After all those blog posts about my Crazy Chinese Family I want to share with you some  place I love to visit. It is the cottage owned by my parents somewhere in the woods of Finland.

In another article I wrote about the weird place called Kammi-Kylä which is just a short distance away from the cottage.

Now then, let’s start with that lovely place. According to urban legend stories told by some of our neighbors the main part of the building used to be a pharmacy in another little village and was brought to the lake some when in the 50’s or 60’s. It is estimated that the main frame was built in the end of the 1890’s but no one is sure about it anymore. The building is actually a log house but due to years of different owners with various taste the outside and inside of the building changed a lot. Nowadays there are at least three layers of different wooden planks of various colors added over each over in addition to at least two layers of planks in the inside of the building, resulting in a stunning 80cm (~31.5in) thick wall in the first floor. Thanks to these thick walls it is also pretty soundproofed, few years back few helicopters flew around the lake and over our cottage due to a rescue mission but my parents didn’t hear a thing. I bet I could be outside and shout my lungs out and no one would notice it inside. The upper floor is a bit different and has no longer a log house structure (damn you unknown previous owner) so the walls are considerable thinner.

Anyways, my parents bought the cottage when I was about six years old and renovated everything over the years to make themselves a new homely home. The lake where the cottage is situated is called “Nummijärvi” which belong to the city of Kauhajoki. Great names for foreigners and I advice you not try to pronounce it because it will most likely sound very very wrong and funny.

In my youth I spent a lot of time there (each summer at least six weeks and several winter holidays) but in the last years I have been just too busy to go there and especially now I have barely visited it with my wife. However this changed last year as we went to China for holidays and we needed a place for our two little bunnies. My parents advised us to take them to the cottage so they would take care of them and even better we would finally be able visit that place again.

My parents-in-law were amazed by the place, the nature, the peace and I bet also by a little boat ride around the lake. They really liked also the possibility of going just into the woods next to the cottage and pick wild blueberries (they seem to love picking berries in Finland). According to them they would love to visit the cottage again but this might take some years as we will move to Germany and it is no short trip up to that house.

This year we will be going again but for longer time, once again because of our bunnies but also because my wife wants to relax a bit as my parents can help out with our baby (and I need to do some repairs on my car, D’oh!)

Do you have any place you love to visit now or in your youth?