White Nights in Northern Sweden

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White Nights in Northern Sweden

Come inside the Arctic Circle, where during most of the summer, the sun never sets.

Scandinavian countries that lie inside the Arctic Circle provide some very interesting White Night experiences. Because the sun does not set throughout the night, you can take the opportunity to change the way you travel…take a chance, do something you haven’t done before, stay up late (really late.) Start your day at midnight and see what happens!

White Night Travel Tips

Go Hiking
Lapland is the best place in Sweden to see the world-famous white night phenomena, a time when the night is just a dimmer version of day. Hiking in the untamed mountains of Lapland during this season is a rare adventure as the glowing light illuminates the trees and casts a glow over everything it reaches. 4013_GoEco-White-Night-Hike

Hit the trails at midnight and let the magical light illuminating the landscape make what would be just a hike, extraordinary. From Reykjavik, Iceland, for example, you can take a White Nights Hike with GoEcco Outdoor Adventures. (We have cheated a little here, since Iceland belong to the Northern countries but in fact is not a part of the three Scandinavian entities). This hike takes you into the wild, past areas of geothermal steam, and offers an opportunity to bathe in a secret wilderness outdoor river.

Fishing
The area between Björkliden and the country border, Sweden is blessed with more than 600 lakes and large numbers of small rivers and brooks, called ‘jokkar’. This area is easy to hike and is stunningly beautiful. The fishing is a bit challenging as the local species are mainly Arctic char, brown trout, whitefish and burbot. 4013_Midnight-Fishing-in-Bjorkliden

Cruise
And, for a more relaxed vacation, there are several cruise lines that offer Midnight Sun Cruises. On these cruises you can experience the effects of the special light from the sun on the open sea. 4013_MSNordkapp_Trollfjorden_Trym_Ivar_Bergsmo

Come to Scandinavia next summer, where White Nights mean summer fun and magical adventures.

Written by the Daily Scandinavian staff.

Scandic Introduces Customized Beds

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The important role played by the bed for the overall hotel experience is easily understood. Therefore, as the first hotel chain in the world, Scandic now introduces adaptable beds that can be adjusted to meet personal comfort preferences by the hotel guests. The campaign is a collaboration with the Swedish bed manufacturer Bliss Nordic which has developed the world patented bed design. 4013_You_Bed

Bliss is the first bed in the world that can be adjusted to personal comfort by simply adjusting it to the personal preferences of the hotel guest. After a pilot project at Scandic Anglais in Stockholm, the hotel chain have decided to initiate a collaboration with the manufacturer and to offer the bed to more of its guests. As a next step, the bed will be available at a number of Scandic’s new hotels.

– For us at Scandic it is crucial that we provide the best possible bed comfort to our guests. That is why we have decided to go for the opportunity to become the first hotel chain providing this service to our guests. As the leading hotel chain in Scandinavia we are accustomed to advancing innovation by trying new approaches and innovations. We are convinced that many guests will appreciate hotel rooms where they can make individual adjustments of the bed for best comfort, says Pelle Ekman, Commercial Director at Scandic.

The ideal hotel bed
Bliss is the world’s first bed that can be adjusted to the personal comfort preferences regardless of length, weight, body shape or sleeping position. The bed’s spring system is easily adjusted using a remote control (from extra hard to extra soft) until you find the preferred comfort level. The guests can even adjust different parts of the bed separately (hip and shoulder) to define a perfect personal bed comfort. The bed Bliss is based on a Swedish innovation that is world patented.

– We have a fantastic product that is likely to be highly desired. Therefore we are delighted to see that the leading hotel chain in Scandinavia, choose to collaborate with us to drive innovation further in this field. There are numerous examples of new innovations that have become branch standard following Scandic’s initiative – says Mattias Sörensen, CEO at Bliss Nordic.

Written by the Daily Scandinavian staff

New sculpture park opened in Oslo

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New sculpture park opened in Oslo

It has taken ten years and NOK 300 million worth of private investment in addition to noisy debate, but last month Oslo’s newest attraction was officially opened.

It is, however, far between the sculptures, so put on comfortable shoes and bring with you a picnic basket, if you don’t prefer to enjoy a meal in the Ekeberg restaurant. “Ekebergparken” covers 63 acres within and atop a forested hill east of downtown. The 31 sculptures are esthetically placed in the beautiful landscape. The area was initially bought by the city in 1889 to preserve open space, but which the city has sorely neglected over the years.
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The park combines nature, history and culture in an unique way.  It has become a place to be, a place to enjoy and a place to learn. Several Norwegian and international sculptors are represented, and the plan is to increase the number of sculptures to 80 pieces in the years to come.

The man who launched and financed the entire project is the art lover and real estate magnate Christian Ringnes, 57, who also had to endure a barrage of skeptics and critics in a country not accustomed to philanthropy. Large gifts or sums of money given by wealthy benefactors are more often looked upon with suspicion rather than gratitude, and Ringnes was suspected of having all kinds of ulterior motives. He claims, however, that his only motive was to “give back” some of the wealth he’s accumulated in the real estate business to the city where he grew up. SONY DSC

Among the artists represented may enjoy Per Inge Bjørlo’s specially constructed installation of steel, Inner room IV, Sara Szes’ funny tree and steel sculpture Still life with landscape, SONY DSCDan Graham’s elegant pavilion in glass and mirrors, James Turrell’s Ekeberg skyscape, Sean Henry’s large Asiatic woman, Walking woman, Louise Bourggeois’ loving couple hanging in the trees and Lynn Chadwicks moving construction Ace of Diamonds. Performance artist Marina Abramovic will unveil her contribution, a video installation based on 270 Oslo residents’ screaming into the camera at the spot on Ekeberg where artist Edvard Munch was inspired to paint his famed The Scream. SONY DSC

The park will be open 24 hours day, like the Vigeland Park on the Oslo west side.

New sculpture park opened in Oslo, written by Tor Kjølberg
Photos: Tor Kjolberg

Exploring North Zealand, Denmark

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Exploring North Zealand, Denmark

There’s more to Denmark than the cosmopolitan capital city of, Copenhagen. So go beyond a city break and discover the region of North Zealand and its many attractions.

It’s a region that offers the holidaymaker fascinating castles, historic monasteries, world class museums, picturesque fishing villages and some of the country’s best sandy beaches, on the coastline known as the Danish Riviera.

And you can explore the area by train, on bikes or by car on quiet country roads. There are some new attractions in 2013 too, including the M/S Maritime Museum in Elsinore, which is just 45 minutes north of Copenhagen by train. The museum, which is between Kronborg Castle and the Cultural Wharf, has been designed using sloping bridges that spiral downwards in a seashell shape inside an old dry dock. At times, the underground museum makes visitors feel like they’re under the water as they learn about Danish maritime traditions. Enjoy exploring New Zealand, Denamark.

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It features model ships, paintings and photographs, a workshop and interactive attractions, such as the opportunity to try navigating a ship using the stars. Next to the museum, the UNESCO-listed Kronborg Castle is rich in history – best known to the world as Hamlet’s Castle.

And each August it hosts HamletScenen, a festival dedicated to the works of William Shakespeare, with plays staged in the castle courtyard and performances by the Shakespeare Puppets – a production using puppets, music, mimicry and sound to tell one of the playwright’s stories. Half way between Elsinore and Copenhagen, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is an attraction for a different audience.

Combining art and architecture with parkland, its permanent collection is the largest in Scandinavia and includes works by Picasso, Warhol, Bourgeois and Jorn, among others. Every year, it hosts major international exhibitions of modern and contemporary art, photography and design. The building sits in a sculpture park with fine views of Øresund and the sea. More art is on show at the Renaissance Frederiksborg Castle, which sits in pretty Italianate Baroque gardens at Hillerød. This red-brick castle was built as a symbol of King Christian IV’s power and now houses the Museum of National History, featuring 500 years of Danish life with a large collection of royal portraits.

Within the collection are a number of contemporary pieces, such as an Andy Warhol portrait of Queen Margrethe II, and a portrait of Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, that was woven from newspapers. On the banks of Lake Esrum, close to Frederiksborg, is the elegantFredensborg Palace. The new home of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary and their family is open to the public during the summer. If the family is in residence, a changing of the guard ceremony is also staged just before noon. In its history, the palace has hosted many heads of state – who were all encouraged to scratch their names in one of the palace windows with a diamond pen. The grounds regularly host summer events and concerts while it’s possible to sail from the palace garden across Esrum Sø, Denmark’s second largest lake.

Just north of the lake stands the Esrum Kloster & Møllegård abbey, dating back to the 12th century. It was an important Danish centre of monastic life for centuries and nowadays houses an exhibition on its history. A large garden produces much of the produce used in the production of beer, salt, vinegars and honey, which can be bought in the abbey’s shop and café. Regular events are held throughout the year, including a medieval market and fair.

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And then there are the beaches. North Sealand has 1,700km of coastline billed as the Danish Riviera. Seaside towns includeTisvildeleje, where white sandy beaches are protected by the nearby forest of Tisvilde Hegn. Hidden among the sand dunes are hundreds of colourful beach huts, the symbols of the town. There are plenty of activities, such as crab fishing, kayaking, mountain biking and shopping, while accommodation is available in the Helenkilde Badehotel or the Tisvildeleje Strandhotel.

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The neighbouring resort of Liseleje has shallow waters perfect for swimming, while August sees the annual Kattegat Kite Festival on the beach. Tourists can build and fly their own. In summer, several other towns hold their own harbour festivals, including the fishing town of Hornbæk.

The west side of the harbour is popular with sunbathers, while to the east there’s cycling, surfing, running and hunting for the amber that occasionally gets washed up along the shore. One of the best ways to see the the area is from a wooden carriage on the Veteran Train.

Linking many of the towns along the northern coast during the summer months, the restored steam service has some great views of the sea and the countryside. And for your Denmark travel arrangements… Travel by train to Denmark and around its key sites, with tickets from Rail Europe.

Feature image (on top): Frederiksborgs Castle

Written by our friends at Daily Travel Ideas.com

Gliding through Sweden’s Heartland

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Gliding through Sweden’s Heartland

Cruise Sweden’s lake district – Sweden’s heartland.

Göta Canal – Götaland
This four-day cruise among 100,000 of Sweden’s lake district is a highlight for boat lovers and those who fancy the chance to see Sweden at the romantic pace of times gone by. The Göta Canal, the “Blue Ribbon” connecting Göteborg on the North Sea and Stockholm on the Baltic, was dug out by almost 60,000 soldiers, who removed more than 200 million cubic feet of earth and rock, creating fifty-eight locks. Century-old ships brimming with character traverse the 322 nautical miles via a series of canals and lakes and even a stretch of inland sea. 

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Canal towpaths serve as bicycle paths, and land excursions to a number of small towns alternate on east and westbound trips, encouraging round-trip journeys.

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Gliding along, you’ll pass well-tended farms, monasteries, castles and medieval churches. The old-fashioned Söderköpings Brunn Inn makes it tempting to jump ship and stay a few days. The picturesque town of Söderköping, a bustling trading center 1,000 years ago, was issued a royal charter in 1774 for its curative springs. Spa services are still available, but most guests seem more enticed by the rambling hotel’s famous waffles and punch served on the long Victorian-style veranda.

You’ll find Söderköping 113 miles south of Stockholm.

 

Written by the Daily Scandinavian staff
Photo: Göran Billeson, visitsweeden

The Ultimate Green Traveler’s Guide to Copenhagen

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The Ultimate Green Traveler’s Guide to Copenhagen

Copenhagen’s climate strategy is to be the world’s first CO2 neutral capital by 2025 and this has the full support of the Copenhageners as a green vibe flows through every corner of the city. Whether you are looking to eat, drink, shop or sleep with a clear conscience, Copenhagen has an eco-friendly option for you.

Green Eating

One take on green eating in Copenhagen’s culinary scene is seasonal cooking with local products, with the world’s best restaurant Noma leading the way. Noma’s success has had a profound trickle-down effect on other restaurants practicing New Nordic Cuisine. Among them is the fully organic restaurantGeranium with head chef Rasmus Kofoed, winner of Bocuse d’Or 2011, giving him the title of World’s Best Chef. At the Michelin starred restaurant Herman, located within the Nimb complex, they serve radical interpretations of Danish classics and whether beast, fish or fruit, every last bit is made use of – a practice that is becoming the norm in Copenhagen.

4013_Noma_CopenhagenBut green eating in Copenhagen does not necessarily mean opting for a gourmet restaurant as there are sustainable choices in all price ranges, such as the gastro pub Nose2Tail in the meatpacking district. As the name indicates the concept is to use everything from the animal to avoid waste. At Nose2Tail the menu is determined based on which products are supplied by local organic producers on the day.
Around the corner in the meatpacking district is the large organic restaurant BioMio with room for 250 people. Here they serve organic, healthy and tasty food at reasonable prices in a laid back atmosphere.

For a fast food option try eating at an authentic Copenhagen hot dog stand, with a green twist. By Copenhagen’s Round Tower you can find the city’s only organic hot dog stand – Den Økologiske Pølsemand. Here you can order hot dogs and fried sausages made from organic pork or beef. Side orders and drinks are also organic.

Green Drinks

Besides organic soups, Soupanatural in Nørrebro specialises in healthy organic smoothies – or 4013_Soupanatural_Copenhagen“Vitaminas” as they call them – and organic cocktails to-go. HarboBar café on Blågårdsgade makes spectacularly good organic coffee and cupcakes, and turns into a cocktail bar in the evening, where you can chose from a selection of organic beer, wine, cocktails and schnapps.

Green Sleeping

Lots of Copenhagen hotels tick the eco-friendly box, in fact 58 % of hotel rooms are certified with the official Green Key guarantee. Scandic Hotel Webers close to the main train station and Tivoli Gardens is particularly impressive. Not only is all the food and drink organic, the hotel’s furnishings are made from environmentally sound textiles and a programme aimed at making the building 100 per cent carbon neutral by 2025 is in place. 4013_Scandic_Copenhagen

The four star Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers is built to be one of the World’s greenest hotels. It has Denmark’s only CO2 neutral hotel building and meets EU requirements for green construction and all of the hotel’s energy consumption comes from renewable energy sources. The hotel’s CO2 neutral technologies include an advanced climate system, which uses groundwater for cooling during Summer and stores the heated water and recycles it to heat in Winter. The result is a reduction of energy consumption for cooling and heating by nearly 90 percent.

Axel Hotel Guldsmeden, situated in the trendy district of Vesterbro, sets a high standard when it comes to sustainability and ecology. The breakfast buffet is 100 % organic with homemade yogurt, French cheeses and rustic bread and pastry from Emmery’s, an organic bakery. Furthermore, the hotel offers organic beauty products such as shampoo, body lotion and soap especially made for their rooms.

Green Experiences

That Copenhagen cares about the environment is clearly visible in the street scene. The water in the inner harbor is so clean, you can take a dip in it and the city is sprinkled liberally with green spaces. When the sun is out, take a break from the busy city-life at the Assistens Kirkegård Park in Nørrebro – a historic cemetery, which is the burial site for prominent Danes such as Hans Christian Andersen and philosopher Søren Kierkegaard.

For a convenient and eco-friendly sightseeing tour of Copenhagen take the CityCirkel buses, route 11, 4013_eksperentariumwhich run all day on electricity from batteries charged during night time, thus emitting less CO2 and exhaust fumes than ordinary cars and busses. Or if you want an alternative means of transportation take a guided tour of the sights of Copenhagen on an environmentally friendly Segway. The special vehicle runs on rechargeable batteries and lets you glide around Copenhagen’s sights in a CO2-friendly and fun way. At Experimentarium in Hellerup, just north of Copenhagen, you can explore everything green in their permanent exhibition on energy use and production; on climate and the future. The exhibition provides a tangible picture of the opportunities provided by both yourself and technology.

Green Shopping

Consumers in Copenhagen demand both organic and environmentally friendly products and retailers have been paying attention. You will find a growing number of shops exclusively selling organic products and services. Noir, Ecoture by Lund and Jackpot are just some of the high style, high sustainability brands available. Eco Ego on Nørre Farimagsgade is a lifestyle store with clothing, shoes, bags, maternity wear, skin care products, glass, toys and things for the garden. Everything is organic, fair trade and/or sustainable. The mini department store K29 sells trendy sustainable eco clothing, shoes and silver jewellery, from among others, the three owners’ own brands Maxjenny, Margareta Forslund and Owe Johansson. Pure Shop on Grønnegade in downtown Copenhagen sells just about every organic beauty treat you can think of. It is Denmark’s first organic perfumery specialising in organic beauty care, hair treatment and make up. Copenhagen also has some of the best vintage shops in the world, including, Time’s Up on Krystalgade. 4013_eco_ego_copenhagen

Green Transport

Getting around in Copenhagen in an eco-friendly manner is easy – do as the Copenhagers do: take the bike! Over a third of the city’s 1.1 million people regularly cycle to work, making Dronning Louise’s Bro [Queen Louise’s bridge], the busiest cycling spot in the western world. An estimated 35,000 cyclists stream across the bridge during morning rush hour, a seriously impressive figure. 37 percent of commuters going to work or school in Copenhagen use their bicycle. The ambition is that it will be 50 percent in 2015. Choose between a bicycle taxi, a guided bike tour, rent your own bike or use one of the free city bikes. 4013_byliv-ladcykel-mand

If you prefer a little more comfortable way to get around the city, you can book a CO2 neutral taxi through Amager-Øbro Taxi, they neutralize the CO2 that your car causes by buying certified European CO2 quotas.

Written by Visitdenmark.com

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