Travel to Sweden (Europe)

When I told my friends I was visiting Sweden, I lost count of the number of times I heard mangled impressions of the Muppet's Swedish chef or a tragic rendition of Abba's Waterloo.  But fortunately, Sweden has got a lot more going on than funny accents and seventies pop icons and for me it was the lure of encountering wolves in their natural habitat that convinced me a trip north was long overdue.  My trip focussed on the region of Vastmanland – Sweden's prime wolf territory thanks to the vast forests and the large number of moose that call this region home.  I had heard of how Marcus Eldh, Steppes Discovery's naturalist guide was gaining a reputation as Sweden's leading wolf whisperer, with an uncanny talent for tracking wolves and then enticing them close by mimicking their howl.

"Tonight I will be copying the howl of the mother wolf as I know there are pups in this forest...when they hear this howl their curiosity will get the better of them."

His confidence was not misplaced and not only did we hear the wolves howl in response to Marcus' calling that evening, on the following morning a sub-adult wolf appeared no more than 20 metres from where we stood, sent as a scout by the rest of the pack to detect the source of the howls. Those of us in the group that were stifling giggles the night before while Marcus howled like a lupine impostor were forced to acknowledge we were in the presence of somebody with an intriguing skill.

Wolves are persecuted in Sweden and considered a pest by a hunting community that has serious political clout.  Last year, 27 wolves were shot dead by hunters however this was not without sanction from the authorities as additional wolves are soon to be relocated in Sweden from Finland in order to strengthen the fragile gene pool.

When you  feel as passionate about wildlife as we do it is not enough to offer exceptional wildlife holidays without giving something back. By joining forces with local research projects and carefully chosen wildlife charities, Steppes Discovery is able to give privileged insight into the natural world while supporting conservation and local communities.

Seeing wildlife in its natural habitat should be an inspiring and uplifting experience. Travel with Steppes Discovery and you can have these experiences, safe in the knowledge you are travelling sustainably and responsibly.

"I have rarely enjoyed watching a magic DVD as much as this one. The productions values are top-notch, the setting is elegant, the inventors are charming and well-rehearsed, and the material is of an extremely high quality."- Gordon Bean

"Ten of Scandinavias most clever and talented magicians demonstrate and teach their magic on this new DVD. This is creative, energetic and visual magic in a beautifully produced DVD, highly recommended."- Matthew Field, Editor, The Magic Circular

"Watch out for the latest invasion from Scandinavia! Fortunately it is just excellent magic, very well executed. A Smorgasbord of Magic - it"s their specialty."- Roberto Giobbi

"Do yourself a favor and get 21! Twen-ty-one, Twen-ty-one!" - Bill-Ma-lone

"Refresh your perspective, recharge your attitude, and let the Lateral Thinking and novel approaches expand your consciousness! 21 does what creative works are supposed to do: inspire, guide, teach, satisfy, and make your magic new." - Jon Racherbaumer

"Creativity is certainly alive and well in Sweden! The thoughts that popped into my head as I watched were - Wow! This is excellent! Great thinking! Got me again! How cool is that! My two word recommendation - "Buy it!" - Mike Powers

"These DVDs have something for everyone - great bar gags, great close-up ideas, great stage magic ideas." - Allan Ackerman

Ten inventors and performers of magic took siege of the magic bar in stockholm to record project 21, but it proved impossible to hold a strong fort against the proprietor who opened the doors and laymen flooded the premises. Could they continue their secret work, just a few feet away from the unsuspecting guests? The following takes place between 10 am and 11 pm:

Axel Adlercreutz

Erik Nordvall

Johan Stahl

Jonas Ljung

Joachim Solberg

Anders Moden

Tim Star

Micke Askernas

Tom Stone

Tomas Blomberg

Swedish Companies have always been known for innovation, style, simplicity, and function. That is the trademark stamp of most Swedish companies that are globally known. Think of Ikea and its simple and affordable furniture store which has become the choice outlet for people who are moving into their first residences being it their homes, condominiums, dormitories or apartments. Ericsson is still a leader of cell phones so much so that it was bought by Sony and their partnerships have produced mobile phone products that take a sizeable chunk of the global market in that niche. 

Volvo has been a pioneer when it comes to car safety design. They were the first to put seat belts on their vehicles, air bags, and anti-locking brakes for all wheels. Although Volvo cars in the early 80's were being ridiculed for their boxiness in car design, they did celebrate this condition by countering with stating that their cars were safe. Their unyielding commitment to safety has been emulated by other car manufacturers ever since and they are the car of choice when it comes to choosing cars because of its safety and reliability.

Another company that may not be well known outside of their niche is Thule. Thule is the leading and premium brand when it comes to Car Racks, Ski Carriers, Rooftop Boxes and Bikes mounts for cars whether it be roof or rear mounted. And within the last decade or so, thule has branched out into Snow chains, RV Accessories, Towing Systems and Organized Solutions. Thule is a company that essentially makes products better through long lasting intuitive designs, timeless aesthetics of outdoor products and of an outdoor lifestyle. It is probably the Swedish penchant for outdoor activities that led to the founding of this company.

Sweden is known for its great and many camping sites during the summer and equally interesting and challenging ski slopes and cross country skiing areas in the winter. In looking at the designs made by the Thule company in their products, there is that signature Swedish style impressed on their wares: simple, functional, minimalist and yet long lasting. Such designs are made by engineers and designers collaborating on making products better by engineering them to be simple, as more complicated parts tend to complicate things, lightweight yet made of the sturdiest materials possible. If you are a weekend outdoors buff who likes to go places to mountain bike, kayak, ski or snow board, you would know the value of a thule product is.

Betsy (my domestic partner) and I were just talking about the difference between how things feel when you're in the "gold zone" and how they feel when you're not. Julia Cameron calls it the "Vein of Gold," and wrote a great book about it. Athletes call it "the zone." Let's call it the "Gold Zone."

She was reminding me of the months right before I got serious about internet marketing. I had been a working musician since I was 15. I went "on the road" the first time when I was 17. I was gone for three months, and it was hard on me and hard on my family when I had to come back from being "on the road" to finish high-school. I took several detours, but for the most part, I was a musician for over thirty years.

In spite of some success, I never really "made it" as a musician. I got really, really close a few times... but something would always go wrong. For example- in 2003, I played an extended tour of Europe. We went to Sweden, Holland, France, and England. I played from Bogner Regis in the far south of England all the way up to the Isle of Aaron in Northern Scotland. It was a wonderful tour, and the people seemed to like my music.

The scenery was breathtaking- from Moose in Sweden to the Holy Isle in Scotland to the coffee shops in Amsterdam to the street performers in London... Everything was wonderful except... things kept going wrong. My band-mates made the decision to stay completely amphibious for the whole tour. Blame it on Amsterdam. The big festival in Sweden got no promotion, and nobody came. That's a long way to drive to play for twenty people.

And then I got robbed at Waverley Abbey, outside of London. Lost both guitars and all the money. And my passport. I was clearly not in the "gold zone." After I finally got home- and believe me, with no money and no passport, getting home was tricky- I took some time off to think things through.  I had started researching the internet marketing game, and met some of the players. It was interesting... but there were a lot of unknowns. There were also some very steep (but relatively short) learning curves involved. So, while I was thinking, my agents booked another tour- this time to Germany.

That was the tour when all hell broke loose.  Betsy was alone with the boys, both of whom woke up one morning and decided to start acting like the teenagers they were. It was like fishing at the old pond, where the most dangerous thing you'd had to deal with was a catfish, and suddenly a fifty-foot alligator jumps in the boat. And I was over 3,000 miles away. After that tour, I really did some thinking.  I either had to move to Europe and play music, or do something else. Moving to Europe, at that time, just wasn't going to work... and, more importantly, it just didn't feel right. Betsy and the boys also had strong opinions about that.

Worse, every time I strapped on my guitar, I felt like the "rock-star police" were going to arrest me. For impersonating a musician. I never once felt authentic as a musician. This is odd- I was an award-winning songwriter, with a recording contract, zealous agents, and a publishing deal. I was a fraud. I know some "real" musicians. I have a guitar-player friend who has several gold records on his wall. He tours with a band that has had #1 singles. When he's home, he sits in his studio and plays guitar. For fun. I once heard an interview with YoYo Ma, and it really touched me. He talked about the most wonderful moments of his life. Those moments are when he takes his million dollar+ cello out of its case and sits alone, just loving the sound and touch of his instrument.

My guitars stay in their cases between tours. That was a clue. Ever since I discovered internet marketing, I've been in the "Gold Zone." It was like finally seeing the "Pull" sign on a door I had been trying to push open for decades. Duh. It was crystal-clear to me. I "got it" at the first internet marketing seminar I attended. The people who were successful were the ones who made products and sold them. The people who were not successful were the ones who did something else- or did nothing. I had a lot of help. I've immersed myself in internet marketing, read scores of books, and sought out the company of successful internet marketers. I threw myself at learning curves, and bounded right up them. I had a blast. I quickly made a pile of money. I found my "Gold Zone."

Have you found your "Gold Zone," yet? It's easy- especially in the internet marketing world. You can make a good, even a GREAT, living by solving other people's problems. It pays well, and it's karmically good for you. You can pick almost any subject- cooking, driving, relationships, ebook authoring, etc... anything but how to get rich online (please- unless you have become rich online), and build a portable empire by solving problems in that niche. I have a saying, which will eventually be turned into a book- "Every problem is a product." So, I make money and I help others. Perfect niche. How can you tell if you're in your "Gold Zone?" Things get real easy. One of the things I stress to my coaching clients is, "if this is hard for you, you're doing it wrong." If you find yourself getting bogged down and disinterested in your topic- you've picked the wrong topic. 

Quickly choose another one. If your subscribers consistently choose to not buy your products, quickly change your strategy. In the online world, you can make dramatic changes instantly. Life is too short to bang your head against the door marked "pull." You can push and push and bang and hit and throw bombs and cry and just generally exhaust yourself... and the door will stay closed. I would say that the most important thing you can do to improve your life is find your "Gold Zone." Find your passion, and then find people to pay you for doing what you love.  Quit banging on the door and just open it.

Freelance illustrator and artist Hanna Melin brings wit to her drawings often featured in The Guardian, The Independent and The Financial Times. Her scribblings have been animated for the pop star Just Jack's video and a Halifax Home Insurance ad. Melin talks exclusively to mydeco about vinyl stickers and sarcasm. I live in... East London. I like it because it's a normal street and it's a really mixed area. My boyfriend, William, and I like to walk around Victoria Park and London Fields.

William and I bought our flat... and we've been doing it up for three years. It's nearly finished, finally! Today I put down the carpet in the stairwell. The best room in my home is... the hallway which has white walls, wood floors and nice old wooden banisters. They're the only original thing in the house which we left in. There is a big velux window in the hallway so wer can see the sky. My interior style is... definitely modern. We have white walls, high ceilings and white bookshelves. There isn't much colour.

A home is defined by... the things you choose to put in your home, especially on the walls. In the beginning I had photos from Sweden on the wall, but now I have things from exhibitions and posters. It's the choices you make and the things you buy. At weekends... we renovate or go to galleries, walk around Hackney and go for pub lunches near Victoria park. My artistic style is... quite humorous... not in a comedy way - a more sarcastic, hidden humour. You might have to look twice before you see what it is. My plates and mugs are more commercial. With illustrations I like to capture people's faces and expressions with really simple lines. My boyfriend is a furniture designer - he showed me a machine and how to cut things out. It helps because I have someone to talk to.

I am inspired by... a Swedish artist called Jockum Nordstrom who embroiders plates. I like his playful humour and the way he uses materials. Jockum uses hard materials and soft embroideries. With my ceramics I like the contrast effect of soft drawings with pen or graphite on the hard ceramics. My most sentimental possession is... a white Hella Jongerius bowl with a bird in the middle. It cost £600. If my flat burnt down I'd definitely save that.

The biggest interior trend right now is... wall decorations. Vinyl stickers are everywhere. I've always been drawing... with my mum and sister back in Sweden. My mum definitely inspired me - she always had us making things - she bought play figure toys for Christmas which you had to decorate and build yourself. I studied illustration at... Brighton University and did an MA in Communication at the Royal College of Art in London. The greatest thing in my life is... to survive and be able to pay the mortgage - to have fun, go out for meals and still do what I love to do. I'm grateful for that.

At the moment... I'm doing online sales mostly and I'm exhibiting at the Red Door gallery in Edinburgh. My next project is... hot spot stands - for pans to put on the table. My boyfriend just got a laser cutter so I want to see what I can do with that. In five years time... I will still be in London because my boyfriend says we have to wait for the Olympics now we've done the flat. I'd be happy if I was doing the same thing. If I'm still doing this in five years time, I'll be happy. Hanna Melin designs are sold through mydeco's design boutique.

In the fight for prostate health, current research is showing that Swedish flower pollen has a number of health benefits to the male prostate and similar systems in the body. Swedish flower pollen generally comes in an extract, and undergoes a special fermentation process which opens the pollen to reveal its nutrients and make them useful to the body. Before undergoing this process, these nutrients are encased in indigestible plant matter and unable to be processed by the body. These nutrients promote healthy urine flow and healthy prostate function. According to some studies, the nutrients in Swedish flower pollen also help to vitalize the body by boosting the metabolism and white blood count in the body.

So what exactly is pollen anyway? Pollen is the chemical that is produces when a plant grows flowers. It's the male germ seed that's involved in fertilization or pollination. For this reason, pollen in general is said to be very nutritious. Some studies even claim that it's a sort of superfood, containing all of the vital nutrients required for life. But the problem that comes with any kind of pollen is in utilizing and digesting its nutrients, as we talked about above. Each tiny pollen shell is nearly impenetrable and unusable in its natural state. But Swedish flower pollen makers have come up with a system to very purely harvest the nutrients of the pollen without using bees or harsh chemicals.

Swedish Flower pollen is not the same as pollen gathered from bees. The main reason why flower pollen is referred to as Swedish flower pollen is because the usage of flower pollen first originated in Sweden, and currently is still highly utilized. Flower pollen is not gathered by bees, but rather is gathered directly from the plants in the field using a specific method. Bees gather pollen in a different method, and often gather a variety of different kinds. 

Bee pollen is also a useful supplement sold in many health food stores, but is different from flower pollen. Pollen gathered from bees has been shown to be a very nourishing and contain many vitamins and minerals. Some proponents of bee pollen even claim that it contains all the nutrients needed for life and vitality. Some people claim that there isn't really a very big difference between flower pollen and bee pollen, but the producers of Swedish flower problem claim that the special process that's used to gather and process the flower pollen, it has different, more powerful health benefits.

The human digestive system can't directly process flower pollen. Makers of Swedish flower pollen claim that their system of gathering pollen creates a specific kind of pollen, and I believe them. Another great way of getting pollen however is through eating honey, especially raw organic honey. Raw organic honey contains many of the pollens gathered by bees in a form that allows the body to process it. This has far reaching benefits. 

 

Eating locally produced honey is a major asset in the fight against allergies. Because locally produced honey has the same pollens and allergens in it that cause allergies to flare up, eating a steady diet of locally produced honey helps the body to get adapt to the pollens and allergens in the environment, reducing the effects of allergies, and in some cases, eliminating them altogether. This is only somewhat useful in the realm of Swedish flower pollen. 

 

Unless a person wants to order local honey special from Sweden, they really can't get the same kind of flower pollen in their honey. That's okay though. Eating raw, organic honey as a sugar substitute is still a great idea. Using honey in things like coffee and tea, and in recipes that allow for it will help you get a steady flow of healthy sugars and good pollens. It may not be Swedish flower pollen, but it will still have great health benefits.

Travellers to Sweden would have no trouble finding things to do. It is a culturally rich and progressive nation that boasts of a very high standard of living. There are some great holiday chalets and self catering holiday apartments available to rent direct from their owners in Sweden.

Many tourists go on vacation to Stockholm and stay in self catering apartments. When there they can visit the Vasa museum. This museum in Stockholm houses the fruits of some ground breaking labour, the 17th century warship Vasa. The ship sunk during its maiden voyage in 1628, and was recovered in 1961. The resurrected skeletons and relics remain the only existing example of ship architecture from the period.

Stockholm, Sweden's capital city houses numerous museums, aside from the Vasa museum, you can check out the Nordic Museum, Museum of Natural History and Museum of Modern Art. The city is peppered with examples of historical architecture, like Riddarholmskyrkan, which is the oldest building in Stockholm, pretty much every district and neighbourhood in the city has its own unique charm and character. Families on vacation can rent self catering accommodation in Stockholm.

Gothenburg is the largest port in Scandinavia; about a million people live here and there is a plethora of attractions to keep the tourists busy. Take a leisurely saunter in the scenic Castle Wood Park, listen to a wide genre of music from Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, art enthusiasts can head over to the Museum of Art. Sweden features a stunning expanse of rugged beauty which is yet to be tarnished by commercialism, these makes for perfect hiking spots.

Lovers of the outdoors may rent a holiday cottage or log cabin and use them as a base to explore the beautiful countryside. The law provides rights of access for anyone, provided they respect the local culture and nature. Sweden comprises of over 24,000 islands and 100,000 lakes, so it's not much of a surprise that boating is an integral part of Swedish life. Most tours take you on a sightseeing trip around the Swedish archipelago. The Gota Canal is a favourite tourist haunt but there are loads of other places that interest the water-craft bound traveller.

Stop by the Linkoping Cathedral in Ostergotland to treat yourself to some splendid Gothic architecture. This massive cathedral is the burial site of a 15th century bishop, and is embellished with some priceless paintings which were gifted by King John III. Skiing enthusiasts would find no dearth for fun as Sweden offers some of the finest locales for the sport. There are some great ski chalets available to rent and many families rent them while on vacation. 

Hemavan, in Lapland is a great ski precinct with its vast open areas and mountains. Arefjallen resort is said to be the world's largest with a ski run of more than a hundred kilometers, the ski race in April draws hundreds every year. Riksgransen in the extreme north is famed for its snowboarding championships and non-stop skiing during the spring. During the spring it seems the sun never goes below the horizon, perfectly symbolizing the spirit of this country where the fun never seems to end.

Many families take a family holiday to Sweden and stay in self catering holiday accommodation. Sweden has a great selection of self catering holiday apartments in the city areas. There are also some beautiful log cabins and ski chalets available to rent in the mountainous areas of Sweden. Many families come back to Sweden year after year to spend there vacations and stay in a holiday home.