In English,Maa Country Land,Yleinen
Did I tell you before that Croatia is my favourite country for tourism? After spending the whole month of April in the country, I re-confirm the statement. This time I, and partly we, sent the time in an apartment on the island of Ciovo, just south of Trogir, and close to Split. The apartment had …
In English,Maa Country Land,Yleinen
My trip to Macedonia was part of a more extensive Balkan trip in April and I was indeed inspired to write a separate article about this lesser known ex-Yugoslav republic. My in-flight was to the capital Skopje, and from there you may catch one of the frequent buses to Ohrid. You will be treated with …
Albania, Europe, food, Macedonia, travel, travel experiences
In English,Maa Country Land,Yleinen
Before I have written about northern Spain, Catalonia and the Basque country – now it is time for Madrid, and everything that is found south of the capital, such as Andalusia. Most travelers go to Costa Blanca or Costa del Sol, but as soon as you go to the inlands, you are in the authentic …
In English,Maa Country Land,Yleinen
It is true that it feels exotic to travel by the Orient Express through the land of vampires, Transsylvania. It is also true that there is something dark and sinister about the forest-covered Carpathians although the mountains do not look as dramatic as the Alps. But if you consider the Romanian countryside poor only because …
In English,Maa Country Land,Yleinen
Addition on May 1st 2022 to the article originally published on August 26th 2013: The intention of this article is not to promote tourism to a country that brutally attacks its neighbour. Those parts of Carelia that Finland had to give to the Soviet Union after the second World War have become popular travel destinations …
In English,Maa Country Land,Yleinen
The Hungarian plains, the Pusta, is hot in summer and extremely cold in winter. The temperature changes are less dramatic by Lake Balaton and the Danube. Most Hungarian visitors unfortunately stay in the capital Budapest only although there is much else to see in the other parts of the country as well. For example Pecs …
In English,Maa Country Land,Yleinen
The medieval capital of Latvian, Riga, resembles of the capital of Estonia, Tallinn, and both are indeed port cities. Nevertheless, apart from Tallinn, a river runs through Riga and the city is often referred to as the Paris of the North. A river runs through the capital of Lithuania as well, but Vilnius is like …
In English,Maa Country Land,Yleinen
The border areas of Germany and France offer beautiful sceneries especially by the rivers Rhine, Mosel and Neckar. You can use weeks for driving along the rivers viewing all the small towns, castles and wineries. The area is especially beautiful in autumn, when the wine harvest culminates in different festivals and when the night chills …
Europe, food, Germany, Luxembourg, travel, travel experiences
In English,Maa Country Land,Yleinen
It might feel strange to combine these two areas in one and the same article, but I have done it before, and for me Scotland and Ireland felt quite alike after my two different journeys. Both the Scots and the Irish are proud people with a rich culture and a hard past. The best sides …
Europe, food, Ireland, Scotland, travel, travel experiences, UK
In English,Maa Country Land,Yleinen
The Canary Islands are usually viewed as a destination that has sold its soul to tourism. A tourism paradise where locals serve foreign visitors who are not the slightest interested in anything else than sun, warmth, entertainment and international food. I myself used to loathe the thought of that and my first visit to the …
In English,Maa Country Land,Yleinen
It is maybe too easy to compare the capital of Ukraine, Kiev (or Kiyv as the locals write it), with St Petersburg or Moscow. There is a more western atmosphere about Kiev than in Moscow, but the dull concrete blocks of the suburbs and the muddy small markets by the metro stations soon remind of …
In English,Maa Country Land,Yleinen
This is my review of the European republic Georgia, not the American Georgia state. When my interest in the Caucasus region rose, I chose Georgia over Armenia and Azerbaijan because there were no visa requirements for EU citizens to Georgia, and there were good flight connections to its capital, Tbilisi. And am I glad i …
In English,Maa Country Land,Yleinen
Côte d’Azur or south of France offers warm weather in spring and autumn, when northern Europe still or already freezes. Money-studded names such as Nice and Monaco drive off poor tourists but there is less expensive and much more interesting to explore in the area. Rustic villages of Provence such as Aix-en-Provence, St-Paul-de-Vence and Grasse …
In English,Maa Country Land,Yleinen
During the latest years Denmark has unfortunately become mainly a passing-through-country for me when aiming for central Europe by car or train. It is always fun, though, to stop for a few hours in Copenhagen. For many non-Scandinavian travelers Copenhagen is in fact the only place they visit in Denmark. When my sister and I …
