West Coast of Sweden
The Western Archipelago can be reached by ferry from Gothenburg and many points along the Bohuslän coast. For landlubbers and boating enthusiasts alike nearby Marstrand Island, and its more northerly neighbour Åstol, are both good introductions to the archipelago. Marstrand is the yachting and racing centre of the west coast, with a large guest harbour, some excellent restaurants and Carlsten fortress on a hill overlooking the island and out to see. Åstol is much smaller, with a smaller harbour, and typifies many aspects of the west coast island with its charming, uncrowded and unhurried atmosphere, just a single one shop, a B&B and a smokery with live music; what else!
Back on the mainland, Smögen is a picture-postcard-perfect town with Sweden’s longest boardwalk and a half-mile stretch of brightly coloured sea huts selling lip-smacking prawn sandwiches. It also offers a beautifully situated harbour and all the amenities of a small Swedish town. If you are eating out – go for the seafood. Just off Smögen lies Hållö Island with its pink granite rocks and crystal clear waters making it an ideal place for swimming, water sports. Explore the wildlife in the nature reserve too. Reached by ferry from Strömstad, the Koster Islands are part inhabited and part stunning nature reserve, and lie at the centre of 450 square kilometers that form Sweden’s first marine national park. The islands are also reputed to be the sunniest in Sweden. Well worth a visit, for the walking and cycling alone 
Read more : http://www.visitsweden.com/
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Add comment July 11th, 2010
Chile’s European heritage is pervasive, meaning that Western travelers here are less conspicuous than in neighboring Peru and Bolivia. For centuries, the Paris education of many Chilean intellectuals influenced the country’s art, music and architecture. Important art galleries, museums and a thriving theater scene are the result. The country’s art, literature and music have been influential internationally. Chile has spawned the Nobel Prize-winning poets Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda and, until the military coup of 1973, its cinema was among the most experimental in Latin America. Folk music has been an especially important outlet for the country’s oppressed, and was frequently performed overseas by exiles during Pinochet’s reign. Over 90% of the population is Roman Catholic, though evangelical Protestantism is becoming increasingly popular. The country’s Catholic architecture is impressive and ubiquitous, from grandiose colonial churches to roadside shrines, some of which are extraordinary manifestations of folk art. Spanish is Chile’s official language, though a handful of native languages are still spoken. In the north, there are more than 20,000 speakers of Aymara, and in the south there are perhaps half a million speakers of Mapuche. The most intriguing linguistic minority is the 2000-plus speakers of Rapa Nui, the Polynesian language of most of Easter Island’s population 
Aboriginal participation is a key element of our sustainability mandate and is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the value it brings to the Olympic Movement.
