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Scandinavia

Wild times in Denmark: Elk, wolves and jackals return

December 20, 2015

Denmark’s wildlife is getting a bit wilder, some on its own, and some by careful intervention.  The big news (anything about an elk is big) is the re-introduction of elk to Denmark after a 5000-year absence. Five young Swedish elk have been given a new habitat on Denmark’s Jutland peninsula, in an area that is the largest raised bog in Northern Europe. They’ll hopefully become part of a self-sustaining ecosystem in the area. Recently, a beaver was spotted building a dam on a golf…

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Happy Birthday, Finland—your present is a mountain!

December 17, 2015

It’s not yet a done deal, but a campaign to give Finland a mountain as a gift on the 100th anniversary of its independence is gaining support in Norway. Norway has lots of mountains; Finland is mostly flat. On their common border, Halti rises to 1365 metres, not even one of the top 200 in the country…but one of it spurs, over 40 meters lower, is the highest point in Finland. The proposal, which now has the support of the Norwegian Mapping Authority, would shift the border 20 meters to put…

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Norwegian bank is out of cash, on purpose

October 31, 2015

  Nordea, Norway’s number two bank, with operations across Scandinavia, has announced that starting Monday its Norwegian branches will not handle cash. Period.   The bank’s plan, surprising as it sounds, is part of Scandinavia’s move toward…

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Ultimate outdoor vacation: a year without walls

August 1, 2015

Photo: Instagram   A Norwegian couple has just finished the real outdoorfolks’ dream: they’ve spent the last year in Norway’s Arctic regions, sleeping in tents and improvised shelters, and living off the land.   The couple, Elise Theoline…

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Oslo, Stockholm get hi-speed link this summer

June 5, 2015

A new rail link to connect Stockholm and Oslo opens in August, cutting the time from 6 to 4-1/2 hours. It’s aimed at international professionals who might otherwise have chosen to fly between Scandinavian capitals.   It almost got delayed;…

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From the Shoebox, a Gallery of Details

May 1, 2015

The pictures in this gallery are mainly architectural details—rooflines, entrances, windows—noticed in years of walking in cities and having my eye caught by a strong line, an unexpected contrast, an extended shape…I don’t even always know what catches me, and, as here, it’s often not the most significant building.

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Wild times in Denmark: Elk, wolves and jackals return

Denmark’s wildlife is getting a bit wilder, some on its own, and some by careful intervention.  The big news (anything about an elk is big) is the re-introduction of elk to Denmark after a 5000-year absence. Five young Swedish elk have been given a new habitat on Denmark’s Jutland peninsula, in an area that is the largest raised bog in Northern Europe. They’ll hopefully become part of a self-sustaining ecosystem in the area. Recently, a beaver was spotted building a dam on a golf…

Read More

Happy Birthday, Finland—your present is a mountain!

It’s not yet a done deal, but a campaign to give Finland a mountain as a gift on the 100th anniversary of its independence is gaining support in Norway. Norway has lots of mountains; Finland is mostly flat. On their common border, Halti rises to 1365 metres, not even one of the top 200 in the country…but one of it spurs, over 40 meters lower, is the highest point in Finland. The proposal, which now has the support of the Norwegian Mapping Authority, would shift the border 20 meters to put…

Read More

Norwegian bank is out of cash, on purpose

  Nordea, Norway’s number two bank, with operations across Scandinavia, has announced that starting Monday its Norwegian branches will not handle cash. Period.   The bank’s plan, surprising as it sounds, is part of Scandinavia’s move toward…

Read More

Ultimate outdoor vacation: a year without walls

Photo: Instagram   A Norwegian couple has just finished the real outdoorfolks’ dream: they’ve spent the last year in Norway’s Arctic regions, sleeping in tents and improvised shelters, and living off the land.   The couple, Elise Theoline…

Read More

Oslo, Stockholm get hi-speed link this summer

A new rail link to connect Stockholm and Oslo opens in August, cutting the time from 6 to 4-1/2 hours. It’s aimed at international professionals who might otherwise have chosen to fly between Scandinavian capitals.   It almost got delayed;…

Read More

From the Shoebox, a Gallery of Details

The pictures in this gallery are mainly architectural details—rooflines, entrances, windows—noticed in years of walking in cities and having my eye caught by a strong line, an unexpected contrast, an extended shape…I don’t even always know what catches me, and, as here, it’s often not the most significant building.

Read More
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