Last summer I went to Finland with my family and I’m going to write a few posts about that trip. I decided not to put it in daily order. I’ll start with sauna…

Sauna
I had already had sauna in Juva and Oulanka but the most thrilling experience was to have sauna in Inari. Remember, if there are separate saunas for men and women (and that’s the proper way), you are supposed to go there naked. Before going inside I checked the lake which occurred to be very shallow. I tried not to think of walking in slowly – jumping in is much easier. Michał and I collected some birch branches (vihta in Finnish). You should use them to beat yourself – it makes your body sweat. After 10 minutes of sitting there I went to the lake and immediately dove in it. What a refreshing feeling! You don’t feel uncomfortable with cold, the only thing you feel is pure pleasure going through your body, making your heart beat faster. After half a minute of swimming you usually start to feel cold so it’s high time to go to sauna again. For a moment I focused on what surrounded me: an endless lake with many small islands and hills all around it. The sun was still high though it was around 8p.m. I realized how windy it was! I repeated the ritual…
The water was just freezing! I guess it was 5-10 degrees which is REALLY cold but somehow I felt very good swimming in it. I don’t know why it’s not so popular in the rest of Europe as it’s really nice thing to do in the evening: good for your skin and blood system, bringing you quietness and peace.