One for the Road: The Palace of the Snow Queen

by Kelly Amabile on

I’ve had a copy of this book for awhile, but unfortunately have not had a chance to read it yet. However, I want to let you know about Barbara Sjoholm’s new book now, because she’s got an event coming up this week. The Palace of the Snow Queen is a travel narrative that follows the author through Sweden, Finland and other parts of Lapland. Sjoholm visits the Ice Hotel in Kiruna, takes part in traditional activities like reindeer racing and dog sledding, and adjusts to the ever-darkening days of the Far North. Bookslut recently posted a positive review.

If you live anywhere near Bellingham, WA, you can meet the author and view a slideshow of photos from her travels in Lapland at an event at Village Books this Thursday night. She’ll read from her book, and also discuss the culture of the indigenous Sami, who are currently in a struggle to maintain their traditional reindeer grazing lands and migration routes.

National Geographic Film Festival

by Neil Woodburn on

The All Roads Film Project is one of those very special, very wonderful National Geographic events which any traveler worth their salt will truly love.

The project was launched four years ago “to provide an international platform for indigenous and underrepresented minority-culture artists to share their cultures, stories, and perspectives through the power of film and photography.”

Man, you can’t go wrong with that mission statement.

And, National Geographic hasn’t.

The spectacular results of the project can be seen this upcoming weekend (October 4-7) at the All Roads Film Festival being held at the National Geographic headquarters in Washington D.C.

The festival will feature films from Finland, Bolivia, Kurdistan, Denmark, Australia, Ethiopia, India, Mexico, Tonga and many more places on this planet you might only be able to visit through film. But, if you miss it in D.C., don’t worry; you can catch the festival next month in Sante Fe, New Mexico starting November 28.

Finland, Oh Finland

by Erik Olsen on

Good old Monty Python mocked poor Finland in that old ditty saying of one of the lesser known Scandinavian countries:

You’re so sadly neglected
And often ignored,
A poor second to Belgium,
When going abroad.

Second to Belgium? I doubt that’s the case anymore. I’ve had several fiends return from Helsinki to tell me that it is a bustling, fascinating city with a rich, varied culture of music, design and, well, cell phones. The Finns, I am told, are a reserved lot, That may be an overall Scandinavian trait, but I’m told that even Norwegians think the Finns hold back when it comes to emoting. But that may be a good thing. Good for them, I say. But aside from all this stereotyping, which I already got into today, I should mention that something else is brewing in Helsinki that you may be interested in. According to this piece in the International Herald Tribune, a particularly stylish part of Helsinki was recently designated as the Design District, offering acres of new stores, restaurants and galleries that show off a particular brand of Finnish sensibilities…sensibilities that are all about Finland’s modern identity in Europe. The Finns are known for their stripped down art, and the design of home furnishings and nowhere is this more apparent in the new design district. But it ain’t cheap. What is in Scandinavia? According to the piece, a simple three-legged Aalto stool will set you back over several hundred bones. Ikea it isn’t.

But I have to say that my curiosity is piqued, and I’d very much like to make the pilgrimage someday soon to Finland, perhaps with a stopover in Norway just to say hi to some old relatives.