Sweden fall winter 2003 sights & highlights...

[William]

Traveling to Sweden this Fall or Winter for your new Volvo?  If so you may be interested in the newsletter below.

William

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Sights and Highlights
Sweden - Fall/Winter 2003



Contents:
Stockholm Area
Western and Southern Sweden
Northern Sweden
Christmas Markets & Lucia Celebrations


This newsletter from the Swedish Travel & Tourism Council includes a variety of activities and events taking place across Sweden over the coming months. If you would like to discuss any of the events in more detail, or would like more information, please contact Linda Ericson at the Swedish Travel & Tourism Council on e-mail: Linda.Ericson@swetourism.com


Issued: September 2003

Welcome!
After a long summer filled with lots of sunshine—and days that glided effortlessly into evening thanks to the never-setting sun—the autumn season is approaching in Sweden. Multi-colored trees, pristine lakes and harbors, and crisp, clean air are ready to welcome visitors to Sweden’s beautiful countryside and forests, while the urban areas continue to boast historical and cultural treasures, as well as all kinds of gourmet food.




STOCKHOLM and SURROUNDINGS
Excursions in the Archipelago
With 24,000 islands to choose from, Stockholm’s unique archipelago is truly a natural treasure. Close to the city, the bays and channels are wider and the islands themselves are fairly large and wooded. On these islands, there are many good restaurants that feature fresh local seafood dishes. The closest island to the city is Fjäderholmarna, which is approximately 30 minutes by boat from the city center, the perfect distance for a day trip or a special dinner.

The best way to enjoy the islands’ many sights, harbors and beaches - and to learn about Stockholm’s unique location between Lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea - is by boat. Cruising choices abound, including December Christmas tables (julbord) on the Gustafsberg VII, one of the archipelago’s classic ships, built in 1912; or a scenic dinner cruise to beautiful Drottningholm Palace. www.stromma.se.

Shopping and dining in Stockholm
With a wide array of shopping choices—from large, modern department stores, to boutiques filled with specialized wares from both foreign and local designers—Stockholm offers something for everyone. When exploring the city’s many shops, visitors should not miss out on the designers’ studios. Many Swedish designers have made it big both nationally and internationally, and Stockholm is the best place to look for them, and their unique products.

In the last several years, Stockholm has become one of the most intriguing food cities in the world. Drawing on influences from all over the globe—including France, Italy, Spain, Asia and the United States—Swedish chefs are creating inspired dishes that are deeply rooted in the Scandinavian tradition. Of course, the ingredients available in Sweden are top-notch: The cold, clean water in the lakes and the seas produce first-quality fish and shellfish; vegetables and fruits thrive in the country’s cool climate; and traditional Swedish herbs, such as dill, are always popular. Not to be missed: Two of the city’s most popular restaurants - Operakällaren and Grands Franska serve sumptuous meals in magnificently designed dining rooms.
See more at www.stockholmtown.com.

The Stockholm International Antique Fair takes place on February 13-15. The Stockholm Furniture Fair—featuring furniture, textiles and interior design for private homes, offices and the contract market—is open to the public on February 8. The trade show Formex takes place on January 15-18. Here, you can find designer gifts and accessories, general gifts, tableware, crafts and toys. For more information please contact Stockholm International Fairs. www.stofair.se   staff@stofair.se

A place to play
The Casino Cosmopol in Stockholm, which opened last March, offers gaming in conjunction with food and other activities. www.casinocosmopol.se.

On the museum trail
Stockholm boasts more than 70 museums, each with its own unique exhibitions. Among the highlights are the Vasa Museum, where visitors can explore remnants of a sunken 17th century warship; the Nordic Museum, which contains more than 1 million exhibits of how people have lived in various parts of Sweden throughout the centuries; the Museum of Medieval Stockholm, where the exhibits are based on ancient monuments excavated on the museum’s site; and the Ice Gallery, which is constructed entirely of ice. Among the city’s don’t-miss permanent exhibitions are “Life of the Swedish Vikings” at the Museum of National Antiquities; “Swedish Interior Decoration 1870-2000” at the National Museum of Cultural History; and the “Nobel Prize Centennial Exhibition” at the stock exchange in Old Town. www.stockholmtown.com

Tennis, everyone?
The Stockholm Open—an international tennis tournament with the leading players of the world, including this year’s Australian Open-winner Andre Agassi—will run October 18-26. Phone: +020, 6-2, 6-4, 6-0; www.stockholmopen.se

Innovative movies
During the month of November, Stockholm presents celluloid action at the city’s International Film Festival 2003, the leading competitive film festival in northern Europe. The gathering, which consistently breaks new ground with its focus on new and innovative filmmakers, was one of the first festivals in the world to highlight Internet-exclusive films. Recent distinguished guests have included Dennis Hopper, Quentin Tarantino, Frances McDormand, Lars von Trier and Lauren Bacall. Phone: +46 8 677 5000; www.filmfestivalen.se.

Nobel Prize day
On December 10, the Nobel Prize Awards are presented by H.M. the King at a formal ceremony in the Stockholm Concert Hall. (By invitation only.) The traditional Nobel Banquet for all honorees and guests follows that evening in the Golden and Blue Rooms of City Hall. www.nobel.se

New Year’s Eve
Every New Year’s Eve since 1895, Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Ring Out Wild Bells” has been recited at Skansen by a well-known Swede on the stroke of midnight. New Year’s Eve is a highly social time throughout Sweden, and the Skansen New Year celebrations attract visitors by the thousands and are carried live on television. The program starts at about 23.30 with evocative music and ends with an impressive fireworks display. www.skansen.se

Sormland’s castles and manor houses
There are more than 400 castles and manor houses—plus lots of ancient rock carvings and rune stones—in the province south of Stockholm known as Sormland. While some of these stately homes are privately owned, many are open to the public and include museums; all of them are surrounded by beautiful lakes and waterways that lead to the spectacular archipelago. A stay in this area—which also is filled with wildlife and many opportunities for outdoor adventure or leisure—is the perfect complement to a stay in bustling, cosmopolitan Stockholm. Traditional Swedish Christmas meal (julbord) can be enjoyed at some of the many castles. For more information contact www.sormland.com ; www.malarslott.nu  

Speed skating
In mid-February (the exact date will depend on the weather), the exciting Vikingarännet will be presented. It’s an approximately 80-kilometer ice-skating race on Lake Mälaren, between the cities of Uppsala and Stockholm. www.vikingarannet.com, Phone: +08-549 012 50

WEST AND SOUTH SWEDEN
A ‘Taste of West Sweden’
“Västsvenskmersmak”—or, “A Taste of West Sweden”—is an ongoing program that encompasses 30 of West Sweden’s best restaurants, as well as several charming hotels and inns. Castles and picturesque fishing villages are included in the highlights. Get into the Christmas spirit the Swedish way this year with a weekend break at romantic Thorskogs Slott (Castle), set in the countryside just outside Gothenburg. The castle is decorated throughout in traditional Swedish style, and the ground lit up with sparkling lights. www.vastsverige.com, www.vastsvenskmersmak.nu  

Like a lobster
The highlight of the culinary calendar is Sweden’s lobster season; from September 22, when the fishing boats set forth and the Swedes flock to fish markets and restaurants. West Sweden produces some of the finest lobsters in the world. The Lobster Academy  and the Stora Hotellet in Fjällbacka arrange “Lobster Weekends”, where guests are taken out on a boat trip to search for the black gold of the sea, and later during the day enjoy a superb lobster gourmet dinner served at the hotel. For more information, please contact West Sweden Tourist Board, Phone: +46 31 81 83 00; info@vastsvenskaturistradet.se, www.vastsverige.com

Film Festival
Gothenburg’s 27th annual film festival, the largest festival of its kind in Northern Europe, will take place January 23 through February 2. www.filmfestival.org

Codfestival
The 25th Codfestival in Öresund, Helsingborg—the greatest three-day sea-angling competition in the world, with competitors from 18 nations—takes place January 16-18. Phone: + 46 430 320 65, www.havsfiske.wasa.net  (webpage only in Swedish)


NORTHERN SWEDEN
Late January – Early February  (date to be advised)
As part of the Kiruna Snow Festival, which is the largest snow festival in Europe, snow is sculpted into fine art under the sparkling cascade of the Northern Lights. Also featured are dog-sledding and reindeer racing in the center of Kiruna. Phone: +46-980-188 80. Fax: +46-980-182 86.
www.kiruna.com/snowfestival  info@kirunasnowfestival.com

February 5-7
Jokkmokk’s Great Sami (Lapp) Winter Fair, which has been in existence since 1605, features traditional market activities, art exhibits, Sami handicrafts, concerts, dancing, a reindeer festival and much more.
Phone: +46-971-222 50. Fax: +46-971-172 89.

HOTEL NEWS
Pillow menus, round the clock breakfast, 924 film stars in the cinema, bath tubs with a view, popcorn-free cinema, a Nancy Drew library, a personal shoeshine service, fine wines by the glass, the world’s smallest dance-floor…there is a world of details waiting to be discovered behind the doors of Stockholm’s recently opened hotel – Rival. Located on Mariatorget, one of Stockholm’s loveliest squares, the new Hotel Rival features 99 guest rooms, a movie theater that seats 700 people, five conference rooms, a restaurant and several bars. Each room is equipped with Internet access, a 32-inch plasma television and a DVD/CD player. The boutique hotel is partially owned by former ABBA member Benny Andersson.  www.rival.se

Located on Södermalm, the southern island of Stockholm, the 532-room Clarion Hotel Stockholm aims to combine the relaxed atmosphere of an international back-packer hostel with the excellent service and environment of a contemporary first-class hotel. The hotel, which features close to 60 works of art from 18 Nordic artists, is located in a trendy and exciting neighborhood that’s just 10 minutes by subway, taxi or bus from the city center. www.clarionstockholm.com

After a major renovation last spring, the five guest rooms on the top floor of Stockholm’s Berns Hotel are open to guests. Each of the rooms—which face the Berzelii Park, Nybroviken and Strandvagen—feature the very best in surroundings, including earth-tone colors, white oak, venge wood and attractive paintings by artist Peter Hammar. www.berns.se.

Nordic Light Hotel presents Mood Lighting in Ultimate Bed Comfort. During September 2003, 19 rooms was fitted with the new beds. The light bed is a natural development of the already clearly positioned lighting concept at Nordic Light Hotel. The bed is floating on lights and is completely surrounded by lights. Several fluorescent lamps and more than 250 diodes give the hotel guests unlimited opportunities to create a lighting environment that best suit the mood at the time being. www.nordichotels.se

A hotel created from thousands of tons of snow and ice?? Such a place does exist: The Icehotel in the little village of Jukkasjärvi in northern Lapland will open in mid December. A popular feature of the hotel is the Absolut Icebar, where visitors from all over the world can socialize late into the evening. The new igloo village last year was a success and will be built again this year, just a bit smaller in size than last year’s creation (which earned a place in the Guiness Book of World Records). On January 17, the hotel’s Ice Globe Theatre premieres with the opera “Falstaff” and Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.” www.icehotel.com

CHRISTMAS MARKETS & LUCIA CELEBRATIONS
The magic of Christmas comes alive through many traditional events and activities in all parts of the country. Several venues host Christmas markets brimming with local color and offering a wide range of crafts, gifts and food. Plus, many of Sweden’s restaurants go all-out in preparing special Christmas smorgasbords. The holiday celebration truly gets underway on December 13 with St. Lucia’s Day, a festival of lights that is the unofficial beginning of the Christmas season in Sweden.

Stockholm Area
The largest Christmas market in all of Sweden is at the Skansen Open Air Museum on the weekends of Nov 29-30, Dec 6-7, 13-14 and 20-21. Skansen was founded in 1891 to show how people lived and worked in different parts of Sweden in long-ago times; over the years, some 150 historic buildings have been moved to Skansen from nearly every part of Sweden. These buildings provide a charming backdrop for the Christmas market stalls, which sell everything from candlesticks to traditional Swedish delicacies like smoked reindeer and traditional unleavened bread from Norrland. Skansen also includes a glass-blowing workshop, a zoo and an aquarium. www.skansen.se

Stalls filled with crafts, Christmas decorations and food are surrounded by charming buildings dating from the last century at the Gamla Stan (Old Town) Christmas market in Stortorget. November 29-December 22 (open daily).

The area surrounding Stockholm is home to several beautiful castles, all of which host their own Christmas markets. Two of the most captivating are at: Steninge Palace (Phone: +46-8-59259500; www.steningeslott.se) and Drottningholm Palace (Phone: +46-8-4026280; www.royalcourt.se). The market at Steninge Palace—a lovely Baroque building that was built in 1705—runs Nov 22 through Dec 23 (open daily). Drottningholm Palace, the residence of Sweden’s royal family that features an 18th century theater for opera performances, operates its market December 13-14.

The Rosendal Palace Gardens, set in the old royal hunting park of Djurgården, are just a stone's throw from the city center. The gardens’ Christmas market—which runs November 29 through December 21 and is closed Mondays—features home-grown organic produce. Phone: +46-8-54581270; www.rosendalstradgard.com

Travelers can go back in time with a visit to Sigtuna, Sweden’s earliest, still-existing town that dates back to the year 980. This little town features a fascinating history and great beauty, making it a perfect setting for a holiday visit. Sigtuna’s Christmas market takes place on Nov 30, Dec 7, 14 and 21. www.sigtuna.se/turism

Further out in the archipelago, set in the magnificent countryside, is the Utö Christmas market, which is held Dec 6, 13, 21-21. Here, visitors can take advantage of local specialties like smoked fish and glogg - Sweden’s popular Christmas drink of mulled red wine that’s served steaming hot. www.utojulmarknad.com

Vaxholm, the small archipelago town just outside Stockholm, hosts a charming Christmas market for three weekends: November 29-30, www.visitvaxholm.com

The best way to enjoy a Swedish Christmas smörgåsbord in the Stockholm archipelago is by boarding one of the charming archipelago boats that were built in the early 20th century but have been renovated to include modern comforts, including extraordinary culinary facilities. The boats depart from Nybrokajen every day beginning at the end of November. www.strommakanalbolaget.com

At Djurgården Island, visitors can ride from smörgåsbord to smorgasbord. or along any scenic route of their choosing in a horse-drawn carriage. When the snow falls, sleds replace the carriages so that visitors can enjoy Djurgården’s beautiful winter landscapes. All tours depart from the Isbladskärret, www.hastakeriet.se

St. Lucia’s Day
This festival, customarily celebrated in Sweden on December 13, originated as a family celebration in which the oldest daughter in each household assumed the role of St. Lucia. Dressed in a white gown and wearing a crown of candles around her head, she served a traditional breakfast to her parents as a way to honor them. Many elements of this tradition continue today, and the widely celebrated festival marks the beginning of “the 12 days of Christmas.”

In Skansen, the St. Lucia festival is celebrated twice, first on November 30, when Sweden’s “official” Lucia is crowned, and again on December 13, when a procession of Lucia and her maids travel from Stockholm to Skansen. There’s also a traditional concert at the Globe Arena, featuring a children’s choir, Dec 13-14. The combination of the candles in their hair and their beautiful voices make this a delight for both eyes and ears. The celebrations end with a fireworks display. www.globen.se.

Gothenburg
The Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg will hold its third annual Christmas market beginning on November 15. Millions of lights will illuminate the park, which will be filled with festive Christmas trees, live music, delicious food and a traditional Swedish Christmas fair with about 40 market stalls. Visitors can skate, free of charge, at the ice rink. Also at the amusement park, the coronation of the Gothenburg Lucia will take place on St. Lucia's Day, December 13. www.liseberg.se/julpaliseberg/

South Sweden
Christmas at the castle is a celebration at the Malmo Museer that includes songs, music, medieval jesters and craftsmen at work. In the prisoners’ tower, there are Christmas tales for children and ghoulish stories for adults. Featured in the castle’s courtyard are the Malmöhus guard, market stalls, homemade cookies and candy. December 7. www.malmo.se

An old-fashioned Christmas fair with handicrafts, food and more will be held at Bosjöklosters Castle in Höör on November 29. www.tellus.no/skaane


For further information, contact:
Swedish Travel & Tourism Council
Linda Ericson
email  Linda.Ericson@swetourism.com
web  www.visit-sweden.com
Scandinavian Tourism Inc
Ph: (212) 885 9700, Fax: (212) 886 9710