Summer cabin trip.

I found yet one more thing that Icelanders and Finns have in common: summer cottages/cabins! I've just spent one of the best weekends of my life at one such cottage and naturally I want to share.

The first photo shows clearly one interesting feature that's nearly always present at summer cabin areas, the low-growing birches.

They create a shrubbery-like screen between the houses, providing some cover for both wind and your neighbours' eyes. The area where this cottage is is huge, divided into several sections, each of which can have up to 20 cabins. They're all very near you but the shrubbery hides them and creates an illusion of solitude.

There was a cute little garden outside the cabin.

Inside the cabin there was a large living room/kitchen area and a couple of small bedrooms. I admit I haven't seen many Icelandic summer cabins, but this kind of interior does seem common.

Decorations tell a lot about the owner of the place.

Square melon! We saw some of those in Hagkaup and well, you don't get a chance at tasting a square melon every day, yes?

There are differences between Finnish and Icelandic summer cabin time too. This is one of them. The lake outside had a continuous traffic of people on fancy motorboats, waterskis etc. On the last morning I saw a weird bowl-looking thingy dragged after a boat and made some big eyes at it. Logan told me it was like an inflatable boat and went on to tell me about riding bananas, at which point I quietly decided that A) I'm clearly not very worldly and B) that I better be watchful lest a local suggest me we go hang out at a summerhouse and chill. Clearly it does not mean just fishing trips on a rowing boat and sauna in the evening over here! 

The view, it's breathtaking.

Now whose toes might these be? :D?

Snu had a bday so we had some glorious cake! With two layers of icing.

This, my friends, is another thing of great beauty and refinement, Icelandic style. It's a warm bath that the locals call "hot pot". I had not bathed in one before so it was rather grand for me, made all the more epic by good company, awesome view, aurora borealis that I seem to be pointing at in the picture and some rather tasty Spanish red wine. Seriously guys, northern lights in the middle of summer, wtfbbq?

At one point two random dudes appeared out of nowhere and tried to invite us over to their party. Much as I appreciate the offer, how about the next time you don't just randomly sneak up to a bath wearing black clothes and a hood over your head, it's kind of creepy.

I remember having a shower after the bath and deciding to lie down for a moment to rest my eyes. I even remember K giggling in the loo, apparently talking to me. Well, the wall was rather thin so perhaps that's indeed what she was doing, however, the next time I opened my eyes it was 10 a.m. and I made some silent coffee, sat down at the balcony and took photos of morning-happy flies.

The opposite shore and some more houses underneath the mountain.

Then for some panorama because Iceland is unbelievably beautiful.

And more! Half the time I keep thinking I've somehow landed in the middle of a photoshoot and that the scene is just a backdrop because can something like this really exist?

Nnnngh this one was a bit more demanding to put together... :D