I landed in Kajaani two nights ago, the three hour train ride shot us through beautiful frosted landscapes. As the sun set, on our approach to Kajaani, as I got my bag down from the overhead storage, the train came to an abrupt holt. Over the pa system a man announced what was happening, the locals all grew quiet and shook their heads. I thought that the train had broken down. After a few minutes of standing around and moving my bag out of the way of the ticket conductor who marched purposefully up and down the carriage, I decided we weren't going anywhere so I sat down again. The lady across the way from me was shaking her head, and then phoned someone to let them know that we were delayed.
A few rows in front of me, eight German teenagers who had been joyfully rowdy and boisterous must have been questioning the delay. A man in front of them raised himself out of his seat, turned around and explained that the train had hit a deer and the driver had to get out to inspect the damage and see if the deer was alive.
Another announcement boomed through the pa system and the Germans enquired from the nice man what had been said and he said that the train driver had gotten back on the train and we would be continuing shortly. No mention of the deer's well being was ever raised and the mood on the train became very glum.
Ten minutes later we arrived in Kajaani and Kati was standing waiting on the platform. The farm was two hours away and we set off in their trusty Nissan. The drive had been interesting with Kati negotiating loads of speeding Russian vehicles, mostly trucks on the icy roads. She complained that she was sticking to the speed limit and they were going dangerously fast. We got to the farm under total darkness, a candle greeted us on the pathway up to the main house. The familiar buildings all looked gorgeous covered in snow.
Dumping my bags, we sat down for a healthy salad. We chatted for a bit and then we all retired for an early night. I was grateful as the two previous nights I hadn't really got much sleep.
The next morning we woke relatively early. Breakfast was munched gazing out at the winter wonderland that was framed by the large kitchen windows. The wind dusted the most recent snowfall off the branches. After breakfast Kati and I took Reentu the dog for a short walk to the lake and then turned back. Reentu loved the snow, rubbing himself up against the icy wall, biting mouthfuls of it as he strolled along.
Back at the house Kati made lunch, reindeer broth with Carelian pies. While it sat stewing on the stove, she spoke to Anni and Jussi making arrangements to visit them. After lunch we headed on the familiar roads to the White Carelian Villages. I was amazed at how much I remembered, where we stopped at the park, the toilet break, the houses-it was fun being back and seeing the landscape donning its winter look.
50kms later we arrived at Jussi's house. He remembered me and asked how Africa was, to which I answered warm. We spent two hours with him where he shared stories of his youth, his time as a Finnish guard at a Russian concentration camp where he played musical instruments with the prisoners, his jack of all trades existence where he carved the details of the church in the village and built other buildings in the area. He sat smoking his pipe or as he called it his aroma therapy. We enjoyed a coffee with him and as we were nearing the end of our time with him, he played four songs for us on his accordion. One was called staring at the dying embers of the fire. They all had a haunting, sad melody and they felt very Russian.
On leaving he raised the question of when was he going to see me, the African again to which I found myself responding in a summer when it was warmer!
As we stepped out the house, a lady arrived, she was Kati's editor of Kati's next book. She was living with Jussi for a few days a week where she was looking after him but also writing his autobiography. Kati told her we were going snow walking and she offered me her cross country skis saying that they were a lot easier than the shoes. I took a few pics of Jussi's 'village' and off we disappeared down the road to Domnan Pirtti and Anni. She had coffee waiting for us, along with home made biscuits. She joked that she gave them to a couple that had visited a few days ago cause they loved the recipe and I have to admit they tasted damn fine! Anni looked gorgeous, spunky as ever with a glow and a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
Kati told me about the accident Anni had had recently, she had been preparing the sauna and had, in her words, been lazy using a plastic bucket to take the boiling water out. The handle broke and the scorching hot water had cascaded down into her boot and soaked her woollen sock. This started the long painful recovery. She said that she rushed to the lake and submerged her injury, this was her saving grace. She spent 3weeks in hospital where they did a skin graft from her thigh and fixed the foot. This all went well however the section of her thigh got infected and she is still slowly recovering. She is hoping that by the time she goes on holiday to Poland her thigh will be better. The one thing she is most disappointed about is the fact that with the open wound she has not been able to enjoy the Scandinavian tradition of the sauna. Ari says that the care in the hospital wasn't the best, hence the infection after the operation and the extended recovery.
We chatted for a bit, Anni told us about her plans to take her niece who is 15 to somewhere interesting. She thought of backpacking in India but was hesitant because she wasn't sure her niece would enjoy that!
Our conversation danced around the topic of travelling, Anni is a kindred travel spirit, she dreams of discovering new cultures, places and food-bringing her knowledge back to Domnan house. I suggested she should come sailing and it was evident she fell in love with the idea! Now to speak to Rob and then negotiate dates and how long she wants to be on the boat!
After our coffee Kati and I went for a new adventure, Snow Walking. We grabbed the skis and snow shoes and made our way down to the lake in front of Domnan, I figured out how to put the skis on and then without any discussions or lessons, we were off. At the edge of the lake there was a sharp dip down to the flat surface, this was my first bit of adrenaline rush as I skidded down the bank at a pace managing to stay up right and this was the moment that I fell in love with the sport of skiing. I must have had a smile from ear to ear evident on my face and perhaps seen from outer space. We cruised around the lake then went into the forested area until we came full circle back to the car. My time sliding around had come to an end. we left the skis at Domnan house and then walked to the old church where Jussi had been a part of the building team.
All to soon we were in the car and leaving one of my slice's of heaven heading back to the farm. Kati was working today and tomorrow so it was decided that we would stay in Downtown Kuhmo for the remainder of the trip.
When we arrived back at the farm, I went and started the process of packing my bags, now really plotting about what to keep at the top as it would be the final leg of this adventure.
Dinner was fire baked potatoes with a local sausage. I ate well and then went to my haven for a bit, reading Wallander. After 7pm I surfaced again as their was talk of sauna in the evening.
Ari got the sauna ready and at 7:30 Kati and I went and sat in the traditional Finnish sauna, the temperature at first was 50 degrees but when I left, it was 60 degrees. A stark contrast to the -10 outside
When I came back in, I got changed into my pjs and then rehydrated with a Sandels beer. A good brew! Soon after Kati decided to play the accordion as well, playing three songs. We chatted a bit and then I decided to retire.
This morning we had an early start. We had to be out the house by 7:30 as it was an hour drive and Kati could not be late. We packed the car, the dogs got bundled in and we were off. The roads were familiar, I remembered were Eva and I had stopped for a break, taken a photo and where I had chuckled at the hunting signs for beers.
We arrived in Kuhmo punctually for Kati. Ari and I even had time to have a coffee at the dentist office. We left just as the first patient arrived. We went and unpacked the car and left the dogs at the flat. Then we went exploring Kuhmo, revisiting the Library, strolled to the rapids and then went to the cultural centre where a photographic exhibition was on by Juha Taskinen called Viena Aihkii. After having a fabulous young lady show us around and explain the photos we went to the wilderness centre Petola and learnt about bears, wolves, wolverines, golden eagles, lynxes and wild reindeer.
Now knowing the habits of these animals and discovering the damage that they have caused, 24 bee hives have been attacked by Brown Bears in the last financial year! We went down the road to the Hotelii Ravintola Kalevala for a coffee. The spot overlooked the lake as snow mobiles buzzed past as did cross country skiers. The coffee was delicious, best I have had since Derek's morning shots. I now am settled back in the flat. Next mission is to find out the bus timetable to Kajaani as I will be public transporting it from here as Kati and Ari have a mental health meeting at noon. Kajaani is 101km away. The process of this tumbling weed getting blown homewards has started.
The idea of a beer in Copehagen is within reach.
031 we are almost home!
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