Europe Explored » baltic coast

Valaste Waterfall – the highest waterfall in Estonia

Claire — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 09:50:45 +0000

Valaste Waterfall is the highest waterfall in Estonia, located on Valaste stream near the Baltic coast. Waterfall Valaste is 30.5m high since 1996, declared as a cultural heritage and national symbol of Estonia. Valaste Waterfall is a popular tourist destination in the summer but also in winter, when nature creates the ice kingdom. Stairs and a tunnel lead to the prospect of the ice-covered furniture. Valaste Waterfall is easily accessible from the road, where you can park a car.

There is a viewing platform opposite the waterfall, which offers spectacular views of the falls.

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Picture taken from Dailymail.co.uk

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Gdańsk – A port with great historical significance | Poland

Claire — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 22:09:18 +0000

Gdańsk is the capital of Poland’s “Pomorze” province and Poland’s principal seaport. It is located on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay on the Baltic Sea. The main industry in the city is around shipbuilding and shipping and the city is also an important industrial centre of Poland.

The city was the birthplace of the Solidarity movement which, under the leadership of political activist Lech Wałęsa, played a major role in bringing an end to Communist rule across Central Europe.

What to see in Gdańsk
Most tourist attractions are located along or near Ulica Długa (Long Street) and Długi Targ (Long Market) and the part is sometimes referred to as the Royal Road as the former path of processions for visiting kings. There one can see:

Upland Gate (Brama Wyżynna)
Torture House (Katownia)
Prison Tower (Wieża więzienna)
Golden Gate (Złota Brama)
Long Street (Ulica Długa)
Uphagen House (Dom Uphagena)
Main Town Hall (Ratusz Głównego Miasta)
Long Market (Długi Targ)
Artus’ Court (Dwór Artusa)
Neptune Fountain (Fontanna Neptuna)
Golden House (Złota kamienica)
Green Gate (Zielona Brama)

Gdańsk has a number of historical churches:

St. Bridget
St. Catherine
St. John
St Mary (Bazylika Mariacka), a municipal church built during the 15th century, is the largest brick church in the world.
St Nicholas’ Church
Church of the Holy Trinity

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Słowiński National Park in Poland – the land of water, wind and sand

Claire — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 07:38:26 +0000

Słowiński National Park (Słowiński Park Narodowy) is located in Pomeranian Voivodeship in northern Poland, on the Baltic coast, between Łeba and Rowy. It covers 32.5km of coastline and is 186.18 km2 large. There are around 140km of walking tourist trails in Słowiński National Park. By the lakes there are some observation towers and along the trails one can find benches and resting places. Around the park there are many hotels and camp sites, especially in Łeba.

Słowiński National Park is visited by thousands of tourists, fond of the beauty and variability of its landscape. In order to maintain one of the most precious tie of indigenous nature, which undoubtedly is The Land of Water, Wind and Sand, there have been allocated only selected areas of the Park for tourism practicing as well as special regulations have been introduced for sightseeing there.

Image made by michbet6464

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Latvia – a heart of the Baltic States

Claire — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:10:30 +0000

Latvia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Estonia to the north, by Lithuania to the south, by the Russian Federation to the east, and by Belarus to the southeast. Across the Baltic Sea lies Sweden. The territory of Latvia covers 64,589 km2 and it has a temperate seasonal climate. The capital and the biggest city is Riga with 706,413 inhabitants. It is also the largest city of the Baltic states and 3rd largest in the Baltic region, just after Saint Petersburg and Stockholm.

Latvia’s surface is mainly lowland. The highest point is Gaizinkalns hill with an elevation of 311 meters. There are more than 12.000 rivers in Latvia. The largest are the Daugava, Lielupe, Gauja and Venta. The country has over 3.000 lakes.

The capital city of Latvia is Riga which is very interesting for tourists. For lots of tourists Baltic coast is here interesting as well. The most famous tourist resort on the Baltic Sea is a town of Jurmala, situated about 20 km from Riga. Be sure to visit the beautiful Latvian countryside with beautiful pine and mixed forests. The center of Riga is full of historical buildings.

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