After nine days summering like a Finn, it’s our last day. We stay up late—easy to do when the sun never truly sets and the sky only dims to a dusky glow. We play a round of mölkky with Juha-Matti. “It’s a simple game,” he says, smiling, “which is exactly why it’s difficult, especially after a couple of beers.” He laughs, then adds, “But it’s a game 99.5 percent of Finns play in summer.”
Mölkky reminds me of bowling, but you play it outside with smooth wooden sticks. You throw your stick (the ‘mölkky’) to knock down the numbered pins (kyykät). If you hit one, you get the points on the pin; if you knock down more, you get the number of pins you toppled as points. If you miss twice in the row, you’re out. First to reach exactly 50 points, wins the game. If you go over, you are back at 25 points.
It’s fun, but we lose in the end. It seems our aim needs a bit more time in Finland. At least the girls aren’t quarrelling—since neither of them won. We end the day with a traditional Finnish dinner of smoked salmon served with roasted vegetables and try pickled herring in a creamy sauce with boiled potatoes, all prepared by Juha-Matti’s mother. As the sun attempts to set, we enjoy the view while the kids play by the lake. It’s peaceful. Just as I imagined how my Finnish summer would end.
At the airport shop, my younger daughter presses a wooden coaster into my hand. “Smell it, Mum. It smells like the sauna.” So we buy it. Just to bring a little piece of Finland home. Now, just one whiff, and we’re back.