Räisälä
My late mother was born there, nowadays it belongs to Russia.
Turku
The former capital of Finland; I studied at the University of Turku.
1. Alajärvi
A town (since 1986) in the lake district of Ostrobothnia, population approx. 9000. The majority of the inhabitants earn their living in small businesses and family businesses. Alajärvi is closely connected with architect Alvar Aalto's life and production. He used to spend summers in Alajärvi in his childhood, later in his youth he lived here. Alajärvi is also the birthplace of painter Eero Nelimarkka.
Tulivuorikeskus
Nelimarkka -museo
20. Raisio
Welcome to Raisio, a young coastal town in the south-west of Finland. Raisio offers you interesting attractions and good services. History, culture, events, exercise, and experiences in nature are waiting for you in Raisio. Ask our tourist office for more information. Guided tours of Raisio and the surrounding areas are also at your disposal. Enjoy yourself as our guest.
Raisio Church
Crafts and Traditions
DAY 13
D
The municipality of Perho lies in the heart of Finland. Perho offers good opportunities to get acquainted with the diversity of Finland´s nature. The National park of Salamajärvi is located in the northeastern part of Perho and is one of the biggest nature reserves of Southern Finland.
The backpack trail, "Peuran Polku" runs through The Salamanperä nature park. While walking along the trails you can come across with all sorts of animals that live in the forest. There are also areas for hunting, fishing, mushrooming and picking wild berries.
Many battles of the Finnish war were fought in Perho in the beginning of the 19th century.
When you walk about in Perho you might bump into Arsi Harju, the olympic winner in men´s shot put.
Places to see here (unfortunately only in Finnish)
Arsi Harju, a former student of mine :)
8. Kokkola
The town founded in 1620 by the Swedish King Gustaf II Adolf is today a charming historical town with 36.000 inhabitants. Kokkola is the centre of the Central Ostrobothnian region and is also the northernmost part of bilingual Finland (Finnish - Swedish).
Old KokkolaDAY 12
3. Heinola
Heinola is a lively, pleasant small city close to nature. The range of services available to the city's residents provides an excellent quality of life.
Löyly MM
Lintutalo
Reumasairaala
26. Suonenjoki
Suonenjoki is a town and municipality of Finland. Suonenjoki is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Northern Savonia region.
Suonenjoki is famous for its strawberries. It is also known as "the Strawberry Town". Lots of foreign people, mainly from Russia, come to Suonenjoki in summer to work on strawberry farms. That makes Suonenjoki the most international town of Finland at summer. There is a party in Suonenjoki in July called Mansikkakarnevaalit, "Strawberry Carnival". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suonenjoki
DAY 11
22. Rovaniemi
Rovaniemi is Lapland's energetic capital city. On the Arctic Circle at the junction of two great rivers, the Kemijoki and the Ounasjoki, the city which has grown round the Ounasvaara Hill recreation area is a part of nature itself. Lapland's four seasons provide the entire region with a wide range of attractive aspects.
Arktikum
Santa Claus Village
9. Korvatunturi
The pages are unfortunately under construction! But Korvatunturi is the place where Santa Claus lives (although he does have a whole village in Rovaniemi!)
Savukoski (the municipality)
DAY 10
30. Ähtäri
Ähtäri is beautifully located right in the middle of Finland, with excellent facilities and services near at hand. Ähtäri offers visitors unspoilt natural surroundings, clear-watered lakes, verdant forests, plenty of snow in winter. Ähtäri, where basic services are well looked after, has developed a rich and versatile round-the-year network of facilities and services catering to people´s free-time activities. Ähtäri is easy to reach - whether you´re a visiting tourist or a more permanent holiday resident.
Ähtäri Zoo
29. Vaasa
Vaasa is Ostrobothnia's window to the west. The town is the spiritual heart of Ostrobothnia, open to all. As it has good connections with the outside world, international winds of change reach the town quickly. Vaasa is the biggest town in the area with 58.000 inhabitants 72 % Finnish-speaking, 25 % Swedish-speaking and 3 % with other languages as their mother tongue.
Vaasa is located at the narrowest point of the gulf of Bothnia, only 80 km/50 miles from Umeå in Sweden. By boat the journey takes four hours. The ferry line with traffic between Vaasa and Umeå is RG Line.
DAY 9
4. Helsinki
Helsinki, or Helsingfors (in Swedish) is the capital and largest city of Finlans. It is in the southern part of Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, by the Baltic sea. The population of Helsinki is 569,892 (March, 2008), making it the most populous municipality in Finland by a wide margin. The foreign-born population stands at around 10%. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helsinki)
Suomenlinna
Temppelinaukion kirkko
Korkeasaari
13. Mikkeli
The city of Mikkeli is the capital of the Province of Eastern Finland and it is situated by the Lake Saimaa. Mikkeli is a lively town with the most beautiful lake scenery. It takes only two hours to drive by car from the market place in Mikkeli to Helsinki city centre. Mikkeli is situated on the crossroads of five highways. Good connections to eastern, southern and central Finland give great opportunities to local business and travelling. Certainly, Mikkeli is a combination of interesting history and traditions, active business, high education and research, culture, nature and internationality.
Saimaa
Ballet Mikkeli
DAY 8
18. Pori
The city of Pori was founded on the mouth of the Kokemäenjoki river in 1558. Traditionally an industrial and port city, it has rapidly transformed itself into a city of students. Its strong ties to culture have kept the city vigorous for centuries.
Yyteri
Pori Jazz
2. Hanko
A sA small town on the seashore - Less than two hours from Helsinki.
The The town of Hanko, founded in 1874, is a small town in the best sense of the term. In Hanko, the scenery varies from one moment to the next, and all distances are short. You can shop in the small boutiques along the pedestrian street or wander to the endless sand beaches and cliffs by the sea in only a few minutes. In some places, time has stopped. The visitors in the time of the old spa, with their sunshades and straw hats, used to walk these same streets and beaches.
BBBengtskär (a lighthouse)
DAY 7
12. Maarianhamina
Åland is an autonomous and unilingually Swedish region in Finland with its own flag; a blue flag with a yellow/red cross. Åland also has its own stamps, licence plates and its own top domain (.ax) There are a total of 26,700 persons living in Åland in 16 different municipalities. Of them some 10,800 live in the only town in Åland, Mariehamn. The town was founded in 1861 and is today the centre for industry and politics. Here is also the Åland Government, called "Landskapsregering," located.
The Castle of KastelholmPommern
5. Ii
Chose only because of the short name...
Ii is situated on the shores of Bothnia next to E4 highway. Travelling northwards to Ii from Oulu takes you 1/2 hour, the distance is 35 km. From Ii to Kemi it is 70 km. Ii-river which is one of the largest rivers in northern Ostrobothnia flows trough the middle of the village.
Kulttuurikauppila
DAY 6
21. Rauma
Idyllic, culturally rich seaside town - Rauma, founded in 1442, is an idyllic seaside town steeped in culture. Rauma offers its 37,000 inhabitants high-quality modern services.
Rauma provides a spacious and safe living environment. Whether you choose a home in the town centre or a more country-type dwelling, good basic public services and high-quality education, cultural and leisure services are available to you.
7. Jyväskylä
Jyväskylä is friendly city of over 85 000 inhabitants where people are always ready to welcome new faces a place to feel at home.What characterises a city that can claim so much? Open, hospitable, comfortable and functional at the very least.
Jyväskylän kesä
DAY 5
6. Joensuu
In 2008, Joensuu celebrates its 160 years of existance! Joensuu is a university town and the lively capital of the North Karelia Region in Finland. The city was established in 1848 by the Czar Nikolai I of Russia and it has flourished in the estuary of a notable waterway. It is a vital city with a growing and relatively young population. Of the total population of 58,000 almost 20,000 are pupils and students.
Joensuu is located next to the Russian border and about 400 km North-East from the capital of the country.
Joensuun yliopisto
Ilosaarirock
25. Sodankylä
Welcome To Sodankylä!And welcome to Central Lapland. Save the best flavours, customs and atmosphere as souvenirs!
Discover fascinating landscapes, tales and legends, attractions, individualistic handicraft artisans and their products, programme services, special events and comfortable accommodation options, not to mention the supporting services. Shopping facilities abound!
Sodankylä is situated in the heart of Lapland the distance from Rovaniemi is 130 km. The vibrant villages of Sodankylä are worth visiting during your trip to Lapland.
The Old Church (v.1689) - where we got married...
DAY 4
24. Seinäjoki
Seinäjoki is the centre of the Region of South Ostrobothnia, of almost 200 000 inhabitants, and one of the fastest-growing conurbations in Finland. Seinäjoki is situated in Western Finland, in the junction of five railways and national highways.
Seinäjoki is known as a city of education, hospital and health services, culture, sports, as well as of trade and business activities. Moreover, thanks to its Alvar Aalto Centre, Seinäjoki is a recognised destination for architectural visits.
Lakeuden Risti
Tangomarkkinat
14. Naantali
Sunny Naantali is well known for its fascinating history as a convent town, for its charming wooden houses and maritime atmosphere.It is wellknown family resort with Moomins, the adventure island and bathing beaches.
The journey from the centre of Naantali to the heart of the beautitful archipelago, whether by land or by sea, takes less than half an hour. Muumimaailma - Moominworld
DAY 3
27. Tampere
Tampere is the third largest city in Finland and the largest inland centre in the Nordic countries. Currently there are over 200,000 inhabitants in Tampere, and almost 300,000 inhabitants in Tampere Sub-Region, which comprises Tampere and its neighbouring municipalities.
Särkänniemi
Muumilaakso - Moominvalley
Lots of interesting museums
11. Lumijoki
Just because it has a beautiful name, "Snow river". A small place with a population of less than 2 thousand.
City Hall, called Snow castle
Liminganlahti
DAY 2
15. Nokia
Believe it or not: there is a town named Nokia in Finland! The very roots of the famous Nokia Corporation lie on the Nokia River where the paper mill of Mr. Idestam started almost 140 years ago. He gave the company the name "Nokia" which was name of a manor nearby.
In 140 years the paper mill village has grown to a town of 30 000 inhabitants. Nokia is an industrial town: main branches are rubber (tires and footwear), paper, textile, flooring and metal.Nokia, the technology company
Lake Pyhäjärvi
19. Porvoo
In today's Porvoo, I the past and the present merge in perfect harmony. The strata from different epochs can be discerned in the structure of the town. Porvoo is a dynamic town centre fostering culture and traditions which offers its inhabitants humane and pleasant surroundings.
DAY 1
10. Kuopio
Kuopio is a modern, developing centre of economic life in Eastern Finland. Kuopio is a city of expertise, science and technology. Unique nature and services of excellent quality make the city an appealing place to live and offer an environment with a high quality of life. The people of the growing city haven't forgotten their roots but still value the genuine Savo way of living highly.Kuopio's best asset, however, lies with the local people, famous for being friendly, sociable and easy-going - in short, for being big-hearted.
Puijo Tower
kalakukko
16. Oulu
The city of Oulu was founded by the order of King Carl IX of Sweden at the mouth of the Oulu River in 1605. Oulu, which is located on the shore of the Gulf of Bothnia in Finland, has been the province's capital since 1776.
Oulu is considered northern Europe's most significant centre of competence. A significant amount of high technology ability has been concentrated in the area.
