Summer cottage

Helsinki, 25 degrees



I would rather be poor in a cottage full of books than a king without the desire to read.

About a week ago I had the absolute pleasure of going to our summer cottage with my family. It's nowadays rare that all of us six (my and my boyfriend, my sister and her husband and my mother and her husband) can manage to visit the cottage during the same period of time, so I was very excited about it! I also got to visit my grandmother, which is something equally important for me. Some of you might remember my blog post from last year that you'll find here that told about the summer cottage. This is what my "weekend relax" was all about! This is what summer stands for to me!

My family's summer cottage is located in Pargas (Parainen in Finnish), which belongs to the Turku archipelago. The city is known for instance for its narrow roads and cute little wooden buildings, but also for the fact that many people have their summer cottages here.

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The city has an interesting history seeing as it has functioned as a merchant place since the Viking Age. The city itself started to take form in the 14th century when it received its beautiful stone church.

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The Turku archipelago is a unique location with thousands of islands. The so called Archipelago Trail (also called The Archipelago Ring Road) allows travelers to access the archipelago without a boat of their own – and without backtracking. The circular route of the Archipelago Trail, even though only about 200 kilometers in length, offers a surprising number of varied experiences. During your trip from one island to another, you will experience various ferries and vessels – most of which are free of charge. You can read more about the Archipelago Trail here

As you could guess also this year - as my family always does - we celebrated my mother's birthday by arranging a crayfish party in her honor! My mother had wished for a book about butterflies, so that is what we got her for her birthday! She was thrilled and tried to find and recognize as many of the butterflies as possible at our summer cottage.

Needless to say, the crayfish party was a huge success! I honestly just love those red little creatures, that is how I have been raised. We sang, ate and had a wonderful time together! Do you have any drinking songs in your country?


Besides the crayfish party, our weekend was very tranquil as we Finns like them to be at our summer cottages. We enjoyed each other's company, the scenery and I managed to finally catch up on some of my reading! Even though we have had quite a dry summer with not much rain, this weekend surely managed to show us the best of Finnish summer! The nature was just splendid!


There is something so cozy about our summer cottage. Probably it's the fact that I spent all my summers there as a child. One can't help but remember good times spent there wherever one looks. Can you recognize me as the smallest one in all of the photos hanging on the wall?


I love the fact that our summer cottage tells a lot about me, or actually a lot about my whole family. It's a place that showcases everything dear to my parents: among others sailing, nature and family traditions. I love that they have collected items from all of their travels and brought them to the cottage. Maybe the power of thought can stop us from ageing like Ellen Langer's experiment tells us? True or not, I think we all need nostalgic moments from time to time, to give us some energy to keep in store.


I also managed to witness a beautiful pink night. Right now we have about 17 hours of light, so these nights are very unique!


The location of our summer cottage is particular because it stands on stone actually. A long time ago this whole cape or peninsula if you want to call it that used to be under water. That is why it has a very rich flora, and even forest on it. The air is so fresh there - it feels very different from city air even though the air in Helsinki is cleaner than in most capital cities. In the midst of the green however, the air's freshness is truly tangible.


This time I took the train back home from Turku as my mother and her husband stayed at the summer cottage even after the weekend (they usually spend most of the summer there), my sister and her husband continued their road trip to East Finland and my boyfriend went home one day before me. This way I got to see a little of Turku as well. It's a great summer city but on a Sunday morning I can tell you that it was quite empty so I got to wander around the city in peace. I also wanted to share with you a photo of my mom's dog Taika, who came to say goodbye to me when I was leaving! She's so cute!


Do you have a summer cottage? Does your family "move" somewhere else during summertime?

What's your opinion?

  1. Nice post sweets...
    Maybe we can follow each other..!!
    Keep in touch,
    www.beingbeautifulandpretty.com
    http://instagram.com/beingbeautifulpooja

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  2. Kivat kesämaisemat. Olen ollut Naxoksessa ja Taorminassa, Sisiliajuttujani: http://bellissimamarinella.blogspot.com/search/label/Sisilia

    asuin myös keväällä pari kuukautta Italiassa

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  3. amazing pics!! you have awesome blog, i love it! <3
    follow?
    http://stormia-fashion.blogspot.com/
    kisses, Mai ! ♥

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  4. Hi sweety, this is my kind of weekend getaway, I love charming places like this, its a truly beautiful place. It sounds like you had a wonderful trip! Love being immersed in nature, your cottage is so quaint!

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    1. Thank you sweet Sam, I'm happy you like our summer cottage location.

      xxx
      E

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  5. Unforutantley I don't have a summer cottage. I don't know anyone who does. There are a few people (rich enough) to have a lake house.

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    1. Well I guess it's a Nordic thing then, we like to stay close to the sea/water even if we live in cities. You know that Finland is called the country of a thousand lakes?

      xxx
      E

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  6. precioso post y gracias por comentarme guapa besitos. http;//dolcevirginia.blogspot.com.es

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  7. what an adorable doggie! :) (I think dogs are my biggest weakness and I can totally understand why you want one. and I really hope you two will get a dog because well, dogs simply are the best, believe me :)
    anyway, your cottage's location is such a beautiful one. so perfect for hot summer days. we also have a cottage, in between a lake and a river actually but I haven't visited it for a long time unfortunately (probably because our own house is big and needs a lot of care). oh and my grandparents live in the middle of forest as well but not too far from my hometown.

    Maiken,
    Maikeni blogi - part of me

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    1. Yes, Taika is lovely! I've always had a dog before moving away from my childhood home.
      Thank you for your kind words concerning our cottage. Nice that you visit your grandparents often :)

      xxx
      E

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  8. So many wonderful pictures! Seems that you spent a really cosy and peaceful time there. There's a unique vibe and some sort of magic in Finnish sceneries, and the location of your cottage seems to make no exception. And I agree with you, it's so nice to have a place that tells so much of us and where we can recall some memories.
    This post also makes me think that I should definitely visit the most southern part of Finland someday. I just love those small villages with colourful houses. A friend of mine also told me about the medieval castle in Turku, have you ever visited it?

    Have a nice evening!

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    1. Yes, I had a wonderful time at our cottage (like always). The west coast of Finland is incredibly beautiful with the wooden villa villages.
      Since our summer cottage is located only 16 km from Turku, I have been to Turku hundreds of times. Yes, I know the castle, it is amazing! We have many castles in Finland, but my favorite ones are the Turku castle and the Suomenlinna Sea Fortress in Helsinki!

      xxx
      E

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  9. Thank you for your kind comment!

    xxx
    E

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  10. Thank you Desirèe for your kind comment!

    xxx
    E

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