FINLAND
Finns like to travel to the Canary Islands and Thailand on their holiday. Nowadays they also like to visit European cities such as London, Rome and Paris.
Finns spend their summer holidays at their summer cottages which often are situated by lakes. (There are 187 888 lakes in Finland. Lake is here defined as a body of standing water larger than 5 ares (500 m2)
Going to sauna is an integral part of our life. That's why our summer cottages have a sauna. We enjoy plunging in a lake or a sea when taking a sauna bath (some even enjoy swimming in a hole in the ice at winter time!)
Earlier cottages were mainly in summer use but nowadays there are lots of cottages which are in use around the year.
One of the most popular resorts in Finland is Lapland that both Finns and tourists from all over the world like to visit. The majority of foreign tourists come from the Great Britain and Russia.
There are lots of fells in Lapland where people like to go hiking and downhill skiing. One of the reasons why people go to Lapland is Santa Claus as everyone knows Santa Claus lives in Lapland.
In Autumn tourists can enjoy a beautiful autumn colours in Lapland.
When looking at a map of Finland you can see that there are lots of lakes in Eastern Finland that area is called Järvi-Suomi(Lakeland Finland). Finland's biggest lake Saimaa is situated in Järvi-Suomi. Because Finns like to spend time at their summer cottages by the lakes the Lakeland area is an ideal place to spend a holiday.
Situated in the middle of the Lakeland area Rantasalmi gets its fair share of tourists and cottage owners. In winter you have great opportunity to skiing, skating and icefishing. In summer you can go to fishing, cruise and to play golf. In Rantasalmi there is also national park Linnansaari where you can enjoy the peace and quiet in the wilderness. In Rantasalmi are over 100 summer cottages which you can rent. Most of the tourists which come to Rantasalmi come from Russia, Germany, Spain and Italy.
Helsinki is Finland's capital city and there are many places that tourists could visit. Suomenlinna was built to defend Helsinki. It is an inhabited sea fortress built on six islands. In summer tourists and locals go there for a picnic and to spend time enjoying the sunshine and the sea.
Senate Square was built in the mid-19th century, the buildings surrounding the Square were designed by Carl Ludvig Engel. People say that they are probably the most beautiful buildings in Helsinki. Among the Square there is The Palace of the Council State, the main University building and the Helsinki Cathedral.
When you are in Helsinki you could visit Kiasma which is a contemporary art museum.
BULGARIA
Bulgaria is one of the few exotic nations of Europe. There are lots of different kind of activities you can do, you can go to the beaches, visit lovely churches and enjoy winter sport opportunities. Bulgaria is not regularly visited compared to other European nations but it's a beautiful country where there are many different places you can visit.
Rila is a town in southwestern Bulgaria. There is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It's one of the most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments.
Sofia is the capital city of Bulgaria. There are many museums, galleries and churches that you can visit. In 2008 more than 40% of all visitors were Greek, Romanian and German.
One of the most popular resorts in Bulgaria is Sunny Beach, it's located on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria. Thousands of tourists come to Sunny Beach every summer. There are opportunities to go in for water sports, have fun at nights and enjoy the sun on the beach.