I like to travel and collect all kinds of impressions and ideas from the world over. But but, I don't like tourism, where people walk behind each other from one sight to another like herd of cattle. And between those sightseeing tours people buy souvenirs, some stupid and worthless kitch objects to be placed on the mantelpiece. Pthyi!
But anyway, I have visited currently only a small portion of places I consider worth to pay(!) a visit.
Done That, Been There, Come Back
2011 Aarhus, Denmark
The second biggest city in Denmark is easily covered by walking. Good cafes, nice boutiques, and relaxed atmosphere.
2014 Abu Dhabi, The United Arab Emirates
Extravaganza, glitz, gold, and continuous construction.
1998-2001, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2019 Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Rather dull looking town, but people and their attitudes are
awesome. You can't afford to miss this.
2015 Andorra la Vella, Andorra
One feels like being in an airport tax free shop while in the city -
stores selling electronics, fashion, tobacco, and sunglasses.
1998 Auckland, New Zealand
A windy and humid city between two seas
in a far-far-away land.
2017 Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Quite generic American city in the east coast.
1998, 2007 Bangkok, Thailand
Hot and very humid city with tall modern skyscrapers
and old ghettos side to side.
1999, 2003, 2013, 2015, 2024 Barcelona, Spain
A very nice city packed full with museums and weird, but rather
charming buildings.
2010, 2022 Basel, Switzerland
A quite generic Central European town -- except prices are higher.
2003 Basseterre, Saint Kitts,
Saint Kitts and Nevis
A quiet and dull town packed with (mostly) friendly people.
1995, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006 Berkeley, California, USA
High-tech, students and old hippies mingle surprisingly well in Berkeley.
2005, 2023 Berlin, Germany
The German capital has been rebuilt in large extents after the collapse of
the wall, and now Berlin is one of the finest towns to see modern
architecture in full splendour.
2022 Bilbao, Spain
An old industrial town is gradually shifting towards service and tourism.
Still quite mishmash of architectural styles and not much to visit.
Guggenheim, of course, is good, and food in the region is excellent.
2013 Blue Bay, Mauritius
The perfect island for lazy tropical holidays for the whole family.
1998, 2001, 2004, 2008 Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Nice, clean and friendly town in New England. If travelling somewhere
there, do pay a visit in Boston.
2011 Billund, Denmark
The small town in the middle of Danish countryside hosts Legoland, Lego HQ, and the second biggest airport in Denmark. Travel there only with kids.
2003, 2010 Brussels, Belgium
The city of eurocrats has surprisingly good museum of modern art.
2003 Budapest, Hungary
The Paris of east has fortunately not lost its charm while being on
the other side of the iron curtain.
2010, 2011 Cambridge, UK
The old university town is surprisingly compact and surprisingly beautiful.
2001 Cannes, France
Middleclass dream come true in French Riviera.
2011 Chicago, Illinois, USA
The second city in US is a cool city, in both senses of the word.
2002 Copenhagen, Denmark
I have seen the little mermaid and strolled down Strøget, but
missed Smørrebrød. But hey, you get those here in Helsinki, too!
2003 Charlestown, Nevis,
Saint Kitts and Nevis
The town is quiet and closes down early, but Sunshines' Bar and Grill
next in Pinney Beach makes the visit worthwhile.
2018 Darmstadt, Germany
Visited the city due to Drupal Europe. Otherwise would not bumped there, but it was a good trip in somewhat nondescript Central European town.
2023 Denver, Colorado, USA
The mile high city was a nice surprise – clean, affordable, and had a good public transportation.
1998, 2016 Dublin, Ireland
The city has changed a lot in 18 years and to the better. Enjoyed my time
tremendously.
2003 Dubrovnik, Croatia
Very nice small walled city surrounded with (at least currently)
spacious rocky beaches perfect for sunbathing and dips in the Adriatic
sea.
2004 East Hampton, New York,
USA
Small town in the eastern end of Long Island, good for fashion shopping
and celebrity spotting. At least they say so, I didn't succeed in either
activity.
1999, 2023 Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Old city with a long history of fights between Scots and English.
A lot of charming alleys and a few good museum, too.
2005 Emeryville, California,
USA
A huge highway crossing with 7,000 inhabitants, 20,000 workers and several
shopping areas.
2017 Frankfurt, Germany
The business parks, the highrises, the banks, and the airport. There is probably more to Frankfurt, but it escaped me.
2019 Furano, Japan
A small Hokkaido town nestled next to an excellent mountain ski resort.
2000 Gothenburg, Sweden
A city that doesn't have a single reason for a visit (I was there
for an XML conference)
2024 Gdańsk, Poland
Pictoresque old Hansa town mixing the past with the future in
architecture.
2003 Grand Case, Saint Martin,
French West Indies
The gourmet capital of Caribean boasts over twenty top-notch
restaurants in a short beachfront road.
2005 Grenoble, France
An idyllic French town nested in the neighbourhood of French Alps. A good
selection of excellent restaurants makes the trip worth especially
for the gourmands.
2003 Gustavia, Saint Barthelémy,
French West Indies
The number of inhabitants in the island is merely 7,000 and the capital
boasts more luxury shops than Finland. This is so unfair...
1998 Hamburg, Germany
I was only one day in Hamburg, but I did like what I saw.
Maybe I should pay another visit.
1998, 2001 Hannover, Germany
CeBIT, everything else in the town is just not interesting.
2004 Herentals, Belgium
An idyllic industrial park at the Belgium countryside.
2007 Hua Hin, Thailand
The royal beach destination of Thailand.
2015 Jurmala, Latvia
Huge beach secluded from the town with a pine forest and idyllic wooden houses mixed with modern Russian style villas behind fences.
2002, 2003 Karlskrona, Sweden
A very idyllic small Swedish town packed with Germans coming to
see the moose.
2013 Krakow, Poland
An extremely charming and explorable city that is surrounded by memoirs of holocaust and other devastating Polish history.
2014 Koper, Slovenia
A small idyllic city on the short Slovenian shore.
2013 Kuressaare, Estonia
A piquant town with very well preserved medieval castle.
2016 Kyoto, Japan
The thousand years of history blends well with the modern buzz.
2023 Lille,
France
Surprisingly Netherlandish feeling city in the northern France.
2024 Lisbon,
Portugal
Hills, cable cars, tile facades, and very good brunches. Worth a visit.
2014 Ljubljana,
Slovenia
Very tranquil and accessible town in a country that combines the best of Alps and Mediterranean.
1992, 1996, 1998-2004, 2006-2016, 2023 London,
United Kingdom
One of my favourite places on the Earth.
1995, 2009 Los Angeles, California, USA
Seen Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Venice Beach. Much better now than about
15 years ago.
2017 Madrid, Spain
Lovely city with world-class museums and huge amount of excellent restaurants.
2003 Marigot, Saint Martin,
French West Indies
A piece of Paris shopping district in Lesser Antilles.
2008 Miami, Florida, USA
Fashionable people and fast cars in tropical USA. One of the best beaches
I've encountered so far and in very urban settings.
2002, 2007 Milan, Italy
So far the best town to buy expensive and inexpensive fashionable
clothes, shoes and boots.
2003 Mostar, Bosnia-Hercegovina
The wounds and scars of the latest (but probably not the last)
European conflict are still seen on both on the buildings and in the people's
eyes.
2010, 2012 Munich, Germany
A prosperous town and the center of a prosperous province. A bit dull maybe, but offers very good shopping possibilities.
2001 Nadi, Fidzi
Enjoy your Fidzi time! There's no hurry in the Fijian islands,
just relaxing and bathing in the sun.
2019 Narva, Estonia
The easternmost city in Estonia with mostly Russian speaking population, completely demolished old town replaced with Soviet style buildings, and two fortresses eyeing each other on the opposite river banks. A place where two worlds collide.
1998, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2007,
2008, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 New York City,
New York,
USA
Nice little city to do some shopping and enjoy modern art.
1991 Nicosia, Cyprus
Visited the Green Line, otherwise rather uninteresting
trip.
2002, 2012, 2015 Oslo, Norway
Sleepy northern capital packed with extremely nice and quite expensive
fashion shops (even for men).
1996 Oxford, United Kingdom
The charm of an old University town had to be checked.
2009 Palo Alto, California, USA
The northern end of Silicon Valley combines small-town charm with high-tech.
1998, 2003 Paris, France
The French hospitality is an unforgottable experience,
but Louvre was nice...
2013, 2015 Pärnu, Estonia
A charming small town tucked between a river and white sand beach. No wonder that tourists flock it during the summer.
2003 Philipsburg, Sint Maarten,
Netherlands Antilles
Duty-free Americanised cruising ship destination with jewelry shops
and casinos, and unfortunately not much else.
2001 Plymouth, Massachusetts,
USA
Plymouth was the site of the first permanent European settlement in New
England. Now the place is quiet and a little dull town full of American
history and pilgrims.
2003 Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe,
French West Indies
French sidewalk cafés and ambience in Caribean settings. Unfortunately
the city is not a shopper's paradise.
2013, 2022Prague, Czech Republic
Prague's old town, castle, and other landmarks were not bombed on the ground
during WWII – and the fancy gothic buildings are still with us.
2008Providenciales, Turks & Caicos
Islands
A sandy island sprouting resorts and condominiums in extremely fast pace.
The difference in standards of living between the resorts and the local
people are striking.
2001, 2004Provincetown, Massachusetts,
USA
Small town at the end of Cape Cod. The journey there is more rewarding than
the town itself, unless you are a lover of sea-water taffy.
1989 Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria, Spain
Well, even I'm not perfect :)
2016 Pula, Croatia
Rocky beaches, Roman ruins, crystal clear water, sunshine. Everything one needs
for a good holiday.
2004, 2008Reykjavik, Iceland
The small capital of the small nation is surprisingly well stocked with
high-end retailers. The wonders of Icelanding nature are also easily
reachable.
2015Riga, Latvia
The capital of Latvia has big and charming old town, surrounded by a sprawling city.
2001Rome, Italy
Visited all relevant remains of Roman empire as well as the major
churches, and still had enough time for shopping in the boutiques.
2003 Roseau, Dominica
This town is closed on Sunday. Really, really closed. But as there is
nothing to see even when it is open, it is best to peek inside the lushy
island.
2016 Rovinj, Croatia
A medieval gem on Adriatic sea.
2010 Salzburg, Austria
Very lovely city with a pictoresque old town and huge fortress looming on the steep hill.
1995, 1998-2002, 2005-2007, 2009 San Francisco, California,
USA
Just loved it. One of the American towns where you can walk
from one place to another without fear of being robbed or stabbed. Berkeley
is nice place too, and can be reached with (working) public transport.
2009 San Diego, California,
USA
One of the most children friendly cities that I've visited: decent walking
district in the downtown, and numerous theme parks around the city.
2005, 2006, 2007 San Jose, California,
USA
The capital of Silicon Valley is seemingly a number of highways splitting
the city to separate enclaves, some of them nice and others not.
2022 San Sebastian, Spain
A perfect combination of beach holiday and fine dining. The city is also
extremely clean and well-kept, very nice.
1995, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2007 Santa Cruz,
California, USA
If surfing is your way to express feelings, this is the place to be.
Or you can just hang around, like I did.
2003 Sarajevo, Bosnia-Hercegovina
The capital of Bosnia-Hercegovina is a mix of eastern Europe jugend,
Stalinist concrete blocks and orientalism.
2023 Schladming, Austria
An old mining town has transformed itself into a piquant ski resort.
2004 Shanghai, China
This huge city sprawls life in the top-notch restaurants, huge shopping
malls, crowded metro cars, cheap taxis and dark alleys.
2003 Shoal Bay East, Anguilla,
British West Indies
The best beach in Caribean is not yet spoiled with overdevelopment.
Rush to visit before it is too late.
1995, 1998-2002, 2006, 2007, 2009 Silicon Valley,
California, USA
The place for computers geeks like myself. You need a car and
some arrangements to see inside Silicon Valley, like the carage of
misters Hewlett and Packard.
2001, 2003, 2004, 2018 Singapore
Very intensive city near the equator. Prepare to have thick wallet
and enough time to enjoy shopping.
2024 Sopot, Poland
Huge sandy beaches and the longest wooden pier in Europe.
2005 South Lake Tahoe, California, USA
A very strange mixture between the laid-back tranquility of the
crystal clear mountain lake and the blinking allurement of the Nevada
casinos.
1983, 1990, 2002, 2004, 2009-2011,
2014, 2016, 2019, 2022, 2024 Stockholm,
Sweden
Saw the old town and the king's castle, shopped in boutiques stuffed
with Scandinavian design, missed the archipelago (for the time being).
2022 St. Louis, France
A small border town next to Basel with cheaper accommodations and grocery stores.
1998, 2010 St. Petersburg, Russia
The city had not yet washed away all the ugliness of the Soviet command, but much has happened.
1985 Sundsvall, Sweden
As I was kid then, the ship trip over the Gulf of Botnia was more
exciting than the city. Thus there is no memories of Sundsvall itself. Must
be quite a small city...
1998 Sydney, Australia
Nice sunny city down under.
2001, 2003 Taipei, Taiwan
The amount of scooters in this city is something inconceivable.
1994-1996, 1998, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009-2024 Tallinn, Estonia
Now travelling more frequently to the old Hansa town, as my company has an office there.
2017 Tarto, Estonia
Lovely small town with a huge university.
2003 Tel Aviv, Israel
Walked on the beach and on streets in the city where walking
is not recommended at all. Had no problems, maybe due to the huge amount of
soldiers with machine guns.
2001, 2016 Tokyo, Japan
Seen it all; futuristic gadgets, heavily packed trains,
squeezing crowds, and high-heeled women with wobbly steps...
2019 Tomamu, Japan
Family friendly ski resort with excellent powder snow. And nothing else.
2001 Toronto, Canada
A small town suddenly grown big.
2014 Trieste, Italy
Quite interesting mix of Italian and Austro-Hungarian vibe in this sea-front city.
2000 Vaduz, Lichtenstein
A town size of a stamp in a country size of a postcard. Nevertheless,
the town has surprisingly good art museum...
2023 Vail, Colorado, USA
Went here for skiing. The snow was exceptional when it was fresh, but otherwise there was a bit too much hype in the marketing compared to the execution.
2016 Venice, Italy
Had only a day to spend in the city, but it made a huge positive impression. The whole town felt like being in an US resort or amusement park, but everything was real and there was no kitsch.
2017 Vilnius, Lithuania
The capital of the sourthenmost Baltic state has most luxury shops and rundown areas of all Baltic capitals.
2018 Visby, Sweden
The most medieval town in Sweden.
1998 Vyborg, Russia
Once the second biggest town in Finland is now sad, decayed town. Hopefully
some day the old glory of the castle, Alvar Aalto library and Monrepos
park are restored.
2004 Washington D.C., USA
This city is so full of war memorials and statues of generals and admirals
that it makes you think the eternal stupidity of the mankind in a public
place.
2002, 2012, 2017 Wien, Austria
The city centre is full of buildings showing the glory of the former
empire. And the surroundings are full of buildings most probably imported
directly from the former DDR.
2001 Yokohama, Japan
Inside the megapolis, there is still remrants of the old small port town.
2000 Zürich, Switzerland
Charming but expensive city in the middle of
mountains.
Will Do That, Be There and Take Pictures
My list of the places where I want to visit is rather large currently, but I will do my best to move places from here to the list shown above. If you have suggestions about good places, send some e-mail.
| Beijing, China | Cairo, Egypt | Calcutta, India |
| Delhi, India | Honolulu, Hawaii, USA | Hong Kong, China |
| Jersey, United Kingdom | Jerusalem, Israel | Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Kathmandu, Nepal | Kuala Lumpur, Malesia | Las Vegas, USA |
| Luxembourg | Macao, China | Manaus, Brasilia |
| Montreal, Canada | Moscow, Russia | Panama City, Panama |
| Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia | Seattle, USA | Ushuia, Argentina |
| Vancouver, Canada |