There has been much discussion in the news over the U.S. vs Madrid bid for the 2016 Olympics and it has inspired us here at the Nordic Company to reflect on what we think was a shining moment for Norway and one of the most exciting times in Scandinavian travel for us: in 1994,when the Winter Olympics came to Lillehammer.
Norway was made for the Winter Olympics. Their cold climate and constant snow coupled with their rough-and-rugged population that prids themselves on physical fitness is precisely what has allowed them to nab 280 medals at the Winter Olympics - more than any other nation. In fact, Norway is just one of three nations to have won more medals at the Winter Olympics than at the Summer Olympics.
At the heart of their Olympic pride lies the Holmenkollen Ski Jump. Opened in 1892, the Holmenkollen remains the second oldest ski jump in the world. It became the focal point of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics, rising 60 meters above ground and 417 meters above sea level. It is now also one of Norway’s best known tourist destinations. From the top, visitors are afforded a spectacular panaromic view of the city of Oslo and its glittering Oslofjord. Below, the Holmenkollen Ski Museum (opened in 1923 and still the oldest ski musuem in the world) offers a comprehensive history of the area and an interactive video game that allows you to see and feel what ski jumpers do when they put themselves over the edge. It’s crazy!
But don’t let the ski jump take you away from the town either. What makes Lillehammer so unique is that it remains the host of the last Winter Olympics to date that has been held in a small town. Norway beat out Alaska and Sweden for the bid and Lillehammer has since flourished into a charming, but quaint tourist haven with good shopping and delicious cafes.
If you ask the locals what they think were the highlights from the 1994 Olympics, aside from Norway’s many medals, they usually tell you two things: “When Tanya Harding’s ex-husband hired a man to take out Nancy Kerrigan in the knee” and “when on the day of the opening ceremony, art thieves stole the famous Edvard Munch painting from the National Museum in Oslo.” And next, they will tell you about the construction taking place at Holmenkollen right now, set for an improved ski jump to open in 2012 for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championship.
This last bit has become a particular obsession of mine. The architecture company has been kind enough to post a webcam of the construction process on their website - which you can check out here, but be careful, because witnessing the building of a legacy - well, like most things in Scandinavia, it’s addicting.
One of the best things to do while traveling is to take a break. Sit on a front stoop somewhere and watch the world go by. It is interesting to see how much people in other parts of the world are just like us and yet so different. Big cities, such as Moscow, are always a great place to people watch so I was delighted when I found this video that delivers all the delights of people-watching in a Russia put into slow motion.
The Nordic Company sends many of our clients to Russia each year. We assist you every step of the way through the visa application process and we provide some of the best guided tours in the country. We suggest you take the Silia Line from Helsinki to St. Petersburg - a breathtaking half-day train ride - and then fly over to Moscow for a few days. As this video will show you, even the little things become enchanting when you’re traveling in Russia.
Iceland is not dead. It’s just been hibernating. Due to its financial woes this past year, travel to Iceland has taken on a few curve balls. It has suffered a devaluation of currency - which has attracted the thrifty traveler, but it’s also weathered its fair share of political unrest - which has deterred many others. Yet slowly, Iceland is getting back on its feet and the rumble of Reykjavik as a thriving cultural center can be heard once more.
In case you forgot just how rocking Reykjavik is, the Nordic Company is here to jog your memory. Think: music and nightlife meets geysers and thermal springs all within the same small radius. As the northern most capital on Earth, Reykjavik never misses the mark in what it has to offer. Even back in 874, Ingolfur Aranson, the first to settle in what would later be known as Reykjavik, could see the potential of the area. He called the place “Smoky Bay” due to the ghostly vapors that rose up from the ground - a product of the geysers - but rather than fear, these smoke signals created an interesting ambiance.
Iceland remained a Danish sovereignty until their independence in 1944 which was largely brought about by their skyrocketing prosperity of during the World War II period. American and Brit troops were stationed in Reykjavik and significantly bolstered the community.
Iceland’s economy was largely supported by wool manufacturing, shipbuilding, and fishing until they took on the financial services sector with much gusto - the unfortunate cause of their most recent failure. However, Icelanders are not shy about returning to their roots and their roots run deep.
You take a walk through their famed Old City sector in Reykjavik where wooden houses with corrugated iron roofs line the streets. You can stop in and enjoy a traditional Icelandic meal at the oldest building in Reykjavik, the Fogetinn, built in 1751. Or you can catch a bus out to the bubbling Laugardalur hot springs, just 3 kilometers outside of the city. There are camp sites, hostels, open-air baths, botanical gardens, a zoo, and a sculpture garden for your amusement. This city is not going anywhere - it has too much to offer. So I guess the real question isn’t “Remember Reykjavik?” but rather, “How could we forget?”
Book town tourism is fast becoming one of the more popular forms of off-beat travel and Norway is one Scandinavian country that stands to benefit from it. Book shops attract a certain kind of eccentric - the literature lovers, the world-curious, historians, and people just passing by. They also give rise to cities that might not be as well-known at first glance, but are worth checking out. The concept of book towns as a form of tourism was partially developed by Richard Booth of Hay-on-Wye in Wales, UK. Established as a book hub in 1962, Hay-on-Wye attracts approximately 300,000 visitors each year and is frequently dubbed the “book capital of the world.” Booth later went on to create the International Organization of Book Towns - of which both Tvedestrand, Norway and Fjaerland, Norway are proud members of.
Fjaerland’s reputation as a book town is not something you have to read between the lines to know about either. We send clients here every year as a scenic stop along their journey through the Sognefjord. What makes Fjaerland special is that you’re not wandering into just any old standard book shop, (see above photo for an example); the locals have converted barns, stables, and even old boathouses into storage space and display cases for beautiful antique books. Their town boasts 12 shops total and over 250,000 books.
And if you grow tired of sifting through the shelves and reading off the fine print, you can always check out the endless array of cafes and arts and crafts shops. If you want to stretch your legs even furhter, you’re not far from the mighty Jostedalbreen glacier and two National Parks. There, you can hike to your heart’s content and stop at a scenic point where you can relax and do a little reading from your new book (that you picked up at a local book shop!) Fjaerland was also host to the International Book Town Festival in 2006.
If one book town is not enough, we’ll send you to Tvedestrand on the southern coast of Norway where you can weave your way through the “book triangle” - the area of Tvedestrand where most of the book shops are located. Tvedestrand is a coastal town that offers an elegent old quarter of white wooden houses, a welcoming harbor and a wealth of water acitivites to try. In addition to book hunting, you can also check out Lyngor, a town that sits between four islands off the coast, as was once ranked the “best kept village in Europe” or partake in diving, sailing, swimming, or fishing.
If a book town tour sounds like your thing, you should book today. Over 250,000 fairytales await your discovery!
Its neutral status in World War II helped save its old architecture from damage, thus you can still freely walk the cobbled-stoned streets of old world Gamla Stan and soak up history. You must watch your step, however, as water is just as common in Stockholm as their colorful houses and city banter. Also called the “floating city”, Stockholm sits on approximately 14 islands where Lake Malaren unites with the Baltic Sea. But that’s just the beginning, in total, the city marks the edge of an archipelago that stretches out into over 24,000 islands. There are plenty of boat tours and/or dinner cruises with a view available to afford you the big picture.
In addition to its color, beauty, and unique location, Stockholm serves many pratical purposes. It’s one of the least congested major cities in Scandinavia and it’s a prime choice for business and innovation specialists to convene from all over the world. The months of September and October are usually booked with fairs, conferences, and events. Home to popular exports, H&M and IKEA, Stockholm is also a focal city for design. It is true that there is something for everyone - so when you’re traveling with everyone - Stockholm is a crowd-pleaser all around, truly the crown jewel of Scandinavian capitals.
If you were in Alesund, Norway this past week, it is likely you are settling down for a three day sleep with quite a fully belly! That’s because August 26th - August 30th was the 25th annual celebration of the Norwegian Food Festival. “Den Norske Matfestivalen”- as its referred to in Norwegian - was originally started as a feature food day to counteract what had previously become a festival based solely around agricultural tools and supplies. Now the Norwegian Food Festival carries the delicious aromas of clipfish, whale, cloudberries, acquivit - you name it. People from all over the world come to bask in the gastronomical delights that fill Alesund’s sparkling thoroughfare. Patrons can attend food and wine seminars, outdoor concerts, cooking competitions, and of course, eat until their heart’s content.
The Norwegian Food Festival’s official mission - as stated on their website - is to promote the production, development, and consumption of Norwegian food derived from Norwegian raw ingredients from agriculture and fishing, but I have to say - half the fun of the festival is simply getting there. Your options are are plenty. You can hop on the beautiful coastal Hurtigruten ship and cruise straight into the Alesund port or you can catch a quick flight out of Oslo and Bergen. Our favorite - you can pick up a rental car and taking the winding E136 through the glimmering Nordic countryside. If you get lost, just let your tastebuds guide you and you’ll be there in no time! Skal!
There are lots of ways to get yourself psyched up for your upcoming Nordic Company vacation, but one of my favorites, is stalking Scandinavia on Youtube. There’s something about picturesque scenery set to the heartfelt piano of Edvard Grieg or a chorus of Norwegian school children that brings me to tears every time. This video in particular is quite cheesy, but incredibly beautiful. It is interesting that the creator of this post hasn’t even been to Norway and he still loves it so much. That says something about the enigma of Norway and the rugged, versatile landscape that it has to offer.
If you like bustling cities and vibrant nightlife, Oslo and Bergen boast some of the best scenes. If you’re in search of peaks to climb and glaciers to conquer, head north and Norway will not disappoint. If you prefer the coastline, you can take an express boat and weave in and out of the majestic fjords. If you’re looking for something extended, you can take a ride on the Hurtigruten cruise that snakes all the way up Norway’s western coast, ending in Trondheim. The people are charming, the food delicious, and each season presents a unique array of entertainment, opportunity, and scenery. No matter what time you choose to go or by what mode of travel, your memories are sure to be unforgettable. Here’s one more - a humorous one - for the road…(warning: some adult content).
Sometimes an artist’s eye can do a much better job of capturing the essence of a country’s scenery better than we travel specialists can. I recently stumbled across the blog of a professional illustrator, Jimbino Vegan, who chronicles his many travels across the world in illustration form. He was in Finland at the beginning of the beginning of his summer and his work (like the landscape of Finland) takes on a very serene quality. Enjoy, and when you’re finished, give us a call and we’ll be able to send you over the ocean to experience those paintings in person!
#8 Denmark is the 10th greenest country in the world
#18 Denmark is the second most visited destination in Scandinavia with over 4.7 million visitors each year
#32 Denmark hosts more than 100 festivals every year
#49 Danes enjoy one of the highest rates of social equality.
#71 Denmark boasts no less than 14 Nobel laureates
#86 The Danish have a 37 hour work week and six week paid vacation each year
These are only a few of the 109 reasons why Denmark is such an amazing place to live and to visit, given by an American Expat who has been living there for years. I recently came across his blog, “To love, work, study, and travel in Denmark” and it’s definitely worth taking a look. Whereas we at the Nordic Company can only manage to do personal site visits once or twice a year, here is the view of an individual who wakes up every day to the bustling city life of Copenhagen. In fact, a quick blogspot search of Denmark blogs will offer nothing, but good praise and addicting insider perspective.
More often than not, our clients call with the explicit intent of traveling to Norway. Many have ancestors and others would like to experience the fjords. One of our favorite suggestions is for them to fly into Copenhagen, Denmark for a few days and then take the overnight ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo to start their Norwegian journey. Our clients are never disappointed. They are always taken aback by Denmark’s charm, exclaiming, “I had no idea it was such a destination!” Get out into the countryside and there are lots of opportunities to stay in quaint cottages, play at Legoland, bike around, or spend time on the coast. If you’re still not convinced, here’s 103 more reasons.
One of the most fascinating aspects of traveling in Scandinavia is learning about their unique systems of welfare, education, and government that contrast greatly from the United States. Along with engaging scenery, you can definitely spark a lively conversation on politics and population management. To prep yourself for any roadside debates you might have, I suggest you follow this link to a video posted by the New York Times Op-Ed.
“Sweden’s Choice” highlights the school voucher program that has seen success in Sweden and suggests it may be a useful approach to education in the United States. Instead of money being filtered down into school districts, such as in the United States, funding for education is given directly to each individual kid. With this voucher in hand, kids are no longer forced to go to their local public school - they have the power to choose. This power to choose then causes area schools to step up their services and competition.
“Education is so important that you cannot just leave it to one producer,” Per Unckel, Governor of Stockholm and Former Prime Minister of Education explains. Granted, as you can see by the photo comparison to the UK, Sweden spends a lot more on education than other countries, but their dedication pays off. Most Swedes will tell you the system is a success.
The Nordic Company is not endorsing any particular style of government, we promote travel , but we do encourage you to ask questions. One of the best parts about an experience abroad is seeing your own country through the lens of someone else. Extend yourself to the locals and you’ll be surprised what you’ll learn and how willing they are to share.
As a side note: Our apologies for not keeping up with the blog for a month. Summer is the high travel season and you better believe our phones were ringing off the hook. We’ll do our best to pepper you with weekly Scandinavian anecdotes from here on out. Thanks for your patience!
Over 250,000 fairytales await your discovery!
