Norway’s mystic fjordsSee for yourself what Bergen has to offer

Experience the culture Enjoy a Danish Smørrebrod in Copenhagen

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EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY

Something for everyone: Whether you’re looking for a sight-seeing city break or a relaxing countryside getaway, Scandinavia has it all

No. 2 / March 2012

DISCOVER SCANDINAVIA

2 · MARCH 2012 AN INDEPENDENT SUPPLEMENT BY MEDIAPLANET

Explore the wonder

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Scandinavia is often named as a top destination for mini breaks. After a visit, you will return with images of stunning beauty and a taste of delicious food.

There is a peace and pureness about Scandinavia. You will never be far away from a lake, the sea or a river.The water sur-

rounding the countries is a relia-ble source of delicacies for amateur fi shermen and restaurants. The cit-ies have during the past decades de-veloped into modern design cities mixing old historic quarters and buildings with top class restau-rants, bars and cafés.

Scandinavian city life

1Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo impress visitors with

their range of museums, covering everything from the Viking period to modern design and art. The

restaurant culture is booming in the Nordic cities with Copenhagen having taken over Paris as the gour-met capital of Europe. The Scandi-navian kitchen is simple and local, using recipes that have been around for hundreds of years, often mod-ernised with infl uences from other parts of the world. Freshly caught fi sh and seafood is a common deli-cacy on the menus.

Creating traditions for the long winters

2Due to the long, cold winters the Scandinavians have creat-

ed traditions and a menu that will help you get through those dark months. In Copenhagen especially, a visitor will fi nd cosy cafés in every corner. Lucy McKellar went for a city break during the crisp cold days

running up to New Year. Her main take away is the fantastic food expe-rience, especially the classic open sandwich ‘smørrebrod’.

The comfort of nature

3Few places can challenge the beauty of the fj ords in Western

Norway. Venture the fj ords on your kayak or if you prefer, simply go for a hike or a boat ride and enjoy the stunning nature. Christian Berg grew up among the fj ords in Bergen and goes back frequently to escape the city life. One of his fondest childhood memories is going fi sh-ing with his grandfather. He says there is a peace in the nature that can’t be matched by anything else.

‘When you go to a small island in the ocean, everything else disappears, and you fi nd a peace that you will not fi nd anywhere else’

PAGE 6

Christian Berg talks about his experience growing up in Bergen, and why he would recommend it as a holiday destination

DISCOVER SCANDINAVIA, 2ND EDITION, MARCH 2012Managing Director: Chris EmbersonEditorial Manager: Faye GodfreyBusiness Development Manager: Dominic Webber

Responsible for this issueDominic WebberPhone: 020 7665 4402E-mail: dominic.webber@mediaplanet.com

Distributed with: The GuardianPrint: The Guardian Print Centre

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CHALLENGES

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Copenhagen is often described as the bridge between Europe and Scandinavia. The pure, clean Scan-dinavian style is mixed with areas that remind you of Southern Europe. Copenhagen has something to off er everyone and every interest. Lucy McKellar and her friend visited the city for a long winter weekend.

Choose your smørrebrod The food is the fi rst thing McKel-lar mentions when asked about her trip to Copenhagen. “Everywhere we went it was really good and al-ways very fresh”. Smørrebrod is per-haps one of the most Danish things you can experience. It is an open sandwich made from of rye bread with a wide range of choices for top-pings. One of McKellar’s strongest take aways from Copenhagen is the versatility — in food and everything else. When it comes to architecture,

you will fi nd everything from old castles to modern buildings around the waterline. If you want to shop, you can find everything from Chanel and Gucci to Zara and H&M. The shopping street Strøget — Eu-rope’s longest pedestrian street — runs from the central station to the beautiful waterfront Nyhavn.

Enjoy — and have it ‘hyggelig’The word ‘hygge’ describes how the Danes enjoy life. Whether it is a pic-nic in the summer or a cuddle un-der a warm blanket in the couch surrounded by friends — it is all about creating hygge. Hygge can be experienced by visitors as well, al-though they may never have heard the word for it. Copenhagen will be cold the time of year McKellar and her friend went there, but as long as you make sure to frequently vis-it the many cosy cafés you will still have it ‘hyggelig’. Despite the chilly weather, McKellar ventured out to see the city — visiting classic spots such as the Little Mermaid statue by the river, the castle and the uni-versity building. One of the most popular attractions in Copenhagen

is the amusement park Tivoli Gar-dens. Every night running up to New Years they treat their visitors to beautiful fi reworks. McKellar re-members their evening there as one of the highlights of the trip: “It is a fun fair with the classic ferris wheel, but you don’t need to go on any rides, it’s lovely to just walk around.”

McKellar would recommend an-yone to go to Copenhagen, whether it is a romantic trip with your part-ner or a long weekend with your friends. And be prepared to eat, there is lots to try. Although almost everything served is healthy. The daily feasts started in the morning for McKellar: “The breakfasts were amazing. Delicious eggs, fresh fruit, granola. Anything you are in the mood for.”

■ Question: What does Copenhagen have to offer?

■ Answer: Something for every type and every mood.

ANNE MARGRETHE MANNERFELT

info.uk@mediaplanet.com

BE INSPIRED

Have it ‘hyggelig’ in Copenhagen

Lucy McKellarRecently visited Copenhagen for a weekend city break

INSPIRATION

The much loved Little Mermaid

1In 1913, sculptor Edvard Eriksen created this statue,

(pictured) based on the fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen. The Little Mermaid has stood by the water in Langelinie since then. Every year the people in Copen-hagen celebrate her birthday.

Magical Tivoli Gardens

2Tivoli is worth a visit for those who enjoy rides —

there are 28 of them, but also for those who just want to walk around in a park that has great restaurants, open air theatre and a wonderful atmosphere. Go at night and see how the trees sparkle with lights.

Beautiful Rosenborg Castle

3In the 1600s Rosenborg Cas-tle, located next to the Bo-

tanical gardens, was built as a holiday retreat for King Christian IV. In 1838, the castle was turned into a museum. The actual gar-dens are beautiful in themselves but the interior is absolutely stunning. Walk around in a fair-ytale atmosphere and learn about Danish monarchs from the 1600s up until the current queen.

Inspiring Danish Museum of Art & Design

4The Danish Museum of Art & Design is a central forum

for Scandinavian design. See the latest in furniture, appliance de-sign, silverware and glass. A per-manent exhibition presents 20th century design and craft, but look out for exciting tempo-rary exhibitions.

4 ■ Happy and clean: Copenhagen

has repeatedly been recognised as

one of the cities with the best quality

of life. It is so clean you can even

swim in the inner harbour. 36 per

cent of all citizens commute to work,

school or university by bicycle.

■ A gourmet capital: Copenhagen

currently holds 11 Michelin stars,

more than any other Scandinavian

city. Copenhagen is also home to the

world’s best restaurant, Noma.

FACTS

COPENHAGEN MUST SEES

SO MANY SIGHTS TO SEE1. A ride at Tivoli Gardens2. Copenhagen city at night3. The beautiful Nyhavn (New Harbour) waterfrontPHOTOS: VISIT DENMARK 1

2

3

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■ Question: Why should you consider Bergen as a Scandinavian getaway?

■ Answer: It boasts beautiful fjords, a historic harbour, and one of Scandinavia’s best culture scenes.

Bergen, the unofficial capital of Western Norway, lies in the heart of the fjords in a land between moun-tains and ocean. Founded in 1070, early on Bergen became a trade cap-ital connecting Norway with con-tinental Europe. Still, today we can find Norway’s, and one of Europe’s, largest harbours in the city cen-tre. Even though Bergen is known for its rainy weather, it has a rela-tively warm climate thanks to the Gulf Stream. Being used to the wet weather, the people from Bergen have developed a wide selection of both indoor and outdoor activities.

Fishing on the fjordsNamed the ‘gateway’ to the fjords in Western Norway, Bergen holds a special place in the heart of an-yone who has been fortunate enough to grow up here. Chris-tian Berg spent his childhood in Bergen, but has since travelled a

great deal and has seen most con-tinents. He moved from the city when he was 14, but enjoys going back frequently to visit his fami-ly, work on the summerhouse and enjoy the beautiful country. Berg practiced the many sports the city

has to offer, such as football and basketball, but one of his fondest memories is going fishing on the fjords with his grandfather. “We would leave early in the morn-ing and be out all day. In early summer we would catch herring

and cod and towards the end of the summer, mackerel. Coming back to the summerhouse, we would cook the fish together.”

Something for everyoneFrom the UK, there are direct flights to Bergen airport, and from there to the city it is a short 35 min-ute bus ride. Bergen and its sur-roundings is a popular destination for hikers, kayakers and cyclists, but for those who prefer city life, Bergen has one of Scandinavia’s best culture scenes. The Bergen In-ternational Festival — the largest of its kind in Scandinavia — offers music, theatre, and dance.

Berg would recommend anyone to pay his hometown a visit. One thing he says you shouldn’t miss is Old Bergen, a reconstructed part of the city with about 50 wooden houses from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. “Or make your way to the Bergen archipelago. When you go to a small island in the ocean, every-thing else disappears, and you find a peace that you will not find any-where else.”

Discover the gateway to Norway’s mystic fjords

THE BEAUTY OF BERGEN: Christian Berg (left) visiting the Norwegian fjords, the Hanseatic wharf in Bergen (right) PHOTOS: PRIVATE AND ANDREA GUIBELLI/WWW.VISITNORWAY.COM

ANNE MARGRETHE MANNERFELT

info.uk@mediaplanet.com

■ When to go: Located between

ocean and mountains, Bergen has a

special mystic atmosphere, but the

location also creates a rainy climate.

The best time to go is early summer.

■ Activities: In addition to the

outdoor activities on the fjords, Ber-

gen is the home of the Bergen Inter-

national Festival (May to June), Nat-

tjazz (May) and Bergenfest (June).

■ Getting there: From Bergen air-

port it is a 35 minutes bus ride.

FACTS

NEWS

FOR BOOKING AND MORE INFORMATION:

Visit www.fjordtours.com or call Fjord Tours Customer phone: +47 815 68 222.

Geiranger & Norway in a nutshell®

- A taste of world heritage!

This tour takes you to the

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the Raumabanen railway and

a beautiful sea voyage on the

Hurtigruten coastal express.

Relax and enjoy the experience,

visit the Art Nouveau Centre in

Ålesund, stroll along Bryggen

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Sognefjord in a nutshell

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Combine a beautiful boat trip

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breathtaking scenery of the

Sognefjord.

Norwayin a nutshell®

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This tour includes the spectacular

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narrow Nærøyfjord and the steep

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safari, kayaking or a walk along

the Nærøyfjord.

Explore Norway

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