In Sweden, today is a red day and most Swedes enjoy a long weekend with proper spring weather.

Ascension of Christ by Garofalo, 1520.

According to the Swedish Church, Ascension Day has been celebrated for hundreds of years:
“Ascension Day has been celebrated since 300′s. It always fall on the Thursday 40 days after Easter Sunday. The date varies depending on when Easter Sunday falls, but is Ascension day always is on or after May 1st and before June 4th. In the Middle Ages, there were often dramas performed along with an Ascension game. They wanted to portray Christ’s physical leave of the Earth in a spiritual way.

Jesus leaves the earth
At Easter, we have the large Easter candle, the symbol of life’s triumph over death. On Ascension Day, the candle is blown out as a symbol of Jesus leaving the world. We celebrate this with an open-air church service, often at dawn to hear the birds sign brightly in the morning.
{via the swedish church}

What will most Swedes be doing? I’m guessing drinking beer and being solar panels.

On Wednesday, President Obama became the first president ever to endorse that gays “should” have the right to marry.

I do wish he said “right” instead of “should” but at least he’s taken the first step.

My original post went by wayside because everything I had written was outdated.

Instead, I will share a few thoughts and leave you with hilarious and bizarre quotes from the pundit wagon.

First, living in Sweden is a blessing when it comes to equality and rights. Sure, Swedes may not always see that have equality to the best extent and that at times some groups of people receive equality at the expense of others. But living in Sweden is so different from America for two reasons: gay rights and religion.

When I moved to Sweden, no one ever asked me what my religion is. Other immigrants do, especially those from Middle East/South Asia, but in general, no Swede has cared what my religious beliefs are. And I only talk about them when we have a discussion about religion related to culture/politics/society.

All in all, I feel safe being who I am and practicing my religion without requiring ‘absolution’ from others.

Second, gays and lesbians have the right to marry. Civil unions have been legal since 1995 while the Riksdag passed the marriage resolution in 2009.

And that is awesome. The right, the left, and the center parties don’t have wedge fights over gay rights. Krisdemokraterna is the only party opposed to gay marriage but they make up a very small percentage of the political spectrum.

Which brings me back to the United States. This is an election year. Everything is up for grabs and the conservative base is moving further right than anyone else. Yet they are a powerful group of citizens.

When Obama announced on Wednesday for his support of gay marriage, the conservative right said he was using social issues instead of economic issues as the center of the presidential race. They screamed he’s doing this for ‘political reasons’ and making this an issue when unemployment should be the driving issue.

But the conservative have been using social issues all year long to drive support for Republican candidates at the expense of discussing the economy and education.

And it is insane. Earlier this year Congress had to act on one of the dumbest provisions ever: that employers can refuse coverage for birth control under insurance plans if it “morally offends them.” That’s just one example of Congress and politicians making social issues more important than economic issues.

I would not be surprised if gay marriage becomes the center of attention this year like it did in 2004. George Bush Jr ran on the promise of a “constitutional amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman.”

He won. No amendment ever came to pass, or even close to it, but Bush successfully divided and destroyed the country’s ability to function as a united front in one go.

This time, I hope Americans come to the conclusion that gays are people too. That gay rights is a human right, not states’ right. Just like abortion was a state issue until Roe v Wade and interracial marriage was a state issue until Loving v Virginia, gay marriage will make its way to the Supreme Court one day.

Some rights are just bigger than a state’s right, and this is one of them.

Until then, let’s hope for a more open and tolerant America. Or, a banishment of idiots who pander on Fox News (brought to you by the same friendly wire-tapping parent company, Murdoch).

I will leave you with quotes from across the US from this past week. Some hilarious and some, downright frightening.

From Mitt Romney, Republican presidential candidate
“My view is the same as it’s been from the beginning,” Mr. Romney told a CBS affiliate in Denver. “I don’t favor civil unions if it’s identical to marriage, and I don’t favor marriage between people of the same gender.” Asked why he opposed civil unions, in particular, he explained that in many cases they represent marriage by a different name for gay couples.

“If a civil union is identical to marriage other than with the name, why, I don’t support that,” he said Wednesday.

 

From Stephen Colbert, comedian:
“I would like to read to you what The Jesus said about homosexuality. I’d like to but he never said anything about it. Evidently. Evidently, Jesus was so filled with rage that he was speechless.”

 
From Jon Stewart, The Daily Show:

Don’t you love Fox News and their viewpoints on everything in life?!

I’m really excited to announce a new project I have been working on to make life and visiting Sweden more awesome.

Drumroll please…

…!

It’s called the Lost in Sweden Moosleter. I know there are so many of you fantastic bloggers out there. But, it’s hard keeping track of everyone and following through easily from Google reader or blogrolls. Plus for those just wanting to get emails, getting 100 latest blog posts from bloggers is hard to digest.

The Lost in Sweden Moosletter will be a monthly newsletter with excerpts and photos from bloggers who write about Sweden. It’s awesome because you get the best of what’s happening in Sweden by real bloggers.

Bloggers get the advantage of increasing their traffic through a collective newsletter. Everybody loves visitors <3
Joining as a blogger is SUPER easy:
1. Be a blogger that writes about Sweden on a regular basis. You don’t have to be in Sweden, you just have to write *about* Sweden.

2. You can write in any language! If it is not English, put a Google Translate button on your site so visitors can easily translate to their native language.

3. Add the badge below to your sidebar on your blog so that everyone knows you’re part of the network.

You can right click “save as” and resize the image to fit your sidebar.

You MUST also link to this blog post so people can get more information about the newsletter.

If you don’t add a badge and link up, you can’t be part of the newsletter. Sorry. :( But seriously, it’s super easy to add the image and link up and become a part of Swedish history!

4. For bloggers wanting to put the signup box on their site, comment below and I will email you the code.

Readers, sign up for the newsletter!

You can sign up right below.

5. Spread the word! I’m super-über-jätte excited to send out the first newsletter in mid-June.

Participating Bloggers

Photos from Sweden
Swedish Freak
Lost in Stockholm

I have previously published a few short articles about Stockholm but this should be your starter as to the must see spots in the city.

First, the Visit Stockholm collection:
Walking/Jogging Routes in Stockholm
15 Best Cafes in Stockholm
Best Bars and Pubs to Visit in Stockholm
Visit Stockholm on the Cheap: The Stockholm Card
Free Museums to Visit During the Summertime
Visit Stockholm: Bars with a View

I visited all these spots several times because they *feel* Stockholm. And they lift my spirits on good and bad days.

Vasa Museet / Nordiska Museet

A ship that sank because it had too much ammo. The Swedes dig it up from the wet clay and put it in a museum! It is the museum I have been to four times.

Nordiska Museum is the best museum for Nordic history and contemporary collections.

Kaknästornet – Located in Djurgården, this radio/tv tower has a small cafe and restaurant to enjoy a 360° view. No, the tower does not rotate, you have to move your legs but it’s the best place to see Stockholm’s archipelago.

I don’t care much for the food or coffee but I do love sitting down and watching the view.

Drottningholm – The Queen’s castle is for the summertime only. Go for a stroll, take a jog, or walk the gardens; this is one of the few castles to experience a ‘Versailles’ of Sweden.

Take a picnic lunch with you because the only place to eat is a quaint but touristy cafe. Tours of the castle are available during the summertime.

Crossing the Bridge to Gamla Stan

There are five bridges to cross from Stockholm central to Gamla Stan. All over their own special views. It’s one of the spots where you can be transported back in time and watch the world go by.

Moderna Museet / Asiatiska Museet /Skeppsholmen – Even if you are not a modern art or Asian art museum fan, go to Skeppsholmen to take a turn of the island. When you get to the top, where Moderna Museet lays, hope into their cafetaria for a view to Östermalm.

And play in the grassy area with the bizarre, colorful statues.

The view to City from NE Södermalm – Walk from Slussen station and go up the street, Katarinavägen. After 7-8 minutes you will see the docking area for the cruise liners, Gamla Stan, Gröna Lund, and Skeppsholmen. Most often people take the street sea level route (Stadsgårdleden) but it does not offer the charm of the Katarinavägen walk.

If you continue walking to the bend of the street, you can go straight (Fjällgatan) and head to Hermans for a fika, lunch or dinner. They have great vegetarian food and the perfect view.

The view to Stadshuset from Södermalm’s Radio Tower

Here’s a big secret. The radio tower is one very cool place to hang out and have beer. It’s windy and full of moronic teenage boys but the view is fabulous. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!!! I love just staring out at Stadshuset.

Lilla Essingen strand – Packed on those days when Swedes sit out like solar panels, you have to get to Lilla Essingen’s strand early. There is no sand there compared to the other beaches, on Kungsholmen for example, but it’s just a fun spot.

Take some grilling stuff and all the fixings, the local ICA grocery store doesn’t have a great selection so pack your meats, treats, and drinks with you.

Humlegården – One of the few parks that has grass; real, long stemmed grass. I like to find a spot in the sun but close enough to a tree that I can hid under if I get too hot.

During the summertime, it’s packed, surprise surprise, with solar panel Swedes. The upside is that there is a ton of hot Swedish men and women to stare at. Japp, delicious godis! Just shield your eyes away from the stekare. Eww!

All these spots remind me of how beautiful Stockholm can be. To live on a city built of islands is an amazing experience.

Stockholm is full of cafes. Some are amazing and some are downright touristy and icky. I broke down a list of favorite cafes across the city by district. Some of the cafes are great to chat for hours, whiles others are great to work in, and some are worth the experience, even if short.

You will notice there are only 12 cafes on the list. I want you dear readers, to tell me your favorite spot and why and the best ones will be added into the list.

View Most Popular Cafes in a larger map

Kungsholmen:
Bageriet Bulleboden
Parmmätargatan 7, 11224 Stockholm
Uteservering – yes; wifi – no

I visited this cafe for the first time last month after my husband raved about it as a great cafe for good coffee and massive kanelbullar.

There were no kanelbullar that day, but I enjoyed a delicious, buttery kardamummabulle instead. Their grilled sandwiches are pricy (around 100:-) but are fresh and tasty. The salads are also excellent.

The cafe is usually not packed and therefore easy to sit down and enjoy a long fika and take in the view of the church and garden across the street.

Cafe Fix
Sankt Eriksgatan 35, 11239 Stockholm
Uteservering – yes; free wifi – no
Even if it is packed inside, I have always managed to get a seat. There is plenty of good food and cookies to choose from. The long tea list is a plus for tea lovers; like myself. The brunch plate might look small but fills you up if you are not starving.

Cafe Fix is a great place to fika and if you are visiting Stockholm, a nice place to see a crowd and possible chat with a stranger. ~ written by Sabina

Petite France
Adress: John Ericssongatan 6, 11222 Stockholm
Uteservering – yes; free wifi – yes
A typical French cafe with on occasion, typical French service. Notwithstanding their service, the location is in a quiet Kungsholmen neighborhood near the water (not on the waterside street though). The kanelbullar are famous as are their pain au chocolats.

Sometimes their coffee is a total miss and can run bitter and flat. If that happens, ask for another.

The coffee shop is best enjoyed in the summertime when you can sit outside.

 
Vasastan/Norrmalm:

Mellqvist Café & Bar
Rörstrandsgatan 4, Stockholm
Uteservering – yes; free wifi – no
This was one of the cafes The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo filmed in; the other Kaffe in Södermalm (mentioned below).

Italian styled, you will enjoy the excellent coffees and good service at Mellqvist.

 
Östermalm:
Sturekatten
Riddargatan 4, 11435 Stockholm
A very old, funky cafe located in an old building in Östermalm, Sturekatten is one of the hallmark cafes in Stockholm. Sturekatten formed after the owners of Vetekatten went their separate ways.

It is very crowded during tea time and tourist season so try to get there a little earlier/later than others. They have the best semlor in the city and quirky, old chaises to enjoy them in.

Great for a fika but don’t expect to stay hours there and be in peace.

Cafe Foam
Karlavägen 75, 114 49 Stockholm

A bit of a bougie cafe in Östermalm-Karlaplan, Foam has excellent lunches and set brunches (real American pancakes).

The pink and black theme is bold but still Swedish. Packed during lunch hour, get early or at the end to catch their lunch specials. Otherwise go for a fika and stay for hours.

 
City:
Vetekatten

Vetekatten along with Sturekatten are the two most famous cafes in all of Stockholm. The best time is to get there in the early afternoon just when afternoon tea begins and feast yourself on freshly baked scones, sandwiches and homemade jams.

Otherwise, go there for a fika and eat a semla or bulle which come in a variety of unusual flavors.

Whatever you do, Swede, tourist, or vagabond, Vetekatten is a must visit place in Stockholm.

Citykyrkan på Adolf Fredriks Kyrkogata
Adolf Fredriks kyrkogata 10, Stockholm
This is one cafe I have not visited but hear it’s quirky and fun because it it is in a church. You can read a review here.
 
Gamla Stan:
Chokladkoppen (Plus sister cafe, Kaffekoppen located next door)
Stortorget 18, 111 29 Stockholm
Uteservering – yes, wifi – no

It’s a bit of a tourist trap in the high season but being located in Stortorget, where both the Nobel Museum and Kungliga Slottet are a stone’s throw away, there’s nothing short of culture at this spot.

Enjoy people watching as you feast on a giant kanelbulle and drink a cappuccino. You won’t be able to have a full fika but for history and culture lovers, this is your spot.

 
Södermalm:
Drop Coffee
Wollmar Yxkullsgatan 10, 118 50 Stockholm
Uteservering – yes; wifi – yes

This is one of the few cafes you can sit all day and never be bothered by anyone. Yes, the cafe is a bit cramped but if you an Apple fanboy, you won’t be lonely (IBMs are welcome too though).

Their coffees are known as the best in the city and the dagens soppa {soup of the day} is always vegetarian.

The place isn’t a cosy spot but they have free wifi and outlets everywhere making it the best place to work and work some more.

Cafe Fåtöljen
Götgatan 12, 118 46 Stockholm; Hornsgatan 55
Uteservering – yes; wifi – no
Homemade pies are to die for. Need I say more.

Kaffe
Sankt Paulsgatan 17, 11846 Stockholm
This is a tiny cafe and made for standing espressos and conversations. All seats are bar style and face the windows so you can watch the people go by and spend a little longer time. Their sandwiches and coffee are well priced too.

And did I mention Daniel Craig sat inside Kaffe as they filmed? That’s a good enough reason to visit!

What’s your favorite cafe in Stockholm?

This is very disappointing for me since I have in the past traveled with Delta on domestic and international routes with my pet rabbit. I hoped to have continued that service.

But when Northwest Airlines and Delta merged, the good old days were dead.

Of course, the other airline members in the Skyteam fare even worse:
Air France – Rabbits not permitted at all

KLM – Rabbits not permitted at all

Alitalia – Rabbits not permitted at all

Korean Air – Rabbits not permitted at all

China Airlines – Rabbits not permitted at all (ps your search box is broken!)

Delta Airlines – Rabbits allowed on some domestic flights in cabin and checked baggage. NEVER for international flights on cabin, checked, or cargo.

Aeroflot – Rabbits not permitted at all (ps your website was written in 1984).

Alaska Airlines – They allow bunnies in the cabin on domestic flights!

 
Star Alliance:
United Airlines – They say yes. Called them and received conflicting answers. Their email service took TWO MONTHS to respond and even then their service was moronic, “we hope you found your answer.”

Update: We’ve started calling United Airlines again but as usual after 30minutes on the phone, the operator said “no” to rabbits (their website says “yes”) and put us on the hold again for another 15 minutes. This time they said pets can travel in CARGO only on international flights.

UPDATE 2: Rabbits allowed in cabin on domestic flights (though it took speaking two supervisors up in the chain of command) and cargo on international flights.

Continental Airlines – They say yes but like United they too don’t know the rules.
Update: Now that Continental is merged, it doesn’t matter.

Finnair – Their website says they accept “cats, dogs, and rodents” in cabins. You can get a rabbit to as far as JFK and that’s it.

At least Finnair ALLOWS rabbits internationally even if to only JFK in the United States. What a miracle.

Luftansa – Rabbits NOT permitted at all.

SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) – Rabbits NOT permitted at all.

 
One World team:
British Airways – Rabbits not permitted at all
American Airlines – Rabbits not permitted at all
Iberia – cannot be clarified through the website; must call.
 
Other Airlines:

Virgin and the Richard Branson club – Rabbits NOT permitted at all

 
And on EVERY airline listed above, cats and dogs can travel in the cabin.

The Discrimination
It is well known that people discriminate against rabbits. Some people believe rabbits are only good for producing Easter eggs while some believe rabbits are relatives to the rodent family. They are not. Rabbits are part of the lagomorph family and don’t have much to do with rodents except for being furry and a mammal.

And the USDA considers rabbits to be chickens when it comes to meat processing.

I already emailed with several Delta representatives and the chance of ever taking a rabbit in cabin or via checked baggage internationally is the same as getting a ticket to the Moon.

Why rabbits are not considered equal pets in status to cats and dogs. Why are rabbits not awarded the same kind of travel opportunity?

Because the airlines hate cute, furry bunnies.

Rabbits are vegetarian, they make no noise, and few people are allergic to them.

Therefore, we can assume airlines do not like mammals that eat plants, are silent, and are allergy friends.

It must be better to have a screaming cat in front of you (e.g. my Air France flight from Mumbai to Paris) and have other passengers sneezing than let a rabbit on the plane. And the cat’s carrier had his own seat!

I contacted some House Rabbit Societies and rabbit organizations in the United States. Most did not know or didn’t bother answering. A couple HRS are looking into this to get more information. Perhaps we should start a massive campaign to “love thy flying bun?”

At the end, airlines must be so shocked to find pissed off passengers; stripping away benefits and hiking prices surprisingly does not make for happy customers. I fly out of necessity, not because I want to.

Is there any airline left in the world to have enough decency to let a bunny fly in the cabin? Or is all hope dead?

It literally translates to: Leather Patch.

Okay…I kid, not really. Läderlappen actually means Bat.

The ‘man’ is lost along the way though.

Errr, va?!

{thanks to Khawar for posting this to the FB page}

For the Swedes who seem to be confused and refuse to accept Batman is called Läderlappen, here are comic book covers from 1981.

Today at midnight is the end of filing taxes in Sweden. Skatteverket is quite friendly when it comes to tax filings as long as you saved all your receipts.

illustration by Jonas Karner.

I began jogging in an attempt to lose the Christmas-Easter holiday weight. Thus far, I haven’t lost anything but that could be because of the kanelbullar.

The best place that had maps was The Swedish Heart and Lung Society {Hjärt- & Lungskukas Riksförbund}. They have a collection of running trails they recommend throughout Sweden. You can pick any city in Sweden and get a map.

Here are few maps I love in the Stockholm area.

Kungsholmen island tour

Södermalm – the hipster route

Djurgården-Brunnviken border route

Lidingö – the bougie route

Sundybyberg – Solna – the double lake route

The Five Island run – a run through Södermalm, Liljeholmen, Stora Essingen, Lilla Essingen, Kungsholmen, and Långholmen

View Five Island Stockholm Run in a larger map

If you have a favorite map, link up below and I will embed it in the post.

Now time to get my feet dancing and ready for bikini time on the strand!

Sweden has a colorful collection with dead people on the notes (you have to be dead – sorry Swedish Chef). But since the notes are 25 years old; there’s been no updates to the printing and security features, the Riksbank (the Swedish Mint) announced a design competition to create a collection of new notes for the country.

The winner was announced last week. The jury chose Göran Österlund’s entry “Kulturresan/Cultural journey” as the starting point for the new bank notes.

Each note has a motif and color which was predetermined by the jury:
20 kronor
Astrid Lindgren
Småland
Purple
120*66mm

50 kronor
Evert Taube
Bohuslän
Yellow/orange
126*66mm

100 kronor
Greta Garbo
Stockholm
Blue
133*66mm

200 kronor
Ingmar Bergman
Gotland
Green
140*66mm

500 kronor
Birgit Nilsson
Skåne
Red
147*66mm

1000 kronor
Dag Hammarskjöld
Lappland
Grey-brown
153*66mm

My favorite are these two because of the backsides. They didn’t win but they were cool.

If you notice, the Riksbank will be introducing a new note, the 200 kronor to ease change carrying and breaking of 500kr notes. The new styles will not enter circulation until 2015 and the new coins, pictured below, will enter circulation in 2016.

The new coin will be a 2kr and the lowest coin is the 1kr. Death to the 50 öre!

Security features include sparking, a color shifting ink used in the new US banknotes and motioning, a window thread where micro-lenses are embedded to give the feeling of movement of the subject.

I already like the Swedish banknotes, especially Carl von Linné’s 100kr note with a superimposed image of bumble bee staring at you.

I will have to keep a copy when Mint begins to fade out the current collection.

But what I found really interesting about Sweden’s banknotes, the most popular, circulated note is the 500kr. There are 114 million 500kr notes in current circulation, that is 57 billion kronor out of a total 95 billion kronor in circulation. And there are 28 million 1000kr notes in circulation, amounting to 28 billion kronor. I wonder how much of that is black money.