removed in advance, with filing the same seppo. Actually rent a house in Finland, in any area of the country, the case is completely trifling. The procedure for issuing documents in the travel agency will take 20-30 minutes (now it can be done via the Internet). There is, however, a few "but".
First, it should be remembered that in season, about the end of May to September, find a free house is not so easy. Therefore, take care of hired housing at this time you need for three months. In June, when all Finland breaks down and celebrates Ivan Khapov, it’s even harder. In July, or rather from the 21st, when the traditional season of catching crayfish starts, it is also not easy. Well, in August and September, the Finns collect mushrooms, berries and catch fish (remember that for fishing in any freshwater reservoir, you need a license, to purchase which you can either in all the same turbuo, or in any post office – quite cheap: 20 euros ).
Secondly, and perhaps this is the most important thing, you must first choose "place stand". And this, I am talking to you, it’s some kind of difficult! In any travel agency, you will be given a volumetric volume with the proposal of Finnish holiday houses. And here it begins pure migraine. For example, looking through such a folio, I felt like a mosquito on a nudist beach: the bodies are so much that you don’t know what to write. Here are the photos of houses, and their detailed layout, and the description of the sauna (inside the house or next to it), and the distance from the house and / or the sauna to the nearest lake or the sea – from two meters to hundreds, and information about where is located Toilet, and whether the house is to the wood or gas, with a fireplace or without without, whether hot water is connected to the sauna or it is necessary to warm right in the bath (traditionalists do not recognize any hot soul), is it attached to the contract for hiring a boat (with a motor or without), is there a kebab site (if anyone likes – for a barbecue), is there a smokehouse for fish, dryers for mushrooms, at what distance is the nearest city or town, is there a microwave, forks, spoons, knives, cups and glasses in the kitchen , dishwasher, and in the house bar, television (with or without cable), video and radio, phone. U-F-F-F! In short, we have our own temporary guide "Finnish phasenda" Chose a whole day. By midnight came together on five "Candidates", almost crushed and saved only by the fact that they threw the lot.
Since it was at the very beginning of November, all this Finnish house designed for eight people (and we were only three) – four bedrooms, plus a living room with a fireplace and a porch (10 meters for three, with sun loungers, in which we got pretty comfortable In the evenings), overlooking the lake – I went around for a week of $ 600. Quite a bit, if you consider the sauna, outdoor firewood, a kitchen with a gas stove, microwave and all causes, including a food processor, underwear, warm blankets, a TV, a boat (though without a motor) and a long-term fishing license.
True, there were 70 meters from the sauna to the lake (and from the house to the sauna of meters 25), and all down the hill covered with pines. Yes, and hot water in the sauna was not. There was no soul there, but we, remember the instructions of the Finnish connoisseurs of this wonderful procedure, raged the water themselves. And dipped out. Oh, how we dipped! Not in the lake – too far: until you come to – freeze, and on the way back – you will frozen doubly. No, we jumped (here are the forensic Finns!) In an immense wooden barrel, which stood right at the porch of the sauna. From the porch in the barrel, a wooden staircase was descended, crowned with the wooden platform "For jumping". From the creepy type of rubber pipe in this giant construction flowed Pure lake water. Ice – that year the weather was excellently cold. But any amateur shake will tell you straight, which is more happiness than jumping into ice water after heated to 80-90 degrees of the stereo, – there was no! So we jumped into this very barrel, punching the heels of millimeter ice – we usually were soared after nine in the evening, at this time the light frost was wandered down the street, and while we went to our sauna, under the legs of the crunch zone, and covered in. Jumped in a barrel of seconds for 20-30. No more. More – a lot. And came out of her in a jamming couple, as if he was well done from the Russian (Finnish?) Fairy tales – sparkling eyes, sinking soap in shoulders, we are not all!
Finally, I will say one. Go to Finland! She will not let you down. And if you bring an example of caring care for your own land from our northern neighbor, who will be worse from this? Only better. Truth?
