Viking

The following articles have been tagged with "Viking":

Baltic ferries slammed for 'Titanic Syndrome'

National: 6 Mar 10
The Swedish Maritime Administration (Sjöfartsverket) has sharply criticized ferry companies in the Baltic Sea for ignoring warnings and failing to change routes to avoid thick ice sheets. READ »

Ships freed from Baltic Sea ice

National: 5 Mar 10
Dozens of ships have been freed from thick ice in the Baltic Sea on Friday after ice breakers worked diligently to end the ordeal of of thousands of passengers and crew stranded in freezing conditions off the Swedish coast. READ »

Thousands stuck in Baltic Sea freeze

National: 5 Mar 10
The Baltic Sea was dotted with around 50 ships stuck in the ice on Thursday, including one large passenger ferry carrying around 1,000 people. Many will remain where they are until Friday, Swedish maritime authorities said. READ »

Thick Baltic ice causes ferry havoc

National: 4 Mar 10
Cancellations and delays to ferry services are forecast to persist into Thursday as the Baltic Sea experiences its iciest conditions in 14 years. Several vessels are stuck in the ice waiting for ice-breakers to set them free. READ »

Three Baltic ferries stuck in the ice

National: 3 Mar 10
Three ferries got themselves stuck in ice in the Baltic Sea on Tuesday forcing almost 500 passengers to return to the Finnish island of Åland. READ »

The animal horror picture show

Lifestyle: 2 Mar 10
If you go down to the woods today, you'll probably encounter nothing more dangerous than a mushroom that's lost it's magic or bombardment from an avian bottom. But the fear of marauding beasts still haunts the Swedish psyche, as Ben Kersley discovers. READ »

Citizen protests block hotel expansion in heritage town

National: 7 Feb 10
An exclusive hotel in ancient Sigtuna is denied permission to expand after vigorous citizen protests. The town is regarded as a national heritage. READ »

February in Sweden: No sex please, we're cold

Lifestyle: 4 Feb 10
The Year in Sweden - February: Journalist Kim Loughran sketches a month by month account of the country he has called home ever since his accidental migration in 1966. READ »

Suspected murder on Finland-Sweden ferry

National: 6 Jan 10
A 39-year-old Finnish man is being held by Swedish police on suspicion of murder after a witness reports seeing him throw a fellow passenger overboard. READ »

Dating site singles out Swedes as world's most beautiful men

Society: 12 Nov 09
Swedish men have been judged as the world’s best looking by a dating website especially for beautiful people, while blokes from Britain have landed near the bottom of the list. READ »

Three arrested for Viking treasure theft

Society: 6 Nov 09
Three men, including the board member of an auction house, have been arrested on Gotland in connection with the plunder of hundreds of Viking-era silver artifacts from the Baltic Sea island. READ »

Island thieves bag Viking treasure

Society: 2 Nov 09
Five hundred Viking era silver artifacts have been plundered from a site of archaeological interest on the Baltic island of Gotland. READ »

Arrest made in ferry terminal robbery

National: 10 Oct 09
Ferries from Stockholm to Finland were delayed on Friday after two armed men stormed the Viking Line terminal in the Swedish capital. Police have arrested one of the suspects. READ »

'Cyncism prevails for vote-hungry officials in Sweden and Israel'

Analysis & Opinion: 28 Aug 09
As the Aftonbladet organ harvesting scandal rumbles to the end of its second week, Stockholm-based Israeli writer David Stavrou calls on policy makers in Sweden and Israel to shed light on the situation rather than turning up the heat. READ »

Summer Rail Destinations: Stockholm

Travel: 11 Aug 09
The antiquity of Gamla Stan, the forests of Djurgården, the cliffs of Södermalm and of course the surrounding blue sea: all these elements combine to help make Stockholm one of the world’s most beautiful cities. READ »

Kalmar: more than merely a Baltic gateway

Travel: 28 Jul 09
The historic town of Kalmar has plenty to offer travelers who dare to venture off the well-worn road which leads to the more-high profile Baltic island situated nearby, The Local’s Marge Thorell discovers. READ »

Åland: a gem in Stockholm's back yard

Travel: 21 Jul 09
Alannah Eames visits Finland's Swedish-speaking Åland islands, and finds gorgeous scenery, great food and a fascinating history. READ »

Around Sweden in 56 and a half days

Travel: 29 Jun 09
Desperately seeking Sweden: Christine Demsteader ponders a few literary journeys as she prepares for an epic trip around the country she has come to call home. She invites The Local’s readers to join her en route. READ »

Child porn suspect commits suicide

National: 17 Jun 09
One of the men arrested in Sweden following Tuesday’s pan-Scandinavian child porn raid has killed himself. READ »

Dozens questioned in Nordic child porn raid

National: 16 Jun 09
Police in four Nordic countries carried out a join action on Tuesday morning to break up a suspected child pornography ring. READ »

Taking the night train to Oslo

Travel: 11 Jun 09
Surrounded by hills and forest on three sides and a spectacular fjord to the south, Oslo is like no other capital city in Europe. During the summer, arrive the romantic way by taking the night train from Stockholm or Malmö. READ »

Modern-day Vikings pillage streets of Stockholm

Lifestyle: 19 May 09
With picturesque cobblestone streets, cozy cafes and an abundance of history, Gamla Stan is, with good reason, one of Stockholm’s main tourist attractions. Join Lydia Parafianowicz on a Viking pillage through the Old Town. READ »

'Viking ship' discovered in Sweden's largest lake

Science & Technology: 8 May 09
Marine archaeologists in Sweden have discovered what they believe to be the wreck of a Viking ship at the bottom the country's largest lake. Never before has a Viking vessel been found in Swedish waters. READ »

A tattoo too far

Lifestyle: 30 Apr 09
Ben Kersley admires some naked bodies (artistically) and gets a permanent souvenir of Sweden at the Swedish Tattoo Fair in Norrköping. READ »

Intact runestone found in church car park

Society: 24 Apr 09
A rock previously used to demarcate a parking area outside a church north of Stockholm is in fact a 1,000-year-old runestone, it has been discovered. READ »

The Swedish psyche – you could write a book about it

Analysis & Opinion: 15 Apr 09
Cautious? Self-confident? Dull? The Local’s Christine Demsteader peers behind the covers of a selection of books on getting to know the Swedes. READ »

Chinese woman missing after ferry trip

National: 24 Mar 09
A 25-year-old Chinese woman has been reported missing after disappearing from a Viking Lines ferry at the weekend. READ »

What's your top Swedish tourist tip?

Travel: 19 Mar 09
Every week we quiz our regular panelists about a particular aspect of life in Sweden. This week: the country's top travel destinations. READ »

English skills help Swedes go global

Analysis & Opinion: 17 Mar 09
Language-learning has always been of great importance to a small country like Sweden, and good English proficiency is crucial in helping the country adapt to a globalized world, writes Olle Wästberg, Director-General of the Swedish Institute. READ »

East'n'bul: A slice of Turkish nightlife in Sweden

Lifestyle: 25 Feb 09
Dilay Dede meets up with Hakan Vreskala just before the start of his live band tour Klubb East'n'bul, which brings Istanbul style nightlife to Sweden. READ »

Prime Minister rejects artist's tattoo proposal

Society: 19 Feb 09
Fredrik Reinfeldt has politely declined a suggestion from an unemployed Swedish artist that the Prime Minister tattoo his chest with an image designed by the artist himself. READ »

Russians in Sweden: taming a fear of the bear

Analysis & Opinion: 30 Jan 09
In the first of a series highlighting different communities in Sweden, The Local’s David Landes takes a look at how the sprawling and complex history of Swedish-Russian relations affects life for Russians living in Sweden today. READ »

'Reinfeldt could score voter coup with chest-piece tattoo'

National: 16 Jan 09
An out of work artist from Gävle in eastern Sweden has a novel suggestion for Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt to help him overcome any perceived lack of support among the country’s young people. READ »

2008: The year in review

Lifestyle: 31 Dec 08
As 2008 draws to a close, The Local takes a look back at some of the stories that caught our attention over the last twelve months. READ »

Swedish dance bands: a musical mystery wrapped in spandex

Lifestyle: 18 Dec 08
Musical styles may come and come, but Swedish dance bands remain as popular as ever. But why does the nation remain loyal to its perennial bearers of outrageous costumes. Jennifer Heape endeavours to find out. READ »

Destination of the week: Sigtuna

Travel: 4 Dec 08
Just a short journey from the capital, the pretty medieval town of Sigtuna is one of Sweden's historic gems, writes Jennifer Heape. READ »

Swedish archaeologists uncover Viking-era church

National: 3 Oct 08
The remains of a Viking-era stave church, including the skeletal remains of a woman, have been uncovered near the cemetery of the Lännäs church in Odensbacken outside Örebro in central Sweden. READ »

Man rescued from burning tent by Swedish fire-eater

National: 22 Sep 08
A fire-breathing Swede is receiving praise after saving a man from a burning tent at a Viking market in southern Sweden early on Sunday morning. READ »

American Football touches down in Sweden

Sport: 18 Sep 08
American Football fever has hit Sweden as fans excitedly anticipate championship final battle between the Stockholm Mean Machines and Arlanda Jets. READ »

New Viking grave find in central Sweden

Society: 12 Sep 08
Six grave sites dated from late in the Viking era have been uncovered in Lännäs outside of Örebro in central Sweden. READ »

Learning to love Lund

Lifestyle: 1 Sep 08
Robert La Bua visits Lund and its famed university, Skåne's esteemed home of higher education and Viking mischief. READ »

The ugliest chairs in Stockholm

Analysis & Opinion: 24 Jul 08
David Bartal looks for a place to sit down after a harrowing stroll down one of Stockholm’s main thoroughfares at the height of the tourist season. READ »

Power outage halts main Swedish rail line

National: 17 Jul 08
Trains operating on the main Stockholm-Malmö route were held up on Thursday due to damage to an overhead power line near Linköping. The disruption is set to continue until 8pm. READ »

Where have all the Sami gone?

Analysis & Opinion: 25 Jun 08
You can live in Stockholm, Gothenburg or Malmö your whole life and still know almost nothing about the Sami, the indigenous people of Sweden, writes David Bartal. READ »

Sweden falls on Spain's last minute goal

Sport: 14 Jun 08
David Villa scored a dramatic injury time winner as Spain defeated Sweden 2-1 in Euro 2008 Group D on Saturday. READ »

Dating Swedish men: bring your own beers

Dating: 14 Jun 08
Dating in Sweden: When Isabel March arrived in Sweden from America, she set out to find her own blond bombshell. But dating US-style left her ill-prepared for dealing with the strong, silent types she found in Scandinavia. READ »

Vikings inspire Stockholm museum chief

Society: 4 Jun 08
Visitors to Stockholm will someday be able to take a virtual ride with a boatload of marauding Vikings if the head of the Museum of National Antiquities (not pictured) has his way. READ »

Swedish Elks travel to Oz

Lifestyle: 26 May 08
Most Swedes will be bemused to learn they have a national Australian Football team. Nic Townsend meets the Swedish Elks before they travel to Melbourne for the International Cup. READ »

Island spotting on an Åland day cruise

Travel: 21 May 08
A ferry trip to Åland provides visitors tourists with one of the best possible ways to take in the Stockholm archipelago, writes René Rice. READ »

Birka - A day trip into the Viking past

Travel: 13 May 08
The Local’s Faisal Enayat Khan joins the tourists on board the MS Victoria and sails out into the Stockholm’s archipelago to the island of Birka to put the Swedish capital’s ‘Beauty on Water’ theory to the test. READ »

Gotland: Sweden's Baltic beauty

Travel: 8 May 08
If you’re looking for an island paradise there’s no need to travel to the other side of the world. Just a few hours’ ferry ride from Stockholm, the island of Gotland has it all, writes René Rice. READ »

Nine-year-old boy finds buried treasure

Society: 28 Apr 08
Nine-year-old Alexander Granhof and his grandfather Jens have made what is believed to be the largest ever find in southern Sweden of silver coins from the Middle Ages. READ »

A tempest in a shot glass

Analysis & Opinion: 23 Apr 08
With the Absolut Vodka controversy out of the way, David Bartal gets tongue-tied in LA as his return to Sweden draws ever closer. READ »

Viking treasure found near Arlanda

National: 4 Apr 08
A unique Viking-era silver treasure has been uncovered near Sweden’s Arlanda airport. READ »

Ferry line denies lesbian discrimination claims

Society: 14 Mar 08
Ferry company Viking Lines has strongly denied charges of discrimination after a 26-year-old woman claimed she was asked to stop kissing another woman during a Baltic cruise. READ »

Surf's up in Sweden

Travel: 25 Feb 08
Aussie surfer Tyson Ballard braves the elements to discover the Swedish coastline's chilly charms. READ »

Viking women had sexy style

Society: 11 Feb 08
Viking women dressed in a much more provocative manner than previously believed, new research has found. READ »

Sweden gives go-ahead for Iraq flights

National: 31 Jan 08
A Swedish airline is to be allowed to resume flights to northern Iraq, six months after air links were suspended following a suspected missile attack on a plane. READ »

Something for the Weekend: The Local's Guide to What's On

Lifestyle: 20 Dec 07
Provocative poses from ex-Big Brother star Carolina Gynning in Malmö, Christmas Blues and Soul in Stockholm and Christmas markets just about everywhere in The Local's weekend guide. READ »

'Lawnmower man' completes epic journey

Society: 15 Nov 07
Truck driver Kjell Fundin has done what no man has ever done before by travelling almost the entire length of Sweden on a lawnmower. READ »

E-Type quits beauty job

Society: 24 Oct 07
He was the Eurodance star who had plans to build a Viking village in the capital, but now after less than a year, Martin 'E-Type' Eriksson is stepping down from Stockholm's 'Beauty Council'. READ »

The Swedish E-Vikings are back

Analysis & Opinion: 23 Oct 07
New Swedish companies are bursting with ideas in IT and biotech. It's time for international investors to sit up and take notice, says leading entrepreneur Johan Staël von Holstein. READ »

Viking clash: Danes and Swedes battle to be biggest

Lifestyle: 18 Oct 07
When Stockholm's Mayor donned a t-shirt proclaiming the city 'Capital of Scandinavia', the reaction from the neighbours was predictably indignant. Daniel Boman looks at how Stockholm and Copenhagen are battling to prove who's biggest and best. READ »

A leap of faith

Lifestyle: 12 Oct 07
Swedish women who convert to Islam: Of the 400,000 people in Sweden estimated to be celebrating the end of Ramadan this weekend, around 5,000 are ethnic Swedes who have converted to Islam. Two women converts tell Rami Abdelrahman about how they square their faith with society's expectations. READ »

Parnevik fires career-best 61 to lead Texas Open

Sport: 5 Oct 07
Jesper Parnevik recovered with a vengeance on Thursday, rebounding from an opening bogey to shoot a career-best 61 in the first round of the Texas Open. READ »

'Lawnmower man' embarks on Swedish road trip

National: 2 Oct 07
It's a long, long way from Haparanda to Ystad, particularly for the man who is making the journey on his lawnmower. READ »

Rain uncovers Viking treasure trove

National: 14 Sep 07
A bout of torrential rain left a surprising legacy in the garden of one Swede: a Viking treasure trove. English and German coins are among those found, as well as six very rare Swedish pieces. READ »

Bomb threat grounds Stockholm plane

National: 27 Aug 07
A plane due to fly from Stockholm to Istanbul was the subject of a bomb threat on Sunday evening. READ »

Swedish flights to Iraq still grounded after attack

National: 16 Aug 07
Swedish flights to and from Iraq remain grounded a week after a Nordic Airways plane was reportedly targeted by a missile shortly after take-off. READ »

Sweden halts Iraq air traffic

National: 10 Aug 07
All Swedish air traffic to Iraq has been cancelled until further notice, after a Nordic Airways aircraft was apparently shot at as it took off on Wednesday night. READ »

Hardy Swedes gear up for classic challenge

Lifestyle: 15 Jun 07
Nicholas Chipperfield explains why 17,800 people from 34 countries are getting on their bikes by a lake in the middle of Sweden this weekend. READ »

Belly dancing and hummus - Swedes fall for Lebanese

Lifestyle: 14 Jun 07
The war that tore through Lebanon in the 1980s brought 15,000 Lebanese to Sweden. One result of this is that Swedes are becoming connoisseurs of Middle Eastern cooking – and belly dancing – as Rami Abdelrahman reports. READ »

Ryanair in major Skavsta expansion

Business & Money: 14 Jun 07
Ryanair's Viking chief, Michael O'Leary, was in Stockholm on Thursday to announce a major expansion at Skavsta airport. The airline plans to launch 13 new routes to European destinations, including Berlin, Liverpool and Valencia. READ »

Archaeologists discover Iron Age Mickey Mouse

Society: 8 Jun 07
Excavations at Uppåkra in southern Sweden have turned up an unusual bronze brooch dating from the Viking period. The piece was probably supposed to be a lion, but bears an uncanny resemblance to Walt Disney's legendary cartoon mouse. READ »

More Viking treasure discovered on Gotland

National: 5 Jun 07
A Viking treasure trove found by two brothers on Gotland last year is larger than originally believed, archaeologists say. READ »

A quickie with...Belmeloro DiPrima

Lifestyle: 29 May 07
...otherwise known as Stefan Geens, the brains behind Sweden's new embassy in the virtual reality world of Second Life, which has its official opening ceremony on Wednesday. READ »

Magician apologizes for comments on gays and Jews

National: 14 May 07
Swedish magician Joe Labero has said comments he made about gays and Jews, suggesting that they controlled Las Vegas, were "stupid, gormless and badly thought through." READ »

Vegas run by gays and Jews, says magician

Society: 11 May 07
Swedish magician Joe Labero has provoked a strong reaction with claims that his failure to secure a show in Las Vegas was due to the fact that he is not "a homosexual, a Jew or an American". READ »

Pirate Bay to start pay site with a twist

Business & Money: 30 Apr 07
The Pirate Bay is to start a new music site in which users will pay whatever they can afford to download tracks. READ »

Tourist boat destroyed in Stockholm blaze

National: 28 Apr 07
A popular tourist boat built in viking style was completely destroyed by fire at its mooring in Stockholm's Gamla Stan on Saturday morning. READ »

Sweden and Cuba in diplomatic crisis

Politics: 21 Mar 07
Diplomatic ties between Sweden and Cuba are fraught following suspicions that Cuba may have opened Swedish diplomatic post. A Cuban UN delegate has also accused Sweden of ethnic cleansing. READ »

Introducing...E-Type

Lifestyle: 29 Jan 07
He's the Viking Chief of Swedish Eurodance, who is now taking to his new role as Stockholm's official arbiter of good taste. But don't accuse Martin 'E-Type' Eriksson of being named after a sports car. READ »

Swede could be heir to English throne

National: 11 Jan 07
Someone in Sweden could be the historical heir to the English throne. Now an English heritage organisation is appealing for the descendants of King Harold to come forward. READ »

New centre will dispel Viking myths

Lifestyle: 3 Jan 07
Visitors to Stockholm have long been puzzled by the absence of a museum dedicated to the Vikings. Now plans are afoot for a major new Viking centre, which organisers hope will entertain as well as inform. READ »

Recharge with a Swedish winter weekend

Travel: 15 Dec 06
Is the darkness of winter getting you down? Time to recharge those flickering energy reserves. Elizabeth Dacey-Fondelius has top tips for winter breaks near Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. READ »

Snow and ice causes transport chaos in south

National: 1 Nov 06
Poor weather has led to many buses in Stockholm being cancelled, with flights delayed at airports in both Stockholm and Gothenburg. READ »

Viking treasure found on Gotland

National: 30 Oct 06
Two brothers on Gotland have found Viking-age coins in a neighbour's garden. "I just stumbled on an Arab silver coin that was around 1,100 years old," said 20-year old Edvin Svanborg. READ »

Woman raped on Finland ferry

National: 8 Oct 06
A man was arrested at a ferry terminal on Södermalm in Stockholm on Sunday morning for allegedly raping a Finnish woman on the Viking Line ferry MS Isabella on Saturday night. READ »

Brit wants musical to challenge prejudice

Lifestyle: 12 May 06
Immigration and anti-capitalist riots are the big issues in an English musical opening in Stockholm this weekend. "I want conservative people to fall in love with my immigrants," says the British politician who wrote the play. READ »

Serious delays after train smash

National: 30 Mar 06
A train crash in Östergötland late on Wednesday night is causing serious delays to traffic. One person was kept in hospital after a timber train derailed and a passenger train ploughed into the debris. READ »

Viking Line bids for Silja Line

Business & Money: 25 Jan 06
Viking Line has made a bid for its loss-making competitor Silja Line, according to Reuters. Silja Line's owner, Sea Containers, recently made it clear that the company was for sale. READ »

Troubled ferry operator cancels sailings

Business & Money: 19 Oct 05
Baltic Sea ferry company Riga Sea Line has cancelled all sailings, after accruing large debts. The first victim of a tough market, say analysts. READ »

Unity on show as Norway's royals sail in

National: 2 Sep 05
It's one hundred years since Norway and Sweden went separate ways, but as the Norwegian royals docked their boat at Stockholm's Skeppsbron, all talk was of Scandinavian unity. READ »

Smoking banned on Åland ferries

Smörgåsbord: 10 Aug 05
READ »

Blair and Schröder "snub Persson"

Politics: 24 Feb 05
Swedish prime minister Göran Persson hosts a summit in Stockholm for Europe's labour party leaders - except that two biggest hitters, Tony Blair and Gerhard Schröder, couldn't make it. READ »

Why is Sweden neutral?

: 17 Nov 04
A preservation tactic or an economic policy? Holier-than-thou or cleverer-than-thou? Answers please. READ »

Radio Ga Ga

National: 9 Jul 04
The townsfolk of Varberg in the west of Sweden celebrate in their thousands as an old radio transmitter is given world heritage status. READ »

Two million join singalong

Lifestyle: 2 Jul 04
The first of The Local's weekly cultural trawls nets the year's most popular songfest, a gallery short of a curator and a dearth of Swedish artists. READ »

All kicking off

Sport: 24 Jun 04
Where there's football there's fighting. While Sweden's boys in Portugal do the country proud, hooligans brawl in the posh part of Stockholm and two boys' teams act like they're in the Gaza Strip rather than the Under 16s St Eriks Cup. READ »