User:R perry(norway08)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Although Northern Europe is quite expensive, many of the things that are of most
value are free-for-all - the scenery, hiking, quite a lot of museums and many other
sights.
Not only that, for those who feel like camping, in Norway, Sweden and Finland it is
generally possible to camp freely in the woods and in the mountains. In these three
countries, laws have been enacted guaranteeing "Every Man's Right" to access
uncultivated lands, or these rights are considered customary law.
Given knowledge of these laws and camping equipment, it is in fact possible to
travel rather inexpensively in the Nordic countries.
NORWAY
Prices: 1NOK = 10p, 10NOK = £1
Tromso:
* The Youth Hostel is only open from mid June to mid August. Since they are
housed in a student's dorm, their standard is rather good. Slightly inconvenient
location some 40 minutes from the city centre on foot, but rather frequent buses.
[33]
* Fjellheim Sommerhotell is a bible school in winter, and a good alternative in
summer, near the city centre. [34]. Good-size bedrooms, shared facilities.
* The Right to access means you can camp mostly anywhere (outside the city
centre) for free!
Arppa Sami Duodje Gallery http://www.arppa.no/arppa.php?lang=eng
Dogsledding http://www.villmarkssenter.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6&Itemid=9
Northern Lights (peak in september!) http://wikitravel.org/en/Aurora_Borealis "There are both seasonal and long-term variations in the likelihood of a
Northern Lights display. On a yearly basis, the Lights are at their peak in
September and March, but also in October and April. The reasons for this trend
aren't fully known, but it's definitely real, not just an artifact of the weather
or other viewing conditions. The Lights can best be seen at around midnight.
Scenic Place http://wikitravel.org/en/Lofoten
Hilly/Mountainess Hiking Place http://wikitravel.org/en/Jotunheimen
Trondheim:
"Trondheim was - contrary to common belief - not so much a center for vikings but
the religious center of northern Europe in the Middle Ages and a vital hub for
North-Atlantic trade, thus giving the town plentiful of characteristic mansions and
harbour houses. The inhabitants like to call their town the historical, the
religious and the technology capital of Norway. "
"The city boasts a rich, cultural heritage, but is still a major centre. Even if
the size is modest, there's a lot going on in Trondheim. Music, arts, culture,
alternative politics, nightlife, student life... all combines into making Trondheim
one of the most exciting city centres of Northern Europe. "
"The city celebrated its 1000-years anniversary as an official city in 1997. For
centuries Trondheim was the northernmost trading city in European civilisation,
giving it a special "edge-of-the-world" feeling. "
* The Trondheim InterRail Centre (website) is run by students at the
marvellous student society building near the city campus. It functions as a youth
hostel late June to mid-August. Price NOK 135 per person per night including
breakfast. There's also free internet and they serve warm meals for NOK 45. (Bus to
Studentersamfundet)
* Trondheim Hostel (website) is the official IYH hostel. On top of a hill,
fairly close to the centre, Lademoen and the fortress. Clean, efficient and nice.
(Bus 63 to Sigurd Bergs allé)
SWEDEN
1SEK = 8.5p £1 = 11.75SEK
Norrland:
the sparsely populated, northern part of the country (about two-thirds of the total
area), with nine provinces. Lots of wilderness, with forests, lakes, big rivers,
enormous marshes and high mountains along the border to Norway. Great for hiking.
Largest cities are Gävle, Sundsvall, Umeå and Luleå.
As for other dangerous wildlife, there's not much more than a few extremely rare
encounters with brown bear (brunbjörn) and wolf (varg) in the wilderness. Both of
these animals are listed as protected species. Contrary to popular belief abroad,
there are no polar bears in Sweden, let alone polar bears walking city streets. If
you encounter a brown bear in the woods, walk slowly away from it while talking
loudly - the bear is most likely to feel threatened if you surprise it. In the
unlikely event of a brown bear attacking you should play dead, protect your head
and make yourself as small as possible. Or the opposite, there have been people
surviving a brown bear encounter by screaming as loud as possible, jumping, and
making oneself as big as possible. In general, one shouldn't worry about dangerous
encounters with wild beasts in Sweden.
Place with lots of things to do: http://wikitravel.org/en/Kiruna
Kiruna (pronounced key-rune-a) in Norrbotten county, Norrland is the northernmost
and one of the most unusual towns in Sweden and with its 18,000 inhabitants, the
largest town in Swedish Lapland. Winter
* Nordic light tours * Snow mobile excursions * Dog sled tour * Cross country skiing * Downhill Skiing * Ice-fishing
Summer
* Hiking * River rafting * Kajaking * Fishing * Golf * Hunting * Gold digging * Waterpark
Umea
"Since Umeå has a lot of students, bikes are common and the city offers a wide
variety of bike-friendly roads and bike-only bridges. It is often both easier and
faster to get around by bike than by car or bus. Bikes can be rented at Cykel &
Mopedhandlaren (Kungsgatan 101, +46(0)90-140170) or Umeå Camping (Nydala, +46(0)90
-702600). If you plan on staying longer, buying a used bike is a good investment -
with a bit of effort you can find a good used bike for as low as 400 SEK."
"Umeå International Film Festival, [8]. Yearly film festival, usually held in
mid-September."
FINLAND
1EUR = 80p, £1 = 1.25EUR
Unlike craggy Norway and Sweden, Finland is mostly low, flat to rolling plains
interspersed with lakes and low hills, with mountains (of a sort) only in the
extreme north and Finland's highest point, Mount Halti, rising only to a modest
1,328 m. Finland has 187,888 lakes (about 60,000 of them are big lakes) according
to the Geological Survey of Finland, making the moniker Land of a Thousand Lakes
actually an underestimation. Along the coast and in the lakes are (according to
another estimate) 179,584 islands, making the country an excellent boating
destination as well.
Finland is not located on the Scandinavian peninsula, so despite many cultural and
historical links, it is technically not considered a part of Scandinavia. Even
Finns rarely bother to make the distinction, but a more correct term that includes
Finland is the "Nordic countries" (Pohjoismaat). Buffeted by its neighbors for centuries and absorbing influences from west, east
and south, Finnish culture as a distinct identity was only born in the 19th
century: "we are not Swedes, and we do not wish to become Russian, so let us be
Finns."
The Finnish founding myth and national epic is the Kalevala, a collection of old
Karelian stories and poems collated in 1835 that recounts the creation of the world
and the adventures of Väinämöinen, a shamanistic hero with magical powers.
Kalevalan themes such as the Sampo, a mythical horn of plenty, have been a major
inspiration for Finnish artists, and figures, scenes and concepts from the epic
continue to color their works.
While Finland's state religion is Lutheranism, a version of Protestant
Christianity, the country has full freedom of religion and for the great majority
everyday observance is lax or nonexistent. Still, Luther's teachings of strong work
ethic and a belief in equality remain strong, both in the good (women's rights, low
corruption) and the bad (conformity, high rates of depression and suicide). The
Finnish character is often summed up with the word sisu, a mixture of admirable
perseverance and pig-headed stubbornness in the face of adversity. Finnish music is best known for classical composer Jean Sibelius, whose symphonies
continue to grace concert halls around the world. Finnish pop, on the other hand,
has only rarely ventured beyond the borders, but heavy metal bands like Nightwish
and HIM have garnered some acclaim and latex monsters Lordi hit an exceedingly
unlikely jackpot by taking home the Eurovision Song Contest in 2006.
In the other arts, Finland has produced noted architect and designer Alvar Aalto,
authors Mika Waltari (Sinuhe) and Väinö Linna (The Unknown Soldier), and painter
Akseli Gallen-Kallela, known for his Kalevala illustrations.
Possibly interesting city http://wikitravel.org/en/Oulu
Place near Oula http://wikitravel.org/en/Kuusamo Karhunkierros (The trail of the bear) [7], is the most popular hiking trail in
Finland. The 80 km long trail leads through two beautiful national parks. There are
also several shorter variations of the trail. The trail is easily accessible from
the Kuusamo airport with a bus that takes you to the beginning of the trail.
Although the difficulty level is quite easy, you should still be prepared with a
decent map and enough food. Water is not a problem, as there are plenty of rivers
that have clean and drinkable water. There are several open wilderness huts
(autiotupa), where you can stay for free. The huts tend to get full during peak
season (end of June to beginning of August), so you should consider bringing your
own tent. Karhunkierros Trail is Finland’s most popular hiking trail. It leads through the
unique hill landscape and nature of Oulanka National Park to the most beautiful
scenic spots in the municipalities of Kuusamo and Salla. The trail travels through
pine dominated forest and along river banks and is suited for beginners, as well
as, experienced hikers. The trail for the most part crosses undemanding terrain.
The parts of the trail which are the most demanding are in the Juuma area and the
slopes of Valtavaara Hill and Ruka Fell. There are many open wilderness huts,
campfire sites and other structures along the trail. The trail can also be divided
into sections, so you do not have to hike the entire length.
The best time to hike the trail is from 1.6. to 15.10. The trail is marked with
orange paint markings on trees. During winter there is a maintained cross-country
ski trail between Oulanka Visitor Centre and the village of Juuma.
Karhunkierros Trail has been a hiking trail for 50 years. In the 1950s the members
of the Kuusamo tourism board made history when they marked the original
Karhunkierros Trail from Ristikallio Cliffs via Taivalköngäs Rapids to Kiutaköngäs
Rapids and the village of Juuma. At that time there were few structures to help
hikers and markings along the trail were scarce.
Skiing http://www.levi.fi/pages/index.php?id=3&language=eng_win
Lapland, lots of stuff to do
