As a travel destination, Portugal has a lot going on at the moment. Sintra, Cascais, Lisbon, Algarve and Porto are world class destinations that attract an increasing number of visitors. One of the lucky Portuguese destinations that gets more visitors than it perhaps ever wished for is a beautiful bookstore … Read >
Tag: Europe
Plenty of bookstores per capita in Asia, and plenty of libraries in Europe
World Cities Culture Forum collects culture related data from large cities across the world. The organization publishes the data annually as statistics that describe what kind of cultural services the cities have and how citizens use them. One of the published statistics compares the number of bookstores and public libraries … Read >
Research: Literacy culture is critical to the success of individuals and nations
For more than 40 years, John W. Miller at Central Connecticut State University has analyzed the reasons and consequences for literacy and illiteracy from the society’s point of view. When he decided to analyze all the countries of the world, the result was a ranking for the World’s Most Literate … Read >
Ebooks are slowly gaining market share in Europe as print books decline
Ebooks made a quick breakthrough in countries where English is the dominant language after Amazon introduced the Kindle ereading system. From the beginning, Amazon’s ebook selection was huge, and prices were reasonable. In Europe (apart from the UK), the situation is different: ebooks haven’t gained the same status as printed … Read >
Travel photography gallery 2015: Helsinki and North Europe
I have stayed in Finland for quite some time now, and many places, including the capital Helsinki have become familiar for me. Finland has its own unique culture (as explained by Russell Snyder and Irene de Benedictis in their own books), but I think I have learned the zen of … Read >
Spring Is a Wonderful Season to Travel for Outdoors Lovers
In the northern hemisphere, spring is in the air. Not only in the air, especially in the regions where the snow is melting, rivers and rapids are filled with powerfully flowing water. Here is a scene from Scandinavia. View the video:
Planning to travel in Scandinavia? A travel guide to … Read >
Book Reading: a Video of Helsinki, Finland Travel Guide
The majority of overseas visitors arrive in Helsinki, Finland’s capital in the summer. During summer weekends, however, local people migrate to their summer cottages they have built on lake and sea shores around the country. In the winter, on the other hand, a visitor may encounter peculiar local habits, such … Read >
Travel photo gallery 2014: Sweden, Scandinavian countries
In 2014, my travels took me to Scandinavian countries, primarily Sweden. Southern and western regions of Sweden along with Stockholm were the main destinations.
After exploring and staying on the West Coast of Sweden, I had more than enough material and contacts for interviews to write a travel guidebook Gothenburg … Read >