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A hyggelig weekend in Copenhagen
In the last few years, I have visited Copenhagen several times and in a rather quick succession, albeit for only a couple of days each time (usually a long weekend). On the one hand, I wanted to follow in the footsteps of the protagonists of the Danish TV series ‘The Bridge’ (‘Bron/Broen’) (actually a Danish-Swedish co-production), ‘The Killing’ (‘Forbrydelsen’), and ‘Borgen’. On the other hand, I wanted to experience hygge. Defined as ‘the practice of creating cozy and congenial environments that promote emotional well-being’, hygge is regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture, even though the word actually originates from a Norwegian word meaning wellbeing. I remember walking (a lot) around the…
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Stockholm Syndrome & 7 tips for Stockholm
Self-isolation and social distancing have provided me with the perfect excuse to stay home, binge watch on TV series and films, read, and write. One of the TV series I’ve recently watched is ‘La Casa De Papel’ (or ‘Money Heist’ in English), a Spanish TV series available on Netflix. The latest episodes (Part 4) have just been released on 3 April 2020. In Parts 1 and 2, a group of robbers breaks into the Royal Mint of Spain, in Madrid, taking 67 hostages. During the robbery, one of these hostages falls in love with one of the robbers and subsequently becomes an accomplice to the group. A classical example of…
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How to spend 24 hours in Ålesund
Exactly a year ago, I was ready for my trip to Norway. I had already planned my itinerary, booked my flights, hotels and train tickets, and I was looking forward to returning to the country I’d last visited 20 years prior. Of course, I had wanted to visit Oslo and Bergen again, but Ålesund was the city I was most excited about. And, it certainly lived up to my expectations; the two days I spent there was the highlight of my week in Norway. This beautiful port town on the west coast of Norway may not be the most famous city in the country, but it’s the birthplace…
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Oslo: Nesbo, Munch, Music, Opera & More
Last year, a devastating earthquake shook Oslo. Built only a decade prior, the Opera House was one of the many buildings seriously damaged by the seismic activity. As the Norwegian capital’s skyline collapsed like a house of cards, only the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel stood tall. Also known as Oslo Plaza, this is not only the tallest building in the city, but also the second tallest in Norway (Trondheim’s Tyholttårnet is the tallest in the country). It is also where an elderly assassin positioned himself on 17 May 2000 in an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Norway’s Crown Prince on the Norwegian Constitution Day. Gladly, life in the Scandinavian…
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Finland and the World Happiness Report
Happy International Day of Happiness! Today is the International Day of Happiness and the theme this year is ‘Happier Together’. The focus is on what we have in common, rather than what divides us. Indeed, research has shown that relationships are essential to our happiness and wellbeing. I do not refer only to romantic relationships; our social network includes friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, teammates and so on. Research has also shown higher mortality among individuals who are lonely. In The Nordic Guide to Living 10 Years Longer: 10 Easy Tips to Live a Healthier, Happier Life Dr Bertil Marklund, a doctor and researcher at the Gothenburg University, shares…
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Sweden: Behind the myth of the lagom utopia
Sweden is considered one of the most progressive and liberal countries in the world. It is considered one of the happiest. A number of reports, statistics and lists support this. Sweden tops the lists of the most progressive countries According to the Freedom in the World 2017 report, the Freedom House’s annual report on political rights and civil liberties, Sweden received the maximum score and topped the list. When MoveHub compiled a list of the most liberal countries, Sweden ranked 3rd. This list was based on data from three sources: the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2016, the 2016 Social Progress Index report and Yale’s…
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Crime & Fjords: 9 Scandinavian writers you should read
As a child, I read all Agatha Christie novels during my summer holidays. When I moved to the UK, I read them all over again, but in English. Up until recently, I used to mostly read whilst on holidays, either on the go or on the beach. However, since I moved to London and started commuting on the train, I have also been reading on my way to and from work. I am ever so thankful to the Scandinavian crime writers for providing me with plenty of material. I still wonder how it happens and the Nordic countries score high on happiness with murder rates being so high, or is this…
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Hygge, Lagom & Lykke: 10 books about Scandi happiness
Denmark, Norway, Finland. According to the United Nations World Happiness Report that gets published every year, the Nordic countries are thought to be the happiest on Earth. Controversial as this may be, the Nordic countries do score highly on six key variables associated with happiness: income, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom, trust and generosity. One may argue that it is the social welfare system in these countries that allows them to score so high and top the list of happiness. Yet, I think there may be something more… Could hygge be the answer? Or lagom perhaps? The Scandinavian word ‘hygge’ has recently entered the English language. Defined as ‘the practice…