Travel

Finnish are considered the happiest people in the world. In less than two days, I learned the secret of that. I spent about two days in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, where roughly 30% of the country’s ~6 million people reside. Day 1 - sauna and walking tour Compared to Oslo, Helsinki seemed more lively. Still below Copenhagen in my ranking, though. One thing stood out, and that’s Sauna. The Finnish sauna goes up to 100ºC! And that is the lovely enjoyment in the city of Helsinki. There are two Saunas that I tried, one of them in a public sauna called Sompasauna, a free, 24-hour sauna run fully by volunteers. If you are planning to go here, then go at 9 or 10 PM during summer to see the full crowd. ...

Oslo is one of the weirdest Nordic cities that I visited. It is dull compared to Copenhagen or even Stockholm. The Baumol effect of the oil-funded economy makes it a really expensive place to visit as well. Infact, it is one of the few cities which feel more expensive than San Francisco. To get from the airport to Oslo city, just take a 124NOK train ride. There is a faster 240NOK train ride as well which isn’t worth it. ...

Dublin is a small city. Despite its high per-capita GDP, unlike Singapore or Tokyo, the city feels fairly low-key and more of a middle-affluent country. The official languages are Gaelic and English. To preserve Gaelic, all laws are officially passed in Gaelic! Day 1 The city of Dublin is not huge. You can walk everywhere and even skip public transport. I would recommend starting with a walking tour that gives you a great idea of the city. Rick Steve has great guides as well. ...

Day 1 - West Minster Start the day with a walking tour that gives you a nice history & geography of the city of London. Many of the royal palaces and crown-related buildings are in the city of “Westminster” which is next door to the City of London. Then head to the British Museum. Like most government-owned museums, it is free to access. However, I would recommend booking a reservation in advance. Rick Steves has a nice audio guide on touring the British Museum that I would recommend. ...

Miami is hot and humid. I would recommend visiting during winters (Nov-Feb). You can fly directly or use it as a stop-over for visiting the Caribbean or doing a Caribbean cruise Unlike Chicago or Boston, Miami does not have good public transport, so, I would recommend renting a car. Day 1 Start the day with a visit to Seaquarium for a Dolphin show. Follow this with a visit to Everglades National Park, do watch the show here, and get a chance to hold an alligator or a snake in your hand. ...

While touring United States, I ended up in Kentucky. There isn’t a lot to do in Kentucky, especially, during the winters that I visited. So, here are a few small ideas for a day trip. I would recommend starting the day with Kentucky Derby Museum which is famous for its annual Kentucky Derby Horse race. Afterward, check out the sit-in demonstration site of the 1961 civil rights movement at 501 S Fourth St. ...

While touring United States, I ended up in Tennessee. There isn’t a lot to do in Tennessee, especially, during the winters that I visited. So, here are a few small ideas for a day trip. I would recommend starting the day with Rednor Lake State Park Check out The Parthenon. It is a full-scale replica of The Parthenon in Athens, Greece. I would recommend combining your trip with a visit to the city of Birmingham in Alabama and the city of Louisville located in Kentucky. ...

Alabama is a flyover state with historic connections to the civil rights movement of the United States. I spent a day in Birmingham, Alabama and here’s what I would recommend visiting. Start your day with Birmingham Civil Right Institute which talks about the race relations and the civil rights movements for the Black citizens. I would recommend spending an hour or two here. From here, visit Sloss Furances, a historic landmark around industrialization of the United States. ...

Mt. Fuji is a tough but gorgeous hike. It is much shorter than Grand Canyon or Mt. Whitney and can be done on a day trip. The shortest way to hike Mt. Fuji is to start from the 5th station. I would recommend taking a 2400-yen bus from Tokyo to Kawaguchiko and staying there at night. In the morning, you can start the hike from the 5th station. That’s the furthest one can access via bus. It is about an 8-mile round trip hike with a ~4800 ft elevation gain. So, unless you have done strenuous hikes before, don’t attempt it. ...

Unlike Tokyo, Kyoto is a nice and cozy city. We started the day with a walking tour that gave us an intense view of this city of shrines. There is a lot to do in this city. However, I would recommend focusing on a few of the best specific shrines. Inari Shrine - do the full mountain hike to the top and check the small waterfalls on the backside Kinkaku-ji Shrine Ninna-ji temple - a 1200-year-old temple with several statues of Hindu gods sculpted in 800 AD. ...