Midsummer in Sweden

The days are getting longer and celebration of summer has begun all over Scandinavia. In Sweden the nights are hardly dark at all and in the north the sun never sets. The celebrations do not last long, beginning in May and ending in late June. Each part of Sweden wears their traditional costume with wreaths of fresh and vibrant flowers in their hair. Folks dance around a maypole with family and dear friends. Everything is closed for the actual weekend of midsummer around the 24th of June. A meal is shared of pickled herring, boiled new potatoes with fresh dill, sour cream, raw red onion, salmon, and fresh strawberries with cream for dessert. It is celebrated to welcome summertime and the season of fertility. Whether you are in Sweden this summer or next, this is a festivity that you will not want to miss!

Sincerely,

Don, John, and Lena

Icelandic Horses: a smaller, pony-sized horse with a lineage dating back to Viking times

Wealready recognize Iceland as a unique vacation destination offering magnificent mountain panoramas, waterfalls, glaciers, spouting geysers, and fine cuisine. But what of Iceland’s horses?

Imported by Scandinavian settlers in the 9^th and 10^th centuries they appear throughout Icelandic historical writings and have played an important part in Iceland’s development.

The breed on several occasions has been almost wiped out by the harsh climate, volcanic eruptions and deforestation resulting from ship-building and housing, but concern and selective breeding has kept the breed alive. Icelandic horses have a double coat developed for extra insulation in cold temperatures.

Icelandic law prevents the return of exported horses and forbids the importation of horses further protecting the integrity of the breed. Gentle and responsive the horses have an unusually even gait and quickly develop a bond with their riders.

For horse lovers and those looking for a bit more adventure while in Iceland, a three to five day horse trekking tour may be just the thing. There are many variations and itineraries available from day tours to multi-day tours, including visits to areas seldom seen and inaccessible other than by horseback.

If sleeping bags and tents are your forte, camping trips are available. But if you prefer something a bit more comfortable, there are tours offering hotel lodging as well.

Experienced guides, proper outfitting and gentle horses will show you the best Iceland has to offer. We have detailed information available.

Sincerely,

Don, John, and Lena

Russ in Norway

High school graduation is right around the corner for students all over the world yet; we come to find that no other country celebrates more distinctively than Norway during their russefeiring (Russ Celebration).

According to Wikipedia, the word russ is “inherited from the Danish word rus, which as an abbreviation of Latin rusticus ("rural"), in former times used to ridicule new students at a university. A more elaborate explanation claims the word comes from the Latin phrase cornua depositurus, which means ‘bound to put aside one's horns.’ This phrase is the name of an old, Danish university acceptance ceremony, the name of which was eventually simplified to just the last syllable” (Wikipedia.com)

Students wear distinctive overalls and caps depending on their line of study and wear them from the 1^st to the 17^th of May without removing or washing them. Red overalls represent courses geared toward higher education, blue for business, white for medical and social, black for mechanics and electronics, and green for agricultural fields. The cap matches the overalls by color and should be worn for the entire national day (May 17^th) which completes “russefeiring.” Everyone also gets a whip for banging on things rhythmically during chants, and a whistle to make noise during the National Day parade.

Students also create russ cards which mock business cards and have their picture, contact details, and a slogan on the front. These are handed out to anyone who requests them, mainly friends and family. The more cards you collect, the more popular you appear.

Students travel around in russ busses which usually have a theme and song to go with them. The colors of the buses match the colors of the overalls worn.

So, next time you’re traveling in Norway during the first two weeks of May, keep your eye open for the russ busses as they pass by!

The official Norwegian Russ website is http://www.russen.no/

Sincerely,

Don, John, and Lena

Norway by Bike!

Nelson’s Inside Scoop is happy to inform you with the latest news that the city of Oslo in Norway created a new bikeshare program in the downtown area for anyone to use. This service is also available in Trondheim, Drammen, and Bergen. Users can purchase an unlimited yearly pass for 60 NOK (about 10 USD). The Frost Brothers designed the bike with wide tires, comfortable when riding on the streets. The bikes are located all around town on computer operated racks along with maps of where other racks are located. The bikes can be borrowed for a certain period of time and can be returned to any rack, not just the one it was taken from. There is even an Iphone application for it. Whether you are going out to Bygdøy, looking for some ice cream or want to take a ride out to the beaches, for a steal you can see the city of Oslo by bicycle!

Photo Courtesy of Bhupal Adhikari
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcreative/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

Sincerely,

Don, John, and Lena

Scandinavia in the 2010 Winter Olympics

There is an old saying that Scandinavians were born with skis on their feet. Yet again, they have put up a good fight this year in the 2010 Winter Olympics, Vancouver.

Sweden's Medals:

Gold- Women's curling, Cross-Country Skiing - Men's 4x10 km Relay Classic/Free, Cross-Country Skiing - Men's 30 km Pursuit (15 Classic+15 Free), Biathlon - Men's 12.5 km Pursuit, and Cross-Country Skiing - Ladies' 10 km Free

Silver- Cross-Country Skiing - Ladies' Team Sprint Free, Cross-Country Skiing - Ladies' 15 km Pursuit (7.5 Classic+7.5 Free)

Bronze- Cross-Country Skiing - Men's 50 km, Mass Start Classic, Alpine Skiing - Men's Slalom, Cross-Country Skiing - Men's 30 km Pursuit (15 Classic+15 Free), Alpine Skiing - Ladies' Super Combined

One Swedish Olympic favorite is Anna Haag. She is 23 –years-old from Köping, Sweden and has been competing in cross-country skiing since 2003. At this year’s Winter Olympics, she took Silver in both the 15 km pursuit and the team sprint.

 

(Photo by: Oskar Karlin)

Norway's Medals:

Gold- Cross-Country Skiing - Men's 50 km, Mass Start Classic, Biathlon - Men's 4x7.5 km Relay, Cross-Country Skiing - Ladies' 4x5 km Relay Classic/Free, Cross-Country Skiing - Men's Team Sprint Free, Alpine Skiing - Men's Super-G, Cross-Country Skiing - Ladies' 15 km Pursuit (7.5 Classic+7.5 Free), Biathlon - Men's 20 km Individual, Biathlon - Women's 15 km Individual, Cross-Country Skiing - Ladies' Individual Sprint Classic

Silver- Curling – Men, Cross-Country Skiing - Ladies' 30 km, Mass Start Classic, Cross-Country Skiing - Men's 4x10 km Relay Classic/Free, Alpine Skiing - Men's Giant Slalom, Freestyle Skiing - Ladies' Ski Cross, Biathlon - Men's 20 km Individual, Alpine Skiing - Men's Downhill, Biathlon - Men's 10 km Sprint

Bronze- Alpine Skiing - Men's Giant Slalom, Ski Jumping – Team, Freestyle Skiing - Men's Ski Cross, Speed Skating - Men's 1500 m, Cross-Country Skiing - Men's Individual Sprint Classic, Cross-Country Skiing - Ladies' 10 km Free

Who can resist the four Norwegian blondies that took gold in the Women’s Cross Country Skiing? On the team is Vibeke Westbye Skofterud, Therese Johaug, Kristin Størmer Steira,  and Marit Bjørgen.

Vibeke Westbye Skofterud is from Askim, Norway and has been competing in cross-country skiing since 1999.

(Photo By: Iso76)

Therese Johaug is from Os, Norway and won the bronze in the 2007 World Championships in Sapporo during the 30 km mass start.

(Photo By: Iso76)

Kristin Størmer Steira is from Mo I Rana, Norway and has cross-country skied for Norway since 2002.

 

(Photo By: Bjarte Hetland)

Marit Bjørgen is from Trondheim, Norway and is a cross-country skier from Midtre Gauldal. She has won the most medals during the 2010 Winter Olympics.

(Photo By: Author Unknown)

Finland's Medals

Silver- Snowboard - Men's Halfpipe

Bronze- Ice Hockey – Men, Ice Hockey – Women, Cross-Country Skiing - Ladies' 30 km, Mass Start Classic, Cross-Country Skiing - Ladies' 4x5 km Relay Classic/Free

Peetu Piiroinen is a young 22-year-old who took the Silver in snowboarding for Finland. He is from Hyvinkää and his home mountain is Sveitsin Hiihtokeskus. Peetu has been traveling the world and competing since 1997 and is sponsored by Burton Snowboards.

(Photo By:copyright: http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/m9_1y2nbXNl/Snowboard+Day+6/yawueiFiGYG/Peetu+Piiroinen)

Portions of the above information are from the online website:
http://www.wikipedia.com

http://www.vancouver2010.com

Sincerely,
John, Don, and Lena (Our new intern)

 

Ponies Replace Yachts in the Västervik Wintertime

One would think that visiting Sweden in the winter time would not be ideal. However, in a town like Västervik located on the south-east coast of Sweden, some unique experiences can only be had during the winter months. Since the 16th century, Västervik has been a shipping industry. It is no wonder that it is notorious for its summer home to the yacht club. But as soon as the first flurry of snow takes place, there is a wonderland of adventure to be had.

Winter Activities

One of the best ways to fully immerse yourself in all Västervik has to offer is to saddle up and embark on a guided tour of the town on horseback – Icelandic horses to be exact. As highlighted by the name, the pony-sized breed is reared in Iceland and is well regarded as a sturdy, dependable horse well suited to the harsh rigors of winter. Led by a knowledgeable guide, the excursion can be experienced individually or with a group of up to seven other enthusiastic riders per tour keen to soak up all the town has to offer. With a plethora of accommodation packages available, visitors can enjoy the experience for a couple of hours or over several days.

Food & Drink

With a focus on ingredients reared, tended and harvested locally, the town’s restaurants offer some of Sweden's best culinary experiences. A mainstay since its inception in 1991, the Briggen restaurant is one of the town's oldest eating and drinking establishments and along with a wide assortment of tasty meals to choose from, the restaurant and pub also has over 60 different types of beer and around 150 different single malt whiskeys for punters to select from. Briggen also holds weekly quiz nights throughout the year. For tasty dairy treats, then look no further than Saltmagasinet. An ambitious enterprise that also houses conference facilities, the establishment has been voted Västervik’s best restaurant every year since 2006 and is regularly on the list of top eateries in Sweden for its variety of organic dishes. While locally revered for its dairy delicacies, Salmagasinet also serves up a veritable feast of cosmopolitan cuisine, peppered with traditional Swedish favourites. It is a must for connoisseurs of fine cuisine.

Getting Here

Regional train services run regularly from most major cities to Linköping, which in turn has trains that travel to Västervik daily. The town is also a few hours’ drive from at least three airports: Skavsta, Linköping city airport and Norrköping airport. All of the above as well as being easily accessible via all major modes of transportation make Västervik an attractive and ideal destination to unwind and while away the winter blues.

Portions of the above information are from the online website:
http://www.thelocal.se/

Sincerely,
John, Don, and Lena (Our new intern)