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Nordic Noir: 20 Scandinavian TV series to watch
The winner of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest was rightfully Sweden with the song “Tattoo”, performed by Loreen. Although Sweden won the jury vote and the overall competition, it actually came second in the public vote. Neighbouring Finland might have won the public vote, but came second overall (in my opinion, it should have come last). Sweden’s other neighbour, Norway, finished fifth, whereas Denmark and Iceland did not qualify for the final. Inspired by Eurovision, today I’m reflecting on the Scandinavian TV series (mostly crime dramas) I’ve recently watched (as well as some older ones). 20 Scandinavian TV series to watch I have previously written about Norwegian, Finnish and Icelandic TV series, but…
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Top 7 tips for a winter visit to Reykjavik
It all started a few months ago, when I attended an Icelandair-sponsored event in London. Iceland had already been on my bucket list for quite some time, but remained the only Nordic country (excluding the autonomous Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland Islands) I was yet to set foot to. In fact, I wanted (and still do) to visit the Land of Fire and Ice in the summer and go on a road trip around the country. Tempted, however, by an Icelandair promotional deal, I booked a 3-night round-trip to Reykjavik for mid-January, an ideal time to see the Northern Lights. The Northern Lights were spectacular – and my photos do…
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Kardemummakaka: Swedish cardamom cake
In Sweden (as well as in the rest of Scandinavia), Midsummer’s Eve is one of the most important days of the year. The celebrations involve a lot of dancing and of course eating and drinking. In 2021, it will be celebrated on Saturday 26 June, a few days after the summer solstice and the longest day of the year (at least in the Northern Hemisphere). To mark the occasion, I’ve decided to bake a moist and aromatic cardamom cake (known as kardemummakaka in Swedish). Cardamom is a widely used spice in Swedish recipes. In fact, cardamom buns (kardemummabullar) are an essential part of fika, the renowned Swedish coffee break. Fika is an essential part of…
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17 tips for 5 Norwegian cities
On the 17th of May 1814, the Constitution of Norway was signed, declaring the country as an independent kingdom. On the 17th of May 2000, an elderly assassin positioned himself at the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel in Oslo in an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Norway’s Crown Prince. Of course, this only happened in Jo Nesbø’s crime novel ‘Rødstrupe’ (‘The Redbreast’). The 17th of May, known as Syttende Mai (Seventeenth May) or Nasjonaldagen (National Day), is a day of national pride and festivities. Across the country, the streets are filled with people of all ages dressed in festive attire and celebrating. Having travelled to Norway many times in the last few…
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10 Finnish & Icelandic TV series to watch
According to the ninth World Happiness Report, published in March 2021, Finland is once again on the top of the happiness rankings (for a fourth year running). It is closely followed by another Nordic country, Iceland. To gain a deeper understanding of the Finnish and Icelandic psyche respectively, I have been reading books and watching films and TV series from both these countries. Today, I discuss some of the Finnish and Icelandic TV series I’ve recently watched. 5 Finnish TV series to watch All The Sins ‘All The Sins’ (‘Kaikki synnit’) is a crime series set in a rural community in Northern Finland. There are two seasons, with six 45-minute-long…
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10 Icelandic films and TV series to watch
Last year, I embarked on ‘a musical journey to Iceland‘, a country that I am yet to visit in person. Then, I went on ‘a cinematic journey to the Nordic countries‘, whereas earlier this year, I embarked on a wellbeing journey inspired and accompanied by the Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson. Since then, I happened to have watched several beautiful Icelandic films and TV series. So, today, I’m embarking on another virtual journey to the Land of Fire and Ice to re-visit those Icelandic films and TV series I’ve watched. Icelandic Films The County ‘The County’ (‘Héraðið’) was one of the first films I watched at the cinema, once cinemas were…
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A literary trip to Norway with Alex
Although lockdown measures are being eased around the world, it will probably take some time for international travel to fully bounce back. In the meantime, a good book can take us to all those places we can’t (or may not yet want to) physically travel to. A few weeks ago, my friend Deborah sent me a link to the article ’10 of the best novels set in Greece – that will take you there’ recently published in the Guardian. This gave me the inspiration for this literary trip to Norway, one of my favorite travel destinations. A literary trip to Norway with Jo Nesbø and Harry Hole Jo Nesbø is…
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12 Norwegian TV series to watch
Since the beginning of the lockdown, many of us have found solace in binge-watching TV series on Netflix. Being a Scandiphile, I watched all Norwegian TV series I could find on the American network and some other TV and streaming services available in the UK. This was not the first time I watched Scandinavian TV series. In fact, I had been well acquainted with the Danish ‘landmarks’ ‘The Bridge’ (‘Bron/Broen’) (actually a Danish-Swedish co-production), ‘The Killing’ (‘Forbrydelsen’), and ‘Borgen’. Then, a few years ago, I came across more Nordic Noir drama on Channel Four, including two Norwegian TV series that I absolutely loved: ‘Acquitted’ (‘Frikjent’) and Eyewitness (Øyevitne). Almost three months into…
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Bergen International Festival, Music & Silence
Established in 1953, the Bergen International Festival takes place from 20 May to 3 June 2020. Each year, the program includes over 400 events taking place over 15 days in more than 70 venues in and around Bergen. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the events have been canceled, but there are still more than 50 events taking place in empty venues; these events are streamed online for free. They include music, theatre, dance, opera and visual art performances. Last Sunday, I watched the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra performing Edvard Grieg’s A minor Piano Concerto in Grieghallen. Considered the Bergen International Festival signature work, the Piano Concerto in…
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Celebrating the International Jazz Day
Hello! Today, it is the International Jazz Day. A few years ago, UNESCO designated April 30 as the International Jazz Day to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe. The inaugural International Jazz Day took place in 2012 in New York, with celebrations also taking place in Paris and New Orleans. Since then, the International Jazz Day is hosted by a different city (and country) each year. Subsequent host cities include Istanbul, Osaka, Paris, Washington DC, Havana, Saint Petersburg and Sydney (together with Melbourne). This year, Cape Town has been designated the Global Host City for the International Jazz Day 2020. Due…