When in Europe, watch the Eurovision Song Contest

This is the absolutely most terrible show in the world. And with more viewers than Superbowl!
It used to be a way for artists to become famous outside of their own country, but nowadays it's just a really, really expensive joke. Seriously, most of these people wouldn't be able to strike a note even if their lives depended on it. It's more than three hours of ridiculous costumes and gimmicks. Everything about it makes me cringe. Imagine ballroom dancing but as a song contest...
In case you don't live in Europe and you are unfamiliar with all of the Eurovision traditions and dos and don'ts and rumours, try to see if you can find someone who actually cares about the contest and who wants to watch it with you. If they live in Western Europe they will (without a doubt) spend HOURS telling you about how the Eastern European countries have taken over the competition and that they ONLY vote for their neighbor countries. They will tell you that if a small Eastern country wins it has nothing (Nichts! Nada!) to do with the fact that their song is better than the British participant, but rather that they've created a Eurovision Song Contest mafia and bribed (is that the past tense of 'to bribe'?) the jury and who not. Obviously all obscure small countries on the boarder of Europe and the Middle East have that much money!
If I were a homosexual man I would love this show. That's probably the only good thing I can say...

When in England, buy magazines

Being a sucker for freebies I can't help but love how British magazines almost always come with a little extra. Not only are they stuffed with samples of foundation in colours waaay too dark for my skin tone, but quite often they include a regular product.
When I went to London a couple of months ago I knew I was going to check out the magazine racks, only to see if I could find something cool and arty and different than what I can buy in Denmark. But what did I end up with? Two glitzy women's magazines about how to style hair and what eye shadows to match with a floral dress. Why? BECAUSE THEY GAVE ME FREE THINGS! I got some sort of hair care product that honestly doesn't do anything. But hey, the magazine was £2 and it entertained me during my flight. The other magazine might have been Marie Claire and it was like £3,50 and included an article about Danes being the top favourite sperm donors in the world and 50 ml of a Neal's Yard facial cream.
Does this post have a point? Ah... yes. Au contraire de most of the other places I've bought magazine (Denmark, Sweden, the USA...) England actually sees the opportunities that lies within the idea of "if we give people something for free, they will like us and then they'll buy our product and we will be rich and famous". Because of course they don't just give away things because they want to be nice, they do it a marketing trick.
But who cares? Free things are, well, free :D

When in Sweden eat a kanelbulla

Yesterday my parents asked me to bake some cake for a meeting they were having, and while considering my options my mind wandered along all the sugary wonders I've EVER eaten :) And then I remembered... A small cafe in Stockholm with an impressive selection of tea and a flair for making really good coffee and on the desk something that looked somewhat like this:

I guess 'kanelbulla' is best translated into 'cinnamon roll' - white bread with sugar and cinnamon filling. You can get them anywhere in Sweden, from 7/11 to organic bakeries, but the quality will vary. I usually make them myself, however, the best one I've ever had was the one I ate in Stockholm. It was huge, perfectly mushy and the amount of filling was just right. It was spicy and sweet, but not overwhelmingly sticky.
If you're in the area I would suggest that you check it out. The cafe is quite small and cozy, the back wall is covered in cans with different kinds of tea (you might need a moment to choose) and they make good coffee. They serve proper food, too.

Café 60, on the corner of Sveavägen and Kammakargatan.

Oh, and in case you were wondering; I ended up making a strawberry-rhubarb pie. From what I've heard it was AMAZING! And thanks for saving a piece for me, mum and dad...

When in Berlin, visit the DDR musem

When it comes to museums I'm like a 5-year-old. I like to touch and open and discover. And this is exactly what the DDR museum is all about!
It's basically a collection of things from when Germany was divided into East and West and the East part was Communist and called DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik). I'm not going to try to explain anything about what it was like (because, to be honest, I don't think I'm in any way qualified to do so), but I'm pretty sure that this museum is spot on. If you know next to nothing about the DDR I would recommend that you check out the movies Goodbye Lenin and The lives of others. That should give you an idea of what to expect.
But back to the museum! Even though it's fairly new, it's by no means high tech or overwhelmingly fancy. The first thing to catch the eye is an old Trabant. An old Trabi that you get to touch and open and sit in. Afterwards you walk around and open closets and drawers and take out books and toys and clothes. There's an area showing what apartments used to look like. There are TVs showing TV shows from back then and ear phones playing the smash hits.
And my favourite part?


Learn how to dance the DDR way!

All in all I think this is a nice museum, suitable for almost all ages and it shows a very important part of the German history in an easily comprehensible way.

http://www.ddr-museum.de/en/

When in North Korea

I've never been to North Korea and I don't think I'll ever go there... But last night I watched a documentary about some Danish-Korean comedians who pretended to be fans of the North Korean regime and set up a really terrible comedy show just to see how people would react.
It was the most nerve wracking thing I've seen in a long, long time. I was sure some one was going to call their bluff and they would get imprisoned and executed.
Most of it is in English (I'm pretty sure it's made for an international audience) and I would recommend it if you're the least bit interested in getting behind the scenes of North Korea. It's called The Red Chapel.

When in Prague

I've been to Prague twice and I'm honestly not planning to go back. However, there are a couple of pretty good reasons to go:

- Really, really good, cheap beer
- The Museum of Communism
- The Kampa Museum

I like beer. And I like cheap things :) Actually, beer is cheaper than water. Don't get me wrong everything is cheap, but sitting at a restaurant and looking at the menu you can't help but notice the difference. You go "wow! Look how cheap the food is! Wow! Look how cheap the beer is! Huh... Water is sort of pricey..." But who really needs water when they can drink beer, right?

The oddest and most surprisingly pleasant thing about Prague must be the Museum of Communism. First of all the poster shows an evil Babushka with fangs. Then, when you enter the museum, you wonder if maybe you are lost. You walk up some very impressive stairs, you read signs guiding you towards a casino, then you turn left and enter an apartment. The Museum of Communism is pretty much a collection of Communist artifacts. A HUGE collection in a fairly small apartment. It's not very informative, but if you like looking at collections of old crap (one of my favourite activities, haha) you should check it out.
http://www.muzeumkomunismu.cz/

However, if you're more of an art museum kind of person I would recommend going to Kampa. It's placed on the left side of the river in a park and there's this big, crooked chair in the river. The art is modern and I especially enjoyed the permanent photo exhibition.
http://www.museumkampa.com/en/

But when all this is said, I (personally) am still not completely mad about Prague. Why? you may ask... Well, Prague is packed with tourists. And I'm under the impression that the locals are somewhat tired of strangers demanding entertainment. Or maybe they just don't like Danes :)
Anyways, if you want to go to Eastern Europe but don't want the tourist hell, maybe you should go Warsaw or Budapest? But if you DO go to Prague, go see the castle, because if you don't people will tell you that you missed out.

I know this has turned out to be sort of a negative blog post, but I really didn't mean for it to be. It's just that I don't quite get the hype... Don't get me wrong, I will never forget the time in Prague when I accidentally went to a lesbian bar, but since I'm not planning on repeating that, I don't really feel like going back over and over and over again.

If you go, I'm sure you'll have a great time! I mean, that's what holidays are all about :)

When in Sweden, check out...

...these three things:

This is without a doubt my favourite shower gel in the world! It smells like eucalyptus and it's very nice and fresh and the label makes it look almost healthy. I must admit that (in spite of trying very, very hard) I still don't understand all the technical terms used when listing ingredients, however, I can tell you that there are no parabens in Myrten. And as if the wonderful smell and the paraben free formula wasn't enough, this stuff is actually cheap, too! Oh joy!
I bought it in this store that every one loves to hate. It's called Dollarstore, and contrary to what you might think, nothing actually costs a dollar. Everything is like 10, 20, 30... 150 SEK (Swedish kronor). Myrten was 20 SEK. I remember because I just took off the price mark (you can still see bits of it right above the label). I broke at least two nails in the process.

I haven't used my Oleum Basileum in a while, but I still think it's absolutely brilliant. I found it in the Co-op supermarket at some point in the fall when I had a cold and felt sorry for myself and my boyfriend had broken up with me.
What you do is that you boil some water, add a couple of drops of this (it's like a mix of essential oils, the smell is very herbal), put a tower over your head, and inhale the steam for about 10 minutes. First of all this clears your airways and second of all it makes your skin really soft. It's sort of a roman spa home treatment for your face :) I do it every now and then even when I don't have a cold.
Further more you can put a couple of drops on your chest before you go to bed to make breathing easier when you have a cold. And if I have a sore neck I rub in a bit as well. Not sure if it's actually working, but I like the smell.
I believe the price was about 50 SEK. And you will have a single little bottle for a pretty long time since you only use a few drops each time.

Försvarets hudsalva (a skin salve made for the (army) defense) usually comes in a green tube, but they made this pink version where some of the profit went to the fight against breast cancer.
It is basically just a skin salve. Almost every single Swedish woman I met had one of these and used it as a lip balm. It's a very no nonsense kind of product, the packing is super simple and in no way fancy, and if you have dry skin (not just lips) you apply it and it will probably work. That's it.
You buy it at a pharmacy and for 17 SEK you really can't go wrong.

When in Sweden, buy Swedish brands

When you say Sweden you say H&M, IKEA, and ABBA. But let's be honest, you could buy that cute little dress from H&M at home, your coffee table is from IKEA and you have en iTunes playlist called "favourite music for ugly dancing" with your favourite ABBA songs.
I always go to H&M anyways, I just can't help myself, but I don't think it's necessary to check out all 34 of them if you're in Stockholm. Maybe you would be better off paying a visit to

Cheap Monday
They make all kinds of garments, but are mainly known for their super affordable jeans. I know there's a store in Södermalm in Stockholm, on the main shopping street in that area, but I can't find the address. However, I know it's pretty close to

Monki
Female clothing and accessories chain store. The quality is so and so, but every now and then you can find some goodies. Most of their things are quite cheap and the stores are always decorated with cute black and white drawings and neon lights. For addresses see http://monkiworld.com/international/#/stores

There are plenty of small (and expensive) boutiques, Swedes have a way of making cute but practical clothes, often with a twist of melancholy.

I'm sure I've forgotten something, but hey, then I'll just make another shopping guide!

When in Sweden, drink cider

Just a short post about drinking and going out in Sweden.

First of all, one of the things that I had to get used to being Danish and all, was the way people went out. They go to a private party, then (around 11pm) they go to a bar, and then when the bar closes at 2am they go to a private after party. This might be completely normal all over the world, except from Denmark where we go to a private party, go to a bar at some point no earlier than 2am and stumble home when we realize that we're out of money. Don't be surprised if this happens at, say, 8am. Anyways, this was supposed to be about Sweden.

Well, a very Swedish thing to drink at a bar is cider. It is very sweet, not at all like English cider. More like soda, but with alcohol. The most famous brand is probably Rekorderlig - they make cider with a bunch of different flavours, not only apple and pear, but I know they have some with elderflower and berries and other things, too.

All beverages with more than 3,5% alcohol must be bought in Systembolaget, where you have to be at least 20 years old to take home an overpriced bottle of joy :) However, as soon as you are 18 years old you can brew your own (up to 20%!).

Should you be in the mood for something without any alcohol, Sweden has a quite overwhelming selection of carbonated water with taste, without sugar and sweetener. My personal favourite is Loka, just because the bubbles are nice and soft. Like cider, this comes in a wide range of flavours, go for what you think sounds good.

Last but not least, I've heard stories about how Americans dislike Coca-Cola when it's made in Sweden since the water tastes different. And that an Australian brewery once tried to brew beer in Sweden but they gave up because they couldn't get it to taste right.
I don't know if any of this is true, but to me the tap water tastes just fine, don't be afraid to drink it :)

When in Sweden, eat like a Swede!

Or don't. Personally I would skip most of it :)

I lived in Sweden for six months and thought it would be a good place to start off with. And hey, who doesn't like food, right? Well, let me put it this way: There's a reason why the Swedish cuisine is not quite as well-known as the Italian one. Actually there are several reasons.

Ahem...

What I Would Never Ever Eat In Sweden:
- A hotdog with mashed potatoes and shrimps.
- Surströmming. This is basically rotten fish in a can. Yes, some people eat it.

What I Would Taste If Someone Made It For Me, But Can't Imagine Enjoying:
- Flygande Jacob. A dish consisting of chicken, bananas, bacon, chili, peanuts, and cream. Had it not been for the bananas this would have been quite an ordinary dish, I guess.
- Jansons fristelse. Again, this really isn't that bad at all, I'm just very sceptical when it comes to adding the anchovies.

What I Really Think You Should Try:
- Ahlgrens bilar. Tiny candy cars marketed as "The most sold car in the World".
- Djunglevrål. Salt liquorice shaped as monkeys.

I just enjoy candy more when it comes in odd shapes!

I'm sure there are plenty of more dishes out there to either love or hate, but this was just my thoughts on eating in Sweden. Some day I think I'll make Flygande Jacob, just to find out what it's like. If you're interested in any of the recipes in English, you can either try to google it or let me know and I'll find it in Danish/Swedish and translate it.

When in [place]

This is my travel blog. This is my how to and where to and what to. And hopefully it will turn out a bit different than other travel blogs. But maybe it won't and in that case I guess that would be okay, too.
A couple of days ago I returned from the USA. My next trip will probably go to Paris. My favourite city of all times is Berlin. The best place to be in the Autumn is a Swedish wood.
I always travel on a budget. I pay for everything with my own money. I carry my own bags. I like meeting new people.
And I really do hope that someone will get inspired and that whatever I get around to write will be of some sort of help :)
Enjoy my ramblings!

// Nanna