They put a spell on me...

This finnish HC-weekend in Kalmari close to Bodom Lake was great! Check pics here and don't forget to scroll right down to the videos! We're still enjoying one of the many after-parties at a lake close to Koulo with BBQ and friends from Switzerland, Germany, Israel and Finland, and they're calling me to have some more muikku (fishikins).
So wait until tomorrow in Tampere, I will tell you in due time.
Just one thing: The spell Sami and Lari had put on me has been extended on winter time as well. And not even 24 hrs later I was invited to come to Tilman's birthday party in Mikkeli in September. (!)
The first day at killer lake
It all started smoothly. I had been with Kliment's mother to their english spoken kindergarden, telling the kids about my travels. After some hugs and promises to see each other again soon, I went downtown. We met under the balls (where else), took the train to Espoo, and climbed into the bus which took us to the famous lake after a short trip. At the station we met Sov and Sussinn in their car by accident. We loaded our luggage into the car, and walked the short km to the house we had rented for the weekend.
We were quite early and chose the best beds and matress spaces underneath the roof. Some got the fire working, others the sauna, and until the evening we were a friendly crowd of about 80 people, in and around the house. Yoav came! And Lari! And Sami and so many others of my fff (favourtie finnish friends)! Even Mark from Australia came over from Tallinn - we had met in chat a few days ago.
The night was spent with talks and booze around the fire and in the sauna. Ever so often people went to the lake and back for a swim. I went to bed around 5 am, but a few actually made it until the sunrise and did morning yoga!
The second day of a great weekend
Swimming, hiking, rain - and then we hid underneath the nice roof on the balcony and did some crazy story telling. Me and Ahoora started it, and soon more and more people joined in. And the story got more ridiculous by the second. Paul aka Djdirect (see pic) was great at it! What the stories were about? Hmmm - well: "Once upon a time in an irish sauna..."
The day was relaxed and easy going, everbody always found some friends to do something with - and if you wanted to sit on your own underneath a tree and just enjoy looking around, that was ok as well.
The evening saw most at the sauna and around the fire, again. Rain had stopped and it was just perfect. Temmihoo even made some coffee on the fire - great taste! The story telling continued, but was rather difficult with around 30 people putting in new ideas ever so often. Astonishing thoug, some rather shy and quiet guyz proved to be the best story tellers you can imagibe! All the same, I went to bed rather early, around midnight - next morning we were supposed to get up and go at 7 am! The place had to be clean by 9 :(
Food was great all these days: noodle salad, pancakes the finnish way, done in the oven, lovely breakfast with lots of coffee (!), even punch and jello shots! Sov and Sofia did some great job here! The house was great, enough space for lots of tents, nice and quiet and far away from nosy people, but not too far from the lake. And everything included was only 5 euro per person for the weekend! Duh! Ok, the toilet was a bit hard to find without a flashlight at night ;)
The last day - when shall we all meet again...
It was soooo sad! Lari woke us up with rather heavy hc music and shouting at us to get going. In a nice way, but still. Everybody was getting ready to leave, small groups split, some will meet again in the evening in Helsinki. Not Tuula and Yoav, we're bound to Tampere. But first around 15 of us went to lake Bodom again, for a swim and a beer. A last chat with Paul ("C ya in Kiev! Do come!", with Mark ("Visit me in Sydney!"), with Tin ("In five years I'll be back to Vietnam - you're invited!") and Tilman who wanted me to come to his birthday party in Mikkeli. Oh - and Lari invited me to his birthday party in Vilnius end of september. Sigh! It's hard to say good bye!
Here's what Tomi wrote in HC-forum: "Thank you, kiitos for all the organizers, big THANK to Sofia, Pauliina and Sami. Sauna was hot, food was good, weather was splendid (even the rain), campsite was soft, games were exciting (and I think nobody lost in the forest after all), lakes were wonderful to swim, fire was warming and bringing light every evening, refreshments kept people happy and jolly, nobody got murdered. Overall amazing weekend with great people from all continents on earth." He's so right!