Scandinavia | We go where the crowds don't.

A DATE WITH A HUSKY

david jules — Fri, 10 Nov 2017 20:40:19 +0000

Our expedition leader Johan Väisänen has the looks of a Viking with the vigour of Ben Hur. The latter also refers to the sled on which he skilfully balances while zipping through a cold and silent, white landscape. Johan is a modern charioteer, with the only difference that the carriage is a wooden sleigh pulled forward by six hyperkinetic husky dogs. The territory of these dogs and their eight, extreme warmly dressed sledge drivers, is a quiet area around Kangos, a Swedish village 150 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. Johan runs with his family Pinetree Lodge, an intimate hotel with its own husky kennel. They live far away from busy and touristy Lapland where most travellers go. Kangos village is a couple of streets with a handful of typical wooden houses where according to the tradition; small lights are hung inside in front of the windows. It’s a gesture of warmth in a wintery landscape where temperatures often plunge below -35 degrees Celsius. This secluded area consists of nothing but dense forest, clear rivers and more than 150 lakes. During the winter months, everything morphs into an abstract, white entity. A wilderness of snow sculptures that were once trees, icy plains that change during the summer in lakes and quaint fishing huts that now serve as refuges to escape the -25 degrees nights. Pinetree Lodge is cosy inside. Far too cosy. Outside everything creaks under the extreme freezing temperatures and staying inside, close to the fire, seems the only human activity that is acceptable here. Within two days our group will leave on a three-day husky expedition. Everyone is hoping for a clear sky and maybe some northern lights. Don’t think you can go out in casual winter ski pants or a dress. We get special suits and giant boots as if we are going to walk on the moon. Thermal underwear is a man’s best friend here, believe me. Once you step outside to enjoy the majestic landscape and surroundings, you have to be prepared. Especially when leaving on a husky expedition.Fans of blue-eyed huskies should come here. Johan has his own kennel with more than 100 dogs. They are well groomed, are in top condition and have three full time carers who are working with them. Alaskan Huskies are not really lazy, on the contrary. Jumping, barking, crying, fighting, pulling … The next three days we will experience that standing on a wooden sled, pulled ahead by a few huskies on speed, isn’t a piece of cake. You soon feel that balance and flexibility are important and yes being fit, because when it goes uphill, you need to help the dogs. If you don’t, they will look at you as if you are a big lazy bastard. To hang casually on your sled, is not an option. We whiz past trees, under low-hanging branches covered in snow, through endless, shimmering plains where you will have to stay on the track or you disappear into the deep soft snow. Johan demonstrates his Viking skills and pops out his Sami knife to build a smouldering campfire for lunch. Reindeer skins serve as a bench in the snow, a pot of hearty soup hangs on a branch above the open fire. Shortly after sunset and on arrival at the wilderness cabin the only thing you want to do is get inside and warm up. But first the dogs have to be fed and put into bed, well, nest of hay, protecting them against deadly, cold nights. And the nights are long and dark in Lapland. Unless the Northern Lights decide to pop-up, then you will have to get out of the warm wooden cabin and stand in the freezing cold to see the spectacle. In case of frostbite, there is always the sauna to heat up again. Or the bottle of Aqua Vit or Jenever that one of our fellow guests took along on the trip. Life can be simple in the high north.

THE VERDICT Lapland is still amazing. It is so easy to travel from any city in Europe up here but yet you feel in another world. Last time we were in Finnish Lapland around Ivalo and it was much more busy and touristy then during this second trip in Swedish Lapland. During this weeklong stay, we were practically alone in this vast and quiet area. It’s exactly this feeling of solitude you really need when traveling up North.

HOW TO GO We travelled with Xplore the North to Swedish Lapland. They offer intense and extreme expeditions to Spitsbergen and to shortbreaks in Lapland for the whole family. A midweek starts from 595 euro, without flight. We flew to Kiruna in Sweden with SAS from Brussels, making a stop-over in Stockholm. SAS is a member of Star Alliance and connects easily with other airlines flying in from the States or Asia.

WWW.XPLORETHENORTH.COM
WWW.FLYSAS.COM

WHAT TO PACK 1.Start with warm merino woollen underwear: the New Zealand brand Icebreaker is the best when it comes to the warmest and most comfortable underwear and socks that are essential for these freezing temperatures. An Icebreaker baklava, a cap that covers the entire face except the eyes, will prevent freezing cheeks and tip of the nose. 2. Perfect for these climates is the Patagonia Down Sweater, made from Primaloft, a synthetic microfiber that replaces regular down feathers. This super insulating material was made during the 1980 for the U.S. Army and is designed to be as light as a feather. 3. An absolute necessity is a vest and pants of the brand Canada Goose. This is the favourite brand of people living in these cold parts of the world. 4. Cold feet are a disaster in Arctic regions. Invest in good boots that can handle the lowest temperatures. Our favourite type is Baffin Footwear, an outdoor brand from the far north of Canada. Especially the model Impact can resist temperatures down to -100 degrees Celsius for both ladies and gentlemen.5. Buy also some hand warmers that start glowing when needed plus a headlamp with LED lighting from the brand Petzl. Petzl crampons are also useful when
walking on the ice.

WWW.ICEBREAKER.COM
WWW.PATAGONIA.COM
WWW.CANADA-GOOSE.COM
WWW.BAFFIN.COM
WWW.PETZL.COM

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DINING WITH DAVID AT HOME

david jules — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 17:27:35 +0000

Escape Stockholm and get away from the city to taste the real Nordic food at David at Home. The Swedish chef David Enmark was tired of working in big kitchens and decided it was time to go back home. His house is located on Tranholmen, a quiet island with no cars where only 300 people live permanently. Although it is only 30 minutes from the city centre of Stockholm, it feels very remote. David trained as a chef in Stockholm and worked in restaurants like Ulrikstal Wärdshus and in the Grand Hotel in Franska Matsalen. In 2010 he started with David at Home and in the summer of 2011 the home food concept really took off when he got his official alcohol license, the first one in Sweden to be handed out to a chef cooking in a house, rather than in a real restaurant.
Two nights a week, David opens his house for patrons. Maximum 16 people can be seated in his dining room, adjacent to his open kitchen. People arrive, are immediately served an aperitif and can watch and even participate in David’s kitchen. A laid back atmosphere is combined with high style food.
David often has business people, asking him to create a menu around a specific old and expensive wine. He also cooks together with guest chefs like Norbert Lang or in the future even with Jamie Oliver. Together they work around themes like Swedish truffle or asparagus, creating unique menus and flavours.

HOW ? In summer take a private boat from Stockholm to the island Tranholmen. With a taxi it’s a 30 min drive and a 10 min walk on the island. Or take the subway to Ropsten and then the ferry from Ropsten to Tranholmen.
Bookings by phone or via e-mail.

WWW.DAVIDATHOME.SE

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PRESERVING THE ROOTS AT FAVIKEN

david jules — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:28:57 +0000

The most promising chef in Europe might have Viking blood and long hair but he is nothing but a sheep in wolf’s clothing. To demonstrate, the 28-year old Magnus Nilsson of restaurant Faviken puts on his furry wolf’s coat before he heads out in the freezing cold of North-Sweden. Temperatures of -30C won’t stop this young chef or his kitchen team to go out foraging. Underneath meters of thick snow they look for fresh juniper branches, still green and aromatic and burried under the icy landscape of Jamtland. We’re talking mid-winter when the sun barely is seen above the horizon and subzero temperatures that make you quickly head for a warm place, preferably next to a roaring fire. The location of Faviken is a quiet and extremely winter wonderland about 800 kilometers north of Stockholm and a half hour drive from the famous Swedish ski resort Åre. Faviken is not only a restaurant but also a private domain of no less than 8000 hectares established in 1885. Not owned by Nilsson but by a rich hedge fund milionair from Stockholm. The milionair might own the location and grounds, it’s Magnus Nilsson who has the vision and the drive to turn Faviken in one of the most interesting destination restaurants in the world.

First a snow storm, then a dinner from heaven.

Magnus burns the fresh Junipher branches to cook the voluptuous and over-sized scallops from the nearby Norwegian island Hitra. They are cooked in their shell, in their own juice. Very pure served on a bed of juniper branches, decorated with a few glowing pieces of charcoal from a berch tree. “Eat the scallops with your hands and drink the cloudy liquid from the shell.” Suggests Nilsson when he presents the dish during evening dinner. In an old barn, on the hayloft, there are 5 wooden tables with 12 guests, waiting for Nilsson’s 14 creations. Some of the guests came from afar to be here this evening. They braved perhaps half a snowstorm, icy roads, crossing reindeer and pitch black winding roads through dark pine forests just to be shown that even in the middle of winter, one can eat nearly 100% local. Local and interesting, that is. The interesting thing is that there is nothing foreign about what Nilsson is doing here. “The techniques to preserve we use: aging, fermenting, salting, smoking, drying, pickle … these are methods that are used in Sweden for centuries.“ Magnus has been running the kitchen of Faviken since 4 years after working for years in Stockholm and Paris in kitchens of Michelin-starred restaurants such as L’Astrance and L’Arpège.

Secrets in the Hobbit hole

Magnus has no stars because Michelin doesn’t hand out stars outside of Stockholm but this doesn’t bother him. For Magnus it’s all about the product and the foraging. Alhough looking and growing your own food sounds maybe more romantic than it really is. In summer, the menus in the winter are already discussed. In the vegetable garden next to the restaurant every year 3000 of veggies are grown. “Take for example the red beets on the menu tonight. It is a special local variant which remains very small and grows a hundred days. A deep red color, bursting with flavor and very important, they are perfect to keep them so that we in the winter use.” Nilsson serves them blackened, thanks to the huge grill in the middle of his kitchen . Even the meat that Magnus serve is not just any meat. We grow more than 200 chickens per year, here on the farm. “explains Magnus. Fascinated by the beef we tried yesterday, we ask for the secret of the intense flavor. Nilsson’s eyes start to twinkle. “The most important thing in our kitchen is to follow the production. Ditto for meat. Only 1 out of the 100 SLC (Swedish Lowland Cattle) are good for our restaurant. The farmer calls us when he thinks there’s an animal that is suitable for the restaurant. Then we go and look and if we are agree, we start with the fattening of cows with only hay and grass. The animal is then slaughtered by a butcher and then we ripen the meat for 1 month. The good pieces of meat are then treated with kidney fat and then there is another aging period, depending on the size of the animal, sometimes up to 9 months. The intense flavor are of the amino acids in the meat. Pure nature. “Laughs Nilsson. Is that the secret of his kitchen? “Yes, real food. Real and pure food. Nothing more. ” Most products are hidden deep in Magnus’s root cellar. A Hobbit hole, almost completely snowed in, with a kind of lock system so that the extremely cold air from outside can not reach the stores. Inside there are shelves full of jars imposed delicacies and tuber veggies with huge sprouts. Even a moldy cabbage is waiting until it is a point to serve. Nilsson loves to experiment and has a thing for alchemy. Not in an El Bulli kind of way, but in a naturalist kind of way, without complicated machines or techniques. He used to want to be a marine biologist as a child. Maybe it’s a good thing his guests doesn’t get to see this hole from professor Nilsson. In the end it’s what comes on the plate that counts, even in the icy Wilderniss of North-Sweden, froozen in time.

How to get there

Dinner at Faviken costs about 140 euros per person and ditto for a wine selection. Staying with two costs about 225 euros, breakfast for two included. The restaurant is only open evenings from Wednesday to Saturday.

In order to travel to Faviken, you fly in less than an hour from Stockholm to Ostersund from 120 euros, taxes included.
WWW.FLYSAS.COM

From Ostersund airport is approximately one hour to Faviken, about half an hour’s drive from the ski resort Åre. We recommend to rent a car so you can discover the stunning region of Jamtland. Sunny Cars has a solid range of rental cars during the winter months with all the extras included in the rent. From 299 euros, all inclusive rent.
WWW.SUNNYCARS.COM

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THE FIRST DESIGN HOTEL IN THE WORLD

david jules — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:48:59 +0000

Although the apartment hotel STAY is still our number one in Copenhagen – think afordable huge, lofty rooms with lots of space and smart, Danish design – we have to mention the first design hotel in the world. To be specific, it’s room 606 of the Radisson Blu Royal in Copenhagen that drew our attention.
Forget Schrager and Starck as the pioneers of design hotels. It was good old Arne Jacobsen who created in 1960 the first design hotel avant la lettre. The hotel was integrated in the SAS House, built for the Scandinavian Airlines System. Only the full name of SAS makes you think back to those glamorous days of being stylishly up in the air. This SAS House was not only the first high rise building of the city but next to the luxury hotel it also had an airline terminal where SAS guests could already check-in before hopping on the train to the airport. Remains of this terminal are still to be seen while standing on the treadmill or doing some yoga. In the gym, the ceiling is still the old, concrete one from in the sixties.
But time does not stand still; neither do the wrong kind of interior designers. 50 years on and the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel has unfortunately been completely redecorated. Only room 606 has been carefully preserved and remains identical to Jacobsen’s original commission. The room can be seen as a microcosm, a compressed version of the whole building itself – and a way to understand the underlying themes of Jacobsen’s style and vision. Also the lobby is still very smart with the marble staircase and the elegant Swan Chairs. For beautiful vista’s over the city, head for the Albert K restaurant, on top of the building. Good food, Jacobsen crockery and of course Copenhagen in 360 degrees views.

Room 606 at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel does come with a price tag: DKK 4900 (650 euro) per night, based upon two sharing, and includes breakfast.

WWW.RADISSONBLU.COM/ROYALHOTEL-COPENHAGEN

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FOLLOW THE COMPASS NORTH

david jules — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 16:58:50 +0000

Barely eighty years ago Spitsbergen was the Arctic end of Europe where only the polar bear reigned supreme. A century later, he shares his icy empire with a town of seasoned Norwegians and the rare tourist who ventures this far north. The Svalbard archipelago, of which the largest island is Spitsbergen, lies midway between Norway and the North Pole. Any traveller looking for Arctic sensations will easily find them here (just one comfortable SAS flight away from Oslo or Tromsø). Everyone reaches 74° north, but you have to be a bit more intrepid to reach 81° latitude. A few centuries ago, the only visitors to Svalbard were whalers and hardy fishermen. Today it’s seen as one of the most strategic places on earth. This is Europe, part of Norway, but on one side Svalbard faces Russia, and the North Pole is lurking just around the corner. NASA has installed one of its most important radars on Svalbard to closely track its satellites as they shear past several times a day on their orbit of the planet. Oil may soon be discovered here, and when that happens, Svalbard will be quickly swallowed into The New North Alliance of far-flung, northerly countries that are steadily gaining in importance. Fortunately, this isn’t happening yet and for the visitor, Spitsbergen is still a white, deserted and tranquil paradise.
Ideal for snowmobiling, husky treks to remote radio stations, skiing, tracking polar bears and of course enjoying the Northern Lights. The best months to travel to Spitsbergen are the winter months when the island is wrapped in a constant light of Arctic blue. From January until the beginning of March the sun gives way for the enigmatic blue light of the Polar Winter. For those who’ve always wondered what the hell there is to do on an island hidden deep inside Europe’s freezer compartment, pack those warm clothes, and follow the compass north.

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STAY WITH ME IN COPENHAGEN

david jules — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 18:29:21 +0000

Why stay in a small hotel room when you can have a spacious, serviced apartment or loft for the same price? Stay is a brand new hotel concept located on the Island Brygge, a fast developing residential area, just a five minutes drive from the centre of Copenhagen. And one a stone’s throw from the buzzy meat packing district. Stay offers a total of 193 apartments with 15 different layouts, ranging from a one bedroom 90 m2 to an Atelier XL of almost 150 m2. The design is Scandinavian minimalism with furniture from quality Danish brands. Although all the rooms have a kitchen, guests are served free breakfast downstairs or can meet in the evening in the lounge upstairs while having a glass of wine with amazing views over Copenhagen. Stay is located in the old A House building that was once a hub for Copenhagen’s creative elite. While Walls, the Danish real estate developer behind the project, was waiting for a building permit, they lent out the building during two years to local artists, designers, musicians and other creative souls who turned the A House quickly into an alternative landmark of Copenhagen. You can still find traces of this creative past in some of the apartments in the form of writing on the concrete walls or small splashes of colour in the black & white interiors.
Room prices start at approximately 120 euro for an apartment, breakfast for two included. www.staycopenhagen.dk

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FJORD SKIING IN NORWAY

david jules — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 09:56:42 +0000

So you are bored of skiing in the Alps? Tired of pistes that are black of thousands kamikaze skiers populating them? You long for virgin snow and wild sceneries? Look no further than 70° North, where you can ski from summit to sea. All it takes is to book a room in the extremely cosy Lyngen Lodge owned by the Englishman Graham Austick and his Norwegian partner. Graham invites his guests to climb 1500-meter high mountains so they can ski down in extremely fluffy and pure snow. No ski lifts here but a speedboat that takes the guests to the shore of the fjord where whales and seals act as cheer leaders for the avid touring skier. Once you reach the summit you can gaze in the distance and imagine that the next piece of land you see is the North Pole. In the evening this intense activity is rewarded with diners when freshly caught Nordic fish and king crab are on the menu. As a desert, enjoy some epic Northern Light reflecting in the fjord below. If all this is not enough, jump into the hot tub and ask for some Aqua Vit. You will never want to go back to that famous mountain range in the middle of Europe… What mountain range? Already forgot all about it!

WWW.LYNGENLODGE.COM

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RECESSION PROOF TRAVEL IN LAPLAND

david jules — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 11:24:43 +0000

“I am a sheep in wolf’s clothes”, says Vesa Junttila, artist, car lover and quaint habitue who hangs around in Panimo Barin Saariselkä, a small, snow-covered village in Finish Lapland. Besides skiing or sledging trough empty ice-landscapes, people travel here to dig gold and trade them in Panimo bar for beer, food and even lodging. Even the guys at Morgan Stanley think it’s great. Now, do I still hear someone complaining about not travelling because of recession? Just find some gold in the rivers of Finish Lapland and enjoy the Sami hospitality until you run out of gold. When you do, just dig some more. Dig it?

WWW.SAUNALAHTI.FI

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FAROE ISLANDS FORGOTTEN BY TIME

david jules — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:35:00 +0000

Although The Faroe Islands (belonging to Denmark but located between Norway and Iceland) are trying hard to be the new Reykjavik, it seems like time passed this archipelo, floating in the Atlantic, by. Eighteen green islands with only 50.000 inhabitants and the double amount of sheep. Theatrical and dramatic weather, changing every five minutes …from spooky haze surrounding the towerhigh cliffs to the sun fighting back through the clouds and spotlighting the cold sea or deep-greenish mountains. The water has the colour of Aquavit and the land is covered in green, soft and mostly wet carpet. People descent from Vikings and are friendly and very welcoming. It doesn’t take long before you get invited into their homes to escape the ambitious winds and showery rains. Stay in the classy and very cosy Foroyar Hotel with a view on Tórshavn, the tiny capital. If you want to experience the town itself, choose for the funky Tórshavn Hotel smack in the middle of town and with views over the harbour. Another magical place in the Faroe Island is the village Gjógv, one of the most pitoresque places around the islands. Lodging at Guesthouse Gjáargarður is simple but perfect if you want to stay in this area. The local babe Jóna Ólavsdóttir Joensen who works at the guesthouse could be the Faroese interpretation of Scarlett Johansson.. Real scandinavian beauty but with a undefying, mysterious look. Just like the Faroese Islands itselves.

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