Today is Juhannus or Midsummer’s Eve. I did what most Finns do, which is get out of the city. I took a train from Helsinki to a small town called Kontiomäki, which is the closest I can get to my destination by train. From there I was ready to hitchhike, so I noticed other people getting off the train and getting picked up by family in cars. I asked someone if they spoke English, “No.” Then I started walking to the highway, but another car stopped and a woman and her grandpa gave me a ride in the direction I had to go. They drove me halfway to my final destination, plus they helped me out by calling my contact and arranged for me to get picked up at a gas station along the road. I think that was a good idea, since there wasn’t too much traffic going down the road by this time and place and I don’t think there are any pay phones around since not having a mobile phone is unheard of here (plus every business is closed due to the holiday).
I’m spending the next few days in Suomussalmi, which is the hometown of the Matero’s. I am being hosted by Kirsi (my 3rd cousin) and her boyfriend, Mika. Kirsi & Mika picked me up at a gas station ($6.98/GAL) along the road and we headed to Mika’s family’s cottage. His whole family was there along with lots of food cooked on an outdoor wood burning grill. A wood burning sauna was nearby as well as the cottage itself, all along a lake. It is down a dirt road a ways, but they do have electricity and propane. However, all cooking was done with wood. I took a sauna and jumped in the cold water twice. At midnight they lit small bon fire by the water, which was welcome since it was getting cold by this point. I think the sun set at about 11:30PM in the Northwest and someone pointed out the sun will rise again just a little bit over in the North or Northeast in about 2 or 3 hours. Every lake here in Finland seems like Sun Lake at the Finn Camp. There are very few boats, very quiet, and you can’t see many houses around the lake. There’s a sandy beach and forest surrounding the entire lake and cottage. Other cottages are far enough away you cannot see them.
About 1 or 2AM (still bright enough you don’t need headlights), we returned to Kirsi & Mika’s home in town and slept.