Facts/pictures about your country

[Tuuletar]

So, do you have any interesting facts about your country or town where you live in? Might be nice to read what kind of places people live in.

I think that eastern Finland has very beautiful nature, with lots of lakes, wood-and marshlands and high hills - probably not a wonder why there are pretty much national parks as well.
All of the places below are located in Lieksa region in North Karelia. The photos are taken at my trips in May 2010 & 2011 and this July.

Nature reserve of Ruunaa, famous for it's wild rapids (and rafting as well).

Marshland area in the Patvinsuo national park.

National park of Koli and the surrounding area. Koli is famous for this view from Ukko-Koli, the highest hill in eastern Finland.

Koli area seen from the top of another hill.

Hattusaari island (near Koli)

Nature reserve of Lake Ritojärvi, lots of pine woods and small lakes.

This cave called Pirunkirkko is located near Koli. Cool name, since it means "The Devil's Church"

 

[xptrinity]

Nice photos. I've only seen parts of Finland - towns mostly, since I have to use the public transportation, but one day will probably get to the national parks as well I like it a lot because it is so different from my country and because I like water (and you have plenty). But, then again we have proper mountains (and quite a bit of them) and varied landscapes.

I'll dig up some photos from Bulgaria one of these days and will post them here

 

[EddieGunner]

great photos, damn i can wait to visit land of thousand lakes

 

[xptrinity]

Here're several I came across just now. - By the boyfriend of a friend - he takes really good pics

Pirin national park

Beglika dam, Rhodope mountains

Karadere - one of the last wild beaches.

I will post some of mine as well, but they're from more easily accessible places

 

[tuonelan]

Have to resize a few of my pics from the area. Don't know what to say about Los Angeles/Orange County that hasn't been said already 1,000 times. Other than the celebrities, the wealth, the beaches, the freeways, and 18m people in one big metro area 4% the size of Finland this place is pretty ordinary.

 

[tuonelan]

Okay, here we go...Californian missions, Joshua Tree, a local beach, LA skyline from Griffith Park

 

[xptrinity]

<3 the Joshua tree.

 

[Eurynome]

Second and third from the bottom are closest to the California I remember, but I lived some 600 km further up north, whatever that is in miles. Marin County in particular has some pretty magical places to offer.

As for Helsinki, I never run out of reasons why I wouldn't wanna live anywhere else, but one of its most timeless assets is the sea - this little island for example is just a short walk from my place and it's not even the closest.

But you do get some noisy neighbors in that 'hood...

@Trin: how far is that national park from Sofia, any chances of visiting it next time I'm in Bulgaria? (no concrete plans for it yet, but those pics look tempting...)

 

[xptrinity]

@Trin: how far is that national park from Sofia, any chances of visiting it next time I'm in Bulgaria? (no concrete plans for it yet, but those pics look tempting...)

Not too far - around 150 km south of Sofia. There's some serious hiking to get up in the parts in the photos, but we'll arrange something. Either I'll get fit enough, or I'll introduce you to this bunch who will love to have you for a weekend in the mountains

@Tuonelan: Do you have the Joshua tree pic in larger size - I'd like to put it as a desktop?

 

[Tuuletar]

Beautiful places!

Now some from my hometown. Kouvola is located in southeastern Finland by the River Kymijoki. I have got used to all those jokes about "the stone town" and concrete buildings of the centre, because they don't tell everything, hehe. I have always lived close to nature, since this forest pond is pretty close to my home. When I was a child, me and my parents used to go for a picnic to a small beach by the pond.

Seasons at the pond:

And swans have lived at another pond almost for ten years...

Scenery from Hiidenvuori ("The Devil's Mountain")

Repovesi national park (funny thing is that I have been wandering in Karelia many times, but never visited Repovesi; maybe because it's just too close! So the next pics aren't taken by me, but I wanted to introduce this place anyway.)
It's said that Olhava hill is a good place for rock climbing:

Oh yes, and local food! Vety is a special kind of meat pie from Lappeenranta (big town in southeastern Finland), there are sausage, boiled egg, pickled cucumber-salad, mayonnaise and mustard. There is also atomi, but it has only sausage or egg. I definitely prefer vety...

 

[tuonelan]

@Tuonelan: Do you have the Joshua tree pic in larger size - I'd like to put it as a desktop?

Message me on Facebook with your preferred email address. (I have a shit ton of other Joshua Tree pics from that visit as well).

 

[Eurynome]

And here's where I lived as a kid, although most of the time it looked much less spectacular (this being tonight's view from my former bedroom, nowadays my mom's office):

 

[Karhu]

Awesome totally kick ass thread idea, Karhu approves! Great pics from all of you.

Locally? Well Minnesota is very similar to Finland/Scandinavia. "Land of 10,000 Lakes". I have thousands of photos so I'll start simple and maybe more unique to the area.

Duluth and the north shore have been a hot spot:

[sorts out a bunch of photos]

 

[Tiiti]

Here are my photos from Western Finland. My english isn´t so good, so lets hope you take the point.


These two are taken when the first snow came in october 25th.

Second two are taken from where I lived as a child, and where I still visit many times in a year. The best place in the world. Open see.

This is almost from my dad´s door

There are old cairns, one kind of old sea marks, in 10 minutes boat trip.


This one is from my mothers &#8220;backyard&#8221;, about 5 minutes walking from. Graves from Bronze Age. Teenager own place when living there.

From an hour or two from my door there is hiking routes Kuhankuono, a big complex of natural and national parks, primeval forest, swamps etc.

Kuhankuono and Vajosuo at the summer...

... and autumn

Here is the same place, before and after first snow. Time between these two pics is five days.

This pic is here because the area (at the Kuhankuono) is called Koivusaari. Because of the islet full of birch among the laaaaarge swamps and stunted pine trees.

One gay I met on my trip:

Every autumn I carry all these berrys to my freezer.

This is from our midwinter trek, phonecam shoot.

 

[Eurynome]

These two are taken when the first snow came in october 25th.

The whole set of pics is awesome, but the second of these two is my favorite of them all.

This pic is here because the area (at the Kuhankuono) is called Koivusaari.

We have an island of that name, too, but its future looks rather unpromising...

This is from our midwinter trek, phonecam shoot.

Is that an Iceland pony you're riding there?

Oh, and

to Tuuletar's swan family, too!

 

[edguardian]

Canada - cold, and colder.
hockey, beer, cheers
Rush, Don Cherry, and for some reason the Biebs.

 

[Tiiti]

We have an island of that name, too, but its future looks rather unpromising...

Yeah, right. Kind of The Lutakko Case in Jyväskylä. When they started to "develop" the area, the big quys wanted to crush also the Tanssisali Lutakko and all the old buildings and make some new fancy staff there. But hell yeah, there Tanssisali stands, and is protected building.

I don´t understant why all these areas near towns which have beautiful nature, need to turn such a concrete and glass and money.

Is that an Iceland pony you're riding there?

No, He is puoliverinen, birth in Russia.
Our half-blooded prince.

 

[Karhu]

More North Shore pics by Duluth:

Loons swimming in background:

We don't have huge mountains, but the terrain is quite varied from north to south. St. Croix River valley:

 

[Karhu]

Southern Minnesota is flat prairie country. Here's me throwing an atlatl (primitive javelin) at a buffalo target at Jeffers State Park:

And petroglyphs from native americans:

 

[Karhu]

And not far from home I discovered a hidden pond that the beavers dammed up. It killed the trees that were growing there but now it is a Great Blue Heron rookery. There were dozens of nests in the dead trees. It felt like some sort of scene from Lord of The Rings: