xml encoding=”UTF-8″–> Arriving in Vaasa, Finland, I was ready for an adventure and Finland does not disappoint. Vaasa is the gateway to the western side of the country. This is where the narrowest part of the Gulf of Bothnia is connected to Finland by their longest bridge, the Replot, in the Baltic Sea. Finland’s Kvarken …
Finland
xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>Is there anything kids love more than playing with toys? Most, if not all, kids enjoy playing with a range of different toys. So leave it to me to introduce you to some of the best toy museums in the world. With toys such as Legos, dolls, Barbie and Ken, Micky Mouse, Lion King, …
xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>This trip to Western Finland, of course, included a sauna. But where on earth were we? We were in Liminka, Finland, a town that was founded in 1477. And according to folklore, the name “Liminka” comes from the fictional giant, Limmi. They even have a famous bird paradise named “The Liminganlahti Bay”. As we …
xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>What a whirlwind trip I had to Helsinki, which is a world away from the USA. I suddenly got transplanted into a winter wonderland from the heat of the desert of my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona! One thing I immediately noticed upon my arrival in Helsinki was how Scandinavian design has spread throughout the …
xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>You can almost hear those sleigh bells ringing in your ears as the Christmas season approaches your world. The sound of Santa Claus’ “HO, HO, HO” can be heard on the radio, television, in social media, and even as you you shop on the city streets. So let me tell you, there is no …
xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>Recently, I was invited to be a part of the Nordic Blogger Experience and as a result, was invited to go to Finland. I wrote about my amazing Finnish Sauna Experience and the Scandinavian Design Houses that I visited, but there is this one thing I haven’t mentioned yet: I took a day trip …
xml encoding=”UTF-8″–>Sometimes in life, as in travels, we really don’t know what to expect when encountering other cultures, countries, and continents. Some things come as a pleasant surprise, and other things, not so much. You can imagine my bible-belt cultural shock when I found out about how Finn’s love their saunas. In fact, the sauna …
xml encoding=”UTF-8″–> There was a quiet stillness unlike anything I had experienced before. I knew that Maakalla Island of Western Finland was remote, but the eeriness I felt upon stepping off the boat gave me a bit of a shiver. It was mid-August and so the weather was picture-perfect for today, as soon, no one …