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!

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

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/

Sigur Rós, Björk Perform Free Show for Iceland

Native Icelanders Björk and Sigur Rós are joining forcing to perform a free concert in their home country at the end of the month in a bid to increase recognition of the growing environmental issues and natural image of Iceland.

On June 28th, both rock acts will play an outdoors show in Reykjavik, Iceland at the Botanical Garden on Laugavegur. They will be accompanied by artists such as Ólöf Arnalds, who is also from Iceland, and a few other artists from outside of the nation. Björk told the Icelandic publication Morgunbladid that the country is behind in being environmentally-friendly and needs to start incorporating 'green thinking' into what it does. The building of more dams and aluminum factories is one factor that continues to hinder progress so new options should perhaps be considered, the 42-year-old musician stated.

Last year, Björk released her sixth studio record entitled Volta, which was nominated at the 2007 Grammy Awards. Sigur Rós are coming out with their fifth full-length album, Með suð ' eyrum við spilum endalaust (which means "With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly" in English) at the end of this month on the 23rd of June. Meanwhile, Ólöf Arnalds released her debut album, Við Og Við, last year.

Find out just why Iceland is one of the 'coolest' countries on the planet by visiting www.discover-the-world.co.uk

Iceland tops the poll as world's most peaceful country

Did you know that Iceland is the world's most peaceful country, according to an index measuring internal and external turmoil. Only one of the G8 states makes it into the top 10 of the survey, which was published this week.

Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir, Iceland's foreign minister, welcomed her country's ranking by saying "We are very pleased that the index confirms the core values of a small democratic society ... which has never had a military and has effectively practised peace for hundreds of years," she said. "We can feel that other states also find this of importance and it is in fact a driving force in our first-time candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the UN security council."

While Iceland leads the field, Nordic countries again feature at the top of the index, which is compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit from 24 indicators of external and internal measures of peace, including UN deployments overseas and levels of violent crime nationally. Denmark and Norway come second and third, followed by New Zealand and Japan, the G8's sole representative in the top 10.

Give peace a chance and find a more harmonious way of life by visiting the world's number travel company to Iceland, Discover the World, at www.discover-the-world.co.uk

TripAdvisor votes Queenstown and Milford Sound top two worldwide destinations

Queenstown has been named the second most popular world destination, closely following Milford Sound in first place, by TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest travel community.

The inaugural TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Destinations Awards recognise inspirational travel spots and honour the most beloved destinations from around the world.

TripAdvisor’s 2008 Destinations Awards represent the opinions of millions of travelers. The winners were determined by a combination of TripAdvisor’s travelers’ favourite places and overall popularity on the online travel community’s website.

Vice President of Global Communications for TripAdvisor Michele Perry said the Travelers’ Choice Destinations Awards are unique because they single out not just popular places but truly exceptional places that enthrall travelers and keep them coming back.

Destination Queenstown CEO, David Kennedy, said the award for Queenstown was testament to the quality of the town’s operators and the exceptional travel experience they delivered. The award was phenomenal recognition for Queenstown and the people who run businesses in town, showcasing Queenstown’s southern hospitality and delivering an inspirational experience.

Start planning your dream holiday to New Zealand now by visiting www.discover-the-world.co.uk where you will find one of the UK's most comprehensive guides to New Zealand together with a fantastic selection of travel options.

Iceland claims Europe's largest park

Next month Vatnajokull in Iceland will be designated the largest national park in Europe. It will cover more than three million acres (half the size of Wales), incorporating 13 per cent of the whole country.

Vatnajokull, in the south-east of the country, is a land of high plains, volcanoes, lava beds, sand flats, rivers, lakes and ravines. While some areas – such as the Detifoss waterfall, the most powerful in Europe – attract visitors, much of the park is a wilderness. Seven volcanoes, most of them active, are located under the Vatnajokull ice-cap, one of the largest glaciers in Europe.

A network of visitor centres, waymarked trails and rangers' stations is being built to improve accessibility. "National park status will protect the area against development, pollution and other human interference in order to preserve it for future generations," said Olof Yrr Atladottir, the director-general of the Icelandic Tourist Board.

Tourist officials estimate that the park could attract more than 40,000 new visitors each year.

Iceland is already anticipating an increase in tourist numbers as its currency, the krona, has fallen by more than 10 per cent against the pound in the past 12 months.

Travel with the World's number one tour operator to Iceland, Discover the World, and witness this amazing national park for yourself..!! For more information see www.discover-the-world.co.uk

Sweden ranks world's best place for mothers

Sweden has once again been rated as "the best place to be a mother in the world" by a U.S.-based charity in a report assessing the well-being for mothers around the world.

The report, released by the aid agency Save the Children Tuesday, illustrates where mothers fare best and where they face the greatest hardship.

Save the Children has done the assessments of such aspects as longevity, drinking water quality, matNorway ranks second on the list of 146 countries in the State of the World's Mothers' index, followed by Iceland which ranks third.

Among the top 10 countries on the list are also New Zealand, Denmark, Australia, Finland, Ireland, Germany and France.

The low-ranked countries include Niger, Chad, Yemen, Sierra Leone, Angola, Guinea Bissa, Eritrea, Djibouti, Mali and Ethiopia.

The organization releases its report annually since 2000 in a bid to arouse public concerns about life quality for mothers around the world.

Enjoy a holiday in Sweden, Iceland and New Zealand and find out for yourself just why these countries are unique. For more information visit www.discover-the-world.co.uk

Headlining acts at the Reykjavik Blues Festival - 18th - 21st March

Among the performers featured at this year’s Reykjavík Blues Festival are The Yardbirds. This band produced the ultra-talented Blues playing guitarists Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. The Yardbirds paved the way for the Blues in UK pop music and had a tremendous impact on the contemporary music of the times. Also performing is Magic Slim, a living legend who’s coming straight from Chicago with his band, The Teardrops. The Blues diva Deitra Farr is also one of this year’s guest performers at the Reykjavík Blues Festival, as well as Vinir Dóra and many others. The Norwegian Blues duo Jolly Jumper & Big Moe, whose style is inspired by the Blues traditions of the early 1900s, will be attending the festival for their second time. The 2008 festival will also feature the music of The Nordic All Stars Blues Band. This band is made up of an elite selection of some of Scandinavia’s finest Blues musicians.

There are many Icelandic Jazz and Blues performers attending the festival this year. Among those is the well-known Bláir skuggar whose members include the talented Sigurður Flosason, Jón Páll Bjarnason, Þórir Baldursson and Pétur Östlund.

This is the 5th Anniversary of the Reykjavík Blues Festival. In celebration, musicians who have been presented with the award of Honorary Member of the Reykjavík Blues Association will be performing at this year’s festival.  These performers include Magnús Eiríksson, Björgvin Gíslason, Andrea Gylfadóttir and KK. In keeping with tradition, the Blues Festival will continue to spotlight new and upcoming Blues talent.

Vist the world's leading specialist tour operator to Iceland, Discover the World, for more information on holidays to Reykjavik and Iceland. Whether it's a city break, self-drive or escorted holiday, Discover the World have ideas for every preference and can tailor make a holiday to suit any requirment.

Imagine all the People.....

There is something about the beauty and tranquility of Iceland that makes it the rightful setting for a spectacular tribute to John Lennon.

John Lennon changed the world in so many ways with his music and outlook on life and so now at last the world has a permanent and very spiritual reminder of his legacy.

Yoko Ono unveiled The Imagine Peace Tower in Reykjavik, Iceland on October 9th, 2007. It will shine nightly every year from October 9th (John Lennon's birthday) through December 8th, the anniversary of Lennon's death in 1980.

The legend lives on……!!

To discover this and more for yourself visit www.discover-the-world.co.uk