Jaunted - Tag: Sweden Travel

Foreign Grocery Friday: The Glögg Mulled Wine of Scandinavia

JetSetCD — 2011-12-16T13:26:15-05:00

When we travel, one of our favorite things to do is to pop into a local grocery store and check out the food products and candies we'd never find anywhere else. So we're trying out this new feature, Foreign Grocery Friday, where each week we'll feature some of our (and your) favorite overseas treats. Got a recommendation? Let us know!

With only so much time left before the holidays, it's now that we get serious about winter treats. Gingerbread houses and candy canes are all well and good, but going farther afield to foreign Christmas traditions yields such yummy drinks as Gl�gg. This mulled wine is a decidedly Scandinavian tradition, but Iceland and Estonia like to get in on it as well.

Since Gl�gg is essentially just one version of mulled wine, other country's attempts at the beverage are also totally fine if Gl�gg isn't available. Germany/Austria/Switzerland's Gl�hwein is, for instance, an excellent substitute, as is the vin brul� of Northern Italy (especially the ski resort towns). Just be sure to serve it with a bit of gingerbread or a few ginger snap cookies on the side.

Watch Out Finland! Starbucks is Set to Invade Your Country, Beginning at the Airport

kjb — 2011-07-27T09:36:11-05:00

Those Nordic countries better watch out, as Starbucks is about to invade. Residents of Sweden have already started to add Mocha Frappuccinos to the cup holders of their Volvos, and now it looks like Norway and Finland are next on the list. Awesome local coffeeshops need not be too threatened; for now the expansion seems to be limited to just the airports.

It all goes down in 2012, so if you have a plan to visit next summer to take advantage of the warmer temperatures and long, long days you’ll be able to do so with an overpriced latte. Starbucks officials have already announced their plan to add a location at the Gardermoen Airport in Oslo, Norway. Their most recent announcement reveals that they have plans for two locations at the airport in Helsinki, as there will be one place to grab a coffee after security and one welcoming passengers in the arrivals hall.

Foreign Grocery Friday: Sweden's Nygårda Julmust

JetSetCD — 2010-12-03T16:25:49-05:00

When the holidays roll around, you can be sure that food companies around the world are rolling out their seasonal products, some true specialties and others made to be consumed as often as Coca-Cola. In Sweden, there's Nyg�rda Julmust, which belongs in the latter category, except that it's more popular than even Coca-Cola at this time of the year. Let's investigate...

The Taste: The ingredients on the back include hops and barley, but trust that there's no alcohol present; there's just a curiously bitter cola. In fact, the closest thing we can liken it to is the Italian Chinotto soda, a bitter citrus drink, but far more gulpable. Did we sense a hint of coffee in there as well? Possibly, but the taste runs more along the lines of a flatter Coca-Cola that's been brewed with non-alcoholic beer.

Sweden to Become Hotspot Thanks to 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'

JetSetCD — 2010-07-28T08:47:17-05:00

Chances are, you've either read the Stieg Larsson book Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or know at least two people who have, because that book is everywhere. In fact, it's the first book to sell over 1 million copies on the Amazon Kindle and now Hollywood wants a piece of the action.

It's been announced that Daniel Craig has signed on to star in the English-language movie version, and David Fincher will direct. And MTV has some exclusive and exciting news straight from Fincher that's sure to make the Sweden Tourist Board very happy: the movie will be filmed in "Stockholm. Uppsala. In the north." This means the movie will stay true to the novel's Scandinavian imagery instead of trying to Americanize it by shooting it in the States.

Foreign Grocery Friday: Nordic Muesli is Far Sweder

JetSetCD — 2010-07-09T14:31:04-05:00

Forget cornflakes or cocoa puffs; Sweden knows that breakfast is better with a bowl of muesli. And although we wish it had a funkier, Sweder name, one of our favorite bags of the good stuff goes by the simple name of "Nordic Muesli."

Grabbed by the handful, served in a bowl with milk or mixed with cut fruit, muesli is an essential snack in Sweden, so much so that the Swedish almost match the Swiss in their love for it. Grocery shelves offer a staggering variety, but we'd stick with this stuff.

The taste: Muesli is dry oats mixed with a some goodies, like dried banana chips, orange bits, raisins and slivered almonds in the case of this variety, and thus it can be quite dry. You'll need to either warm up your salivary glands or douse it in milk. We recommend almond or coconut milk (the latter used in the picture below) to enhance the flavors, and you'll end up having both a healthy meal and one that tastes of a nice fruitiness.

How to Win a Free Road Trip through Sweden in a Volvo

Jennifer Kester — 2010-05-20T12:50:21-05:00

If you want to plan your own road trip across West Sweden, there's someone willing to foot the bill. Volvo and West Sweden's tourism bureau are offering a contest that will pay for your trek across the Scandinavian country, and anyone is free to enter.

The thing is, you can't choose whatever pops into your head for the design-it-yourself trip's itinerary. Instead, you're provided with a list of activities from which to choose. For example, you could take in the art at the Nordic Watercolour Museum on the island of Tj�rn, go on a lobster safari to catch the creatures and help cook them for your dinner at a hotel on Flaton island, dine on elk or beaver at Falktholts Gestgiveri in Dalsland, or go golfing at a number of courses.

From The Swedish Road Trip Dept.: Buy Your Volvo Here and Get a Free Vacation

amandak — 2009-08-03T10:53:36-05:00

Formerly boxy, now looking cooler and always safe, the Swedish automobile miracle that is the Volvo – aka the official car of the European Union - is very keen to persuade you to visit Sweden.

The tourism attack being put on by Volvo is two-pronged – and the first involves actually buying your own Volvo. This won't suit everyone, obviously, but if you're in the market for a new Volvo and you live in the US, you can order one direct from Sweden, save around 8 percent on the price, and then get a free vacation in Sweden.