Hey Steemit!
I've been pretty busy applying for jobs and stuff so my posting schedule is off, unfortunately.
15 May 2018. Tuesday.
We had a time skip since the last post, since it was just us going about our regular routine; daily 3 hour classes in school, cooking at home, and going to the supermarket. Something did change though, spring had finally arrived!
After 2 months of snow and ice, everything finally melted and we could ditch our coats at last! It does get kinda hot in the daytime even with short-sleeved shirts on though since it became really sunny.
We were taking a course called Destination Marketing at the time, and the only fun thing about this course was we got to go on excursions! Even though Mikkeli is not very well-known since it's a pretty small town, tourists from other parts of Finland do travel here to stay in a Finnish summer cottage and enjoy the authentic Finnish hospitality experience. Since we were studying about unique destinations, our profs arranged for us to visit 2 cottages in Mikkeli!
Our class was split into 2 groups and we went together with our teams, each going to a different cottage on these 2 days. So unfortunately, we were split up and couldn't enjoy the excursion together. Oh well. 😕
On the first day, my group had to set off slightly earlier at 8am and we went to a cottage called Kenkävero, which was just a short drive away from Mikkeli's city centre.
How I miss the quiet nature of Mikkeli 😌
I got on a minibus with half the class and we soon arrived at Kenkävero.
It had the same cottagey style I always saw in old fairytales and movies! I really liked the traditional elegance it projected.
We had the whole morning to spend here to do field research, but we were to listen to the owner give a talk first, so we headed into the main dining hall.
It was so beautiful! I loooved the chandelier! The whole room was so aesthetic and refined it made me feel so out of place. I was really cautious of not knocking anything or dragging the chairs since the hardwood floors amplified everything in the tranquil cottage.
Unfortunately, the owner could only speak in Finnish and the TA who came with us (the prof went with the other group, thankfully) wasn't very good at English too. So one of my classmates had to do the rough translations. The owner basically told us about the history of Kenkävero and their business there.
So Kenkävero was actually built by a priest over 550 years ago and it used to be a parsonage until 1969! I think that makes it one of the oldest summer cottages in Finland. It has since been refurbished and is very modern, with air-conditioning and tasteful interior decorations and furniture.
If I recall correctly, the name Kenkävero actually translates to Shoe Tax, however there is no definite information about the origin of the name; mere stories. According to a story, the former Savolians used to put their shoes on the island of Kenkävero when they went to church and take them off again when they returned from the church. It is also said that the name would originate from the time of the Nazi War, when the Savonian lords were forced to surrender in the courtyard of the parish priest of Kenkäverne.
After the talk, we were free to roam around the entire estate until 10:30am or so.
A second, more intimate dining area for families
I really liked the decorations in all the rooms! It was so quaint and picturesque, like the kind you'd see in magazines.
They even had some props in this tea room, detailing the history of Kenkävero.
It was a real typewriter! I've never touched one before so I got kinda excited.
There was also a restaurant where they served traditional homemade snacks and meals.
The whole place was decorated so lovely! I especially liked all the light fixtures with flowers on them.
After walking around, it was time to explore outside!
It was a very sunny day as you can see
We were told that they have a exhibition of Santa's cottage here so we went to check it out first. Since it's typically only open in summer, the owner had to unlock it for us.
Inside Santa's cottage it was really old and rustic. There was wood everywhere, and some of the props were kinda dusty (not sure if this was intentional though).
No idea what these are, but my classmates were joking that Santa uses bongs. 😆
There wasn't much else to Santa's cottage. There was a room that was blocked off, which I guess is a room guests can stay in. But why would you stay here when you can stay at the modern and beautiful cottage just down the road? 🤔
Like the sign said, there was a garden just outside Santa's cottage. This is probably where they plant the crops they use to cook food for the guests at the restaurant.
Further down from the garden is the beautiful lake! If you didn't know, Finland is actually known for as the country of a thousand lakes! And Mikkeli is located within Lakeland, where most of them are located. Now that all the ice on the lakes have melted, I'm glad we get to finally enjoy the view.
Thank goodness for the sunny weather that day (which makes for great photos)! Lovin' that azure blue sky.
The ripples on the lake are so calming 😌
Here's the view of the cottage from the river
Not too far away was another cottage or something. The tall structures reminded me of a factory.
They also had a greenhouse, maybe to plant flowers and more delicate crops.
I love the way the sun shines on the lake. This would be a beautiful spot to enjoy the sunset I'm sure.
It got kinda hot standing out in the sun after a while so my classmates cooled off by the lake while I went to find some shelter with a friend. We decided to head back and explore the shop.
It was really quiet and cooling in here and they had all kinds of stuff! Crafts, lifestyle goods, kitchen equipment, furnishings, food products, clothes, jewelry, etc. I'm pretty sure most of the stuff here is handmade.
That apron looks cute
Another unique feature of Kenkävero offers is a craft studio, where they made and sold various items.
There was such a wide range of teas! All from different flowers and such
Everything was very expensive since it's made in-house, so I just browsed around.
This is the most flowery tree I've ever seen! 😍
Anyway, soon it was time to head back to the dining hall. I wasn't expecting it but we got snacks! Yay for free food! Even though I had toast in the morning I got kinda hungry after all that walking.
On the left is a fish pie, and the right is an apple pie! Yums! 😋
They also had a flower tea which was surprisingly delicious! I'm not really a fan of teas but I really liked this one!
You know what they say, savoury before sweet is always neat! 😄
The owner lady said we were welcome to take as much as wanted and I really wanted to try both so I went for a second round. 😄
Notice the apple pie is a bit bigger since I knew it was gonna be good 😉
The food was delicious! The fish pie was surprisingly yummy and not too fishy. I really enjoyed it.
The owner continued to talk about some stuff but she was speaking Finnish and everyone was busy eating and I think no one paid attention. 😅
After those scrumptious snacks, we headed back onto the minibus back to school and I headed home. This was probably the most interesting school day we've had! 😄
Whew what a long post. Thanks so much for reading! Tune in next time where I visit the other summer cottage!
To find out more about me, check out my intro post here!
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://tacocat.vornix.blog/2019/03/01/tacocats-travels-finland-20-visiting-a-summer-cottage-in-spring-%f0%9f%8c%bc/
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