1936 On the Continent

however, one is only on the verge of the “natural recreation ground” that is Finland. The visitor will, according to his inclination, choose one of the health resorts, ramble from one to another, or make a circular tour if he wishes to get the full benefit of his visit to Finland. The chief health and pleasure resorts are mentioned below.
    Hanko
(Hangö), fashionable bathing resort and hydro at the south-west tip of Finland, is within easy reach of the capital. Pine-woods, sands, music. Hotel:
Bellevue
. Other smaller hotels and many boarding-houses.
    Naantali
(Nådendal), a quaint little sea-bathing resort a little way north of Turku (Åbo). Usual beach attractions. Summer hotel
Suosio
. Hydro.
    Loviisa
, a sea-bathing resort on the south coast so sheltered by islands that the climate is more that of a lake-resort. Hydro.
    Terijoki
, a popular bathing resort on the south coast east of Viipuri. The sands stretch for miles in either direction. Formerly crowded with St. Petersburgians.Famous Russian statesmen, generals, writers, etc., used to own villas in this region.
    Lappeenranta
(Willmanstrand), inland hydro at south end of Lake Saimaa. Cavalry garrison town. Race week beginning of September. Bathing.
    These resorts can be classed together because life at them proceeds much on the same lines. One can live at an hotel on full or part board terms, or take rooms with or without certain meals, and dine and sup at the Casino (a summer restaurant with music and a dance floor). The visitor is not left to his own resources, but can form acquaintances through the
Intendentti
, a kind of M.C. whose business it is to organise amusements and see that visitors are satisfied. Accommodation is booked by writing or applying to the hydro (no obligation to take any treatment). The address
Kylpylaitos
and the name of the resort is sufficient. The hydros are very good and provide all modern ray treatments, etc., massage, medical baths. Tennis, concerts and an occasional theatrical performance help to fill in the time.
    Aulanko-Karlberg
is an old manor that has been turned into a tourist centre. The hotel and restaurant are beautifully situated near the town of Hämeenlinna, and owing to its nearness to the capital the place can be recommended to those disinclined to travel much. Tennis, boating and coarse fishing with tackle borrowed from the hotel, bathing, etc.
The Simple Life
    Suursaari
, a beautiful rocky island with a bathing beach, summer restaurant, etc. Here one lives in rooms in the fishermen’s cabins, simple but very clean. Excellent walks. Reached by steamer from Kotlea, or at weekends from Helsinki.
Tours
    Tours in Finland can be arranged to take in these and other beauty spots. The travel agencies will organise them on an all-in basis for any visitor who prefers that method of travel. The descriptions and recommendations in these booklets can be trusted, for the Association is not a commercial enterprise, but corresponds to the Travel and Industrial Development Association in Great Britain.
    The section on travel facilities will have given the reader an idea on how one travels in Finland, so that few other remarks are needed. At all main stations beckon one of the porters in uniform cap standing beside the door, if your hotel is not of the type that sends your luggage for you to the station. Having bought your ticket—if in doubt he will show you the booking office—let him find your seat for you. Trunks are placed in a baggage van, and to get them again you must hand over your receipt. Train conductors pass through the trains and announce the names of approaching stations. At stations in the interior too small to maintain a staff of porters, the Tourist Association, if the place is a recognised tourist resort, has generally arranged for the transport of luggage. The Finns themselves are great travellers and like things to be properly organised. Any handicap on easy travel is sure to result in angry letters to the Press.
Provincial Towns
    I shall now refer briefly to the towns and special attractions which the traveller can be recommended to see, with a few hints as to hotels.
    Turku
(Åbo), the former capital and gateway for those entering Finland or leaving via Sweden, lies in the midst of the most fertile and longest cultivated part of the country. Fine thirteenth-century cathedral. Hotels:
Hamburger Börs
(old commercial),
Hospits Betel
(new and modern),
Seurahuone
or
Maakunta
(cheap).
    Viipuri
(Viborg), a