A weekend in Vääksy

Last Friday we took a weekend trip to Vääksy.

Exploring the village

We arrived on Friday afternoon and checked in at Vääksyn Apteekinmajoitus. The B&B is located in the old village pharmacy and decorated in a nice old-timey style. The room was spacious and functional. The location of the B&B is great for exploring Vanha Vääksy, the old part of the village. We started with a stop at the local brewery, Kanavan Panimo, terrace. After tasting some local beers we walked around the village and along the canal. Eventually, we got hungry and ended up at restaurant Kanavan Kunkku for dinner. I opted for fried local vendace with mashed potatoes and tartar sauce. Hubby had pike perch with dill crème sauce. The food was tasty and made with fresh ingredients so we were happy with dinner. After dinner, we returned to our room to relax and make plans for the next day.

Aurinkovuori and Pulkkilanharju

The next morning we had breakfast at the B&B and then headed out to explore the beautiful views and lake sceneries. First, we climbed up to Aurinkovuori to admire the view over lake Päijänne. Then we drove to the Pulkkilanharju esker. On the way to Pulkkilanharju we stopped at Asikkala Church. The church is a red brick church built in 1880. We drove back and forth through the esker and stopped to take some pictures. The day was a bit rainy so we didn’t walk around that much.

Shopping and lunch

Next, it was time to do some shopping. We started by stopping at Vilppula berry farm. I bought some raspberry juice, jam, and honey to take home. From the farm, we drove to Viipurilainen Kotileipomo café and deli for a spot of lunch. We also bought a few loaves of bread and some cookies to bring home. After lunch, we explored some local shops in Vääksy but did not end up buying anything. Next, it was time for some afternoon coffee and a nice piece of cake at Wine & Café Jokiranta. We also walked around the canal a bit more and finally returned to the local brewery and bought some beers to take home. Then we returned to our digs to plan dinner and relax a bit.

Dinner and champagne

I had planned that we would have a tapas-like dinner at Ranskalainen kyläkauppa shop and café but it turned out they didn’t serve any food on the weekends in July. Thus we had to reconsider our plan. Eventually, we ended up having dinner at Majakkapaviljonki at the local harbor. Hubby had a pizza and I chose a Finnish staple of fried sausages and fries. After dinner, I decided I still wanted to visit Ranskalainen kyläkauppa so we ended up walking there for a glass of champagne and explored the shop as well.

The next morning we had breakfast at the B&B and then headed back home. All in all, we had a fun and relaxing weekend and made some great finds to bring home. In a few weeks, we’ll head to Tuscany for a week so stay tuned for posts on our adventure in Italy.