We had a wonderful day at Villavarpa! We played cards, read, drank champagne… You know the usual rustic lake cottage stuff. It’s so relaxing here! Adam heated up the sauna, and gathered birch branches while I made dinner. 

I made a simple green salad with a Dijon vinaigrette and Tartiflette, a French dish of poatoes, carmelized onions, bacon, white wine, and cheese. I couldn’t find French reblochon, so I used Finnish Lappi cheese. So delicious!  

   
 The Finnish sauna experience is awesome! Sauna is a lifestyle here. Everyone goes to sauna, preferably everyday. It is considered very healthy. We did some research, so we would get it right. You begin by heating up the sauna to 60* Celsius. You fill the water tank so it gets nice and steamy, and to take a hot shower (the only way to shower at VillaVarpa). Adam gathered young birch branches so we could dip them in cool water and whip each other to “enhance circulation”.  I really liked that part😎 After lounging in the super hot sauna until you can’t handle it anymore, you jump into the cold lake. What a refreshing shock! Again to “enhance circulation”. Drink a beer. Repeat. Typically Finns sauna for hours. We lasted a little more than an hour😊