JPFreek - Index

JPFreek - Spring 2008 - Index

The long and snowy road to Kajaani, resting stop near a WWII memorial.
Visiting the Ranua Zoo in the snow.
Once near Kajaani, we had a hard time finding the home of the owner of our rented cottage.
In heavy snowfall, and with darkness settling in, we navigated a lonely road, up to the point
that we were sure to be lost, then all of a sudden, a little light shined and we found the house
of the owner hidden in the woods. He greeted us very heartily upon arrival and spoke Finnish. With gestures and some German, we
explained that we had had a great journey until now, and he showed us around the cabin. The little house was built of wood, and
had everything you need to focus on three things: rest, nature, and holiday. The sauna was outside, next to a giant pile of wood, and
just up the pathway which leads about 150 meters further to Lake Oulujärvi, which is, of course, frozen. The owner of the cabin, when
seeing our two little boys, was quick to provide us with two sleds for sleighing on the lake. He turned out to be an avid elk hunter at
the age of 78 and also a great grandfather.
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.
View on lake Oulujärvi from the cottage.