The ICEHOTEL - officially one of the wonders of Sweden..!!
What are the 7 wonders of Sweden? And who votes for the 7 wonders of Sweden?
The Seven Wonders of Sweden really do exist. In mid-2007, amongst all the talk about the new "7 Wonders of the World", the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet called upon all readers to vote for their country's own favorite wonders. Having not been able to make the list of "7 Wonders of the World", over 80,000 Swedes voted and proudly selected the following wonders to be the "Seven Wonders of Sweden":
1. The Göta Kanal: With the most votes, Göta Canal came in first place. This 150-mile canal was built in the early 19th century and is highly popular. The canal stretches from Gothenburg on the west coast all the way to Söderköping on the east coast of Sweden.
2. Visby's City Wall: In second place, there's the city wall of Visby which was erected in the 13th century and stretches around the entire city, 2 miles in length. This location is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
3. The War Ship Vasa: The Vasa was built by King Gustavus Adolphus II in 1628 and is a major attraction in Stockholm. The king made his ship much too shallow and it had major design flaws. On her virgin voyage, the Vasa tipped over and sank only 900 ft from shore where the public was watching. See it at the Vasa Museum!
4. The ICEHOTEL in Jukkasjarvi/Kiruna: The ICEHOTEL in Sweden's Lapland region is the biggest attraction in the area. Originally, the creators started out building a simple igloo, which later turned into the elaborate and now famous ICEHOTEL. This place is made only from the waters of the nearby river Torne and melts each summer!
5. The Turning Torso: Swedish wonder number five is the Turning Torso, a skyscraper in Malmö, Sweden. The tower has 54 stories and is more than 600 ft high, with a unique design based on twisting bodies. The Turning Torso is one of the tallest buildings in Scandinavia and is Malmö's most popular landmark.
6. The Oresund Bridge: The bridge connecting Denmark and Sweden comes in at place 6. The world-famous Oresund Bridge has 4 lanes, 2 rail tracks, and runs for almost 28,000 ft (8,000 meters) to connect two countries. It crosses the sea held by cables.
7. The Globe: Last but not least, Swedes felt that Stockholm's Globa Arena should be included in Sweden's 7 Wonders. Found in southern Stockholm, Globen (The Globe) is the world's largest "round" spherical building. It is highly visible from all sides and hosts sporting and music events year-round.
Check out Sweden's amazing 4th wonder for yourself with the world's leading tour operator to the ICEHOTEL, Discover the World!
Posted on November 12, 2008 in Arctic , Blogs/Travel Blogs , Culture , Feature Ideas , Icehotels , Lapland , Soft Adventure , Travel , Weddings/Honeymoons | Permalink | Tag this with Delicious? | E-mail this
Iceland opens 100% naturally powered facility
Icelandic Water Holdings ehf, makers of Icelandic Glacial mineral water, the world’s first CarbonNeutral certified bottled water, for both its product and operations, has begun production of its multi-award winning water from its new 100% naturally powered bottling facility in Ölfus, Iceland.
The facility increases production capacity of Icelandic Glacial mineral water to meet the growing consumer demand for this exceptionally pure Icelandic water in an environmentally responsible fashion.
The new 71,688 square foot bottling facility opens as one of the world’s greenest, maximizing output while minimizing expenditure of energy resources thanks to an array of environmentally efficient and modern bottling equipment. Like the former bottling operation, the new facility harnesses Iceland’s natural green energy, operating entirely on geothermal and hydroelectric power. The combination of modern equipment and use of natural green energy means that Icelandic Glacial mineral water is able to roll off the production line with an even smaller carbon footprint than before and one that is considerably smaller compared to other bottled waters in the industry.
“Environmental stewardship has always been a core part of our company’s philosophy – it’s a natural part of being from Iceland,” comments Icelandic Glacial Chairman and CEO Jon Olafsson. “Beginning today, we move production to one of the world’s most environmentally advanced bottling facilities ever constructed, further reinforcing our commitment to delivering consumers a product they can drink with a clear conscience.”
At the grand opening, Icelandic Glacial co-founders Jon and Kristjan Olafsson paid tribute to Iceland and the environment as they officially open the new facility, pushing the production line button for the very first time.
Icelandic Glacial is currently expanding its UK rollout and is available at Whole Foods, Fresh & Wild, Waitrose, Pure California as well as select premium delicatessens, coffee shops, premium grocers and up-scale clubs and bars in London.
To find out more about the secrets of Iceland and exactly what this island has to offer, visit the world's number one tour operator to Iceland, Discover the World, at www.discover-the-world.co.uk
Posted on November 3, 2008 in Blogs/Travel Blogs , Current Affairs , Events , Feature Ideas , Food and Drink , Iceland , Science , Travel | Permalink | Tag this with Delicious? | E-mail this
Expedition team embarks on the 25th Antarctic expedition
China's 25th Antarctic Expedition set off on a six-month scientific research mission from the port of Shanghai. During this period, team members will build China's first research station on Dome A, the highest point on the Antarctic Inland. This accomplishment will signify that the Antarctic expedition of China achieved the leapfrog development from the rim of the Antarctic continent to the key areas of the interior.
On the morning of October 20th, a short and warm farewell ceremony was held at the domestic base of Arctic and Antarctic expeditions in Pudong and 204 members of the expedition team boarded the vessel, Snow Dragon, to embark on the 25th Antarctic expedition.
According to sources, the expedition team is the largest one since China started its first Antarctic expeditions in 1984. The major task is to build Kunlun, the first inland scientific research station, on Dome A, the highest point on the Antarctic inland icecap. This is the third Chinese Antarctic research station after two previous installments named The Great Wall and Zhongshan.
Yang Huigen, chief scientist and captain of the 25th Antarctic expedition of China, said, "We will carry out scientific exploration of the deep ice core at the newly-built base, focusing on recovering meteorological evidence of the earth's history from 700,000 years ago. We believe we will find high-resolution records of the planet dating back one million years."
Find out more about the Antarctica, the great White Continent, and Discover the World's expedition voyages at www.discover-the-world.co.uk/antarctica/
Posted on October 28, 2008 in Antarctica , Blogs/Travel Blogs , Cruises/Voyages , Exploration , Feature Ideas , Soft Adventure , Travel | Permalink | Tag this with Delicious? | E-mail this
This autumn Iceland is really going to shine....!
This autumn, as well as the natural phenomenon of the Northern Lights there is a new presence in night sky as it becomes illuminated by the brilliant beam emitted by the Imagine Peace Tower. If you are very lucky – witness both the same time! Yoko Ono will return to Reykjavik on October 9 to relight her Imagine Peace Tower on Videy Island for its second year.
The 20-metre high beam of brilliant white light emitted from the tower will be visible across the city from October 9, John Lennon’s birthday, to December 8, the day he died, as well as on New Year’s Eve and during the first week of spring.
The spectacular Northern Lights can also be witnessed in Iceland from October – March. Iceland’s close proximity to the North Pole makes this awe-inspiring country perfect for viewing this amazing natural light show given the right conditions – on a clear starry night with an evening temperature below zero degrees Celsius.
See both of these spectacular light shows for yourself this autumn and join Discover the World on a breathtaking trip to Iceland. If you're looking for a long weekend in a vibrant, cosmopolitan city then Reykjavik has it all. Whilst you're at it indulge mind and body in a therapeutic visit to the world-famous Blue Lagoon. If, like me, you enjoy the city and the countryside then an 'Essential Iceland' self-drive is perfect. What better way to spend the autimn days then driving around the fantastic coastal scenery of the south where the air is crisp and rejuvenating.
See all of this and more at www.discover-the-world.co.uk
Posted on October 3, 2008 | Permalink | Tag this with Delicious? | E-mail this
Jar City - contender for slickest movie of the year.
Move over 'RocknRolla'
there's a new contender in town for slickest movie of the year! Jar City is a chilling murder mystery from Iceland, adapted from Arnaldur Indridason's bestseller. When Reykjavik Detective Inspector Erlendur (Ingvar Eggert Sigurdsson) investigates the murder of an old man, unnerving forensic discoveries lead to the deaths, 30 years apart, of two little girls, and a horrific secret is soon revealed.
Parallel tragedies gradually merge in a haunting film - one deals with Erlendur's relationship with his troubled daughter, the other with how the medical histories (and hereditary secrets) of a country's entire population are on a database for anyone with computer skills to peruse and misuse.
It's a real spellbinder with some very slick and atmospheric shots of Reykjavik. Surely this movie must be ripe for the Hollywood treatment?!
Unearth the secrets of Reykjavik for yourself with Discover the World, the world's largest tour operator to Iceland, and find out why Reykjavik is one definitely one of the coolest capitals on the planet.
Posted on September 15, 2008 in Culture | Permalink | Tag this with Delicious? | E-mail this
Thought you knew all there was to know about Iceland? Think again.....
Icelandic women don’t take the husband’s name when they marry, chiefly because the husband doesn’t have a family name to take. - Because they don’t have surnames, Icelanders are listed in the telephone directory alphabetically by first name.
- Because they don’t have surnames, it is not appropriate to call an Icelander by Mr. or Ms. Almost all Icelanders use the first name with everyone—including the president of Iceland.
- The English word geyser comes from Icelandic (perhaps the only Icelandic word imported into English). Geysir is the name of a famous geyser in Iceland (which, sadly, no longer erupts).
- The Icelanders speak the Icelandic language, which is used only in Iceland and among Icelandic expatriates—chiefly in Scandinavia and North America. Icelandic is very similar to old Nor
- There are only about 270,000 Icelanders in the country. About half of them live in the capital Reykjavik and its suburbs.
- Iceland is the world’s oldest democracy. Its parliament (Althingi) was founded about 1,000 years ago.
- Iceland has vast amounts of water—because it rains so much. Icelandic water is so clean and pure that it is piped into the city and to the kitchen taps in the home without any treatment (no chlorination needed).
- Urban Icelandic homes do not need a water heater or a furnace for heating. Steam and hot water are piped into the city from natural geysers and hot springs for use in homes and buildings.
- Because of its bountiful water supply and many rivers, Iceland has vast reserves of hydroelectric power. Electricity is so inexpensive that aluminum ore (bauxite) is shipped in to the country, made into aluminum, and the aluminum ingots are shipped out again. (Smelting aluminum requires vast amounts of electricity.)
- The weather in Iceland is not as cold as you might think. (Winter is a heck of a lot colder in Minnesota than it is in Iceland!) The climate is relatively mild because of the influence of the Atlantic Ocean’s Gulf Stream. Average winter daytime temperature in Reykjavik is 31 degrees F. (−1 degrees C.)
- Iceland is very green, because there is so much water and the climate is mild. (There are not many trees however.) People like to say that Iceland should be named Greenland and Greenland should be named Iceland.
- Iceland lies just south of the Arctic Circle. Winter nights and summer days are long. On December 21 in the capital, the sun rises at 11:30 a.m. and sets at 3:30 p.m. On June 21 the sun sets about midnight and rises at 3:00 a.m. It never gets darker than twilight at night during the late spring and early summer.
- During a recent survey, Icelanders ranked the highest of all European countries in expressing general satisfaction with their lives.
- Icelanders rank near the top of world nations in the per capita rate of connection to the Internet.
Posted on August 22, 2008 in Culture | Permalink | Tag this with Delicious? | E-mail this
