Swede in America

Of Elks and Blondes...

2008-08-01T16:09:00.000+01:00

Elks and blondes shape Sweden's image abroad

Published: 29 Jul 08 11:20 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/13336/

When foreigners think of Sweden they think of elks, royalty, the great outdoors and beautiful women, according to a new survey from VisitSweden.

VisitSweden (formerly the Swedish Travel & Tourism Council) asked a group of 1,000 British, German, French and Dutch people for their views on the country as a tourist destination.

Many thought of the cold, the snow, the winter and the high prices. Others answered: nature, countryside and the expansive forests. There was some variation across the nations however with every tenth Frenchman citing the beautiful women and every tenth German noting the (beautiful) elks and the royal family.

VisitSweden is jointly owned by the Swedish government and the tourism industry and is focused on marketing the country to overseas visitors and investors.

"We want to shift the focus of Sweden's image towards the exotic," said Thomas Brühl, VisitSweden CEO.

"The Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi is a perfect example where the cold, winter and ice is used for something exotic."

While the French dream of blue-eyed blondes, the Dutch lend their thoughts to Sweden's profile for peace and freedom.

The Brits, in turn, think of Sweden as a clean country.

Germans, while admiring the magnificent nature from the windows of their caravans, also had time to admire the progressive and modern about Sweden, VisitSweden wrote in a press release.

"That the Germans associate Sweden with elk is probably because they, more than other tourist groups, drive through Sweden. We want to give them that extra spice to their journey and show them the new, exciting Sweden."

Visit Sweden's view of 'the new, exciting Sweden' is one of gastronomy, culture, fashion and design.

A view shared by Sweden's agriculture minister, Eskil Erlandsson who, The Local reported on July 22nd, aims to knock France off its gastronomic pedestal and establish Sweden "on the world map as a country of good food."

The Lowdown: Lucia

2007-12-14T15:57:00.000+01:00

The Lowdown: Lucia

It's one of the most enduring Swedish winter traditions. The tradition of Lucia brings some much needed light into Sweden's winter darkness, James Savage writes.

My colleagues have told me to get in early on Wednesday for Lucia. Who is Lucia?

Lucia is, or was, St. Lucy, a Catholic saint martyred in Syracuse in 304 AD. In Sweden, she is celebrated in early morning ceremonies on December 13th. In schools and workplaces, a nominated girl or young woman will don a white dress and wear a wreath of candles on her head. The ceremony is usually accompanied by early morning servings of glögg (sweet mulled wine), lussekatter (St Lucy buns) and ginger snaps.

Why does Sweden go so big on Lucia?

Quite how St. Lucy worked her way into Swedish tradition is unclear, but December 13th was the shortest day of the year under the Julian calendar, which Sweden followed until the 18th century.

It is traditionally held that a maiden dressed in white robes and wearing a crown of candles brought food to starving villagers on the shore of Lake Vänern. Lucia also has links to a German tradition of girls dressing as 'Christ children', handing out Christmas presents.

Traditionally, Lucia processions would be held in the home, with daughters dressing up and bringing coffee to their parents. Now, the practice is widespread in workplaces and schools, and newspapers frequently run Lucia competitions for readers.

Is this just something for the girls?

Even in these days of sexual equality, the girls have pretty much got Lucia wrapped up. Still, men are now allowed walk-on parts as Lucia's acolytes, known as 'stjärngossar' or 'star boys'. They also wear the long white robes, but instead of the crowns they wear white, pointy hats.

Didn't I hear something about a song?

Indeed, the Lucia celebrations are accompanied by music, particularly the Neapolitan Song Santa Lucia, which has been given Swedish Lyrics which speak of St. Lucy bringing light in the darkness. It's haunting melody make it a firm favourite for many Swedes.

Sounds lovely, but I'm not keen on getting up early to attend one of these celebrations.

You could always watch it on TV - SVT always broadcasts a traditional Lucia celebration early on the morning of the 13th.

All sounds very pleasant

It is. There is a more raucous side, however, with Lucia night celebrated by high school pupils partying all night to celebrate the approach of the Christmas holidays.

We Are Marquette!

2007-06-20T13:05:00.000+01:00

In the end, it seems as if Bob Wild was too much for me to stay away for more than six months, so I am returning to Marquette University for my senior year. Syddansk Universitet had its perks (like not doing anything for the entire semester), but I do value my MU education.

One final trip, to Amsterdam, and I'll be home. Have I made the right decision to come back?

On the Ball: Sesame Street Edition

2007-06-19T23:27:00.000+01:00

Only three days until I am forced to leave... I think Sesame Street was right on the "ball" with this one:

T minus Kiel Days...

2007-06-17T16:58:00.000+01:00

Das größte Segelsport-Ereignis der Welt, das größte Sommerfest im Norden Europas: Kiel heißt zur Kieler Woche Skipper und "Seh"-Leute aus aller Welt herzlich willkommen.

I have no idea what that means, but we were there, at Kieler Woche Skipper, or whatever it was. There was food from nearly every region of the world (Swedish food was oddly missing), so I settled for some Israeli, Turkish, and a Danish dessert. I did however enjoy watching Sebastian eat a nearly one meter long bratwurst from Poland, and Fabien managed to find the French Fry station (those French love their fries???)

Needless to say, there was plenty of food, for even the most exotic of eaters. Oh, and we were of course in Germany, so there was plenty of beer. All in all a great little city festival on the port.

2007-06-15T18:49:00.000+01:00

This National Day sounds like a time of rejoicing, a day on which Swedes celebrate with age-old traditional rituals, probably involving raw fish and copious amounts of akvavit?

No, not really. 'Den sjätte juni' is hardly a date that trips off a Swedish tongue in the way that Quatorze Juillet does in French. Born on the Sixth of June will never have quite the same patriotic ring as Born on the Fourth of July.

In fact, Swedes didn't even get a day off for it until 2005. For most people, it's just a welcome day off in the early summer. Oh, unless it falls on a Saturday or Sunday.

But what exactly is it supposed to celebrate?

A more difficult question to answer than you might expect. Unlike other countries, which have anniversaries of independence or revolutions to commemorate, Sweden has never been occupied and has never got rid of its monarchy.

If you ask a Swede, they'll probably mumble something vague about Gustav Vasa.

The day does indeed coincide with the anniversary of Gustav Vasa's election as Sweden's king in 1523, marking the end of the union with Denmark and the start of a new period of closer unity within Sweden. This day was celebrated from the 19th century as a national day of commemoration.

June 6th was also the day in 1809 on which Sweden adopted a new constitution, something it did again on the same date in 1974. From the 1890s, the Skansen open air museum in Stockholm started organizing patriotic celebrations on June 6th. In 1916, the day became The Swedish Flag Day.

Who decided to make it into Sweden's National Day?

National Day was first recognized officially by the government in 1983, but it only became a public holiday in 2005, after years of debate. The official hope was that it would be a day of unity for the Swedish people. Others saw it as a sop to industry, who would now be able to squeeze more working days out of the masses in the name of patriotism.

I want to join in the celebrations - how should I do this in a typically Swedish way?

As Sweden's only really had two National Day holidays so far, there isn't much of a precedent. Dancing round Maypoles and eating raw fish is really reserved for Midsummer, later this month. Until it became a public holiday, the only visible signs of National Day were the flags flying in people's gardens and from buses and trams.

These days, the royals celebrate the day by taking a carriage procession from the Royal Palace in Stockholm to Skansen. The Swedish flag is raised and bouquets are given to the Queen and princesses.
Don't like the sound of that - what should I do instead?
Do what an SVT survey found that 81 percent of Swedes do - nothing at all. You, like them, can use the day to assemble Ikea furniture, lounge about in the sun or catch up on much-needed sleep. Let the celebrations begin!

What's better than a Swedish Beach?

2007-06-13T22:21:00.000+01:00

Trick question... there is nothing better than a Swedish beach, but we did make a beach day trip yesterday to the North Sea.

Tönning, Germany... home to the largest continuous beach in Germany. Also home to the highest topless old lady per acre of beach ratio in the world.

Imagine you are lying on the beach, eyes closed, waves crashing as you take in the sun on a beautiful June afternoon. Just then, you open your eyes to reach for another sip of your coconut maitai. You shouldn't have done that. A German lady is staring you in the face. It gets worse, she's saying something in German. Oh, and she's topless.

I guess you can't blame her for being so friendly. Turns out she was just commenting on the weather.

Back Home (Sønderborg)

2007-06-12T21:24:00.000+01:00

I have returned home after a week long jaunt with Sister Swede.

Malmö is simply amazing, but who am I to try and sell it? (oh yeah, I'm Swede In America!)

Ahhhh... now this is the life!

If I can't afford the Twisting Torso, these sweet Swedish designed flats will have to do...

Sunset in Malmo...

Link to the rest of Malmo.

Scottish Pub

2007-06-12T20:06:00.000+01:00

Once upon a time, Sister Swede studied with a Dane at Watertown High School. The Dane loved Watertown so much, he returned for many summers to visit with his fellow Goslings. One summer the Dane stopped coming to Watertown... The people of Watertown were sad, and so Sister Swede met up with the Dane in Copehnagen.

(left to right: Dane, Awesome Pub Performer, Sister Swede)

Firsts and Seconds:To the homeland...

2007-06-08T13:56:00.000+01:00

Guest Blogger: Sister Swede Reports

We are moments away from leaving Sonderborg for one more night in Copenhagen, then it's off to Sweden! Here are some photos I took while in Ben's "home" town.

Highlights of Sonderborg: Swimming in the Baltic, downtown, and Ben got another haircut!

Kobenhavn, Wonderful, Wonderful... Kobenhavn For Me!

2007-06-06T22:30:00.000+01:00

Guest Writer: Sister Swede Reports...

I've had a great time in Denmark so far! Ben met me at the airport (he was early, I was late) and we headed out for our European adventure. After spending three days in Copenhagen, we made the trip to Sonderborg this afternoon. It is a beautiful city!

It's getting late (and Ben has an exam early tomorrow morning), so I'm going to keep this short. Here are the highlights from our first three days.

Day 1:

Tivoli, the main city square, the walking street, dinner in Nyhavn and back to Tivoli.

Day 2:

Lots of sightseeing! Highlights include royal gardens, the Little Mermaid, Nyhavn (again) and eating a Fransk hot dog!

Day 3:

The Carlsberg Brewery, getting a birds eye view of the city, Christiana and more Nyhavn!

Enjoy! More tomorrow...

Copenhagen contest called off

2007-06-02T22:05:00.000+01:00

When I said the Scandinavian truce was to take a pause, the Danes just had to go and take it too far. Sweden took a 3-0 lead in the first 25 minutes, only to see their lead slowly chipped away by the Danes. In the 89th minute, Poulsen of Denmark took a cheap shot at Rosenberg, reminiscent of the Zindane head butt of the 2006 World Cup. The Dane received a direct red card for the kidney punch and the Swedes were awarded a penalty kick. After the call, all hell broke loose in Parken (the stadium in Copenhagen), and a disgruntled Dane charged the field on a mission and attempted to attack the referee. The ref called the match off, and the pitch was cleared as fans pelted the field with flares/debris. After deliberation, UEFA took away the goals of Denmark, and the final score will go in the books as 3-0 Sweden.

Needless to say, I can't wait to go to Copenhagen tomorrow to see what kind of destruction the Danes unleash in their drunken fury!

The Hand Holding is Over

2007-06-02T10:51:00.000+01:00

Scandinavian cooperation takes a pause today, as Sverige takes on Danmark tonight in qualifying for the 2008 Euro Cup. Tickets are going for 500 Euro ($675 USD), so I'm going to sit this one out to join my Dansk rivals here in Sonderborg for a night of drinking and watching good 'ole fashioned Scandinavian football. I'm predicting a 2-1 Sverige victory.

This was the scene at the 2004 UEFA Euro Cup when Swedes and Danes swapped jerseys after a 2-2 draw ensured they both would move on... to the demise of Italy, who needed anything but a draw... there's nothing like Scandinavians working together!

Holy Hare Batman!

2007-05-31T18:07:00.000+01:00

So apparently a rabbit isn't a rabbit here, but a European Hare. I snapped this pic a few weeks ago and I thought it was an ordinary rabbit hopping around like your average bunny. This afternoon I saw the same creature, different situation. Like a five year old girl chasing a boy on the playground, two of the 'lil foo-foo's came flying by chasing each other. Allegedly this little fella can reach speeds of 45 mph. Faster than the average hare! Take that Yogi Bear.

I'd Like, I'd Like to be Like Mike...

2007-05-31T15:42:00.001+01:00

Apparently people still look up to the US as being a good model. Despite all the negative stuff going on in the last ~~two terms~~ few years, countries still want to be more like the US. The Danish prime minister's son has just wrote a book in favor of the US:

Henrik Fogh Rasmussen writes in his new book, 'American Conditions', that the Danish media paints an exaggerated picture of poverty, racism and uninsured patients in the US, and argues European leaders should instead use the US model to address this continent's own social problems.

Rasmussen has lived in the US for several years and has an American wife. In his 57-page book he challenges the many negative images of the US promoted by the media and says the Danish health care system is more apt to fail patients than the American.

'Seen in light of the huge demographic changes Europe is experiencing, European decision makers should take more inspiration from the market-based health care system in the US, instead of warning us about the "American conditions" in health care,' Rasmussen writes.

'The national health care systems in Europe are characterised by rigorous cost controls, where hospital administrators and doctors jealously guard their annual budgets. This means there is little place for experiments such as a wider use of preventive medicines, and it is the patients that this lack of creativity and resistance to new thinking ultimately affects.'

'The picture of the US as a society with widespread poverty and homelessness is wrong. The numbers clearly show that living standards for the poorest Americans are at the same level as the poorest people in Denmark and the rest of Europe.

This never would have happened to Miss Sweden...

2007-05-29T23:00:00.000+01:00

Is the US Buying Sweden?

2007-05-29T15:06:00.000+01:00

In a very economical sense, yes... Nasdaq has made a bid to buy OMX, the Swedish company that owns the Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia exchange markets. This purchase gives the US a stronghold in the technology sector in the Scandinavian states, which have produced such companies as Nokia, Ericsson, Volvo, AstraZeneca (those cheesy drug commercials), and others.

Be prepared for a more Scandinavian looking Times Square!

Dream Job

2007-05-28T22:47:00.000+01:00

All jokes aside, it would be sweet to work for IKEA corporate one day. Not only would you have preferred access to efficient Swedish design, but there would obviously be some travel time to the homeland.

IKEA has made the short list upon graduation...

http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/jobs/apply_now/international_jobs/index.html

International Food, (drink) Day

2007-05-26T19:58:00.000+01:00

Have you ever had an Afghani nut? How about a Romanian dessert? Either had I, until Friday's "Intercultural Snack-evening."

Now, you have all been here in Sønderborg for 6 months or longer, but have you had a taste of Denmark, yet?

And what is the taste of your country???

Make a traditional snack and drink from your place of the world, and bring it to our Intercultural Snack -evening for your fellow exchange students to taste -and have a taste of their country, too.

The first thing I thought of was to make Swedish Pancakes with Lingon, but upon authorization from the international director she asked that I bring something "American," since I am the only American representative. First of all... it is nearly impossible to find corn and turkey, the only two real "American" foods I could think of. So what did I end up making? Hot Dogs, Peanuts, COOOOLD BEER! The traditional pastime of a day at the ballpark, nothing is more American than that.

I did however do something that I am not proud of... I bought a case of... gulp... Budweiser. It was the only American import beer available in the distant land of Denmark. That isn't an acceptable excuse, and in retrospect I should have forgone the idea of having an American beer rather than serving that sad excuse for a beer. I hope I didn't anger the beer gods back home, and rest assured the first thing I will do upon my return home will be to crack open a Milwaukee brewed Miller product.

I will also take this moment to propose a new Man-Law:
"A man must always carry a six pack of Miller Lite when traveling overseas in the event that there are no Miller products available" - Man Law

Bank Update: Currency Edition

2007-05-25T09:53:00.000+01:00

That is the value of the USD vs. Danish Krone (affectionately known as the Copey) since I have been here. Notice the slight downturn, and by downturn I mean constant decline, which amounts to a 5% decrease in my purchasing power parity. Add to that the high price of living expenses here, and a man with no income could have a problem surviving here. Keep in mind the minimum wage is approx $14/hr. here, so they have no problem surviving. Heck, Danish students receive weekly checks from the government to pay for their living expenses (aka beer for a Dane).

I won't frighten you with actual balance of my account, but rest assured it will be good/(necessary?) to get back home to start working again!

They're here: Cicadas resurface after 17-year hibernation

2007-05-24T14:55:00.000+01:00

So the "buzz" is that the cicadas are back... perfect timing for me to miss this once and a 17 year phenomenon! Prepare for the famine of 2007 as the "locusts" swarm and destroy everything in their paths like Swedes in a ship. Anticipate six weeks of constant buzzing as 1.5 million cicadas per acre emerge from their 17 year slumber.

I have prepared a recipe for those that survive the rapture:

Cicada Stir-Fry:

minced onion, coriander (cilantro), fresh gingerroot
sliced carrots, chopped cauliflower and/or broccoli
water chestnuts and/or other vegetables of your choice
bean sprouts and snow peas
blanched, teneral cicadas

In a wok or other suitable pan, heat a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add ingredients in the order listed above when those in the most recent addition are partially cooked. Serve over whole-grain (“brown”) rice and add soy sauce to taste.

Whats White and Red and Red All Over?

2007-05-23T19:40:00.000+01:00

Distance from Equator: 3,500 miles
Time in the sun: 2 hours
Being Swedish: Priceless (and a mean burn!)

¡Suerte y al toro! (pertaining to jokes)

2007-05-21T21:28:00.000+01:00

This is a tale of a joke that didn't work so well across cultural boundaries:

Ben to a Spaniard: "Have you seen that new pirate movie?"
Spaniard: ???
Ben: "Yeah, it's rated ArrrrrrrrR!"
Spaniard: ???
...twenty minutes of explanation...
Spaniard: "So that is the sound a pirate makes?"

Michael Moore on Sweden

2007-05-21T16:23:00.000+01:00

Filmmaker Michael Moore has attacked the Swedish government for opening up the health service to more private sector involvement.

"I am very sorry to hear that they are selling out public healthcare. Everything that is good about public healthcare has its origins in Scandinavia," he said, adding that he thought the Swedish public would vote the centre -right Alliance government out as a result.

I accept your apology Mr. Moore...

Swedes (not) in America

2007-05-19T12:27:00.000+01:00

From June 2 - 10, there will be one less Swede in America. None other than The Swede in America's Sister will be joining her Swedish brother for a week of Scandinavian adventure. The trip will inevitably include a second (first for some) pilgrimage to Sweden.

Ben's Swedes
(left to right: Sister Swede (Rachel), Swede in America (Ben), Mother Swede (Vicki), not picutured: O'Father (irish)

Byfesten

2007-05-18T12:44:00.000+01:00

It's that time of year again... < fill in the blank >-fest. Every city has one. In Watertown: Riverfest. Sonderborg: Byfesten.
I'm pretty sure there is a worldwide formula that cities purchase which summons a convoy of carnies to roll into town from their carny villages. The carnies set up their carny tent village, and people flock to throw their money at them. The interesting population of the city finally shows its face and the question is answered, "so theres the other 10,000 people that live here." It's these 10,000 helpless folks that make the entire carny system work. Steps to make the system work:

Find people with children, preferably four or more children
Offer cheep Chinese crap for a seemingly simple task (often of physical merit)
2a. display one huge stuffed animal for girlfriend to see
Deep fry every food item you offer
Never stay in the same town for more than three days
Stay away from cities with more than 25,000 people

Human Popsicles

2007-05-17T21:09:00.000+01:00

Sweden is considering allowing freeze-drying as a new method to bury the dead instead of traditional burials and cremations:

The freeze-drying method offers an environmentally friendly burial transforming corpses into organic compost. Traditional burials and cremations hurt the environment by polluting air and water, as a corpse buried in a coffin will take many years to decompose completely.

Under the new method, the corpse is taken to a temperature of minus 196 degrees Celsius in a liquid nitrogen bath and the body is broken down into a rough powder through mechanical vibrations.

The remains are then dehydrated and cleared of any metal, reducing a body weighing 75 kilograms (165 pounds) in life to 25 kilograms (55 pounds) of pink-beige powder, plus the remains of the coffin.

The key point here... the company has applied for patents in 35 countries.

Little Mermaid statue defaced — again

2007-05-16T13:09:00.000+01:00

The Copenhagen Post is reporting that once again, Denmark hippies retaliated in the government takeover of their "Freetown Christiana." The city is demolishing old buildings in the district to make room for a new government subsidized housing project, which has upset the squatters that have been living there for free since the government abandoned the old military barracks in 1971.

Whilst I'm as hippie as the next guy, these "non-violent" protests have gotten a bit out of hand. They have culminated into large gatherings where protesters start big fires and throw Molotov cocktails at police. That being said, I'm totally okay with painting the joke of a statue that is the Little Mermaid though... I hope I'm not brought in for questioning for saying that.

Sweden's Response to Football Brawls

2007-05-14T18:20:00.000+01:00

In response to Kristin's experiences with football in Chile, I bring this article from Sweden. We take our football seriously here:

Mass brawl at Swedish girls' football match

A row between a parent and a referee at a girls' football match escalated into a brawl on Sunday.

The match, between two teams of 14-year-old girls, was being played at Möllevallen in Skurup. An exchange of words between the father of one of the players and the referee ended with the ref whacking a ball at the spectator.

"That's one version. The referee's version is that the parent threatened him with a corner flag," said Stellan Andersson.

The father went and got into his car while the referee called for reinforcements. Shortly afterwards, several cars full of people - including the referee's father - arrived.

Accoring to unconfirmed witness reports, they are said to have circled the father's car and tried to smash in the windows.

The father managed to drive away from the scene but two cars set off in pursuit.

"We went down there with four units. The atmosphere was very threatening at first. Nobody has been arrested but the matter has been reported.

Liveblog: Eurovision Song Contest 2007

2007-05-12T19:43:00.000+01:00

Pre-show predictions:

Of the 24 countries participating, one has English as its national language, yet 20 countries will perform songs sung in English.
A Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction will happen, twice.
Sweden will win.

Feel free to watch alongside live at:
http://www.eurovision.tv/addons/mediaplayer/live/esctv.html

8:57:
They just announced to the audience not to be alarmed when a motorcycle flies over the stage and to stop-drop-and-roll if the pyrotechnics go wrong...

9:01:
Opening credits depict Finland as a barren snowfield and Finns as devil worshiping people.

9:06:
Streaming website crashes... all of Europe must be tuning in
I'm forced to stream it from a Spanish website, commentary from this point forward will be in Spanish.

9:09: Bosnia & Herzegovina
Song is in Bosnian... Slow ballad with Bosnian women in nightgowns. Woman has a decent voice, crowd seems to be excited (maybe it was because it was the first song)

9:12: Spain
Spanish Backstreet Boys. Four Spanairds wearing futuristic white spacesuits. Synchronized dancing on par with N*SYNC. The hunky lead singer has a euro-mullet. Catchy dance beat, they lost it on the obligitory midsong key change. Pose ends with fire.

9:17: Belarus
First song in english... black button down shirt half opened hunk cannot sing to save his country. "Work Your Magic, something something love potion" Key change proves helpful to find pitch... ends alright.

9:20: Ireland
Riverdance (j/k) Irish lead singer looks so nervous it hurts to watch (and listen to). Pan pipes and violin enter as relief... now she's banging a drum which seemed to have taken the edge off. Did i mention i can't understand a word she is saying/singing. Song ends and she yells "Thank You" to the audience...

9:24: Finland
Host country. Reminds me of Evenensance. The audience must be full of Finns, because they are going CRAZY! "Leave me alone, i want to go home" (synchronized flames to drum beat) MC's take stage and say, "how about Finland!!!"

9:30: FYR Macedonia
What language do they speak there, because that is what she is singing in. She's gooood, but her background dancers are strange. She just walked to the front of the stage, cue Marlyn Monroe dress blowing wind and hair. My pick so far.

9:33: Slovenia
I'm scared... she's scary looking. It aint over till the "fat" lady sings a Slovenian tune. Now she's got some strange light emiting device on her hand and is waving it in front of her face as the high notes get higher. Hits the end note right on, but i don't think that is what the audience is looking for... Opera?

9:37: Hungary
I didn't know Norah Jones was Hungarian... she's got the blues. Set includes a sign that says "Bus Stop" and she's using the pole to hold her up as she is grasping for air. Wow, she is really belting it (did I mention that she has a HUGE belt on) Her halter top has a picture of Jesus and says "Thank God I'm a VIP" A mellow reception, but what do you expect for singing a mellow song?

9:42: Lithuania
Cool set... the band is behind a sheet and it is backlit so all you see is their shadows. Singer is sitting on a stool at the front of the stage with a guitar. She might be good, but the song should be playing in an elevator near you soon. The singer............ sorry i dozed off there for a minute, wow that was boring.

9:45: Greece
I bet he's the Justin Timberlake of Greece. His backup dancers are distracting... in a good way. Now he has his four dancers on leeshes and is walking them around the stage. Woah, Ricky Martin called and wants his moves back buddy! Maria Maria... my new pick for the evening.

9:49: Georgia
She looks like Gabriel Solice from Desperate Housewives. I'm getting the Madonna vibes. Great voice, and a catchy tune. Good use of pyrotechnics at the end... my Georgia gets the nod as my new pick.

9:52: Sweden!!!!
I'm freaking out here... The Ark is rocking it baby! Be prepared to hear this one on the radio stateside... ever since I got to Denmark I've been hearing them all the time, for a good reason. "Baby I'm the worrying kind" The crowd has spoken! Swedish flags are flying everywhere and fans are screaming like it's their job. Great time for an intermission... the planned break after 12 countries couldn't have come at a better time, I'd hate to follow that. The MC's just endorsed Sweden (if my spanish serves me correctly)

9:59: France
I love that they decided to sing in French, because a bunch of dudes wearing pink suits with angel wings prancing around the stage just wouldn't be the same if they weren't singing in French. The lead singer seems to have a ferret around his neck... i'm not sure if it is alive or not, but he keeps petting it. Not good, not good at all France... i know you can do better.

10:02: Latvia
Latvian Josh Groban... woah, now his clone came out, woah, now there are 6 Latvians in suits with top hats on stage belting it. Whoda thunk a bunch of men singing on stage could be so good (I did). Look for The Naturals to cover this Latvian song real soon. I don't think we could match their dashing looks though (yes we can).

10:06: Russia
Russian Spice Girls. I'll take them any day... The blonde one is spoken for (by me), but feel free to pursue the other two. Michael Jackson moves to boot... not to shabby. At the end of the day though, a group of 3 Britney Spearss is too much... I'll pass on Russia.

10:10: Germany
Frank Sinatra reincarnated as a German lounge singer. His backup band is doing a bang up job of providing a mad hook for him. Who knew German could sound so good. Key change... The Roger Cicero Quartet, I think i'll look them up and "buy" a CD of theirs... after Sweden of course, Germany is number 2.

10:14: Serbia
It's Pat... is it a guy or a dude? Whatever it is, I like it. I like her backup singers too. Key change... now i'm sure its a chick. Serbia could be the dark horse here.

10:17: Ukraine
Holy Crap thats weird... Ukrainian techno and they are wearing the strangest getup i've ever seen. First techno band ever with an accordion as the main instrument. Can techno win Eurovision? I don't think so, but i'd get down to this at a club. The crowd seems to dig it too.

10:21:United Kingdom
Mick Jagger, the rock star... actually no. Abba called, they want their recipe back. Two dudes + two chicks = a band. Are we on an airplane? They created the illusion of it by dressing up as airline attendants and singing "flying around" having produced The Beatles, i would have thought they could do better...

10:26: Romania
Not quite sure how to describe this one... if I were to do a Russian bottle dance, i'd probably have this on in the background. It seems to be a group of seven Romanians yelling at eachother, but now they made up and are in a kick line... hmmmm, Romania as 2007 champions... not this year.

10:30: Bulgaria
Stomp. No wait, was Stomp techno? The dude has a great mullet though. Can you yodel techno? Apparently in Bulgaria you can. Ha, the dude didn't sing a single word the whole time, but at the end he yelled "Europe, we love you..." you didn't earn the privilege to praise dude!

10:34: Turkey
Shake It... I bet he's cool in Turkey, but to me he looks like an out of place Texan rancher. He's trying a bit too hard, but his backup dancers don't even have to try. Since when is Turkey in Europe anyways?

10:37: Armenia
Love the puffy shirt buddy. i feel bad for him because his tree in the background got TPed (Toilet Papered) How did they get through the semi-final... oh yeah, they were prequalified from their performance last year. Lukewarm reception from the audience.

10:41: Moldova
Love the electric violin... Angelina Jolie can sing. I wonder what is holding her pants up, because it looks like a stiff wind could blow her over. Those violins are throwing up a mad beat, not to mention she's rockin the mic. Number 3.

10:46
Show's over, phone lines are now open! You only have 15 minutes to vote, so get texting. The MC's just brought Santa Clause on stage... what the heck is happening? He just took out a big bell and starting ringing it to signify the start of the 15 minute voting period.

Final round-up is being shown and American Idol style summaries of each performance are being shown. This gives me a chance to finalize my predictions.

Sweden
Germany
Moldova
Finland
Latvia
Georgia
Serbia
FYR Macedonia

My vote has been cast... and I'd imagine rest of Europe has cast its vote as well. Good thing Finland is home to Nokia.

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Stop Voting.

11:10
They are in the "Green Room" and they have stuck a Finnish Joan Rivers in the room with them all. Wow she is a ditz...

11:16
They are releasing each countries results one by one... It seems all the small eastern European countries are voting for each other. Russia has taken a huge lead...

11:20
Every country gets the same number of votes... that isn't fair at all (kinda like the electoral college)

11:23
Denmark gave Sweden its 12 point vote!!!! Scandinavia has to stick together baby...

11:25
Finland gave 8 points to Sweden and 12 to Serbia... I have officially disbanded Finland from Scandinavia.

11:42
Norway gave their 12 votes to Sweden!!!

11:49
Sweden gave Finland their 12 votes... we lived up to our Scandinavian duty, unlike Finland.

11:54
With seven countries left to vote, Serbia has a huge lead.

11:59
Iceland gives 10 points to Sweden, 12 to Finland... I think Iceland should be added to Scandinavia.

12:03
Serbia wins... Yawn.

Is the voting system flawed... yes. You're still number one in my book Sweden!

Liveblog: Eurovision

2007-05-12T19:29:00.000+01:00

30 minutes until show time... stay tuned for my LIVE commentary!

Denmark's Eurovision Dreams

2007-05-10T22:49:00.000+01:00

Denmark's dream of winning Eurovision 2007 died this evening as they failed to make it through the qualifying round. The attached video of the performance gives key insight as to why they didn't qualify:

PS: Sweden's "The Ark" is prequalified for the final to take place Saturday.

ATRs: Which Swedish Princess Should I Marry?

2007-05-09T17:55:00.000+01:00

Crown Princess Victoria

Princess Madeleine

So the Swedish Royal Family is in Copenhagen for a few days, and this brings up a question that has gone unanswered for far too long... which member of the Swedish Royal Family should I marry?

On the one hand, Princess Victoria is the Heir to the Swedish Kingdom... On the other hand, Princess Madeleine is The Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland. Do I want an entire kingdom, or just a couple provinces to look after? Either one would mother beautiful Swedish babies, so that's a moot point... Both are collegiately educated: Princess Victoria is a Yale girl, whilst Princess Madeleine a U of Stockholm girl...

I've been loosing sleep over this... I could really use some feedback from the readers.

10 Minute Rule/Teacher of the Month

2007-05-08T12:03:00.000+01:00

So we attempted to go to class today, but when we got there... no professor. A sense of excitement immediatly filled the room, as people began running the formula in their head:

The duration that must be waited =
10 minutes + (# of 4.0 students x 2) + (Age of professor/10) - temperature outside (in celsius)

This is of course an unwritten rule, which leaves some room for discretion. The class collectively got up after 19 minutes without a single word being said and left the classroom. Even though it is only May 8, I am going to give the nod to Jesper as the "Teacher of the Month: May." He has clearly earned this honor, canceling class two times in April, and now with the no show... easiest decision ever.

Skinny Swedes

2007-05-07T22:02:00.000+01:00

Once again, Swedes (and Danes) show us the way. I can attest firsthand that my fellow Swedes are every bit as curvaceousas I have made them up to be.

Genes, or lifestyle? Something to think about...

Kollegiet Olympics

2007-05-06T13:54:00.000+01:00

Yesterday marked the annual Kollegiet Olympics here in Sonderborg. Each of the student halls in Sonderborg (Sønderskov-kollegiet, Ungdoms-kollegiet, Handels-kollegiet, Park-kollegiet, Borgmester Andersen-kollegiet, Damgade-kollegiet, Humlehøj-kollegiet) are invited to form teams and participate in Football (Soccer), Volleyball, and Brännboll.

However, it isn't a athletic competition so much as it is an excuse for Danes to drink (we do that a lot here). Eight o' clock in the morning a Danish breakfast is served and washed down with a cold beer (to be followed throughout the day with warm ones). This signifies the start of the games...

Our international team quickly became familiar with the rules... when someone is playing too well, they are given a "green card" by the referee. This player is ordered to the sidelines and handed a warm bottle of beer. They must finish the beer before they are allowed to re-enter the game. Not only does this encourage competitive play, it gives a player an excuse to take a breather and a brew.

It was a long day of fun in the sun, and in the end, our international experience in both sports and drinking were not to be matched. We won the two sports we entered (none of us knew how to play Brannboll) and took the trophy (there was no trophy). Needless to say, block 4 HK goes down in the books as the champions.

The best was yet to come though, and through all the Danish chatter over the loudspeaker: "Det er bestyrelsen, som indgår udviklingskontrakt med WET T-SHIRT CONTEST!!!"

I remembered to snap a picture during the first "heat," the later rounds proved too captivating to snap pics of...

Great day, or greatest day...? It's hard to tell.

Tragedy in Legoland: Woman Dies in Lego Rollercoaster Accident

2007-05-04T09:58:00.000+01:00

BILLUND, Denmark — A 21-year-old employee at the Legoland amusement park was killed in a roller coaster accident, police and park officials said Monday.

The woman, who was not identified, died immediately Sunday after being hit by a coaster car, police said.

"We're shocked," Legoland manager Henrik Hoehrman said. Nothing like this has happened before."

First of all... I went on that ride, and it was pretty sweet. Second of all, if my Lego Princess was in any way harmed because of this coaster, so help me god... I'll unbuild the entire coaster brick by brick and build a castle for us to live in happily ever after.

Introducing... Sweden's Modern Swedish Chef

2007-05-02T18:28:00.000+01:00

Sweden's answer to Martha Stewart, Tina Nordström mixes pseudo-southern charm with a cheeky sense of humour.

Who is she and why is she famous?

Tina Nordström is Sweden's most famous celebrity chef. The likable southerner's untrammeled popularity make her something of a Swedish Delia Smith (without the major shareholding in a mid-sized football club), or Martha Stewart (without the spell in jail).

What's her secret?

Like mama's lasagna, it's all in the recipe. Take a spoonful of southern charm, mixed with a dash of barely decipherable dialect. Add a sprig of humour and bring the bubbly personality to the boil. Stick the whole lot in the mixer and you're left with a quite delectable dish.

Sounds tasty alright.

It's a quite exquisite concoction, which has ensured that the woman they call Food-Tina has topped the ratings any time she's been bothered to put her hand near a pot.

And what about family? Has she ever had a bun in the oven?

Hilarious gag. She's only heard it more times than she's had hot dinners. But yes, she and her boyfriend Martin have a little one-year-old called Albin.

That was a bit saucy. So is she still keeping the juices flowing on Swedish television?

No. Food-Tina has recently been treating American audiences to her culinary delights on a show called New Scandinavian Cooking. Not surprisingly, she has proved a BIG hit with US viewers despite being unable to use her trademark phrase: 'jättegott'.

What does that mean?

It means eminently palatable.

A quick dip...

2007-05-01T18:06:00.000+01:00

I have gone through the trouble to map some directions to Sonderborg, so I'm expecting some visitors...

Your best bet is to come here, since I may not be home... ever!

...

via Google Maps

Another Swede Returns Home...

2007-04-30T13:31:00.000+01:00

On Saturday, April 28, another Swede returned home... My grandpa, John Hallberg, passed away in his sleep after enjoying his last cookie time.

Swedish Bikini Team

2007-04-29T21:28:00.000+01:00

Introducing... up close and personal: the Swedish Bikini Team

Who are they and why are they famous?

The Swedish Bikini Team stepped out of the sea and into the limelight in 1991. Once accurately described as 'vixens of beerdom', the swimwear Swedes quickly skedaddled off the scene and were last spotted dancing to rock music in a cottage in Lapland just a few months after their breakthrough.

There are about fifty possible follow-up questions but let's start with this one: What the heck are you babbling on about?

Right. Well phrased, sir. Let's put it this way: the Swedish Bikini Team's exit from the world stage was facilitated by the fact that it had never really existed in the first place.

Well, that makes it clear as sausage water, as they say in these parts.

Bear with me a moment. The thing is, Sweden does not have, nor has it ever had, a bikini team. Now that's not to say that there is no such thing as a bikini team. The USA, for example, has plenty of them. There's the west coast Kwicherbichen team (say it aloud, you may find it amusing). Then there's the Cajun Spice team from Louisiana, as well as a couple of combos in Florida. But all of these bearers of beachwear have ready access to a commodity that Sweden sadly lacks.

So who were these Scandinavian lovelies then?

Firstly, it is interesting to note that not a single flailing Nordic limb was to be found among the Swedish Bikini Team's ranks. The girls, all of them American, were hired to help market Old Milwaukee beer. Platinum blonde Swedish strand maidens were considered a perfect complement to the brewer's slogan: 'It doesn't get any better than this'.

What doesn't?

Life. Life, that is, for a group of young men spending time together in the great outdoors. In the ads, the underdressed pseudo-Swedes would always arrive on the scene, perhaps by parachute, just in time to counteract the onset of tedium.

And then they'd sit all down for coffee and a bun and discuss the pros and cons of turbo-charged Keynesianism?

What? No, they'd all dance, drink beer and perhaps entertain the notion of entering into transatlantic trysts. For the young men at whom the campaign was aimed, it just didn't get any better than that.

But imagine if they could have had all of the above as well as a unionized job, generous children's allowance and a secure state pension. Surely it doesn't get any better than that?

Stop it, you're being difficult. This campaign had nothing to do with the differing worldviews of wealthy nations. It was about fun, sex and beer, all done in a manner intended to parody more po-faced beer commercials in which cameras lingered shamelessly on the female form without the slightest sense of fun.

And how was the campaign received?

It was incredibly popular to start with. The Swedish Bikini Team became so well-known that they appeared in a couple of episodes of Married... With Children before accepting Playboy's invitation to shed their famed blue and yellow bikinis.

Cripes. They'd come a long way from the mind of an advertising guru. What made them go from major league and widely loved to itsy bitsy and teenie weenie?

Following complaints from some female employees, a lawyer took exception to the brewer's bevy of bikini girls and accused the makers of Old Milwaukee of creating a working climate that was conducive to sexual harassment. In the words of Patrick Scullin, one of the campaign's creators, the Swedish Bikini Team came to represent "the politically incorrect evil that lurks in our loins".

Let me guess the next bit: Old Milwaukee backed slowly out of the room, whistled a happy tune and pretended never to have rubbed the lamp that first unleashed the beast.

Something like that, yes. Coming as it did at a time of some high profile sexual harassment lawsuits, the allegations caused the manufacturer to lose its bottle. As broadcasters and beer-makers began distancing themselves from the flashing of flesh, the surrogate Swedes didn't stand a polka dot's chance in hell of starring in a new campaign.

So what became of them?

A final ad spot for Old Milwaukee featured the usual flannel-trousered youths frying fish and proclaiming that it didn't get any better than this. Except this time it really didn't. The buxom blondes were not in Kansas any more. Instead they had returned to their faraway land, never to set foot on American shores again.

And nobody ever found the bikinis in the vaults of history and tried them on for size?

Now that you mention it, a replica team emerged some years back to carry on the noble legacy. The new Swedish Bikini Team even took the innovative step of involving actual Swedish women. The revitalized vamps went on to star in the Bond-meets-Charlie's-Angels feature film Never Say Never Mind.

It doesn't get better than that.
No, it doesn't.

BKASC: Bo Socken

2007-04-28T14:17:00.000+01:00

Today's Better Know a Scandinavian City: Bo Socken

"Johan August Persson and Johanna Sofia Olsdotter were married about 1854. Johan was born on April 3, 1833 at a farm called Murtorpet located in Bo socken, a parish in the province of Närke.

Murtorpet

Following their marriage, Johan and Johanna lived at this same farm. The occupation of Johan was listed in the church records as crofter, a man who rented his cottage and paid for it by working for the owner of the land a fixed number of days. Johan and Johanna had seven children, but two died at very young ages. Their eldest son, Carl August, was six years old and his brother, Gustaf Adolf, was three when their sister Emeli was born in 1861. Two years later, Emeli died just four months after her sister Anna was born. Anna also died before reaching her second birthday. A son, Johan Axel, was born following the death of Anna. Their only surviving daughter, Frida Kristina, was born in 1868. In 1871, their youngest son, Malcolm Hugo, was born.

Modern Murtorpt

During the last half of the nineteenth century, many different factors were causing people in Sweden to emigrate to the United States. Among these were religious persecution, deteriorating economic conditions, drought and dwindling land availability. In 1880, Carl August, the oldest son, decided to emigrate to the United States. Although emigration was occurring all around them, Johan and Johanna must have had considerable heartache with the departure of a son to a foreign country, knowing that he probably would never return to Sweden and the farm called Murtorpet." (murtorpet.se)

Carl August was my Great-great grandfather. He was the first among his family to emigrate to America. In the spirit of my great-great grandfather's tenacity, I made my voyage back "home."

Me, back on the farm

Sweden withdraws from Miss Universe contest

2007-04-27T20:26:00.000+01:00

Sweden will not send a candidate to the Miss Universe contest in Mexico, it has been announced. Organizers of Miss Sweden say the international competition is too old fashioned.

"The modernization of the international competition has been significantly slower than the Swedish contest, although we see signs of change on horizon. Until the parent organization catches up we have chosen not to participate this year," organizer Panos Papadopoulos said in a statement on Wednesday.

On a related note, Swedish model Anika Knudsen has a tattoo of a lingonberry on her right buttocks (not old fashioned).

Euro-Tailgate 2007

2007-04-27T17:52:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was the first of many days to come in which we grilled the meat of our choice on the courtyard grill in our backyard. I chose a prime cut of Danish deliciousness. The festivities were to celebrate "The Last Tutten" rather than a Brewers game, but had the tailgate feel nonetheless. Funny how grilling a piece of meat over a few beers is celebrated everywhere in the world. I guess the American tradition of man, fire, and meat isn't all that exclusive.

Fernando (Spanish with mullet) manned the grill as German, Danish, French critique.

The grill has the seemingly magical ability to attract all men within a five mile radius around its smoldering coals. Men from all walks of life forget their differences while under the grills spell, as they stand around a fire gossiping about the exotic salts and spices they have used on their prized cut of meat. Men compliment each others meats, and express their pleasure about how great it is at least once every bite. Men act on their primal instinct to watch over and guard their precious prime rib. They bribe and argue about who's steak gets to be in the coveted sweet spot right over, but not too close to the hottest coals. Every man reverts to thousands of years of evolutionary favorable behavior: i am man. man kill bear. man cook meat.

When a man volunteers to have a BBQ, the following chain of events are put into motion:

1. The women buys the food
2. The women make the salad, prepare the vegetables, and make dessert
3. The women prepare the meat for cooking, place it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and take it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - beer in hand

Here comes the important part:

4. THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL

More routine:

5. The women go inside to organize the plates and cutlery
6. A woman comes out to tell the men that the meat is burning. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he deals with the situation

Important again:

7. THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN

More routine:

8. The women prepare the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces and bring them to the table
9. After eating, the women clear the table and do the dishes
10. Everyone PRAISES THE MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts
11. A man asks a woman how she enjoyed "her night off" and, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women!

I have a theory on understanding where you stand in a relationship. Number one on the list signifies: you are joined at the hip; all the way down to six: you potentially are in a relationship.

1) buying a grill together
2) buying a car together
3) having a pet together
4) getting a joint checking account
5) buying a house together
6) exchanging/merging playdoh

ATR's: Before & After

2007-04-27T17:26:00.000+01:00

Danish Haircut: 400 Krones ($73 USD)
Letting Jan shave it instead: free... and priceless!

comments?

Before After

100th Post Celebration!

2007-04-26T16:16:00.000+01:00

In celebration of the 100th Swede In America post, I have shaved my head...

BKASC: Örebro

2007-04-25T19:52:00.000+01:00

Today's Better Know a Scandinavian City: Örebro

Örebro is a smallish town in the center of Sweden, one hour west of Stockholm. The countryside around Örebro is similar to what one would expect to find in the Great Plains of the USA.

Wisconsin or Örebro?

Örebro literally means a bridge over gravel banks, which is how the geography looks, with the stream Svartån draining into the lake Hjälmaren.

The landscape is flat, farmed, and barned.

The city is the birthplace of Mary Stavin, Miss World 1977. She also starred in James Bond: Octopussy and A View to a Kill, as agent Kimberley Jones.

Swedish beauty, timeless.

Örebro also has a suburb, which a certain Swede in America's Swedish relatives come from... stay tuned for the climax of my Journey home...

BKASMR: Scandinavia's Fjällen

2007-04-24T11:34:00.000+01:00

Today is a special edition of Better Know a Scandinavian City: The Fjällen (The Fells) Mountain Range.

Fjord in the fog

Known for forming the Fjords of Norway, this Mountain Range cuts through Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Whilst not the highest mountains, these peaks have the added beauty of being cut through by the many fjords and rivers of Norway.

City, on the rocks

Unknown to a foreigner, the E16 road from Bergen to Oslo isn't your typical road. First of all, look out for trucks, because they know exactly what they are doing, and do it at the highest speeds possible. A semi blew by me on several locations as we winded our way down passes that didn't look navigable a mountain goat.

Got Chains?

Second of all... don't expect the road to even be open in the middle of April. The pass is opened on a "wait and see" schedule, and it just so happened it was closed the day we wanted to pass. We spent the night in a "hotel," which was really more of a local's spare room for cases in which the pass isn't open.

Who lives here... I mean come on!

We set out the next morning hoping the road would be opened.

We're following the leader...

We got lucky, as there were a group of shipments that needed to get through, so we started our way up the pass. When we reached a tunnel's end, there was a mile or so line of trucks waiting to exit the tunnel and start the journey across. A man waved me to the front of the line behind a snowplow, and we were off.

The coast is clear

We started out wondering why we had to follow a snowplow through the snow free roads, but soon realized why. Snow started drifting, and visibility worsened to the point that one could not even see the safety plow five feet in front of them.

Or is it???

Once you are through, take pictures... it doesn't get much better than this:

BKASC: Stavenger

2007-04-23T13:29:00.000+01:00

Today's Better know a Scandinavian City: Bergen

The Pulpit Rock

The city is situated between a group of mountains known collectively as de syv fjell ("the seven mountains"). It is also known as the capital of fjord country.

The road to Bergen is hardly a road, as there are two car ferries required in order to get to the city. I call it the Seattle of Norway, as it rains on average 270 days a year (yes it rained both days we were there.)

I'm the king of the car ferry... or at least the upper deck anyways

Bergen hosted the 1986 Eurovision Song Contest, which is a an an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), in which participating countries each submit a song to be performed on live television; then proceed to cast votes for the other countries' songs, in order to find the most popular song in the competition (AKA European Idol wayyyy... before American Idol was around [1956])

It's raining...

The fish market is obviously a central part of the city, and they sell all sorts of varieties of fish.

And also aliens... what the heck is that brown thing!?!

The road away from Bergen doesn't go too far before you take a ferry again... a ferry to heaven!

Next issue... Better Know a Scandinavian Mountain Range!!!

BKASC: Kristiansand

2007-04-22T11:51:00.000+01:00

Today's Better Know a Scandinavian City, "The Town that Shall Stand," Kristiansand:

Kristiansand was founded by King Christian IV, who in 1641 said "here the town shall stand". It was created as a market town to encourage growth in this area of strategic significance, providing a local economic base for construction of fortifications and population for defense of the area (see Swedish dominance).

The wilderness of Kristiansand

Norway has the distinct territorial claim to the many miles of North Sea on its cost. It just so happens that in the 1960's, a vast oil field was discovered under these waters, which settled Norway's economic woes for the foreseeable future. Norway is the 3rd largest exporter of oil in the world. They smartly invested all this income into The Norwegian Government Petroleum Fund, and the country's residents have been living off of their oil profits ever since (thanks to their socialized welfare government). One would think gas would be cheap in a country such as this, but to encourage innovation and conservation, prices for petrol in Norway are the highest in all of Europe. (for more oil related goodness, read this)

In the spirit of nature, I'm riding a bear

Whilst the cities of Norway (especially Kristiansand) leave much to be desired, it is their vast expanses of nature that left me wanting more. No wonder their cities are lacking... the residents prefer to spend their time in nature skiing, hiking, and otherwise living life.

Like a Norwegian, I don't need much to enjoy life...

Norwegians are very kind, helpful, and most of all, fun-loving. They don't need fancy cars or high-rise apartments, they have all they need with their cross country skis and their faithful dingy .

My ship, the "SS Quit Playing with your Dingy"

BKASC: Oslo

2007-04-21T14:51:00.000+01:00

Today's Better Know a Scandinavian City, the most expensive city in the world: Oslo.

Oslo is the capitol of modern Norway, and home to about 800,000 Oslites. It was once a city of vast importance to the Danish/Norwegian alliance against the Swedish empire in the 16th century (yes, it took two empires to stand up against Sweden). As it seems for every old city, in 1624 a fire devastated old Oslo, and the city was rebuilt some kilometers west.

Expansion of the Swedish Empire

As we later found out, Norway isn't about the city life, it is about the nature that surrounds the cities. Whilst Oslo is beautiful in its own respect, the true beauty of Oslo comes into perspective when one ventures outside of the walls.

Oslo Port

Oslo was home to the 1952 Winter Olympics, which found their home among the many mountains and slopes of the glacier carved land. No wonder Norway has won more medals than any country for cross-country skiing!

Got Skis?

Oslo was the home of famed painter, Edvard Munch. His childhood was spent surrounded by the death of family members, which may attribute to the style of his paintings.

"Sickness, insanity and death were the angels that surrounded my cradle and they have followed me throughout my life." -Munch

The Edvard Munch Museum is home to over 1,100 Munch works (The Scream however is not on display as we found out, because it had been recently stolen and damaged)

Munch's Scream, recreated on a building

As we soon found out, the best of Norway was yet to come... stay tuned for a special feature, "Better Know a Scandinavian Mountain Range."

BKASC: Sarpsborg

2007-04-20T16:13:00.000+01:00

Today's Better Know a Scandinavian City, and home of the original Bakkelund: Sarpsborg

Sarpsborg was founded by the Viking King Olav Haraldsson in 1016. Unfortunately most of the old city ended up in the river Glomma, after a mudslide between 1200-1400. The city was rebuilt at a safer location but was burnt down to the ground by the Swedish invaders in 1567 (are you getting the common theme here?)

Welcome to Sarpsborg

Sarpsborg is officially the brightest city in Norway, when it was declared the sunniest place in the entire country for the year 2005. I'm going to have to agree with them, as the one day we were there, the sun shone down on us.

The city was home to the family Bakkelund, before they immigrated around 1900 to America. The literal meaning of the name Bakkelund is, "hill-grove." A fairly accurate description of the Bakkelund that I know.

Jon, the first Bakkelund to return to the homeland.

The city is a blue collar economy, with many of its 50,000 inhabitants working industrial jobs. It is also home to Borg beer brewery, the most famous of the Norwegian Pilsners.

Bakkelund drinking a Borg in Sarpsborg, now there is a Norwegian scene

It is fairly clear why the Bakkelunds left Sarpsborg, as the city isn't much to look at. What is ironic however, is that the Norwegian countryside looks EXACTLY the same as the Wisconsin countryside. I guess people stick to what is familiar to them. Take a walk in Sarpsborg by clicking here.

Vestvannet Lake (Fjord?)

BKASC: Gothenburg

2007-04-19T15:37:00.000+01:00

Today's Better Know a Scandinavian City: Gothenburg

The city of Gothenburg was named after the Geats, famous from their portrayal in Beowulf. It is centrally located between the Norwegan stronghold in Oslo, and the Danish stronghold in Kobenhavn.

Goteborg

Because of its geographical location, the modern city is home to the most important port in Scandinavia. The city is also home to Gothenburg University and the Chalmers University of Technology, which together make Gothenburg the largest university city in Scandinavia.

A replica of the sailing ship Götheborg departed for China in a recreation of the historical 18th century trade route to the Chinese city of Guangzhou.

Economically, the city is home to the headquarters of Volvo (latin for "I roll"). Volvo, or "woll woll" in Swedish, is the worlds leading producer of heavy trucks, and is famous for their safety innovations such as the modern three-point seatbelt.

The Familiar Volvo Grill

The cuisine of the area is obviously rich in fish, and has become famous worldwide for the Feskekôrka ("Fish Church"), an indoor fish market. The city also has a number of star chefs – over the past decade, 7 of the Swedish Chef of the Year Awards have been won by Gothenburgers.

The Swedish Chef

The Swedish Eater

A walk along the port is common for Gothenburgers. The dialect of the Gothenburgers is, according to other Swedes, associated with cheerfulness and witty humor. No wonder I felt so at home there!

Gothenburg Harbor

BKASC: Malmö

2007-04-18T14:35:00.001+01:00

Today's Better Know a Scandinavian City: Malmö

Malmö was originally settled as a Danish city in 1275, and was for many centuries Denmark's second largest city (after Kobenhavn). It remained a Danish city until the 17th century, when Sweden royally raped and pillaged what was left of Denmark, and took 1/2 of Denmark's territory. Because of this intense war history, Malmö served as a key military port throughout the Scandinavian wars.

King Karl X Gustav of Sweden, who took the city from Danish dominion

Wars aside, Malmö is now Sweden's third most populous city, and is located on the southernmost region of Sweden. Its close ties with Denmark have remained, and in 1999, a bridge was built connecting Copenhagen to Malmö. Many residents of Malmö choose to live in Malmö and commute 20 minutes by train to work in Copenhagen (given the opportunity, who wouldn't want to live in Sweden?)

The bridge-tunnel Oresund, the longest combined road and rail bridge in Europe.

Upon first arrival, it is not easy to distinguish Sweden from Denmark, but the subtle differences are what make Sweden the best country on Earth (citation needed).

Jon, seconds after entering Sweden: "I wonder how long it will be until we see our first IKEA?"
Ben: "There's one!" (pointing to an IKEA)

After soaking up a lifetime of Swedish identity, I walked into a local church, and high school choir of Swedish girls were singing a hymn of Heaven on earth (I can only assume). Not a bad way to spend my first moments in the homeland.

Blonde haired women grow on trees and Swedish meatballs rain from the sky in this land of milk and sweet lingonberry honey.

Malmö is home to Scandinavia's tallest building, the Turning Torso. Don't be too surprised if I come home with a 6,000 kroner mortgage for a flat in this beauty.

The design gives the building the appearance of a vine twisting its way up a pole toward the sun.

Great Scandinavian city, or greatest Scandinavian city? ...it's too early for me to judge.

One need not sightsee or worry about visiting all the important landmarks while in Malmö, just sit back and take in the beauty.

BKASC: Kobenhavn (Copenhagen)

2007-04-17T09:15:00.000+01:00

Today's Better Know a Scandinavian City: Kobenhavn

Kobenhaven is Denmark's largest city, with 1.8 million Danes living in the greater Kobenhavn area. The name Kovenhavn, literally translates to merchants harbor, and it couldn't be more true.

Denmark

The city is situated on the Island of Sjælland, which is connected to the rest of Denmark by the Great Belt Fixed Link, which is the worlds second longest suspension bridge. The two towers that make up the bridge are actually the highest points in all of Denmark.

Despite being an expensive city to live in, it has been rated the number 10 city in the world to live in. It is home to Strøget, the longest pedestrian shopping street in the world, which does not disappoint (if you like shopping.) I also made my European debut at a karaoke bar on this street, which will quickly become known as "The street Ben made his big break."

Strøget at Night

Perhaps the biggest draw of the city, however, is the port and its surrounding waters. The city was founded by Vikings around 1167, so a location along the water and trade routes was vital.

Viking Ship Museum

The area of the city known as Nyhavn is home to the famous colored buildings along the harbor, which today offer a variety of places to eat. The north side of the port used to be called the naughty side, with sailors visiting small flats during their shore leave. The south, or nice side of the port was home to the markets which sailors sold their goods at.

Nyhavn

A controversial portion of the city, known as Christiania, cannot be described, but is rather experienced. The neighborhood covers 85 acres in Copenhagen and is home to 850 pseudo-residents in the "lawless" city (recently regulations on hard drugs have been enforced by Copenhagen Politi). This "Freetown" has established semi-legal status as an independent community, and has been passed as a social experiment by the Danish Government.

A walk down pusher street

Who could forget that Hans Christian Anderson comes from Denmark? Many of his stories were inspired by the sights and sounds in Denmark.

"Far out at sea the water´s as blue as the petals of the loveliest cornflower, and as clear as the purest glass; but it´s very deep, deeper than any anchor can reach. Many church steeples would have to be piled up one above the other to reach from the bottom of the sea to the surface. Right down there live the sea people."

Den Lille Havfrue (The Little Mermaid)

Also born and buried in Copenhagen was famous Philosopher, the Father of Existentialism, Søren Kierkegaard.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."

Kierkegaard's Grave

It is easy to see why the arts have flourished in this city, and it has quickly become the cultural center of Scandinavia. A stroll down Nyhavn Vej clearly gave and continues to give inspiration to all that walk in its path.

BKASC: Billund

2007-04-16T16:05:00.000+01:00

Scandinavian Cities... they all have their charms. In today's installment of the 436 part series, "Better Know a Scandinavian City," Billund.

Billund is home of The Lego Group, where 90% of the world's Legos are produced. Billund is also home to Legoland, consisting of Duplo Land, ImaginationZone, LEGOREDO Town, Adventure Land, Miniland, Pirate Land, Lego City, Knights Kingdom and Viking land.

The park opened in 1968 and sees 1.6 million visitors annually. The original part of the park is home to acres and acres of Lego creations, from a scale model of the Statue of Liberty to a life-sized elephant.

Take a stroll down Lego Lane and you'll see replicas of cities such as Copenhagen, Amsterdam, London, New York, and Tokyo.

Don't forget the "It's a Small World" lazy boat tour through the Lego world.

The modernized portion of the park has rides such as the Lego Teacups and the LegoBuilder. The LegoBuilder is essentially a GM car building robot arm with a harness attached to the end.

No trip to Legoland would be complete without a snapshot with one of the seemingly hundreds of Lego Princesses present in the park (the more Lego bricks used to make the Lego Crown, the more beautiful the princess)

I handed in my application as a Lego architect, and am anxiously waiting to hear back. I think being a Lego Prince in Legoland has moved up to number 1 on my list of things to do when I grow up (which obviously isn't going to happen for a while!)

All of Legoland can be enjoyed here.

Intorducing: Better know a Scandinavian City...

2007-04-16T11:17:00.000+01:00

I have returned from the grand tour of Scandinavia... Stay tuned for a new original series: Better know a Scandinavian City.

Check-in from Oslo...

2007-04-07T08:48:00.000+01:00

Easter is upon us! Happy Easter to all readers, and look forward to some wonderful Easter pics from Norway, Sweden, ect... Here are some appitizers from Germany, Denmark, and Sweden...

Click on the thumbnails on the right to view the cities...

I'm going "home..."

2007-03-30T22:51:00.000+01:00

This is Murtorpet. My Great-Great Grandfather, Carl August Johansson was born and raised on this farm. At the Age of 24, he packed up his things and Emigrated with his family to America in 1890.

Tomorrow I begin my pilgrimage back to my homeland. This is probably the most exciting trip of my life... I hope I will be able to see the farm, and meet some of my relatives that did not emigrate to America.

Updates over the next two weeks may be sparatic, but look forward to some awesome pictures and a general GREAT time!

US 'no longer technology king'

2007-03-29T14:55:00.000+01:00

BBC NEWS | Business | US 'no longer technology king': "US 'no longer technology king'

The US has lost its position as the world's primary engine of technology innovation, according to a report by the World Economic Forum."
The US is now ranked seventh in the body's league table measuring the impact of technology on the development of nations.

A deterioration of the political and regulatory environment in the US prompted the fall, the report said.

The top spot went for the first time to Denmark, followed by Sweden.

Countries were judged on the integration of technology in business, the infrastructure available, government policy favourable for fostering a culture of innovation and progress and leadership in promoting the usage of the latest information technology tools.

The Networked Readiness Index, the sixth of its kind published by the World Economic Forum with Insead, the Paris-based business school, scrutinised progress in 122 economies worldwide.

Despite losing its top position, the US still maintained a strong focus on innovation, driven by one of the world's best tertiary education systems and its high degree of co-operation with industry, the report said.

NETWORKED READINESS INDEX RANKINGS 2006 (2005)
1: Denmark (3)
2: Sweden (8)
3: Singapore (2)
4: Finland (5)
5: Switzerland (9)
6: Netherlands (12)
7: US (1)
8: Iceland (4)
9: UK (10)
10: Norway (13)
Source: WEF

The country's efficient market environment, conducive to the availability of venture capital, and the sophistication of financial markets, was also given recognition.

Denmark is now regarded as the world leader in technological advancement, with its Nordic neighbours Sweden, Finland and Norway claiming second, fourth and 10th place respectively.

"Denmark, in particular, has benefited from the very effective government e-leadership, reflected in early liberalization of the telecommunications sector, a first-rate regulatory environment and large availability of e-government services," said Irene Mia, senior economist at World Economic Forum.

European countries to make the top 20 included Switzerland in fifth place, the Netherlands, one of the most improved in sixth, the UK (nine), Germany (16), Austria (17) and Estonia (20).

While countries from Asia and the Pacific continued to progress, the powerhouse economies of China and India both showed a downward trend.

India was four positions down on last year to 44th, suffering from weak infrastructure and a very low level of individual usage of personal computers and the internet.

China was knocked to 59th place, nine positions down, with information technology uptake in Chinese firms lagging.

You win second prize in a beauty contest... collect $10.

2007-03-28T13:03:00.000+01:00

I have lived here in Denmark for about two months now, and I have come to appreciate many things. Sure they don't have million dollar houses and Hummers. They don't have attics and sheds full of unused possessions. They don't even have Kellogg's Captain Crunch! What they do have though, is a population of people that are kind, helpful, and most of all, humble. They live one of the highest standards of living in the world, without relying on their possessions. They appreciate what they have, and care a great deal about what they have been given.

My favorite saying of the Danish people is,

"Denmark: Where few have too much, and even fewer too little."

I think we have a lot to learn from this place I now call home.

Innovative Danes

2007-03-27T21:26:00.000+01:00

Warning... slightly NSFW (Not Safe for Work)... European style nudity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPoOK7_2tts

Early Morning Theory

2007-03-27T15:21:00.000+01:00

In my lawnmower induced awakening too early this morning, I came across this article that clearly describes me (I just signed up for my MU classes, and I don't have any before 12:00 every day):

Being on the B-list will no longer be a sign of being second rate at one Copenhagen secondary school - just a late riser

Starting this autumn semester, students at HF Centret Efterslogten in Copenhagen's North-west district can forget about setting their alarms.

HF Centret, a secondary school preparing people for certain professions falling outside those offered at universities, will offer a test group of type-B students classes starting at 12:30 pm. The school plans to extend the programme to an entire year starting in 2008, offering a complete 10-5 format.

The initiative was started by the B-society, an association that supports type-B people and helps promote their lifestyle. According to society president Camilla Kring the group's school's initiative is the start of a 'revolution'.

'It's fantastic and we expect the trend to catch on elsewhere. We want to have B-grade schools, B-high schools and B-nursery schools. This is only the first step on the path.'

The B-movement has exploded since Jyllands-Posten newspaper published an article about the Copenhagen-based association in January, when B-Society had a mere 67 members. It now has 3880 members, including many from Sweden and Norway.

Studies show that up to 25 percent of the population are B-types, who normally prefer staying up later in the evenings and sleeping late in the mornings.

Ole Vadmand, a student counsellor at the school, said the idea of later classes benefits everyone, not just the students.

'None of our students or teachers have to go out and milk the cows anymore, so there's no reason to continue to living in a society modelled after agrarian routines.'

Vadmand said that when he first mentioned the idea of later classes to his students, the clear response was that nearly all of them wanted them - not just the B-types.

Kring said she is looking into starting another association for A-types, which make up some 15 percent of the population.

Is the grass greener on the other side?

2007-03-27T09:46:00.000+01:00

I've been hearing how warm it is back home, but how long and green is your grass? Every Tuesday morning since I have been here, Søren has fired up the græs gennemskæring (lawnmower) at 8:00AM to cut the long, thick, green grass here. Winter never really happened here, and the grass never stopped growing. So I ask you, readers... is the grass really greener on the other side?

American English

2007-03-26T16:02:00.000+01:00

I came across this little worksheet stuck in a bush in front of the elementary school right outside my flat. I guess this explains why all the Danes speak English so well... they learn it starting right in elementary school from this handy little "American English" work book. With only 5.5 million Danes, they are forced to be bilingual, which would be an understatement considering most of them also speak Swedish and/or German (which are not as similar as I was lent to believe.) In high school, they choose another language to take another four years of (mainly French or Spanish.) Danish, German, English, Spanish, French, Swedish, German... I don't know how they keep them all straight, but then again, I am a student of the American education system.

Hike to Horuphav

2007-03-24T20:45:00.000+01:00

So I woke up in an ambitious mood this morning... It helped that the sun was shining in my window for the first time in awhile. I strapped my backpack full of sandwiches, water, and reading material for a hike to an unknown destination. There is a trail-head not far from home, so I hopped on the trail and was off. I won't try to explain it, just take a look at the photos.

Smart Danes

2007-03-24T11:53:00.000+01:00

It seems as if the Danes have made a wise decision as to not invest billions into the US's Federal Debt fund. As a matter of fact, the Danes have no national debt of their own to worry about, thanks to the robust economy and the efficient Danish economic model!

American?: Passport Discrimination

2007-03-22T21:30:00.000+01:00

EU passports are maroon, US passports are blue. There are probably a million bureaucratic reasons why, but it is also an efficient way to instantly spot a US citizen. I have noticed throughout my travels that in airports, people wait around in queues with their passports in hand. As if there weren't 589 other ways to identify Americans, this makes us easy to spot (stay tuned for the other 588 ways!)

The Copenhagen Post

2007-03-21T23:27:00.000+01:00

The Copenhagen Post: "A call to build a 44 km bridge connecting the Danish mainland with the island of Zealand is being labelled as 'visionary' by politicians. But the proposal, according to the traffic minister, Flemming Hansen, is way ahead of its time and will have to wait until a bridge between Denmark and Germany is completed."

Traffic engineers called on politicians Monday to scrap proposed plans for a 19 km link over the Femharn Belt and instead focus on a link that would drastically reduce travel time between the country's two largest cities, Copenhagen and Århus.

Denmark and Germany are in the midst of negotiations over a Fehmarn link and Hansen said that while he couldn't rule out the new proposal, the bridge to Germany took priority.

'The Fehmarn Bridge will connect Scandinavia with the rest of Europe,' he said, noting that a bridge would cut 155 km off a trip to Hamburg.

Hansen added that this was not the first time a bridge across the Kattegat waterway had been proposed, but that he would nevertheless ask the Infrastructure Commission, which is to look at Denmark's traffic infrastructure needs for the next three decades, to consider the plan.

Other MPs agreed that the time to build a Kattegat bridge was not now.

'It's very visionary,' said Kristian Pihl Lorentzen, traffic spokesperson for the PM's Liberal Party. 'But it is also a gigantic proposal that we're not ready to take up just yet.'

The opposition Social Democrats felt the proposal was worth looking into, but agreed that a Fehmarn bridge was still most important.

Traffic engineer Uffe Jacobsen said on Monday that up to five times as many cars would pass over a Kattegat link between Jutland and Zealand than a southern link. The distance between the two regions would also be reduced by about 150 km.

Currently, both stretches are directly linked by ferry service.

Taxes: Have you filed?

2007-03-21T01:20:00.000+01:00

We're getting close to that April 15th deadline, so I hope you have all done your taxes. As a diversion to your W4's and 1040's, I offer this bit of insight. In Denmark, every item purchased is charged a 25% value added tax (VAT). Regardless of what the item is: food, cars, medicine, clothes. Imagine the price of that new Ford Focus you have been eying if you add a 25% tax to the sticker price (not to mention the 25% duty paid to purchase a new car). The sticker price on a VW Golf in Denmark after VAT & duty, 234.000 DKK ($41,844USD). You could get a Mid-level BMW for that in the US!

Now stop complaining about how much the government is taking from you in taxes and file already!

Danish Whisperer

2007-03-20T00:41:00.000+01:00

It is very hard to whisper in Danish. Be it the gutteral tones or the clearing of the throat, it isn't a language to be spoken lightly or quietly. Please use your 12 inch voices to gossip during classes...

St. Patrick Who?

2007-03-19T00:10:00.000+01:00

Apparently, St. Patrick didn't do much for Danes, because they had no idea what St. Patrick's Day was. One Danish guy commented, "is that the day people dye their beer green and drink the whole day?" Despite this being "Swede in America," I am also a little Irish, so it was a shame not to be able to celebrate this day. We did however make a bathtub full of glogg, so I learned a new tradition, be it related to St. Patrick or not.

Day 4-5: Paris

2007-03-17T13:13:00.000+01:00

Ah, Peri. Beauty and the Beast nailed it. The neighborhood our hostel was in was quite charming, with little cafes and fruit stands surrounding the area. I was just waiting for the town to burst into song. I would have to say that the Eiffel Tower isn't all that impressive, but the Arc de Triomphe more than makes up for it. It must have been from all those years of watching Le Tour de France. I could feel the electricity as thousands of fans lined the streets to see the 2,200 mile race come to an end on the Champs-Elysées. Moulin Rouge is hardly impressive at 8:00AM, but I would imagine the area becomes Vegas like at night. There really isn't enough time in the day to see all that is to see in The Louvre. The more I saw, the more I wanted to see... the cathedral of large-scale French paintings, mainly the 20x32 foot Coronation of Napoleon by David, gives you goose-bumps in its shear scale yet such detail. The 2000 year old statue Venus de Milo was another unexpected gem, further making me want to visit Greece while here. The Seated Scribe, one of the oldest works I have seen, was also an impressive look at another destination I would like to see, Egypt. The Mona Lisa didn't disappoint, as I knew ahead of time it would be small and unimpressive.

Day 3-4: London

2007-03-17T12:14:00.000+01:00

Mind the Gap! I took an early morning stroll while James caught up on sleep. When I crossed the Victoria Bridge, I was angered to see a huge sign hanging from Big Ben, obstructing the view to my Tower. Greenpeace had hung a huge sign in protest of WMD's in England. As I made my way towards Parliament Square, I came across another riot of sorts (well more of a protest than a riot.) Parliament was voting that same day on the decision to upgrade Briton's aging nuclear arsenal for the year 2022. I struck up a conversation with a member of Greenpeace, and marched around the block a few times with the calm mob. After my protesting itch was scratched, I went back to get James. We made our way to see Buckingham Palace, and were surprised to see not the changing of the guard, but something much bigger and grander. The President of Ghana was in town to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ghana's independence from the UK, and there was no shortage of spirit. Ghanese people lined the streets as hundreds of guard mounted white horses made their way down the streets, followed by golden chariots carrying England's Queen and the President of Ghana. So yes I was England and I didn't see the changing of the guard, but I think what we saw was much more memorable! I did however miss my chance to pose, Austin Powers style with a guard, as the square was closed for the celebrations.

We wandered all over the city, seeing the usual sights, and as dusk was approaching, took a commuter boat up and down The River Thames. This is a must do, as you cannot really enjoy London Bridge until you pass under it and view it from the river. The most beautiful thing I had seen... so far.

Day 1-2: Copenhagen

2007-03-17T11:36:00.000+01:00

I thought it might be easier to remember and describe the trip if I went day by day. The trip actually started Saturday night at 23:00 when I left Sonderborg station to catch a train to Copenhagen. I had a 3 hr. layover in Fredericia where I slept among the business men in the station, waiting to catch the 3:06AM train into Copenhagen. We arrived just as the sun was rising over beautiful Copenhagen (yes, the sun does shine in Denmark), and I walked the streets as bikes begun to flood the streets. I then made my way to the airport to meet James for his early morning arrival. While waiting, I picked up a copy of the Copenhagen Post to read more about the riots that had been ravaging Copenhagen over the destruction of a youth center (Ungdomshuset), home of 800 leftist squatters. The smell of fire and the sight of demolition were evident in the streets. Police were everywhere, and I later found out that I was lucky to have made it by train from the south of Denmark, as students from Germany and The Netherlands were denied access to the city just hours before I arrived.

After observing the chaos, we made our way to Freetown Christiania. Christiania's Mission Statement: "The objective of Christiania is to create a self-governing society whereby each and every individual holds themselves responsible over the wellbeing of the entire community. Our society is to be economically self-sustaining and, as such, our aspiration is to be steadfast in our conviction that psychological and physical destitution can be averted." The rules in this community are, "no hard drugs, no guns, no violence and no cars."

We then made it just in time to Amalienborg Palace for the changing of the guard. Having seen a few other royal guards, these Danish guardians of the Queen are packing some pretty big guns compared to the paltry swords of the Czech guard. The parade of music and marching is quite the ordeal, but only takes place if the Queen is in residence (lucky us!)

On to London...

Goodbye again...

2007-03-10T00:33:00.000+01:00

Well I'm off again, this time for a week to Copenhagen, London, and Paris. Be prepared for a bank update once I return... this trip promises to be pricey.

Highlights of this EuroTrip

Copenhagen: The Little Mermaid, Nationalmuseet, Nyhaven Waterway, Radhuspladsen (city hall), Royal Palace, Statens Museet du Kuns, Christiana, and Tivoli.
London: Buckingham Palace, London Eye, London Bridge, Piccadillys Circus, Tower of London (AKA Big Ben), Westminster Abbey, Wimbledon.
Paris: I have no idea yet, leave me alone so I can finish planning... I leave in a few hours!

Denmark vs. Wisconsin

2007-03-08T17:17:00.000+01:00

	Denmark	Wisconsin
Climate	Temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers	Continental; cold, windy winters, humid mild summers
High Elevation	567 feet	1,951 feet
Low Elevation	22 feet	581 feet
Economy	Agriculture: Dairy, Cattle, Hogs Industry: machinery, food processing, paper products	Agriculture: Dairy, Cattle, Fish Industry: food processing, machinery and transportation equipment, electronics
Population	5.4 million	5.5 million
Date of Statehood	1849	1848
GDP (USD)	$256 billion	$300 billion

I'm Learnding

2007-03-07T17:30:00.000+01:00

Nothing much to report here, as I have reported back to the school world. Back on the MU front, I have received notice of what credits I will get from being here: MANA181, ECON156, ENTP151, FINA181, BULA127. This leaves me with 24 credits left to take once/if I return to Marquette, which means I should be able to coast my way into the real world. I have really begun to value my American education, because the schooling is not nearly as grueling and rewarding in Denmark. It is painful to realize how much we really cover back home compared to the depth here. I can see why there are so many international students in the US, as the education received there really is better ($24,000 vs. free better... that is debatable). You do get what you pay for. That being said, one would be stupid not to take advantage of going abroad for a semester to learn about themselves and the rest of the world.

Si Si!

2007-03-06T17:18:00.000+01:00

Madrid was beautiful. The key word there is "was," because I have returned home to rain and cold again in Denmark. The sun shone in our 17th century church turned hostel every morning, and brought with it the spirit of Madrid. The list of places I planned to go to was met with great success, along with a few other exciting things. The three museums in Madrid did not disappoint: El Prado, Rena Sophia, Thyssen. I would have to say I enjoyed El Prado the most, because it included an entire floor of Goya, my favorite artist (thanks to Mr. J for exposing us to art in AP Euro History). It was very easy to get around the city in the metro, with trains running from each station every three minutes. Each afternoon we took a siesta in El Retiro, the most famous park in Madrid, to "tomar sol" (take sun). On Sunday morning, we went to El Rastro, which is the HUGE market that stretches on for miles in the streets. The shopper that I am, I bought absolutely nothing, but it was amazing to browse around and watch as thousands of thousands (no exaggeration) people filled the streets. I was pleasantly surprised how much Spanish I remembered, and I was able to keep up with the fast speaking locals when they spoke. Whenever I said something however, it took a while to conjugate the verbs and all the other dreaded high school memories of taking Spanish. It was sad when I returned to Denmark and was no longer able to understand anything being said around me. I also made my way to Bernabeu, the most famous football stadium in the world. Whilst I wasn't present during a match, I could feel the presence of 80,000 fans screaming their traditional chant for Real Madrid. Molly and Mal were great hosts during my stay, in spite of their suffering from the Spanish flu. I was greeted with great fanfare to find a huge sign hung at the reception desk of my hostel welcoming me. It was great to see some Americans, not to mention great friends! Check out all of the pics here.

Spain (part 1 of x)

2007-03-01T16:34:00.000+01:00

I leave for Spain in about 20 hours, and I am unsure about my ability to blog while there, so this may be it for the weekend. Sixty-eight degrees, mostly sunny while I am in Madrid... finally some time with Mr. Sun! The list of places I plan to go:

Museo del Prado
Museo Reina Sofia
Museo Thyson
Plalacio Real
La Almudena
El Retiro
El Plaza Mayor
Bernabeu (estadio de futbol)

Obviously I plan on sharing churros and chocolate with my Senoritas Mal and Molly while there, along with some Tapas. I am also looking forward to testing out my Spanish from high school. I'll try to make you proud Mrs. Fischer!

I guess they're sick of me...

2007-02-28T18:09:00.000+01:00

I guess they have had enough of me, because they just passed a Danish law requiring immigrants to pass a test to gain citizenship. This isn't because of me, but rather a direct response to the flood of Arabs moving to Denmark and refusing to learn the language and assimilate the culture:

Starting in May, foreigners will have to pass a citizenship test to earn a Danish passport and the right to vote in parliamentary elections

The Integration Ministry unveiled a test Tuesday that any foreigner will have to pass in order to be granted citizenship. While the test is currently being evaluated at language schools, the ministry made its 200 questions and answers available on the internet so foreigners could bone up on the test before having to take it. A quick scan of the test revealed a mix of questions in 11 areas ranging from the Danish royalty, local geography and the economy. When the test goes into use in May, applicants will have 60 minutes to answer 35 of the standard questions as well as five problems dealing with current events. Applicants must correctly answer 28 questions to pass the test. And while they can re-take the test as many times as they wish, the test costs DKK 600 to take. Reactions to the citizenship test have been mixed. A number of politicians and education experts have suggested it concentrates too much on obscure historical and political details that even full-blooded Danes might have difficulty answering correctly. Several university students, for example, struggled to pass the test when Dato newspaper administered it to them. One student, Patrick, only managed to answer 29 questions correctly and admitted he found the test difficult. 'I learned about a lot of the things it asks in school, but I've forgotten them again,' he said. Another student, Natalia, felt the test concentrated too much on history. 'I would like to see more questions about current events. Whether people follow major issues up for debate says more about people's actual integration,' she said.

I've got sunshine...

2007-02-27T17:26:00.000+01:00

I've got sunshine, on a ~~cloudy~~ sunny day! For the first time in what seems to be weeks, I awoke to a sunrise in Sonderborg. When the bright sun appeared upon my face at 7:07 AM this morning, I knew it was going to be a great day! I went for my daily jog, and took some amazing pictures of the morning sunrise. Enjoy them all at this link.

Teacher of the Month: February

2007-02-26T18:41:00.000+01:00

The teacher of the Month for February: Esben Holstein. Not only is his accent hilarious, his mannerisms are priceless. Kind of like a lanky, jovial Mr. Bean, he manages to keep Finance and Investment somewhat interesting (considering I've already taken this at MU.) As a matter of luck, I also have Esben for EU Integration on the same day. He has done an excelent job in explaining the EU to an outsider of the Union, and as a side note, not many people actually understand the EU, citizens included.

One interesting and slightly annoying thing about the educational system here in Denmark, is the informal setting in the classroom. I never thought I would say this, but I prefer a professor to lecture and ask questions of the students, not the other way around. All of the Danish students address the professor by their first name, and interrupt them whenever they feel they have something to say (which seems to happen a lot.) It is impossible to establish any kind of flow when the students just start talking all the time with something they think is important. I guess the raise-your-hand-till-your-arm-goes-numb-
switching-arm-to-arm-leaning-on-desk-
shouting-pick-me-pick-me strategy really does work!

Post Script: The attached video is hilarious. All Facebook readers follow this link for the full effect of this post.

China vs. The Rest of the World

2007-02-25T22:10:00.000+01:00

It's 40 degrees and raining, what would you do? Well we at SDU decided to play a match on the soggy pitch of Amtsgymnasiet. The teams were divided based upon if you were Chinese or not. Since there are so many Chinese students here, they decided they wanted to take on the world in a match of football (that's soccer for all of my American readers.) We had enough for 10 man teams, and enough sludge and mud for about 500. Long story short, it helps to have an average of one foot on the Chinese players, and the internationals were just to much for the Chinese to handle. By the end of the match, everyone had fallen into the enormous mud puddle at midfield, and shared not only the same coat of mud but the same satisfaction of having represented our respective countries.

Fumar puede matar

2007-02-25T00:13:00.000+01:00

Translation... smoking may kill you. That is the warning label that is printed in huge letters on a box of cigarettes from Spain. A little less subtle than the tiny fine print in the corner of an American pack. Does it scare people? Not here in Europe! I think about 70% of the people I have met here smoke, and when I say smoke, I mean like a chimney of a French power plant. Have I become an a asmatic victim of second hand smoke? Not yet, but it isn't out of the question...

London, Paris

2007-02-22T16:47:00.000+01:00

More Marquette Madness... James, my co-RA from McCormick took my double dog dare bet and is flying to Copenhagen on March 11-16. We are spending two days in each of Copenhagen, London, and Paris... which means we don't have much time to sleep! In true Allen adventure style, nothing is out of bounds, and if something isn't too much out of the way (or even if it is), you can bet your bippy we're going to swing by and see everything! Intended itinerary to follow...

Iraq soldiers coming home

2007-02-21T15:22:00.000+01:00

The prime minister put forth a withdrawal plan today that will bring Danish troops home from Iraq

All Danish soldiers in Iraq will be home in August, Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced at a press meeting today.

At a press conference this afternoon, Rasmussen said the Danish withdrawal was co-ordinated to co-incide with a British drawdown announced earlier today. The Danish battalion in Basra in southern Iraq falls under British command.

In addition, no new rotations of troops will me made, as the last unit was just recently deployed.

-CPHPOST.DK

Ask The Readers: What does the sun look like?

2007-02-21T12:44:00.000+01:00

So here we are in another week of darkness, and I would like to ask you the readers: What does the sun look like? Post descriptions (full of imagery) in the comments.

Laundry Season: that time of the month

2007-02-20T17:38:00.000+01:00

It comes around every month or so, and boy do we hate it... laundry season. That one time a month where your day is consumed with moving loads from one machine to the next, taking out some things as not to shrink them, hang some things to air dry... the list goes on and on. When I showed up to the laundry machine in our building to feed the beast that is the washing machine... well lets just say Denmark is way ahead in the field of washing machine technology. First of all, never worry again about planning your day around doing laundry at 2:00AM on a Friday like in the crowded dorm laundry rooms back in the US. Here in HK, a few days before that time of the month comes, just go to the machine you want reserve, insert your ID card, and a touchscreen guided system shows you the times available to reserve your machines. It is so simple, yet revolutionary. Secondly, the machine dispenses its own detergent, fabric softener, and bounce sheets... automatically, right into the machine, in just the right amount for your selected load. No more lugging that 38 gallon value sized detergent bottle up and down the hall! But the burning question here is does all this sweet technology make doing laundry any less terrible? My answer: absolutely not... To those of you that leave this task up to a loved one, show them you care by buying them a car or something... god knows they deserve it.

A word about volume...

2007-02-20T00:11:00.000+01:00

If I'm allowed to stereotype (and this is my blog, so I can), I would have to say that of all the exchange and regular students here, Spaniards are by far the loudest people in the world. Fernando (my neighbor), is having some friends over for the week, and when you get five or six of them in a room together... it is crazy. By contrast, I have never seen a Swede, Dane, or Norwegian student with their doors open screaming at each other. For example, my Danish neighbor prefers to use the kitchen when nobody else is in there, whereas the Spaniards and Frenchmen all flock to the kitchen at the same time to cook and what seems like fight with each other. It truly is a sight to be seen/heard when they all get in the kitchen together and have all 12 burners going and pasta everywhere. Whilst I do enjoy the comedic scene, I really can identify with my Scandinavian brethren when it comes to this style of social situations. It isn't that we are cold people, we just keep to ourselves more than Spaniards stumbling into your room 3:00AM with a "new" soccer cheer (sorry guys, I've heard that one from you a million times).

Voy a ir a Madrid!

2007-02-18T21:20:00.000+01:00

It's official... March 2 at 20:55 I depart for Madrid, Spain for a weekend with Madrileños Molly and Mallory. I will be staying at backpacker stop Cat's Hostel, and visiting all of Madrid's finest. Do they really piss in the streets and take naps every afternoon? We'll see...

Weekend Update...

2007-02-18T19:06:00.000+01:00

Internet usage be damned, I'm back! Each week we are alloted 8GB of traffic on the internet, and apparently I went over that allowance shortly after my previous post. Streaming all those recorded Daily Shows and Colbert Reports back from the states must chew up a bunch of bandwidth... I'll be sure to be a little more conservative in that respect.

This weekend we stuck around town, and headed over to UK (the other dorm on campus). There certainly are more Danes and Swedes over in those parts, as here at HK, we consist of almost entirely international students. This weekend also marked the Chinese New Year, and Chinatown HK had enough sake and moon cakes to go around! The year of the pig promises to be a good one, I have been assured by Hai Chuan Li, AKA Joe (funny thing about Chinese people... they love to have English names to be called by, and Joe is no exception)

Well... school starts tomorrow 8:00, you know what that means! Until next time...

Calling all sheep...

2007-02-15T18:44:00.000+01:00

Kulning: "Kulning is an archaic style of singing/cattle call, traditionally employed outdoors in the grazing pastures of Scandinavia from the Middle Ages to this day. It consists of shepherdess's tunes, calls and tones of enticement, mainly used to keep contact with, and to call the cattle, but also to communicate with other people over long distances". Examples: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

Setteling in...

2007-02-14T19:09:00.000+01:00

So you have probably noticed that things have slowed down a bit... this is by no means an indicator of the level of fun/learning going on, just a little laziness on my part.
I just spoke to my adviser back at Marquette and have found out that I don't have to take two of the courses listed on my schedule, so I'm pretty excited about that. The course on Law has been very interesting, because a)I've never had a Law course before and b)it is interesting to learn about law outside of the sue-happy-states-of-america. The professor often makes little jokes about American law, and we're the only two that laugh. I also had to settle a class wide debate on the meaning of the word "indications," which I'm sure won't be the last time this happens. On the social front, we attended a high school party last night at "What about Bob's," and I'd say the future of Denmark is in good hands. I was wondering why every time I walked past the building labeled "gymnasium," there were bells ringing and beautiful girls everywhere with backpacks, but I learned that "gymnasium" means High School in Danish. Another Danish word I have learned is "Moin", which is in fact not Danish at all, but German. Since we are so close to the German border, people say "moin" when they meet, and "moin moin" when they part. These two words, plus "Skoal" and "Tak" will be a good base for my Danish language course which starts in a few weeks!

Sports Excitement

2007-02-12T17:11:00.000+01:00

So you have the SuperBowl... big deal, we have the Bunny Jumping Danish Championship! See the attached video to settle once and for all if Sir Wiggles McFurry can comeback again!

Århus

2007-02-12T15:41:00.000+01:00

What better to do for a weekend than go on a college road trip (dare I say EuroTrip). We all packed into Fabian's Peugot and hit the road for Århus. The pictures look terrible, as I was taking in all the beauty instead of the camera, but the drive was truly amazing. Going 200km/h on a misty day through the Danish countryside is something that can't be described. Beautiful is a start... The city contains 300,000 Danes, making it the second most populous city after Copenhagen. If I haven't said it enough times, Danes are a beautiful people! There is a direct correlation with the distance north you are from Sonderborg (i), and the attractiveness of the women, from i+sweden, where i=incredibly beautiful. (see.. I am paying attention in school!) We did the usual sightseeing in the city, and ate Kebab before the sun went down. From there, we went to a local pub to watch the Real Madrid match. It just so happens that the pub we were in was owned by Danish National Football star Stig Tofting. He was a really cool guy, and we had a round on the house when we said we were big fans of the Danish National Team (which in theory we are). No road trip would be complete with a visit to the local Discotek to soak up the atmosphere among other things. We concluded the evening sleeping in the car, as should with any road trip.

We're on a beer run...

2007-02-09T14:51:00.000+01:00

What do you do when the taxes on alcohol make buying it prohibitive... drive to Germany of course! Sonderborg is 15 minutes away from the German border, so a road trip to the border is a common occurrence for Danes. So common as a matter of fact, that there are stores run by Danes in Germany for just this purpose. Kinda like sex shops and fireworks at the Illinois border... and Danish residents get a discount by showing their residence permit. All prices are listed in Danish kroner and you pay with Danish kroner. Each person in the car can import 50 liters of beer, so we all piled in Fabians Peugeot and went to Flensborg, Germany.

Does anyone know CPR?

2007-02-07T16:13:00.000+01:00

No not that kind of CPR, det attesteres hermed, er titdelt folgende personnummer i det centrale personregister:

All citizens in Denmark are registered in the National Civil Register and have a CPR number (civil registry number)

When you register at the national registration office, you get a 10 digit CPR number. The first 6 digits are your date of birth (day, month, year) and the last 4 are the numbers that uniquely identify all people living in Denmark. The last digit identifies your gender – women have an even number, men an uneven.

I also chose my doctor at the time I applied for my civil registry number. My doctor while living here in the nationalized health care nation of Denmark is Johana Linsen. All doctor visits, surgeries, and perscriptions are covered by the government. Dental work is not, and is very expensive.

I'd tell you my CPR number, but then I'd have to kill you...

I'm from Holland. Isn't that vierd?

2007-02-06T21:39:00.000+01:00

Today was the first Tuesday of classes, with a four hour block of Danish Law in the afternoon. The Prof is a Danish lawyer with a specialty in foreign corporate disputes, which are very interesting considering many countries in the EU have very different policies regarding trademarks and such. The professor singled me out a few times as the only native English speaker to help describe law terms in a better way, which was kinda vierd. Speaking of vierd, I met a chap from Holland while playing pool this afternoon, and boy did Mike Meyers nail the stereotype in "Austin Powers: Goldmember." Not only did he say "vierd," but he laughed and acted exactly like in the movie. It'll be nice to ask him questions about Amsterdam before I go for a weekend excursion to the land of Windmills.

International Everything

2007-02-05T22:50:00.000+01:00

The good news is that 8:00 classes don't exist in Denmark. The bad news is that they have 8:15 classes. I start every week with Monday, 8:15 International Finance. The professor spent the first 30 minutes of class explaining why he uses an American text book and how he prefers the American style of writing textbooks. "American texts are much less booooring" (insert thick Danish.) I finish Mondays with a course entitled "Economics of International Integration," which is basically an European Union History/Law course. This course is going to be awesome, because in the US, we are taught absoutly nothing about the EU, so I am looking forward to learning more about trade and policy in this huge organization. Today's Lesson:

Year	History of European Union membership	No.
1957	Belgium France West Germany Italy Luxembourg Netherlands	6
1973	Denmark Ireland United Kingdom	9
1981	Greece	10
1986	Portugal Spain	12
1995	Austria Finland Sweden	15
2004	Cyprus Czech Republic Estonia Hungary Latvia Lithuania Malta Poland Slovakia Slovenia	25
2007	Bulgaria Romania	27