Finland The country of thousands lakes. World famous for the most beautiful
landscapes, arts and design, unique culture, sauna, mobile phones, high
technology products and success in sports. Travelling Finland There are many
attractions in Finland. The Finnish landscape is covered with large forests
amd thousands of lakes and inlets. The most visited destinations are
Helsinki the capitol of Finland, the Archipelag of Southwest part of the
country with thousands of Islands near Turku and Mariehamn, the Finnish
lakes starting from the City of Tampere and Lahti. Other popular cities in
this area are Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Lappeenranta, Mikkeli and Savonlinna. The
worldwide famous Lapland is known as residence of Santa Claus alias
Joulupukki (in Finnish). Lapland has original landscape with hills, small
vegetation and it is the home of reindeers (Poro). The biggest cities
Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo, Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Lahti, Kuopio, Rovaniemi,
Lappeenranta, Savonlinna, Rauma, Vaasa, Kotka and Kokkola are urbanised
regions with many cultural events and activities. Finland is a modern and
attractive country to visit – additional to this it is a safe and clean.
Finland the Winter destination Finnish winter attracts hundreds of thousands
for its Christmas festivities and winter sports. There are not only
activities such as skiing, dog sledding but also worldwide popular Nordic
walking. North of the Arctic Circle, there is a period when the sun doesn't
rise for weeks, known as a polar night (Kaamos). Something incredible and
beautiful is Aurora Borealis, atmospheric fluorescence, which is seen
regularly in winter. Finland the Summer destination Visit the international
festivals, markets and performing arts for song and dance. The most famous
events are Savonlinna Opera Festival, Seinäjoki's Tango Festival in Spanish
Festival de tango de Seinäjoki, Neste Oil Rally Finland and naturally
Juhannus the Summer Festival round the 25th of June. Juhannus has a deep
meaning for all us Finnish people as the Festival of Midnight Sun and it is
a party which has the dimensions almost like the Carneval in Rio de Janeiro.
The Midnight Sun with everlasting sunlight also provide an opportunity for
an array of outdoor activities. These activities range from golf, fishing,
yachting, lake cruises, hiking, kayaking among many others. In Lappland the
sun does not completely set for 73 consecutive days. Bird-watching is
popular for those fond of flying fauna, however hunting is also popular.
Moose, elk, reindeer and hare are all common game in Finland. Sauna Finland
is the land of the sauna and the Finns are a nation of sauna-enthusiasts.
Finland has a population of 5.1 million and has 1.7 million saunas. The
traditional sauna is a wooden building where the heat and steam is produced
by the water thrown on the hot stones. Sauna is a must not only for the
Finnish people but also for all Finland visitors. ‘Have a sauna’ and jump in
to one of the most clean lakes and you feel not only clean you feel like new
born. Cultural attractions Finland is a place with a lot of culture for
history, tradition and religion. There are Finnish Lutheran churches and
cathedrals across Finland. There are museums and architecture remaining the
time of the Swedish Empire in Finland. The architecture and design are world
known by Alvar Aalto and Eliel Saarinen but also the finnish products as
Marimekko, Iittala, Arabia, Hackmann etc. are international top level.
Castles from the Swedish period are found, for example in Turku (Turku
Castle is a museum), Hämeenlinna and Savonlinna (Olavinlinna in Savonlinna
hosts the annual Savonlinna Opera Festival). Visual arts Aino and Alvar
Aalto Finns have made major contributions to handicrafts and industrial
design. Finland's best-known sculptor of the twentieth century was Wäinö
Aaltonen. Eliel Saarinen (designer of the widely recognised Helsinki Central
railway station and many other public works). Alvar Aalto known for the work
for the functionalist architecture to Finland. Aalto is even famous for his
work in furniture and glassware. Classical and opera The most known Finnish
composer is Jean Sibelius (1865–1957), a significant figure in the history
of classical music. In 1899 he composed Finlandia, which played its
important role in Finland gaining independence. The most important modern
composers are Lindberg and Rautavaara. Finland has a large number of great
conductors such as Osmo Vänskä, Mikko Franck, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Esa-Pekka
Salonen, Susanna Mälkki and Leif Segerstam. Heavy metal and hard rock music
has reached the music enthusiasts and international markets with the Finnish
bands like The Rasmus, Amorphis, Charon, Children of Bodom, Kalmah, Eternal
Tears of Sorrow, Finntroll, Hanoi Rocks, HIM, Kotipelto, Nightwish,
Sentenced, Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius, The 69 Eyes and Waltari. Ville Valo
is top not at least with the song Summer wine and the Finnish hard
rock/heavy metal band Lordi won the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest with a
record 292 points with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah".