It is possible to rely too much on guidebooks. If the Lonely Planet guide to Rajasthan is to be believed, almost every step one takes is overshadowed by the danger of a scam, an illness, unbearable weather, or an environmental crisis.Maybe it's like that. I don't yet know. But you can sometimes get a better sense of proportion if you go back to look at guidebooks of places that you know a little better.
Here are some excerpts from The Rough Guide to Scandinavia (1993 reprint of the 1988 edition). Don't blame me for the title; I know that Finland is Nordic really. The country was less well known in Britain then, and this was my solitary beacon of information when I first arrived, all those years ago.
On second thoughts, maybe the warnings about India are all true and the trip is just what I need to rekindle my appreciation of a quiet life.
Imatra
"Imatra has little to set it apart and you'll make more of your time by passing right through it...."
I've been to Imatra only once. The hotel restaurant closed for lunch. Other than that, I couldn't possibly comment. Although I know at least one chap who may.
Kajaani
"... idling is what you're likely to be doing if you stay here overnight. The problem of complete boredom is no less severe for the local youth, who've taken to lining the pavements of Kauppakatu in their hundreds, waiting for something to happen."
The highlight, apparently, was watching the logs floating along the river to the pulp mill. I heard that the mill has closed, so I sneakily checked out the most recent Lonely Planet guide in a bookshop. There is no mention of the mill. But it did say that Kajaani is now widely considered the most racist town in Finland. I have never been to Kajaani, but things are obviously not improving.
Kokkola
"For what it's worth, the tourist office ... can point you towards the only remotely interesting local sight: the English Park ... A much more welcome sight, though, is the train station...."
I was a regular visitor to Kokkola for a couple of years, on work assignments. This write-up is a little unfair. But only a little.
Rovaniemi
"An administrative centre just south of the Arctic Circle ... tourists who arrive on day trips from Helsinki expecting sleighs and tents will be disappointed by a place that looks as Lappish as a palm tree."
No, no. I like Rovaniemi and find it quite charming. Though that may be because I've been fortunate in my companions, just proving that it's the people who make a place special.
Varkaus
"There's little incentive to stay longer than you have to in Varkaus...."
I've been to Varkaus only once. I have no intention of returning.
Oh, and for those who know:
Helsinki
Pub Angleterre: "Utterly Finnish ... good for a laugh and cultural disorientation."
Well, yes.
2 comments:
speaking someone who generally agrees with the assessments and finds those small places generally useless: what a criminally shitty guidebook!
Yes, it's not that I mistrust the facts (which were usually quite accurate at the time of printing but dated quickly), it's the attitude. A 1980s Little England superiority complex, I think. Nearly twenty years on, I should get my hands on the latest incarnation, now that there is a whole book dedicated to just Finland, and see if the intervening years have reduced the acidity.
It will also be interesting to see, in terms of the actual state of affairs in India, if any softening of editorial attitudes is particular to Europe.
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