The restaurant in the hotel has an orchestra and floor shows. There is a private bathing beach, tennis courts, golf course, and, of course, the traditional Finnish sauna, and baths. One of the historic sights to see is the Hattula Church, which was built in 1250. The town of Hameenlinna facing Aulank° .is where Jean Sibelius was born and went to school. There’s also a medieval castle built in the thirteenth century. From a tower highh up in Aulanko National Park you get a wonderful view of the entire surrounding lakeland.
Lapland …. No visitor to Finland would miss a trip to Lapland, which is just as beautiful in the summer as it is in the winter. There are many legends about Lapland, one being that “it casts a spell on the visitor which compels him to return again and when he goes a second time he may stay, and if he does he’ll turn into a reindeer.” To reach Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland, you may go by air in 3 hours or by train in 19 hours.
Lapland was almost completely destroyed in the war, but has been entirely rebuilt. Rovaniemi is the gateway to the North. There are two good hotels here, the Pohjanhovi and Polar, and many tourists’ inns and ski lodges in different parts of Lapland.
Every tourist has heard of the midnight sun. There is daylight here continuously for two months, May to July. There are still about 2;000 native Lapps in existence and they are a particularly proud race. One thing a visitor MUST NOT do is stare at the Lapps in their native costumes or try to intrude on a Lapp kota (home). Lapland is rapidly becoming one of the most popular resorts in Finland. Transportation is excellent; buses will take you to the most far-away villages. In the winter it is a wonderful place to enjoy winter sports. Skiing on the treeless mountain slopes (practically unequalled anywhere else) continues far into spring.
Reindeer-joring is an exclusive sport in Lapland. This is getting in a one-seated pulkka, following the leader (they say the driving is easy), and skimming over the snow. The annual Ounasvaara International Games held in Rovaniemi are one of the biggest winter tournaments in Northern Europe. During the short period of summer, Lapland is a splendid place for the fisherman, canoeist or hiker. Fish are plentiful; trout, salmon and grayling are found in the streams, perch and pike in the lakes.
SOURCES OF FURTHER INFORMATION … Local tourist offices in Finland are the Finnish Tourist Association, Mikonkatu 15 A, Helsinki; the Town Tourist Bureau, Linnankatu 14, Turku; the Town Tourist Bureau, Rautatienkatu 18, Tampere. Pan American’s office is at Trottajankatu 15-17 (Tel. 19268). Other useful addresses in Helsinki are the American Embassy, Ita. Kaivopuisto 21; U. S. Information Center, Kaivokatu 10; Finnish Automobile Club, Fabianinkatu 14; Suomi Touring Club, Salomonkatu 17; Suomen Turistiauto Ltd., Lasipalatsi. In New York the Finnish National Travel Office is at 10 East 40th Street, New York 16, N. Y. You may want to pick up a copy of the English-language magazine, Finlandia Pictorial, available in Helsinki: