Winnipeg. “The Heart of the Continent”

Stories / Cultural tourism / Canada

We had visited the city of Winnipeg in 2012, now 5 years later we are going to take a new look at this city to see what has changed and to explore new corners of this unusual place.

Canada. New Journey

Stories / Cultural tourism / Canada

In our previous journey we had a chance to get familiar with some of the most famous cities of Canada, as well as with some small towns. This journey will be of a totally different concept, i.e. we are going to visit new and already familiar places but with a new perspective. This journey is about to become spectacular!

Finland travel tips: Review

Stories / Cultural tourism / Finland

“The End of the Journey”. This is quite a symbolic name for this final chapter of the journey. Here, we are going to take a look at the Travel Smart journey in Finland, its best moments and most remarkable places.

Finland travel tips: Helsinki (Suomenlinna), Vantaa, Espoo

Stories / Cultural tourism / Finland

“The Greater Helsinki Area”. This is the name for the final chapter of the journey in Finland. Yes, we have reached the end of our journey in this country and we saved the best for last! The reason for naming it this way is that we are going to take a quick look at the two major municipalities, which make Helsinki big and as one.

Finland travel tips: Rovaniemi

Stories / Cultural tourism / Finland

“Christmas Miracle”. This chapter of the Travel Smart journey in Finland is one of the most awaited because we are headed to the town of Christmas, i.e. to Rovaniemi! We have covered the most interesting places in Finland, so now it is time to get closer to the end of this journey with something special; we saved the best for last!

Finland travel tips: Jyväskylä, Oulu, Kemi, Tornio, Haparanda

Stories / Cultural tourism / Finland

“Way Up To The North”. This chapter of the journey is going to comprise several towns of Finland on our way to Rovaniemi. We will start this journey from the town of Jyväskylä, then we move to the town of Oulu, then we will have a short stop in the town of Kemi, and then we will visit the two border towns of Tornio and Haparanda (Haaparanta in Finnish).

Finland travel tips: Turku

Stories / Cultural tourism / Finland

“The Old Capital”. Previously, we explore the town of Tampere with its industrial heart, now it is time to move on to another big town of Finland, Turku. Turku (or “Åbo” in Swedish) is the old capital of the country; that is why I decided to name this chapter of the journey this way. 

Finland travel tips: Tampere

Stories / Cultural tourism / Finland

“Industrial Town”. This name totally fits the description of Tampere, the second largest town in Finland, after the Greater Helsinki Area. Tampere is not a typical town among the largest Finnish towns, i.e. it has 2 places which can be considered as a city center. The first one is, perhaps, the railroad station, which is not something to be symbolic, and the second one is the actual city center. However, speaking of the symbols of Tampere, the Näsinneula Tower is one of the most recognizable symbols of the town. 

Finland travel tips: Hämeenlinna, Juva, Kuopio

Stories / Cultural tourism / Finland

“Small Towns”. This is the way I would like to name our new chapter of the journey. This one is going to be rather brief giving you an idea of new places to explore. We will begin this journey with a town of Hämeenlinna moving on to a very small town of Juva right onto the town of Kupio. These are some places worth visiting if you decide to explore Finland.

Finland travel tips: Lappeenranta & Imatra

Stories / Cultural tourism / Finland

"Saimaa region". This chapter of the journey is dedicated to two towns of Eastern Finland, i.e. Lappeenranta and Imatra. The two towns are located pretty close to the border of Finland and Russia. The distance between Lappeenranta and Imatra is just 40 kilometers, so there are neighbors. This region around the Lake Saimaa is one of the most, if not the most, beautiful regions in Finland. Breathtaking views of the lake, amazing nature, a feeling of peaceful silence, and, at the same time, a crowded place full of tourists and citizens.

Finland travel tips: Helsinki (part 2)

Stories / Cultural tourism / Finland

“Helsinki: the Other Side of the Capital”. This chapter of the journey will be dedicated to the western part of Helsinki, including some rare or unexplored by regular tourists places. Previously, we have discovered the eastern part of the city with its beauty and charm, now it is time to get familiar with the city’s other side, i.e. the western part. Obviously, we are going to visit the most interesting places only.

Finland travel tips: Helsinki

Stories / Cultural tourism / Finland

“Helsinki: the Baltic Capital”. This chapter of the journey will represent the importance of the city for the region; we will travel around the city and this is just the beginning. Helsinki is the largest city of Finland and thus the most populated; you can see a mix of different cultures in one place. As per 2014 Helsinki is ranked as the world’s 5th best city for living, though it used to be the 1st a couple of years ago.

Finland travel tips: Joensuu

Stories / Cultural tourism / Finland

“Karelian Joensuu”. This “chapter of the journey” is dedicated to another town of Finland, Joensuu. This town is located in North Karelia, Eastern Finland. It is not far from the Russian border. 

Finland travel tips: Pieksämäki & Varkaus

Stories / Cultural tourism / Finland

“So similar and so different: Pieksämäki & Varkaus”.  Now we are going to talk about two different and at the same time very similar towns, Pieksämäki and Varkaus. It is quite easy to find them on a map if you find Mikkeli first. From Mikkeli you can choose which town to visit first. If you want to go to Kuopio or Joensuu, you are definitely going to pass Varkaus, because it is right on a “crossroads” of both ways. Besides, if you travel by bus, all drivers change on that bus station which is also a railroad station. On your way to Varkaus you are about to pass by Juva, a small but important town, through which you have to drive if you are headed to Savonlinna.

Finland travel tips: Lahti

Stories / Cultural tourism / Finland

“Lahti: the sport city”. This is the way I would like to name this “chapter of the journey” due to several reasons. The first and, perhaps, the main reason for that is its famous ski jumps as part of the sport center. We will take a closer look at it later on in this chapter. The second reason for such name is my perception of Lahti. When I was there, I felt as if the whole city was very active in different kinds of sport; people were running, jogging, skiing, skating, etc. It made quite a good impression of the place. Naturally, this “chapter” will not be able to cover everything in the city of Lahti; therefore, there will be something left out for the following “chapters”.

Finland travel tips: Helsinki – transport

Stories / Cultural tourism / Finland

“Helsinki: The Capital City” (part 1). After an incredible journey started in Canada we moved on to Finland and already had a chance to discover some of its eastern part. We have seen some towns in Finland and some of the festivals taking place. So now, it is time to have our next “chapter of the journey” in the capital of Finland, the city of Helsinki.

Finland travel tips: Porvoo

Stories / Cultural tourism / Finland

“Amazing Porvoo (Borgå)”. This “chapter of the journey” is dedicated to a very amazing town of Porvoo (or Borgå in Swedish). Since there are two official languages in Finland, many towns and cities have two names in both languages. So, Porvoo is one of them.

Finland travel tips: Mikkeli (part 2)

Stories / Cultural tourism / Finland

“Welcome to Mikkeli!” In the previous “chapter of the journey” we had a chance to learn something about the town of Mikkeli. There were some travel tips given concerning accommodation, some sightseeing places and Visulahti Park. I guess now it is the right time to discover more of this town.

Finland travel tips: Mikkeli (part 1)

Stories / Cultural tourism / Finland

“Welcome to Mikkeli!” This chapter of the journey in Finland gets us to a very beautiful, unusual town of Mikkeli, which is 1.5 hour drive from Lappeenranta, a very popular destination among Russian tourists. Mikkeli is very attractive not only for tourists, but also for Finns, who are eager to explore more of their own land. Besides, the town is very comfortable if you consider that everything practically in one place, i.e. the harbor, the railroad station, and the city center.

Canada travel tips: overview

Stories / Cultural tourism / Canada

“My Canada” is the final chapter of the journey all across Canada; however, it is not the end. During this marvelous journey we had a chance to see so many places from the west to the east, from Vancouver to Toronto. Obviously, there are so many cities, towns and villages worth visiting in Canada and they are to be covered in the future.