Global Travel Writers: Articles http://www.globaltravelwriters.com/ Global Travel Writers en Global Travel Writers: Articles http://www.globaltravelwriters.com/EXT:tt_news/ext_icon.gif http://www.globaltravelwriters.com/ Global Travel Writers TYPO3 - get.content.right http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Tue, 14 Jun 2011 05:50:00 -0400 On Viking shores http://www.globaltravelwriters.com/articles/category/finland/article/on-viking-shores/ From Scotland to Russia via Scandinavia, traces of the Vikings are everywhere

by Graham Simmons

                                                                                                                   From Germany’s neo-Nazi skinheads to groups of Swedish immigrants in Minnesota, USA, a diverse range of hero-seekers, history buffs and just plain lunatics are today in search of their Viking roots. This story follows some of the old Viking routes, from Birka in Sweden to the Lofoten Islands of Norway and down through the Shetland and Orkney Islands of Scotland, as far as Vyborg in Russia. Featured also is the new Viking Ships Museum, in Rosskilde (Denmark).

See image preview: http://www.photographersdirect.com/simmons/search.asp?lb=8942

]]> Graham Simmons Russia Norway Finland Denmark By: Graham Simmons Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:23:00 -0400 Of Prancer, Dancer, Rudolph and a man called Claus (Christmas in Lapland) http://www.globaltravelwriters.com/articles/category/finland/article/of-prancer-dancer-rudolph-and-a-man-called-claus-christmas-in-lapland/ Glenn A Baker journeys to Finnish Lapland to spend time with the Jolly Red Gent who receives and... "It was not for the world's most adventurous and visually edifying skiing that I landed myself in Rovaniemi - the confluence of the Polar Road and the Arctic Ocean Road - a few days into a new year. I came at the behest of the eternal child inside us all; I came to give life to a dream of longstanding. I wanted to meet Santa and discuss affairs of state." So writes Glenn A. Baker about his journey in Finnish Lapland to spend time with the Jolly Red Gent, who receives and answers over a million letters a year, from children in more than fifty countries.

He finds the glossiest and most seductive travel brochure come to life. Snow-covered from October, it is one of the world's premier winter wonderlands; an accessible; enveloping realm of fells and cliffs, reindeer and sled-dogs, shimmering ice crystals and snow-laden pine trees.

Photography by David McGonigal

]]> Glenn A Baker Cultural Travel Destination Travel Festivals & Events Finland By: Glenn A Baker Wed, 03 Oct 2007 21:15:00 -0400 Karelia Sweet http://www.globaltravelwriters.com/articles/category/finland/article/karelia-sweet/ Karelia, between Finland and Russia, opens up its borders When the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius wrote his celebrated Karelia Suite, little did he realise that his beloved country would after the Second World War lose a huge chunk of its eastern province of Karelia to Russia. Maybe his composition should have been called “Karelia Bittersuite”. But times change. The recent opening of a new border between Imatra in Finnish Karelia and Svetogorsk in Russian Karelia is widely seen as a window of hope, for the first time allowing easy movement between the “two Karelias”. Could this be the start of a new “Karelia Sweet”? www.photographersdirect.com/simmons/search.asp

]]> Graham Simmons Finland Destination Travel By: Graham Simmons Tue, 21 Aug 2007 23:02:00 -0400 Samba time in Helsinki http://www.globaltravelwriters.com/articles/category/finland/article/samba-time-in-helsinki/ When you think of samba, chances are you don't immediately think of Finland - which is why...       If you think the idea of Brazilian dance in Finland sounds pretty weird, then you could well be right. But, come summertime, Helsinki rocks like a jelly in an earthquake, as the country’s Samba Schools strut their stuff through the city in the annual Samba Festival parade. Surprisingly, the Finns manage to stage this event with a good deal of aplomb and good-natured revelry. 

]]> Graham Simmons Finland Cultural Travel Destination Travel Cities Festivals & Events By: Graham Simmons Sun, 03 Jun 2007 19:34:00 -0400 Eurail Explorer http://www.globaltravelwriters.com/articles/category/finland/article/eurail-explorer/ The Eurail Pass can be used to explore some of the most fascinating and hidden corners of Europe Most people use the excellent Eurail train pass just as a means of getting from A to B. With the whole of Europe offering some superb high-speed rail services, this is certainly the way to go. But the Eurail Pass can also be used to explore little-known trails into the vast countryside. Getting off the beaten track with the Pass involves a little research, but more importantly, a willingness to venture into the great unknown.

]]> Graham Simmons Finland France Germany Denmark Croatia Greece Travel Tips Multi-Country Stories Switzerland By: Graham Simmons Sat, 10 Mar 2007 22:35:00 -0500 Åland: The littlest "country" in Europe http://www.globaltravelwriters.com/articles/category/finland/article/aaland-the-littlest-country-in-europe/ Finland's semi-independent Åland Islands have strong links with Australia The Åland Islands, which recently celebrated their 75th year of autonomy, nominally belong to Finland. But to the Swedish-speaking Ålanders, such niceties are of little relevance. The Åland Islands form one of the finest yacht cruising archipelagoes in the world, with a maritime history encompassing the days when Åland’s sailing vessels plied the long wheat run from Europe to Port Lincoln, in South Australia.

]]> Graham Simmons Finland Cruising Cultural Travel Destination Travel By: Graham Simmons Sun, 04 Feb 2007 21:27:00 -0500