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10 amazing hotels and places
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Sweden’s Queen Silvia and King Carl Gustaf ride an open carriage to the concert at the Nordic Museum in Stockholm recently. The concert was held as part of the celebration of King Carl Gustaf’s 70th birthday; (Photo: AFP) and right file photo of National Day celebrations. (Courtesy: www.sweden.se)
Painting the country yellow and blue Today, Sweden comes alive with celebrations, as it marks National Day
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he National Day marks two historic events — the election of Gustav Vasa as King in 1523 and the adoption of a new constitution in 1809. Furthermore, in 1916, June 6 officially became the Swedish Flag Day, which celebrates the fact that Sweden acquired its own flag after
the dissolution of the union with Norway in 1905. An active interest in celebrating the day of independence came around 1983, when patriotic vibes spread across the country, leading to the establishment of folklore societies and museums that focused on local history. The National Day gives visitors a rare insight into celebrations and flag-waving, as Swedes are otherwise known to be reserved. As per annual custom, the King and Queen of Sweden participate in a ceremony at Skansen, an open-air museum in Stockholm. Here, the bright yellow and blue flag of Sweden is raised on a mast, and children adorned in tradition-
al garb present the royals with bouquets of summer flowers. In addition to this, exclusive events are organised across the country to welcome new Swedish citizens on National Day. The origins The idea of celebrations came about from Artur Hazelius, founder of the Skansen open-air museum, who had organised a national day event there as early as the 1890s. In 1893, Sweden presented Midsummer Day at the World Fair in Chicago, as a form of Swedish National Day, so in the 1890s Sweden celebrated the occasion twice a year.
weden’s popularity as a tourist destination is ever growing. Here’s your guide to avoid the crowds, escape the beaten track and catch up on your beauty sleep in 10 Swedish accommodations way out of the ordinary.
low the surface is the bedroom with panorama windows to the underwater world. Launched as an art project by Mikael Genberg, Utter Inn is hugely popular during April to October. Why not try Hotell Hackspett (Woodpecker) by the same artist too?
Falknästet: The Kullen lighthouse (Kullens fyr) on the peninsula of Kullaberg in the south is the highest standing lighthouse in Sweden. Nesting at its foot is Falknästet (the falcon’s nest), a remarkable one-room hotel — with a round bed hanging from the ceiling and panorama windows offering a frontrow sunset view. Works well for wedding nights as well as a Wednesday nights.
Jumbo Stay: Jumbo Stay is a jumbo jet turned hostel. The conversion included throwing out 450 seats to make room for 27 rooms and 76 beds. This aeroplane, parked at the entrance to Stockholm Arlanda Airport, offers a budget alternative to pricier airport hotels. Perfect for plane spotters as well as anyone who needs to catch an early flight.
Fabriken Furillen: Fabriken Furillen is a creation of concrete and hardwood in the middle of an old limestone quarry. The buildings reflect the rough industrial setting, yet are cosy and comfortable shelters. Whether you choose to stay in a hotel room or a hermit cabin, this design hotel’s remote location on the island of Gotland’s Furillen peninsula, makes for a special stay. Salt & Sill: Salt & Sill is a hotel close to the sea. Six two-storey houses combine to make a floating hotel steeped in Nordic minimalist design. The hotel is permanently moored on the small fishing island of Klädesholmen — hence the name Salt & Sill, sill means herring. The island is only a 45-minute drive north of Gothenburg.
Courtesy: www.sweden.se
Hotell Utter Inn: In Lake Mälaren, outside Västerås, floats a lone red cottage. It marks the entrance to Hotell Utter Inn, an underwater hotel. Above water you’ll find cooking facilities. Be-
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Courtesy: www.sweden.se
Icehotel: Come April every year and the Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi melts down. Then, in the colder season, it is built up again using ice and snow from the nearby Torne river. Artists decorate the interior, making it not only a hotel destroyed and rebuilt on a yearly basis, but also an art exhibition. The icy part of the Icehotel opens in December each year, but there are warm accommodation alternatives all year round.
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Camping in the wild: In Sweden, allemansrätten – the right of public access – grants everyone the right to pitch a tent pretty much anywhere in nature, as long as you keep your distance to people’s houses and stay away from farmland. For a unique yet natural experience of Sweden bring a tent, find a remote spot in a field or on a rock, pitch your tent and enjoy the silence. All for free.
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Sala silvergruva: Sweden is home to the world’s deepest hotel room, the Mine Suite of Sala Silver Mine. Dress warmly before venturing the 155 metres underground — it never gets warmer than 2°C in the mine. Fortunately, the suite itself is a comfortable 18°C and there are extra blankets to go with it. If you suffer from vertigo or claustrophobia, this may not be your thing.
Treehotel: Imagine a tree house gone boutique hotel and you have the Treehotel — six customised tree houses spread out in a forest. Leading architects have created little havens of contemporary design in the middle of nature here, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the unspoiled landscape. You’ll find your home in the trees an hour outside of Luleå, way up north.
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Kolarbyn Ecolodge: Kolarbyn Ecolodge is luxury in its most primitive form. Its twelve cabins are covered in mud and grass, with blueberries and mushrooms growing from the roofs. Come here to escape electricity and showers and experience fresh air, peacefulness and wildlife. Kolarbyn is two hours’ drive from Stockholm, just outside the village of Skinnskatteberg.
GERMANY
ITALY
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Christer Andersson — UAE, KGH Border Services. KGH Border Services, a part of the KGH Group established in 1963, is the market leader in Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) implementations, a global standard introduced by the World Customs Organisation (WCO). The company is working with Dubai Customs to implement AEO in Dubai and UAE. It will provide quality assured importers, exporters and traders involved in the global supply chain with a unique set of benefits to increase speed, compliance and predictability in the flow of goods. For Customs,
the AEO programme will provide an opportunity to focus the internal resources on high-risk consignments. “The AEO programme is implemented in more than 70 countries, including EU, US, China, Australia and Korea, and the figure is increasing as we speak. Countries with an AEO programme is signing Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRA) with other AEO programmes,” he said. If UAE signs a MRA with, say EU, a AEO-certified company in UAE would receive similar benefits across the EU as in the UAE. — farhana@khaleejtimes.com
SWEDEN
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How Sweden created a model economy? fact, taxes in Sweden have actually been lowered since the crisis began. Sweden has also continued to invest in sectors like healthcare, education and research, instead of having to cut heavily in these areas like in some countries. A dynamic economy
A view of buildings in Stockholm’s Oestermalm. — AFP
Inventive and courageous reforms have transformed Sweden into a robust economy that stayed strong even through the global economic crisis
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■■ Scott Sutherland he Swedish economy is performing well in comparison with other Western nations. Before, the country’s economy was at times dismissed as ‘socialist’, but now it is held up as an example of capitalism done right. How does Sweden do it? Stability through reform Sweden has among the EU’s lowest levels of national debt, low and stable inflation and a healthy banking system. But this wasn’t always the case. The Swedish economy used to suffer from low growth and high inflation, and the Swedish krona was repeatedly devalued. Sweden was also hit by a deep financial crisis in the early 1990s.
Banks became unstable and two were nationalised; unemployment rose rapidly, government spending went out of control, and so did Sweden’s national debt. The road back to stability and success was not easy for Sweden. But by pursuing inventive and courageous reforms and sticking to them, Sweden has transformed its economy and stayed strong in the face of the new global recession. A balanced budget Since the crisis of the 1990s, successive Swedish governments have been balancing the budget for over a decade, and have continued to do so even in the wake of the 2007–2008 global finan-
cial crisis. How was this possible? Sweden reinvented its economic governance with a series of innovative regulations. First, in 1996 a ceiling for government expenditures (utgiftstak) was introduced. This was accompanied by the addition of the ‘surplus goal’ (överskottsmålet) for the government budget. These reforms have met with broad support from across the political spectrum in Sweden. They help ensure that high debt doesn’t accumulate and that debt isn’t passed on to future generations. Additionally, in 2007 the Swedish Fiscal Policy Council (Finanspolitiska rådet) was established. This committee of experts audits the government’s policy decisions regarding public finances and aims to ensure that they remain consistent with the goals of growth, employment and longterm financial sustainability. The Swedish government’s credible management of the public finances has meant that Sweden remains in the top league of fiscally responsible countries in Europe. While governments with large budget deficits carry out austerity measures by increasing taxes and cutting public spending, Sweden has avoided these difficulties. In
Courtesy: www.sweden.se
More than just teaching letters and numbers Art Village Nursery offers a holistic approach to preschool education ■■ Latha Krishnan Art Village Nursery, a branch of Amadeus Preschool in Stockholm, Sweden, is the first nursery in the UAE to follow the world-renowned Swedish curriculum and has been operational for about a year. Nina Farokhfal, Owner and Managing Director of Art Village Nursery, decided to start the Reggio Emilia-inspired nursery after studying several nurseries in the UAE and realising the need for such a preschool here. “I saw how preschool education in Sweden was different in our approach to what is the norm here. We are not about the final product — of producing things and entertaining children. Also we do not stress on just teaching letters and numbers. Teachers and stu-
dents learn together through play and the children learn to take care of themselves. I also noticed here that not many nurseries provided students with food, especially healthy options. Our nursery provides nutritious vegetarian food. Our approach is truly holistic and develops the entire personality of the children.”
Sweden today has a diverse, highly competitive and successful economy. The World Economic Forum ranks Sweden the sixth most competitive country in the world. Sweden is also the sixth easiest country in the world to trade with, according to the World Bank. This is unsurprising, since a key feature of the Swedish economy is its openness and liberal approach to trade. Sweden is an export-orientated nation that has a large trade surplus and exports a variety of goods. In addition to maintaining competitiveness in goods and manufacturing, growth in modern service sectors such as information and communication technology has been strong in Sweden. Internet calling service Skype and online music streaming service Spotify are two examples, but Swedes haven’t stopped there. Since 2008, the ICT sector has grown by 16 per cent and now employs over 4 per cent of the Swedish workforce. The sector is characterised by its many new and small businesses, and Stockholm has become known as one of Europe’s hottest start-up cities for ICT companies. Although Stockholm is the hub of Swedish economic activity, it is far from being the only successful region. In fact, wealth in Sweden is more evenly distributed across regions than anywhere else in the EU. Remarkably, Sweden is the only EU country where each and every region has a higher GDP per capita than the EU average. So dynamic economies and high standards of living are found across the country. Sweden’s present economic and social prosperity was built on the lessons learned from the financial crisis in the early 1990s. Governments pursued reforms and fiscal sustainability became institution-
alised. Stable economic policies combine with competitiveness, innovation and an open approach to trade to make Sweden a model for
economic success. Scott Sutherland is from Glasgow, Scotland.