OR "DANSK JÄVLAR" ACCORDING TO BO NILSSON 

In the end of each episode of Lars von Triers classic "The Kingdom" TV series, the Swedish actor Ernst Hugo Järegård (may he rest in peace) goes up on the roof of The Kingdom. The Kingdom (Riget in Danish) is Denmark's biggest hospital on the edge of Copenhagen and through his binoculars looks over at his beloved Sweden and screams "DANSK JÄVLAR". Dansk Jävlar means Danish Bastards and pretty much is head on for what the Swedes think of the kingdom of Denmark these days.

The above images is of Christian II, the brilliant swedish concept "Brask Lapp" and bloodbath action 

The list of issues the Swedes have with the Danes until now is a very long one. It all started back in the days when Christian "The Good" II went to Stockholm and produced the huge drama in The Bloodbath of Stockholm. Basically he chopped the head off anyone that did not like him. After that the Swedes called him Christian "The Tyrant" II. A while after that Sweden broke loose from Denmark and became the bigger country with hardworking people who's drinking habits became regulated by the government because there was just to many accidents in the growing industrial nation.

Meanwhile in Denmark, drinking was rather open and the brewery that made most money out of the Danes drinking habits, donated large amounts of money to the arts, by for example building "Glyptoteket" exhibiting classical art, street art by names like Zevs and Egyptian mummies. While Denmark was occupied by Hitler during the 2nd World War, the Swedes were neutral supporting him with huge amounts of iron for building weapons from their great mines in the north. The Swedish producer of bombs, made his own healing project by creating the Nobel Prize.

A Swedish Tiger 

Then came many years of rather good times between the peaceful countries and they both flourished in their own ways. The Swedes loved going to the happy go lucky little Kingdom of Denmark to get drunk and buy cheap food and alcohol with their stronger currency. The Danes could really care less about Sweden, because when the Danes leave their Kingdom, they would rather go south to get some sun, than going north to get even colder and being around the Swedes.

Sweden has always been a little better than Denmark and the Swedes truly feel this. The Danes have a bit of a little brother complex, and it has only gotten worse lately when Swedish music, fashion, young film and literature have surpassed them by far.

The world changed Post 911, and so did Denmark. The country that used to be so cozy and "hyggeligt" was not so cute anymore. The very overly political correct Swedes cringe over what goes on in the kingdom these days. Not that they don't have problems with their immigrants and such, but at least they don't air their dirty laundry the way the Danes do. They are just to well behaved to do that. And then there was the crazy Danish soccer fan who attacked the referee during a game between Denmark and Sweden with 10 beers in his body, that cemented the Swedes perspective on the Danes.

above image by Fredrik Persson/Pressens bild

The former art critic and current director of the Danish Royal Exhibition Space Charlottenborg Bo Nilsson, does not only have the same dialect as Ernst Hugo Järegård, he also has a slight resemblance to him. In his first exhibition at Charlottenborg, he exhibited the usual suspects of the current Danish art scene. However, one might wonder if he while being the Big Cheese at the Danish Royal Exhibition Space, exhibiting what these silly Danes call art..that he every night after a hectic day with the union-declared coffee and smoke breaks every 60 minutes, goes up on the roof and looks over to his beloved Sweden and screams "Dansk Jävlar!".

Is he just exhibiting them as fools?

Is he pulling an "Entarte Kunst" move on the Danes, ridiculing their national treasures saying: Look at this crap! This is what they call contemporary art in this stupid little country. 

The world’s greatest pop artist, Andy Warhol, returns to Stockholm’s Moderna Museet. In 1968 Stockholm’s premier museum for contemporary art hosted Warhol’s first ever large retrospective exhibition, and in the spring 2008 the museum will host a new Warhol-exhibition called ‘Andy Warhol – Other Voices, Other Rooms’.

The exhibition runs from February 9 to May 4, and on display are Andy Warhol’s most famous art works including paintings, photos, drawings, sound bites and 19 of his most poignant films from the 1960s, among other ‘Sleep Eat and Empire’.

Currently Moderna Museet are awaiting a report from the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board that will state if the museum’s six wooden Brillo boxes (the Brillo soap-box was one of Andy Warhol’s favorite motives) are fake and should be struck from its collection. Though the six boxes which were donated to the museum in 1995 aren’t on display, fans of the Brillo box still have something to look forward to. A (original) Brillo box from 1964 will be part of the museum’s Warhol-installation this spring.

Moderna Museet celebrates its 50 anniversary in 2008 and ‘Andy Warhol – Other Voices, Other Rooms’ is the main attraction of the jubilee which also includes a Max Ernst exhibition in the autumn.    

Holder du af lange skøjteture, og synes du, det er en smule monotomt at køre i ovale cirkler i den lokale skøjtehal, bør du overveje at deltage i det 80 kilometer lange Vikingarännet. Det er Sveriges tredjestørste sø Mälaren, der hvert år lægger is til mange tusinde skøjteentusiaster, der ønsker at tilbagelægge den gamle vikingerute mellem Uppsala og Stockholm. Er 80 kilometer lige i overkanten kan du nøjes med deltage i Vikingaturen, som ’kun’ er på 50 kilometer.
Vikingarännet afholdes altid i februar. Vejrgudernes uforudsigelighed gør det dog svært at fastsætte et præcist starttidspunkt. Arrangørerne af løbet lover dog så meget, at de forventer at startskuddet til Vikingarännet 2008 vil lyde den 10. eller 17. februar.

Du kan læse mere om Vikingarännet og tilmelding til løbet her: www.vikingarannet.com        
 

Getting to and from the airport

The express train Arlanda Express leaves every 15 minutes from Arlanda airport and goes to the Central Station in the center. It lasts about 20 minutes and costs no less than 220 SKR (24 Euros)!

You can also take a taxi, but the trip to Stockholm is long and expensive. If you can fill up the cab and if you’re going somewhere far from the Central Station, a taxi might be a good solution after all. Several taxis have a fixed price for the ride between the airport and the center.
There are also buses that go from Arlanda to the center.

Getting around in Stockholm

Stockholm is a great city for pedestrians, so don’t forget to bring comfortable shoes if you want to explore the city on foot.

There is a good subway, “Tunnelbana”, which is an easy way to get around town.  Don't buy single tickets but get a ticket book from a newspaper store: Pressbyrån, or a weekend pass that grants you free transportation for an entire weekend.

Stockholm has an extensive network of city buses, which are in service every day from 5am until midnight. At most bus stops, there is a map of the city and all the bus routes. Tickets are bought from the bus drivers who are mostly very helpful about getting you in the right direction.

The most fabulous way to get around Stockholm is by boat. Not only does it feel right in a city connected by water, it is also an easy and time saving means of transportation. In the tourist offices, you can get information on schedules and routes.

Consider buying The Stockholm Card when you arrive in the city. The card grants you free access to a series of museums, free transportation in the Tunnelbana as well as on many sightseeing boats.

It is not always easy to hail a cab from a street corner in Stockholm. Most often, it’s better to call for one or have your hotel/restaurant/café call. Taxis are expensive. A short trip within the center can easily cost 20 Euros.
 
Links to make your stay in Stockholm a lot easier:

www.stockholmtown.se
www.aos.se
www.nojesguiden.se  - you’ll find the latest news on restaurants, museums etc here.
www.thelocal.com - on-line newspaper

By Mette Lomholdt

Hotels 

Most hotels in Stockholm primarily make their money from people on business trips, so it’s quite expensive to sleep over in the city. But luckily a lot of hotels have cheap weekend offers. And there are several good hostels in Stockholm.
Some suggestions of hotels at various price levels:

Hotel Rival
                            

Hotel Rival, owned by Benny Andersson from ABBA, is momondo’s favorite hotel in Stockholm. The reason for that is simply that the service is so carried out in every detail. Great service, lovely rooms, lively restaurant, delicious breakfast, awesome café, private bakery, cinema and a cocktail bar, where you can let go of your inner Dancing Queen.

The hotel’s theme is movie stars, and there are big black-and-white photographs on the walls in every room. There are cool glass mosaic in the bath rooms that all have windows from which you can look into the bedroom. 

Every room has wireless Internet, big plasma screens, CD players and Playstation. In stead of pay-per-view, the hotel has a free DVD library where you can borrow all kinds of movies, from “Amélie” and “Cinéma Paradiso” to classics like “Citizen Kane” and “Dr. Strangelove” as well as newer pictures like “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “The Queen”. In the DVD collection you will - unsurprisingly - find “ABBA, The Movie”!

There is 24 hour room service, but you will probably be so well asleep in the soft Dux bed, that you will not lie awake and need any kind of service in the middle of the night.  Another thing that will secure you a good night of sleep is the hotel’s “pillow menu”, which offers you the pillow that suits you best.
The hotel frequently hosts various cultural events that add to the lively – but not too loud – atmosphere. To complete all of the above, Hotel Rival is situated on beautiful Söder.

160 € and up

Hotel Rival, Mariatorget 3
www.rival.se

Hotel Birger Jarl

Hotel Birger Jarl is located in a building from the 1970’s and it does not look like anything special from the outside. But inside, some fun surprises are expecting you.

Twelve of the hotel’s room have been individually designed by Swedish designers and have their own names. You can get your beauty sleep in The Polka Dot Room (number 705) or in Miss Dottie (709).

The rest of the hotel’s standard rooms are simpler with minimalist Scandinavian design and white walls.

225 € and up

Hotel Birger Jarl, Tulegatan 8
www.birgerjarl.se

SAS Strand Hotel

Even though the Strand Hotel is part of a large chain, the hotel sticks out from most chain hotels.

The location is charming, in the very center on Nybrokajen, with a view of the port and the cobble stoned quay. Close to the shopping areas, Dramaten (The Royal Theater of Sweden) and many great restaurants and bars.
In the lobby, you can sink into comfortable green leather couches and enjoy the wide selection of newspapers and the view of water and sail boats through the large windows.

The rooms are spacious and if your money allows, offer yourself a ”superior guest room” with a view of the harbor.

250 € and up

SAS Strand Hotel, ybrokajen 9
www.radissonsas.com

Hotel Hellsten                  

Hotel Hellsten is a new place with 80 rooms, and it quickly became a very popular hotel.

It splendidly combines new design, antique furniture and porcelain figurines, which gives you the feeling of being in a homey atmosphere in Stockholm.

195 € and up 

Hostels

Chapman                                        

Enjoy the fabulous view of Gamla Stan through your porthole, as your are rocked to sleep. The hostel Chapman is a full-rigged ship, docked alongside the quay of Skeppsholmen. A double room with your private porthole and a shared shower costs around 50 Euros.

50 €

Långholmen Hotel & Youth Hostel                       

A former prison that has been transformed into a combined hostel and hotel. The place is situated on the small island, Långholmen, in rural surroundings, despite its central location in Stockholm.

Most cells/rooms of the hostel have a private bath and toilet, as well as wireless Internet, and cost from 66 Euros and up. You can also sleep in the dormitory, which costs about 29 Euros per night.

If you’re not the dorm kind of person, you can get your beauty sleep in your own private redone prison cell at Hotel Långholmen.

Hostel: 29 € and up
Hotel: 100 € and up

Långholmen Hotel & Youth Hostel, Långholmsmuren 20
www.langholmen.com

More information on hostels in Stockholm and the surrounding area at:

www.svenskaturistforeningen.se

By Mette Lomholdt