Midsommar: The very best time to visit Stockholm

by Grant Martin on

Deep in the lowest latitudes of the Earth’s extremities, the far reaches of the planet where temperatures begin to plunge and where human populations drop precipitously, seasons have deeper meanings. Spring, Winter and Fall are plain, solid facts of life, the cold months during which fires are built, hard work is complete and the foundation of the year is laid. These are the months where Lyle and Scott sweaters are worn proudly by light skinned Swedes, where bicycles are ridden furiously through the blinding snow, puddle jumping from one warm abode to the next, conserving every last bit of warmth.

It’s preparation in a way, ten long months of good hard work for a two month reward, a swift, vanishing summer than can easily be missed in the blink of an eye. In Sweden, these months are June and July.

Swedes take their summertime very seriously, especially in Stockholm where cooped up urbanites use their stored up vacation to escape from the nation’s bustling, stark capital. Activity hits fever pitch around Midsommar, the traditional festival held once a year celebrating the longest day of the summer, fertility and the general release of energy stored up over the long, winter months. During this time, tempers even out, jovial residents take to the streets and the celebration spills through the country like a tidal wave of happiness, with dinner parties, drinking events and sales unlike any other time of the year.It is inside of this precise window that Sweden is often best to visit. It’s true that not all attractions are open and not all services will be at fever pitch, but the atmosphere, in short, is Godly. From the high, fluffy Atlantic clouds to the clean, bright architecture to the festivals and the sales and the never ending stream of herring and aquavit, Sweden is at its best during summertime festivities, and is a destination unrivaled in aesthetic and experience.

Getting there, however, can be tricky. With limited routes to the Scandinavian nation and demand at a seasonal high, tickets tend to be expensive for travel during summer months. But creative routing, fare sales on SAS and good planning doth an inexpensive trip make, so plan ahead, set up a fare alert and save your allowance for vacation; though Sweden is an expensive country there are plenty of budget options for the savvy traveler.

At the very least, be sure to tune into Gadling’s Midsommar coverage as the summer progresses. We’ve got many more wonderful stories to tell.

Follow chef Jamie Oliver through culinary Stockholm

by Grant Martin on

One of our favorite cities over at Gadling is Stockholm, Sweden and one of our favorite chefs, Jamie Oliver. So imagine our glee when discovering that Mr. Oliver had put together a slide show and narrative from his recent journey into Scandinavia.

Fully available over at the Guardian, Chef Oliver’s slideshow is a love story written to the city, where he meanders in and out of lush, cultural descriptions and delicious, gastronomic profiles in his trademark, boyish tone. All of this is set against the backdrop of a beautiful series of Stockholm photos, from the striking, colorful waterfront to food and families strewn across the country.

Your grandparent’s slideshow, this is not.

It’s almost enough to encourage a wayward blogger to drop his belongings, jump on a 767 and fly directly to Stockholm, just in time for the Midsommar festival and for the long, sunny nights of summertime in northern Europe. Or perhaps that’s some not-so-creative foreshadowing.

Photo of the Day (1.12.10)

by Stephen Greenwood on

Today’s Photo of the Day comes from photographer bennyjewell, who took this photo in a forest just north of Stockholm, Sweden. The photo is titled “Imagine living here” – and that’s exactly what I like about this photo – it begs the imagination to create a story about this lone hut tucked away in the Swedish woods.

Do you have a story to share with your travel photos? Drop them in the Gadling Flickr Pool and we might select it as our Photo of the Day!

Copenhagen at Christmas–or at any time of the year is splendid

by Jamie Rhein on

In Denmark in December, darkness settles in around 3:30 p.m. Spend a few days where there is such an early sunset and late sunrise, and you’ll know exactly why a festival of lights is a grand idea. Danes embrace the Christmas season with candles, evergreens and warm mulled wine.

The result of the cheer is a feeling that the world is drenched in pools of warm, soft glows. The candles and evergreens promise that the darkness will eventually lighten is enough to carry one towards spring.

The mulled wine called glugg, help seal the deal. The best glugg is served with the almonds, raisins and spices still in it.

Toss in a city of stunning architecture that artfully blends the old with the new, cobblestone walking streets, and centuries old canals and there you have it: winter magic. Copenhagen in December is a visual treat.

Last December, I traveled back to Denmark where I had spent a semester in college living with a family about twenty miles outside of Copenhagen. The trip brought back memories of my first Christmas away from home and reestablished the thought that I must have been Danish at one time. Denmark and me? A hand to a glove.

Here are my must see suggestions if you head to Copenhagen at any time of the year. On this visit, I was with my 16 year-old daughter so I picked out the places that I thought she would enjoy, plus those that would offer her a wide overview of Copenhagen’s cultural history and delight. We were also interested in spending as little money as possible.

We traveled twice by train into Copenhagen from our friend’s house where we stayed.

Day 1: In the early afternoon, we started out at Nationalmuseet, the Danish Resistance Museum. Denmark’s resistance movement against the Nazis during World War II is impressive. The museum tells the story of how the movement started, the important players and what occurred in Denmark between 1940-1945.

Since the time I visited when I was in college, the museum has a new building and the exhibits have been updated. Most of the information is also provided in English. Take time out to watch the videos of interviews that are scattered throughout the museum. They have also been translated. This museum is marvelous and it’s FREE. I repeat. FREE!

From here we walked to Amalienborg Palace to see where Queen Margrethe II lives with her family. Depending upon when you arrive, you can see the changing of the guard. We missed this, but we enjoyed watching the guards anyway.

As you go to the palace you’ll also see the gorgeous Fredriks Church, also called The Marble Church. We didn’t go inside the church or tour the Amalienborg Museum in the palace complex as we were in a hurry to get to Nyhavn and the canal boat ride. Besides, the day before, we had toured Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød, a town in the northern part of Sealand, the island where Copenhagen is located. Of all Denmark’s castle’s, it’s my favorite.

At Nyhavn, the oldest part of Copenhagen’s original harbor, we took in the Christmas market where I found glugg and we ate pølser, the Danish version of a hot dog. Pølser is better. Each cost about $3. Nyhavn is also where you can catch a harbor canal tour. There is more than one company but DFDS Canal Tours is the only company to offer winter excursions. The boat tour takes visitors along the canals that were dug out by prisoners in the 17th century. This is one of the best ways to find out about Copenhagen’s history while seeing important landmarks–both modern and historic.

The statue of the Little Mermaid is one of the tour’s points of interest. If you go on the 50 minute tour in winter, bundle up. The $12 per person fee we paid seemed like a bargain.

After our tour that started before dusk and ended in the dark, we browsed the Christmas market once more and watched the ice skaters at the area’s outdoor rink before walking back to the train station.The market is an excellent place to buy Danish-style Christmas ornaments and fur hats. We bought a nativity set and a rabbit fur for my son. He used to be Daniel Boone in a past life. The $10 fur was the best present ever.

Day 2: (Between the two days, we took a ferry from Helsingør, Denmark to Helsingborg, Sweden to go to the Christmas festival at Fredriksdal Open-air Museum. Helsingør is where Kronberg Castle of Hamlet fame is located. Shakespeare set the play here. Remember? “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”

We started out at Rosenberg Castle to see the Crowned Jewels. The castle was closed on that day. Oops. Next stop, shopping along Strøget, the pedestrian shopping street. Here I discovered I had been pick pocketed. Credit card? Gone. Money? Gone. Someone snagged my wallet right out of my day pack. Next came the detour to the police station to file a report and call VISA.

Without any money or a credit card, there wasn’t any reason to go to Royal Copenhagen, as we had planned. Sure, it would have been a gorgeous store to visit since it was decked out in its holiday finest, but how depressing would that have been? Why go to a place to shop when you can’t shop?

Instead, we headed to Tivoli Gardens. Tivoli, an amusement park that opened in 1843, served as inspiration for Walt Disney when he was designing Disneyland. During the Christmas season, Tivoli is a twinkling fairyland. Glugg and apple fritters are plentiful and the amusement park rides are in full operation. Every building and tree seems to be awash in holiday lights. We were content to walk around the park enjoying the ambiance and displays.

We left Tivoli for home around 9 p.m feeling satisfied, despite a day of being robbed. On a return trip, we’ll see the Crown Jewels and Royal Copenhagen. They’ll still be around.

Gadlinks for Wednesday 12.9.2009

by Brenda Yun on

While some of you were catching some sick rides on the slopes, these pro surfers were riding mountain-sized waves on the North Shore of Oahu at the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational yesterday. Either way, I hope you all had a great start to the week. We’re in the thick of it now, and here are some cool travel stories to get you through the next few days.

‘Til tomorrow, have a great evening!

More Gadlinks here.