Cookie travels

Travel bugs usually visit many travel websites so they can plan ahead their holiday. It’s more on getting information regarding cheaper flights, budget accommodations, the sights they should see, and more. But how can we know for example if this budget accommodation is worth our money? I usually bank on User Website Reviews.

There’s a website where in internet users are allowed to share their own views through website reviews at Talkreviews.com. Here, users can review a website they like or dislike and their experiences, be it bad or good. More so, Talkreviews.com offers detail statistics about every website in quite a lot of countries. So if you have some travel experiences to share, this is a place were internet users can be heard and other travel bugs (or general readers) can learn…

Ever thought of how to let your family, relatives and friends know of a coming addition to the family? Photo Birth Announcements would be a perfect way to do it. Most of the time when we have these celebrations in the community we assign someone to make a photo invitation. But here’s an alternative…

A photo speaks a thousand words so let a simple photo speak. You can add some personally written wordings to complement the photo plus add some birth stats with it. The perfect way to do it, if you don’t have time doing it in the computer is to order it from photoaffections.com. This will surely free you from all the trouble of announcement preparations for the big day especially if you still have some travel plans ahead.

Executives of multinational companies in the upper ladder of management usually travel the world over and are mostly subjected to stress as they are the ones who tackle critical issues, those of “do or die” for the company. They stay from one hotel to another in their rounds and with a laptop or notebook, where they check-in could also be their office. The working environent is of importance to their state of mind. If there could only be a garden office in the hotel where they are accomodated, this could be the ideal way for them.

Most work places are in high-rise buildings at the center of a city, and aside from a plant box here and there, or a vase of flowers in a table or two, one has no communication with nature. The office worker is confined to this limited four-walled cubicle day in and day out, such that this affects one’s body metabolism.

It is different when one is exposed to the outside environment, with a view of trees, plants and gardens. It is refreshing and nerve-calming to even just have a glimpse of this open-air sight, and what more to have the opportunity to be out into the fresh air for a short breather any time, especially when one feels stress during a difficult work situation. Of course, this is a dream situation for an office worker, considering the conventional workplace today.

Browsing the net however, it seems for those who will take the option, this dream can come true, for now there is a company who offers garden buildings. Depending on one’s choice, he can select whether it be an office in one’s own garden, or a garden office in a hotel, hospital or in a school, or just to have a cozy nook outside your home with no problem in communication connections, as this is handled by experts. Aside from this, it is guaranteed by Lloyds of London.

The other day I was anxious of buying the express bus tickets before the weekend coz of the Midsummer holiday. So yesterday despite my ‘not so perfect’ condition, I decided to go to the bus station. I was finally able to purchase the bus tickets needed for my family’s visit here. There will be four adults and an infant traveling from Helsinki airport (Helsinki-Vantaa lentoasema) to Pori and return.

In order for us to enjoy a maximum amount of discount, the lady selling the bus tickets suggested that 3 adults will follow the 25% discount for persons traveling in a group of three. By the way, in order to enjoy this discount at least one adult is present in the group and this group ticket must be purchased in advance from a bus station and not on buses. Then she pointed out that for pensioners, those over 65 yrs old they also get a discount. So we placed dad in this category. As for me, I have to enjoy 10% discount for a round trip journey. A passenger is allowed only one type of discount so better choose the best discount applicable in order to get great savings. Bus tickets are valid for 30 days, the lady added, so we can enjoy many bus trips from Pori to Helsinki and vice versa. The total amount paid for four adults (infant is free) was 99 Euros from Helsinki to Pori and another 99 Euros for their return journey to airport, while mine alone costs 70 Euros for a return trip. Just imagine the discount when traveling in a group of three.

I think, you can also buy these tickets online but with the questions I have to ask before purchasing the tickets, a personal visit is better for me. Besides, the bus station is just a few minutes walk from our flat. For more information about timetables, tickets and prices, routes and bus stops, or contacting customer service, you can visit www.expressbus.fi. On the other hand, if you want more information regarding different kinds of bus ticket products or travel cards, you can visit www.matkahuolto.fi. These websites have English version.

I have over a week left in preparing for the visit of my dad, mom and sisters to our place in Finland. There are still matters that are not taken cared of yet. I am still undecided how I will pick them up at Helsinki airport. I have some options but, well, I will get to that soon. I’m just glad that there’s a cheaper way to make an international call to my family in Prague for some concerns we need to sort out before they come here.

There are international calling cards available online for those who want a cheaper rate, convenience, mobility, and a control of phone bills when making overseas calls. For example, calling cards that can be used to call from Finland to Prague range from 4.7 cents to 16.1 cents per minute and the cheapest provider is Continental Phone Card. You can purchase prepaid phone cards online at getmecallingcard.com, one of the largest retailers of phone cards, thru their hacker safe online payment server. Their prepaid calling cards have a number of options for the customer. You can choose from PINless dialing, rechargeable or refillable, permanent PIN and international call backs. For me, overseas call becomes affordable.

Back to the topic of playing golf at Yyteri Golf Links, I have been reading a travel brochure of Pori and found out that they actually have a golf package for those interested with beach and golf. This golf package includes a one night cottage accommodation for 2 persons at Top Camping Yyteri with sauna or shower, bed linens, towels, welcome coffee, breakfast buffet, and one green fee per person at Yyteri Golf Links at a rate of 149 Euros per day. Alternately, for 81 Euros per person per day, you can enjoy one green fee at Yyteri Golf Links with a night’s accommodation at Yyteri Spa Hotel, and free use of spa and gym. These golf packages can be booked through Pori’s Regional Tourist Agency (www.maisa.fi) but are not valid during major events such as Pori Jazz Festival which is scheduled on 12-20 July 2008.

In my previous post I mentioned about a golf course by the Yyteri beach. The golf course I was referring to is Yyteri Golf Links. If you want to play golf in a fairway that starts with Scottish links type followed by the Finnish forest fairways, while the sound of the sea whispers in your ears, then this is the place to have a round of golf. An exciting game awaits here as well coz you will encounter water hazards and the beach dunes as you play along. The 18th hole is right next to the sea bordered with green that ends at the the Club House terrace.

So if you want to enjoy the beach and a game of golf for the summer holiday, Yyteri would be a perfect place. Yyteri has also accommodations for you to select, so you can enjoy a night’s stay or more. One of them is the cottages at Top Camping Yyteri or a room at Yyteri Spa Hotel. You can definitely bring your family coz the beach is there for their enjoyment while you play golf at Yyteri Golf Links.

Yyteri Golf Links
Opening hours: 8.00-20.00
Karhuluodontie 85, 28840 Pori
Tel. +358 (02) 6308 320
Fax. +358 (02) 6308 325
Email: toimisto@yyterigolf.fi
Website: www.yyterilinks.com
(mostly in Finnish, only introduction is in English)

I was browsing Yyteri website to check for activities in this beach resort and I saw that they have camping accommodations and facilities in and around the area. The excitement in my previous post is starting to kick in.

Top Camping Yyteri is one of the camping accommodations we can book. They have summer cottages for 2-4 persons and winter-equipped cottages for 2-4 or 4-6 persons. Prices are a bit higher during summer (1 June – 31 August). To give you an idea about cottages prices, the basic summer cottages during summer which includes seeping capacity for 2-4 persons, a cooker, and refrigerator is at 45 €/day. For winter-equipped cottages, prices range from 75 €/day, 85 €/day and 100 €/day coz it has more room facilities like kitchen, shower, toilet, sauna, television, and telephone depends on the type of cottage. For all kinds of cottage however, prices include mattresses, pillows and blankets. There will be an additional fee for sheets (5 €) and towels (2 €) if requested so you can bring you own towel or sheets if you want.

If you are bringing a caravan or mobile home (10-12 €/night including electrical connection), or want to enjoy a basic camping experience with tents (8 €/night or 10 €/night if with vehicle), there are camping sites designated for these at a basic fee. Thus, the total camping fee will be the basic fee plus the additional personal fee of 3 €/night for adults and 1 €/night for child. Amenities like electrical connection (1 €/night), washing machine (4 €/use), sauna (11 €/50 min/family) and fireplace room (5 €/50 min) are also available.

Now that you have an idea of how much a camping will cost at Top Camping Yyteri, you might want to visit their website to choose the type of accommodation and facilities you need and eventually make a booking. You can also check the website for updated pricelist, driving directions, map of Yyteri, weather updates or view of Yyteri beach thru a webcam.

Top Camping Yyteri
Yyterinsantojentie, 28840 Pori, Finland
GPS: N 61.57008 E 021.52706
Tel: +358 (0)2 6345700
Fax: +358 (0)2 6345747
E-mail: yyteri.camping@pori.fi
Website: www.pori.fi/yyteri/

Before we moved to Finland, the primary thing I did was search the internet for a beach. Are we going to stay near a beach? coz in Thailand beach is a famous getaway for our family. I don’t want the kids to be feeling so blue in a new country. Lo and behold, we are lucky to be staying in a city near one of the famous beaches in Finland. It’s even nearer compared to our Pathumthani to Pattaya trip in Thailand which would take us about 3 hour’s journey. Here in Finland, Pori city center to Yyteri is just less than an hour’s trip. Great right?

Yyteri is considered to be Pori’s holiday resort located about 17 km away from the city centre bordering the Baltic Sea. The beach is one of the longest in Finland and all of Nordic countries, with a vast six kilometers of fine sand and many distinctive dunes. The dune area itself is probably the only one of its kind in Europe due of its size. The biggest sand dune found at Yyteri beach (”Keisarinpankki”) is where Yyteri Information Centre is situated.

Want to see what’s happening in Yyteri now? Take a look at their updated webcam view and see how less crowded the beach is at this point in time. You have to wait till mid summer perhaps before you can see the multitude of beach goers, holiday makers, kids, adults, sunbathers swarming this place. If you visit their website you can get information about the sights, the services offered, the activities, and events in Yyteri. Below is the contact detail in case you feel like enjoying the sand and dunes of Yyteri beach here.

Yyteri Information Centre
open from: 11 June to 12 August, 11 am to 6 pm.
Red Cottage (office) in Keisarinpankki
Yyterinsantojentie, 28840 Pori, Finland
Tel: 0800 90290 (free info)
Website: www.yyteri.fi/eng

Turku, the former capital of Finland, is the country’s oldest city with medieval landmarks such as the Turku Cathedral, Turku Castle, and the Old Great Square. It was in the 13th century (about 1229) when Turku was born, although civilization can be traced way back to the Stone Age.

How old is old? To give us an idea how old Turku really is, here are some facts in history from a Turku brochure:
-The Turku Cathedral was inaugurated in 1300, and thus considered older than the Tower of Pisa which was not completed until 1360 though construction started in 1173.

-The first phase of Turku Castle was built in the 1200s so it’s older than the Aztec Empire which began in 1300s (and ended in 1521).

-The Pennisilta (bridge), first bridge over Aura River was built in 1414. Hence it is older than the last section of the Great Wall of China which was completed in the 1600s. Take note that it took 2,000 years to build the Great Wall of China so the previous sections of the wall is older than Turku.

Turku Cathedral inaugurated in 1300

Aside from being the oldest city in Finland, Turku is the country’s fifth largest city and the third largest urban region after Helsinki and Tampere.

It is also interesting to note here that Turku has the largest Swedish population in Finland. This is perhaps due to its proximity to Stockholm and its location. Turku is located on the mouth of Aura River (Aurajoki) in the south western part of Finland where further towards the west lies tens of thousands of islands. The Port of Turku serves as a departure point for people traveling to Stockholm in Sweden and Mariehamn, the capital of Åland Islands, so it’s not a surprise if it is considered as one of the busiest seaports in Finland.

first phase of the Turku Castle was built in 1200s

More information about Turku can be read from the city’s official website: www.turku.fi.