Ken is super busy filling up the freezer with berries and mushrooms. But Kaarna is in a great mood, ready to go snorkling with Mari. Ken asks:
- Have you drawn all the pictures for the next year’s calendar? We must get it printed before your exhibition! We’re running out of time!!!!! And we still haven’t washed all the rugs!
- Calm down, Ken! You’re being annoying!
- And when did my beautiful home turn into this junkyard? I haven’t had time to clean here in ages. Why am I so stressed?
After all the rainy and even cold weeks this new summer in August is unbelievable. And Mari’s new hobby makes it even better:
- I saw a crab! It was walking backwards.
- My turn! My turn! I hope I don’t bumb into any fish, Kaarna laughs.
Kaarna is a little uncomfortable with the fact that there are some creepy and slimy things in the bottom, like trash and a dead fish. But being able to breath under water is lovely.
- Next time let’s choose a sandy beach with no scary rocks in the bottom, she yells to Mari throug the pipe.
Kaarna tells Mari about Ken’s stress:
- I think he’s losing his mind. He’s too old to work that hard. Also he should be intelligent enought to know his limits.
Mari says:
- He needs a vacation. Maybe we could all go camping together!
It’s early in the morning and Ken is getting ready for work, when suddenly Kaarna takes his phone and makes a call:
- Yes hello… This is Kaarna, Ken’s roommate. I’m calling on his behalf. He’s been vomiting for the last couple of hours… Oh yes, absolutely horrible! And highly contagious…. Two days you say? So it’s the rest of the week… Thank you… Yes, of course I will tell him… Thanks, bye now!
Kaarna hangs up and says to Ken:
- You have a four day vacation now. Pack your things, we’re driving to the bushes!
- Kaarna!!!!!! You can’t do this!!!!
- I already did. No need to thank me! And Mari is joining us. Where’s the old tent?
- Oh Kaarna…. *Sigh*
The girls take care of packing up Herbert and Ken is horrified:
- The van is registered for two persons only!
- No worries, Ken! I will squeeze myself in the back, Kaarna says.
- It’s illegal!!!! Ken moans.
- There are no policemen in the bushes, Mari says and tries to close the back door. Kaarna pushes from the top and says:
- Mission impossible. Let’s just tie it all together with a rope!
Sadly the weather turns gray and chilly the moment they find a spot for both a van and a tent.
Ken is amused when he notices that Mari has never been camping and has no idea what to do with the ropes and sticks of the tent. Kaarna is soon running out of patience with her. Ken leaves the girls struggling and decides to go for a walk.
The departure was so sudden that Ken forgot to pack any warm pants. He keeps himself warm by walking. Thank heavens it’s not raining.
Meanwhile the girls are getting grumpy. Being cold after sweating with the tent affects their mood. And then come the first raindrops. Mari complains about the situation. Kaarna mumbles:
- Well who’s excellent idea it was to go camping in the first place?
- Oh stop that! Let’s just crawl in the bed and stay there, Mari says annoyed.
Nightly voices from the tent:
- Kaarna….?
- Mmm yes…?
- It’s so dark. And silent.
- I know, perfect. Let’s just sleep.
- But I can’t hear anything! Or see!
- What do you want to hear and see then? The humming of air conditioning? Lights from the billboards? Cars and motorbikes speeding? Traffic lights beeping?
- No, but… Oh no! What was that?!??!
- A bird or a bat maybe.
- What if it’s a bear?!
- Get some sleep now, Mari.
- I will listen to a podcast.
- With headphones I hope.
- Kaarna! Wake up!
- What the hell?!? Turn off the flashlight!!!
- What if somebody comes and kills us?
- What the…?
- Stabs us through the tent walls? This fabric doesn’t protect us!!!
- Which podcasts have you been listening to?
- True crimes of course. The murders of the Lake Bodom.
- Why, Mari, why??? You silly pug. Come here, I’ll hold you, you’re safe.
It’s a wonderful sunny morning.
When Mari finally wakes up, she finds the others on the rocks.
- Did you sleep well? Ken asks.
- Yes, it was a lovely night, Mari lies and makes Kaarna laugh.
Mari sits down on the blanket and sips her coffee:
- Yikes this coffee tastes horrible!!!
- Sorry miss Sunshine, no Moccamasters available, Kaarna teases and gives Mari a kiss.
Hashtag vanlife! Hashtag Finnish girl! Hashtag nature! Hashtag mindfullness! Hashtag kiitollinensiunattuonnellinen!
Mari is constantly posting reels and selfies and stories on Instagram. That makes Ken worry about the adequancy of the power. He has to keep moving the solar panel all the time, because the sun travels so low that it’s mostly behind the trees.
Ken tries to relax, but it’s kind of difficult with a bad conscience. He’s thankful of the spot the girls had picked - absolutely no people anywhere and no fear of getting caught. Being dishonest is very difficult for him.
The great thing about Mari being around is that she makes absolutely delicious meals even without a decent kitchen. Ken is thankful for not having to cook on this trip!
Mari asks Kaarna to take a photo of her and the supper for her social media account:
- I know you can make a gorgeous photo with the sunset on the backround!
- Not with an Android… Damn, how can I even adjust the brightness? I’ll get my own phone.
Mari has brought a pile of fashion magazines for her entertainment and Ken says:
- It’s weird to think that I used to read DerPuppe also. I followed all the posers on Instgram and all. Nowadays I couldn’t care less about fashion.
- People change, Mari says and Ken continues:
- Yes. I guess I tried too much to be like the others. Now I’m just me.
Suddenly Mari’s face turn pale and she says desperately:
- Oh no, no no no… I really need go to toilet… no no no…..
Kaarna asks:
- Have you still been holding it inside? It’s been three days now!
- Oh, this is terrible!!! What do I do now?!
Ken says:
- There is a little shovel and some small plastic bags in Herbert. You go in the woods, you dig a hole on the ground, you poop in the hole, you wipe your butt. You cover the poop with dirt and bring the papers back in a bag.
- Nooooooooo…..
- It’s all a part of the hashtag nature and hashtag wild camping, Ken says and Kaarna continues:
- Yes! Hashtag Finnish girl needs to deal with her own hashtag feces now!
Eventually all fun… or not so fun things must come to an end. Mari is relieved when getting back home. She pays for the cat sitter and squeezes Bianca warmly.
- You’re the only part of nature I will ever need.
Well, wasn’t that a nice little getaway from all the duties. But it didn’t shorten Ken’s to do list at all and Kaarna has to face the fact that her exhibition opens after only five weeks. And there still is a lot to be done!
Weekend comes and so does the German couple! Ken wants to go to the bushes with them and they decide to meet in a nice place that Ken knows.
But when Ken arrives there and is about to park Herbert, the van gets stucked in the soft sand!
Ken tries to dig the sand out with his hands and with his little poop shovel, but nothing helps. Herbert only goes deeper and deeper!
Luckily Ken doesn’t have to wait for long until Günter and Clothilde arrive!
They are really strong and they have a rope! Herbert comes up and the happy camping can start!
They all have some tea in Emma, the mobile home of the Germans, and it is a lot more comfortable than inside Herbert. Günter and Clothilde tell about their trip to Lapland and how it has been raining daily. The weather has given Clothilde a depression.
In the morning Ken is eating his porridge on the beach when the Germans walk straight from their bed to the lake. First thing in a cold morning!
- We do this every morning, Clothilde says.
- You are more Finnish than I will ever be, Ken says surprised.
(Well, apart from keeping their shoes on even while swimming.)
As the sandy beach turned out to be too soft for the vehicles, Herbert and Emma must stay in the shadows on the roadside. Luckily Ken’s solar power plant is portable.
Ken and Clothilde enjoy this amazing summer day on the beach knitting and laughing. This is what they used to do in Spain when they first met four years ago. Clothilde has been knitting a lot this summer. It helps with her depression when they have to listen to the drumming of the rain on the roof of Emma.
Ken admires her work. Knitting can’t be an easy thing to do with arms like hers!
”The girls” find a great amount of chanterelles.
They clean them together so that Günter can make a gourmet dinner later in the evening. Ken really loves the German name of these mushrooms: Pfifferling!
This is Clothilde’s first time eating some other kind of mushroom than champions, but she loves the Pfifferlings.
Ken eats his portion without cream, but the Germans prefer everything with a heavy, greasy sauce.
Günter tends to smoke pipe once a day, usually in the evening after dinner. He smokes a special tobacco with the aroma of cherry and whiskey and even Ken doesn’t mind breathing smoke that smells so good. He wonders if such blends are even available in Finland.
For Günter one of the best things in Finland is the possibility to fish.
Sometimes catching something just takes a little more effort than throwing the byte in the water!
Luckily Günter also loves cooking and is not afraid to gut the fish. Ken really doesn’t have to touch the smelly creatures even if Günter always teases him.
On Sunday evening Ken has to go back home and get ready for another week at work. It’s time to say goodbye. Clothilde can’t hold her tears, and they all hope this won’t be the last time they meet.
Günter and Clothilde start up Emma and head to the ferry that takes them back to Germany.
- Bis zum nächsten Sommer!