Day 3: Sunshine, sauna, hot-tub, lakes

>> Monday, July 06, 2015

We're facing something we haven't faced too often here in Finland in the summers we have spent over the past near decade. The weather prospects for the next few days look mixed, to put it mildly. So, with a day of unbroken sunshine forecast for today, there was no way we were going to be doing anything other than enjoying the lake, the sauna, and the hot-tub too! In fact, we added another nearby lake into the mix too this evening, the one we have enjoyed in previous years which has a high diving board.

Olivia with her Russian grandparents this morning.
By the front door. Anna took several good portrait shots today.
A happy looking Baboushka!
This morning though, I nipped along to S-Market at Vaajakoski for some food before setting about filling the hot-tub and setting the fire in its stove. Meanwhile as the others sunbathed, played disc golf and swam, the sauna was lit too, and so for several hours this afternoon it was a case of simply enjoying the warm sunshine and the wonderful lake, and interspersing that with trips to the wonderful heat of the sauna, as well as the hot-tub.
Down by the lakeside
Sandy looks like he has landed a huge pike. In fact, it was 10 inch bream!
Livvy enjoys the water.
A rare shot of Sandy without his sunglasses today!
Arnold and his grandad in the hot tub.
Together in the sun.
It's sometimes hard for me to recall just how powerful the sauna's effect is on me. With the temperature at 75 - 80c, and the sauna oils being flung on the stones, the sweat just rolls off and leaves you feeling unbelievably calmed and refreshed. Then, as you leap into the lake, which is sitting at around 20c, the feeling of being cooled is powerful enough to make you want to shout out loud, with pleasure. Four or five sessions of this and you feel totally cleansed.
These oils make a wonderful sauna a magical place to be. They're certainly worth more than the 8 euros they cost! My personal favourite is eucalyptus, but honestly, they're all fantastic. 
Keith enjoys the hot-tub.
Olga with Arnold.
I'm wearing Sandy's sunglasses, and the sauna is reflected in them.
Ok, so Olivia, Sandy, Olga and I all jumped from the diving boards, but hey, no-one's as cool as the old man yet- as it was only me who went from the very highest board!
 Sandy and me afterwards.
And this is Sandy, from the middle board.

Anyway, back to today, and after dinner, we drove along to the nearby lake with the diving boards and enjoyed some swimming and leaping for an hour or so, before returning for tea and biscuits for supper. It's fair to say that we are all tired this evening and will no doubt sleep well. Keith has swum for several hours in total and certainly loved it all, especially his first time in the hot-tub today, but he looks tired now and I have a feeling he'll do an 11 hour shift in his bed tonight! The good news is he is swimming well with no ill-effects from a recent ear problem which has affected his balance over the past few months.

1 comments:

Ronni Casillas 17 September 2015 at 23:39  

The greatest appeal of saunas is how they are meant to be part of an interplay with the crushing cold of the lakes and the water bodies there in Finland. One is really meant to bask in the heat of the tubs and the rooms, then jump into the bitter-cold lakes, or vice versa. It's all about the capacity to withstand both extremes of hot and cold, and then finding relaxation and relief in either. Thanks for showing us that. Good day!

Ronni Casillas @ JNH Lifestyles

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Silja Line - Sweden to Finland

Silja Line - Sweden to Finland
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