#Veli Tourist Village

[onedaytripin]

Varkala To Kovalam One Day Trip By Private Cab

If you are looking for a relaxing and scenic getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city, then a Varkala To Kovalam One Day Trip by cab is a perfect choice for you. Varkala and Kovalam are two of the most popular beach destinations in Kerala, offering a variety of attractions and activities for all kinds of travelers. Whether you want to enjoy the sun, sand and sea, explore the rich culture…

[travelvlogss]

One Day at Trivandrum

Trivandrum, the capital is not at all a one-day deal city. But it has got n number of facilities to make it ease. This city of royal culture and unique legacy is also rich with its tourist destinations such as Ponmudi hill station, Neyyar Wildlife sanctuary, Palaruvi waterfalls, beaches etc..For all those busy bees who wish to explore the bustling little city in one day here is a blog to guide you.

[beardedmrbean]

Online publication Uusi Suomi (siirryt toiseen palveluun) covers the local fallout from the decision to restrict tourist visas for Russian citizens.

While most residents in the border town of Virolahti—which has a crossing point in the village of Vaalimaa—understood the decision taken by the government, they told the newspaper that they are suffering from the consequences.

A large portion of Vaalimaa's economy had been catered towards Russian tourists looking to shop in the EU. While the Finnish frontier town had been suffering since the Covid pandemic as restrictions cut down tourism, traffic queues at the border are nonexistent these days.

Two of the large shopping malls in Vaalimaa that benefited from border tourism are the Scandinavian Shopping Centre and luxury oriented Zsar Outlet Village, located a little over half a kilometre from the border checkpoint. Now their shops are notably deserted.

Kaisa Hänninen, a retail manager at the Zsar Outlet Village shared her thoughts with Uusi Suomi.

"I don't take a position on the visa issue itself, but I feel that the business community in Vaalimaa and South-East Finland in general has been a victim. It's as if the rug has been pulled out from under their feet," she said.

With the parking lots of the shopping centres empty and some of the stores in the shopping centres closing up, it gives the impression that the whole complex is closed down.

"Many Finns also have the impression that Zsar has gone out of business. This is not the case, we serve our customers every day," Hänninen said.

Of Finland's border crossings into Russia, Vaalimaa is the most southern and typically the busiest.

"It is clear that the amount of cross-border traffic has a direct impact on the vitality of the municipality. At its peak, three and a half million people passed through the Vaalimaa border crossing a year, and now the traffic has almost stopped," Virolahti municipal manager Veli-Matti Pulli told the paper.

Nuclear option

Energy firms Helen and Fortum are considering building small-scale nuclear reactors, Helsingin Sanomat (siirryt toiseen palveluun) reports.

As the energy crisis looms over Europe and Finland, nuclear energy is increasingly seen as a viable alternative.

However, a major concern is the long timeline associated with traditionally large power plants. For example, Olkiluoto 3 took 17 years to build and cost nearly three times as much before its completion. The nuclear power plant was completed earlier this year and is set to begin full energy production in December.

One of the major projects currently being researched in Finland is a small-scale nuclear power plant designed for district heating undertaken by LUT University and the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT).

HS writes that Fortum has planned to launch a two-year study this week on the conditions for additional small nuclear power—and nuclear power in general—in Finland and Sweden.

"There are now big ambitions for small-scale nuclear power, but it is important that we proceed very carefully and do not rush headlong in one direction or another," Executive Vice President for Generation at Fortum Simon-Erik Ollus told HS.

One of the biggest hurdles for nuclear energy is the legislation surrounding it. Finland's current nuclear energy law assumes that each nuclear reactor must go through a cumbersome decision-in-principle and licensing process separately.

The current Fortum-owned and operated nuclear power plant has an output of 500 megawatts. The LUT University-VTT nuclear project in comparison would have an output between 20-50 megawatts, which would be enough power to heat a city the size of Lappeenranta, or roughly 70,000 people.

Blustery conditions

Tabloid Iltasanomat (siirryt toiseen palveluun) covered a strong thunderstorm front that arrived from the west late on Sunday evening.

The weather system was accompanied by gusts of up to 40 metres per second in sea areas, one of the highest wind speeds ever recorded in Finland.

The storm front passed over the southern coast of Finland from Hankoniemi eastwards at midnight.

Eveliina Tuominen, meteorologist on duty at the Finnish Meteorological Institute, said that strong wind gusts on the south coast have blown down trees.

A low pressure system is forecast to extend over Finland, and winds will continue to be strong in maritime areas. In the early morning, coastal winds were around 19 metres per second.

The weather in the coming week will be mainly cloudy but cool.

By Tuesday, new showers will develop in the southern and central parts of the country.

From Wednesday onwards, the weather will be clear across most of the country and temperatures may dip below 10 degrees in the south. Isolated snow showers may occur in northern Finland.

[blogynews]

"Unveiling the Mystery: Why Has the Miniature Train Service at Veli Been Suspended for Three Weeks?"

The toy train service at Veli Tourist Village has been halted for the third consecutive week due to technical issues, which has disappointed the many tourists who visit the village. The country’s first solar energy-driven miniature train, which was launched in 2020, was a major attraction for tourists who traveled to Veli, along with the village’s boat service. The suspension of the train service…

[blogynewz]

"Unveiling the Mystery: Why Has the Miniature Train Service at Veli Been Suspended for Three Weeks?"

The toy train service at Veli Tourist Village has been halted for the third consecutive week due to technical issues, which has disappointed the many tourists who visit the village. The country’s first solar energy-driven miniature train, which was launched in 2020, was a major attraction for tourists who traveled to Veli, along with the village’s boat service. The suspension of the train service…

[blogynewsz]

"Unveiling the Mystery: Why Has the Miniature Train Service at Veli Been Suspended for Three Weeks?"

The toy train service at Veli Tourist Village has been halted for the third consecutive week due to technical issues, which has disappointed the many tourists who visit the village. The country’s first solar energy-driven miniature train, which was launched in 2020, was a major attraction for tourists who traveled to Veli, along with the village’s boat service. The suspension of the train service…

[scoopbuddy]

Top 10 Places To Visit In Thiruvananthapur - Travel Video | Scoop Buddy

This Video Is About The Top 10 Places To Visit In Thiruvananthapuram. This Video Includes Timings & Its Specialties. 1. Kovalam beach 2. Padmanabhan Swamy Temple 3. Agasthyakoodam 4. Poovar Island 5. Ponmudi 6. Shanghumukham Beach 7. Neyyer Dam 8. Napier Museum 9. Varkala Beach 10. Veli Tourist Village

[newsboy360]

India’s First Solar-Powered Miniature Train Launched In Kerala The miniature rail has all the features of a fully- equipped rail system. Thiruvananthapuram: A solar energy-driven miniature train, billed as the country's first of its kind, was inaugurated at the Veli Tourist Village in Thiruvananthapuram by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday.

[newzzhub]

India’s First Solar-Powered Miniature Train Launched In Kerala The miniature rail has all of the options of a fully- outfitted rail system. Thiruvananthapuram: A photo voltaic energy-driven miniature practice, billed because the nation's first of its sort, was inaugurated on the Veli Tourist Village in Thiruvananthapuram by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday.

[bbbnews]

India’s First Solar-Powered Miniature Train Launched In Kerala The miniature rail has all the features of a fully- equipped rail system. Thiruvananthapuram: A solar energy-driven miniature train, billed as the country's first of its kind, was inaugurated at the Veli Tourist Village in Thiruvananthapuram by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday.

[travelvlogss]

Veli Tourist Village at Trivandrum

The appealing beauty of Veli is one among many that the capital city can be proud of. The calm beach and romantic greenery never failed to express the fascinating feeling to each and every traveler who visits there. Veli has now become a hotspot for most wedding shoots. Enjoy the countless attractions and features of the Veli tourist village. This blog will help you to know more about the Veli attractions.

[omgindiablog]

Veli Tourist Village & Backwaters, Kerala, India: The Veli Tourist, in God’s own country, is all set to make a strong impression in the world tourist map. Veli tourist village is eight kilometers from the city of Thiruvananthapuram. This tourist village is between the Veli lagoon and the Arabian Sea. The lagoon here is separated from the sea by a narrow sand bar.

[travelojogroup]

#India’s first #solar-powered miniature train launched at Veli #Tourist #Village in #Kerala A solar energy-driven miniature train, billed as the country’s first of its kind, was inaugurated at the Veli Tourist Village here by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday. The train, which would be an attraction for children especially, was part of a string of projects totally worth Rs 60 crore taken up to elevate the facilities at the panoramic destination to international standards. Vijayan also dedicated an “Urban Park” and a swimming pool at the eco-friendly tourist village, located on the outskirts of the state capital where the Veli Lake meets the Arabian Sea. The miniature rail has all the features of a fully- equipped rail system, including a tunnel, station and a ticket office. The train has three bogies that can accommodate around 45 people at a time. “The eco-friendly solar-powered 2.5 km miniature railway will enable visitors to enjoy the beauty of nature. The Rs 10 crore project is the first of its kind in the country,” the #Chief #Minister said in his online address. #Artificial #steam spouted by the engine of the train, modelled after the vintage steam locomotive, will stir #nostalgic #feelings. The station house was also designed in a #traditional style. The surplus energy generated by the system will be routed to the Kerala State Electricity Board’s grid, Vijayan said. A tourist facilitation centre, convention centre and #Art #Cafe are also to be opened at #Veli soon. The convention centre will have an art gallery, digital display facility to feature major tourism and cultural centres of the state and an open-air theatre. These world-class facilities will impart a new look to Veli, the Chief Minister said. Tourism Minister Kadakampalluy Surendran, who presided, noted the government had allotted around Rs 120 crore for the tourism sector. Of these, administrative sanction has been given to Rs 60 crore worth projects at Veli itself. (at New Delhi) https://www.instagram.com/p/CHIbobknA0Z/?igshid=qkcd6hsj8unr

[feetanklets]

ഋതുകന്യ പെയ്യുമീ നിറമെല്ലാം മാഞ്ഞാലും ഹൃദയത്തില്‍ പൊന്നോണം തുടരും.... . . model @jayanthi_rajput . . Stills @ekuts003 . . Make up @dhanyamanjush . . #photography #indianphotography #keralaphotography #kerala360 #keralatourism #kerala #malayalamtypography #malayalam #mallu #mallufeet #padasaram #kolus #payal #anklets #feet #mallufeet #shoutout #shoutouter #incredibleindia #indianculture #traditional (at Veli Tourist Village,Trivandrum) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAsWrZtpGVb/?igshid=td3nrzcp9hpt

[thegulfindians]

Kerala Tourism sees tremendous growth despite adverse conditions

Kerala Tourism sees tremendous growth despite adverse conditions

Over the past four years, the tourism sector has grown exponentially through various extensive campaigns at the international level, as well as development activities in existing tourist destinations and the development of new destinations. This growth has survived major crises such as the Okhi, the Nipah, and the floods of 2018 and 2019.

Kadakampally Surendran, Minister for Coorperation,…

[grgop]

Welcome to Dugi otok

It's been my wish for quiet some time to visit Dugi otok (Long Island), the long and the most distant of the Croatian islands located in the center of Croatian part of the Adriatic sea. Actually, I visited one part of it – the Nature Park Telašćica, when I was a kid more than 15 years ago…but never other places and with the new purpose. However, my wish had been granted surpassing all the expectation I had about this trip. 

The main reason why I wanted to travel there was to find and record the locals who speak the local idioms. For those of you who've been following me for the last couple of years and especially my YouTube channel you know that this was a super exciting trip for me. These native speakers represent a national and cultural treasure in terms of lingusitic heritage and a history of the litoral and maritime people living here for centuries, with some of them being isolated or with little touch to the land (terraferma). Thus the excitement to hear the living past and a nice blend of the Croatian Slavic culture and the Mediterranean Latin influence.

Apart from finding the native speakers I was excited to find out more about being and living as an islander. So I had to chance to record, hear and take photos of stories and experiences of the local people from several villages including both youth and seniors.

How it all started

I was super lucky to be given the opportunity to stay for four days on the island and meet many people whose help I never expected. I got the accommodation for free at the local monastery of St Michael in Zaglav which was thrilling enough and especially valuable since they allowed me to stay during the festive days around Easter. As soon as I got the confirmation that it's not a hallutination but a reality I looked for help among friends and acquaintaes who could aide me in getting to know the island and the locals. Without them this trip would have looked totally different as I knew practically nobody there. In the end I made lots of friends and had plenty of fun while doing my mission. I spent literally days and hourse right before the trip to get the additional camera equipment, gather as much as valuable information about the locals as possible, creating my own map of the potential people for the intervju and preparing the daily routes.

But before we dive into the adventures here's a some info about the island.

About Dugi otok

What do you need to know about this paradise? Dugi otok is the largest of the North-Dalmatian islands situated in the central part of the Croatian Adriatic. Iti s also the last island before the open sea and Italy on the other side of the Adriatic bay. Just like the majoritiy of our islands it has many hills and small bays with its highest peak of Vela Straža at 338m. The island is around 45 km long (hence the name) but at some points its width ranges between 1 and 4 km. This contrast was especially visible when I was driving a car from the south and at one point I stopped and looked to my right – there you see the islands towards Zadar and Velebit mountain. Then you turn to the left and see the nothing except for the blue sky, horizon and the deep blue Adriatic sea. However, during the crystal day and with a good eye sight one can see the eastern Italian coast, more precisely – the Apenine mountains. After all, Italy is less than 200 km away across the sea.

Its western coastline bordering the open sea characterize the sharp contrasts: the southern part around the Nature Park Telašćica is surrounded with impressive cliffs that go up to 80m in height. Telašćica is one of the most beautiful place sin Zadar county and frequently visited by numerous tourists each year.

On contrary, on the other side of the island you can find more peaceful bays. The two most notable beaches are Sakarun and Veli Žal where Sakarun is the most famous one. However, last years due to growing number of visitors and greediness it no longer looks and is as it was 10 years ago. I also never went there but visited Veli Žal instead. All in all, the nature on this island is incredible and as the locals say – you hardly notice any seasonal change. It always looks as if the time had stopped between spring and early autumn. Always green and no leafs falling. In terms of nature this island will be a perfect place to escape the reality and the stress of the modern lifestyle spent in larger urban areas. Clean sea, peaceful nature and the welcoming locals.

People, customs and history

Speaking of locals the island has a population of roughly 1500 inhabitants spread in around 12 local villages. The largest of them is Sali in the southeastern part of Dugi otok with the population of around 800. On contrary, places such as Dragove or Veli Rat in the north have between 40-70 inhabitants statistically. However, accoridng to the stories, there's far less people who actually live for the whole year. The sad truth and reality is that these places will become ghost towns within 10-20 years as the majority of these locals are seniors over 80 years old. The thing is – apart from them most of the visitors are so called „weekenders“ – the islanders who live on the land (e.g. in Zadar) who come there over the weekend…or the other part that's present during the summer are the diaspora. These are the people whose parents, grandparents or further ancestors emmigrated to the United States, Southern America or Australia and New Zealand at the beginning of the 20th century or around the years of the WW2 in search for better opportunities and life across the sea. There are even some remains left of the WW2 bunkers and ship tunnels that I am going to describe you later (I couldn't resists visiting some of them). And even today one can find near the central part of the island a restricted zone which belongs to the military whose base is on top of the hill. It's said it used to watch over the potential threat that comes from the south or across the Adriatic sea.

The population of the island was thus much larger, actually surprisingly larger. However, the Great War in 1918 and the Second World War had taken the toll with great consequences. Many of the islanders died or were killed during those time, especially the young people, men, who were meant to start new families. Those who survived either stayed or moved to new places. Some places used to have a lot of children attending the schools. Now some say it's „a success“ when they managed to gather up to 10 children of the elementary school in total. And they come from different villages.

Being on the island many of the locals have traditionally been turned towards the sea and what it offers. It's not unusal to find people who have spent their lives sailing around the world. Some have been fishermen. Some are into agricultulre and what it offers. Unlike us who live on the mainland here you can't have super large fields but smaller ones where you take care of goods and cultures such as figs, oranges, lemomns, tomatoes, potatoes, salad and olives. In Sali there is a fish factory which provides employment for good amount of the locals. There is another important factor in the lives of the islanders and that is the Church and religion. It's not unusual to find many of them to be (kinda) devoted Catholics who go to the church every Sunday. After all, as some explained me, it's also a social thing or event, when you think about it. And living there for centuries, relatively isolated and surrounded by nature and vast sea surface, one shouldn't be surprised to see faith and religion rooted deeply in the locals. And being an islander does not mean living an easy life, as you are going to find out. Speaking of religion there is this Franciscan monastery of St Michael in Zaglav with a church that was built in mid-15th century. That's the place I stayed at.

The places on the island are connected with one main road from which you have amazing views over the surrounding islands and area. The island has also got quiet good connection with the mainland via trajects and speedboats (catamaran). There are four catamaran lines that go daily from Zadar to Dugi otok. If you are planning a trip on Dugi otok by car you will arrive by traject to Brbinj in the northern part of the island. The same goes if you want to leave the island by car. Speaking of cars the only gas station on the whole island is located in Zaglav in the south. That's also the place I arrived to and stayed at for four days.

What else to add? During the summer season many are some festivals related to religious events, local music and traditional kitchen. Those who prefer to spend their time actively they can go exploring the area, follow many hiking roads, visit the caves, Park Telašćica or National Park Kornati. If you are more into sports then I suggest finding some diving locations or courses, try running, trekking, biking, trail, sailing etc. At the northernmost point of the island at Veli Rat there is another landmark of Dugi otok - the lighthouse of Veli Rat.

I forgot to mention some of the older history of the island. Here are a few interesting things to know. The island was already inhabited with settlers in the early ages in paleolithic and mesolythic. Several years ago scients discovered the human skelleton that date back to 11 000 years BC. This discovered male Dalmatian known as „Šime“ died unnatural death at the peak of his retirement age of 40. 

One can find the remains of the settlements and stuff of the ancient Illryians. There are also several caves on the island and around Telašćica park one can find tomb hills dating back to Iron age 800-400 BC. The last thing I'd add here is the Grpašćak Fortress on the western coast above the cliffs of Telašćica. It was built in 1911 by the Austro Hungarian Monarchy which served as a military patrol base. I came close by my first evening on the island but more about it in the next post..

Time for a break

Alright! I hope you have some idea about Dugi otok. More in details on specific topis as we surf through the days. Grgo