Swedish News

 

  • Honey, I don’t believe in sin
    Do you remember Luke Perry, the guy who played Dylan in the TV series “90210”? Well, he’s in Sweden making a movie called “Midsommarfesten” in which he plays an American who comes to Sweden with a stereotype image of the Swedish Sin. But Perry himself doesn’t think much of it. “Honey,” he says, “I don’t believe in sin.” Perry also admits to having some anxiety about filming in Trosa, Sweden. “I don’t like to travel in work,” he says. “It has nothing to do with Sweden. But now I’m happy to be here. I like it, it’s pretty.” In the film, which is directed by Ian McCrudden, Perry will bathe in the nude, eat herring, and sit in the sauna. The other actors in the film are all Swedish, among them Lisa Werlinder, who we interviewed earlier this summer.

  • A new hat for the princess
    What’s that in Princess Madeleine’s beautifully combed hair? A giant insect? Some kind of airborne debris? No, it’s the new mini-hat, or coiffer, that has taken the royal house in Stockholm (and elsewhere in Europe) by storm. It’s already a favorite of Victoria’s, and here it is on Madeleine. Less frumpy than a hat, the coiffer is perfect for christenings and cocktail parties.

  • ABBA Museum delayed
    The proposed ABBA museum in Stockholm has been delayed. Renovations to the 100-year old Stora Tullhuset, which will house the museum, mean that the museum won’t open as planned in 2009. “It’s better to make this decision at an early stage, even though it’s a disappointing message,” said Ulf Westman, the co-founder of ABBA the Museum. “The museum is eagerly anticipated, but now we have had to face the fact that we won’t be able to open.” Interest for the museum is huge worldwide and 3,000 tickets have already been sold. The project has recently attracted new investment, which will ensure its financial future. “There is no doubt that there will be an ABBA museum, although it may take a while longer than expected,” Westman assured.

  • Playground for the elderly
    Recently Stockholm’s first “playground” for the elderly opened in Hökarängen, outside Stockholm. Since many of the people living in Hökarängen are retired it made sense to turn an old playground into an activity park for older residents. Says Park Commissioner Sara Ström who is the brain behind the project: “Here’s where the elderly can improve their balance, their coordination and fine motor skills, it will also increase their self-confidence, which is crucial to people’s well-being.” The equipment in the park is a colorful combination of gym and playground, and will probably also attract younger people. There are also sofas where one can sit and take a break and talk to other aspiring gymnasts.

  • Royal roses
    Want something a bit extra in your garden when it comes to roses? How about a rose named after a royal? It’s customary for queens and princesses to have roses named after them. Some favorites include Queen Silvia’s rose with big flowers in shades of pink, apricot, and cream. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark’s rose is yellow, and ex-empress of Iran, Farah Diba, has a two-colored rose called “Impératrice Farah”. Crown Princess Victoria’s red rose was produced in Ecuador and took 9 years to cultivate. Oh, and it’s not only for women. Prince Carl Philip also has a rose named after him, the color of which is called “love red”….

  • Stockholm brand ranks high
    Stockholm has been ranked as the seventh strongest brand among European cities. Stockholm also ranked second in how well it makes use of its brand according to a new survey. The survey, which compares and contrasts place brand strengths and assesses how successfully cities project their attractions, reviewed a total of 72 European cities. According to their criteria Paris and London come out on top of the lists in both City Brand Strength and City Asset Strength. Stockholm, the self-styled ‘Capital of Scandinavia’, was considered to have the seventh strongest brand of the cities in the study. Göteborg also made the list in 35th place for its brand strength.

  • Best-dressed men of the week
    It’s fall already and what on earth are we going to wear? Even though it’s sunny outside it doesn’t really feel right to show up in shorts, flip-flops, and a muscle T. No, fall takes more planning and care than that. Expressen gave us some inspiration by showing us the five best-dressed men of the week. Here are two of them, Per Sinding-Larsen and Hasse Aro.

  • One on one with Crown Princess Victoria
    Expressen, the Swedish evening newspaper, sat down with Crown Princess Victoria and talked about a lot of different things. Q: The King has been criticized for trying to put off a wedding between Victoria and her boyfriend Daniel Westling. A: “That’s unfair to my father to say that,” the Princess responds. “Three years ago, we talked about engagement, and then you said let’s wait and see…. Are you afraid nobody will want me? (laughs) Of course I hope the day will come when I get engaged. And when it does everybody will know!” Q: What does a day in your life look like? A: “Hard to say. There are days when I have more official duties than others. But I still try to study. At the moment I’m taking another course in peace and conflict solution, in Uppsala. So I try to focus on my studies. The advantage with my part is that my days are very varied.”