Have you ever heard of Jante Law before? If not, you’re far from alone. Jante Law, put simply, is a set of rules underpinning (certain parts of) Scandinavian society. It’s named after the fictional Danish town of Jante in Norwegian author Aksel Sandemose’s novel, A Fugitive Crosses His Tracks. Jante Law is all about equality,…
Tag: scandinavia
Danes apply for UNESCO status for hygge
Did you know that our Danish friends have applied for UNESCO status for hygge as ‘intangible cultural heritage’? I must admit, I was pretty surprised about this when the press release dropped into my inbox. I always thought UNESCO was for physical sites of cultural heritage – I had no idea that an intangible concept…
Hello Hygge in Project Calm magazine
Just a quick one! I recently wrote a piece for issue 3 of Project Calm magazine called ‘A spring day the Nordic way’. In this article, I talk you through a spring day with some Scandinavian concepts you may not be familiar with to help you embrace this beautiful season. And yes, there may be…
Hygge places: Tromsø, Norway
Hei venner! I’ve just got back from yet another Scandi trip, this time to Tromsø in Norway. Tromsø is up in the Arctic Circle, and usually it would be well into minus temperatures at this time of year up there, but during my visit it was surprisingly mild – apparently it’s been an unusually ‘warm’ winter for…
Hygge Christmas: Book gift guide
Yes, yes, I know – do we really need another post about hygge books? My answer is YES, because it’s Christmas and because I want to. Rest assured though, these book gift ideas won’t ALL be about hygge, so for those of you who find the idea abhorrent needn’t look away just yet. The Little…
In search of the Northern Lights
To some people, three trips to Iceland in five years could be seen as excessive. All I have to say to that is NO, you are wrong, Iceland is brilliant and nothing you say will make me think otherwise. So that’s why I’m going to tell you about my most recent trip, just last week…
Into the Arctic Circle: New Year in Lapland
If you’ve read this blog for any length of time at all, you’ll know how I feel about Scandinavia. It’s my favourite part of the world for so many reasons, and I won’t bore you by going into it yet again. But I’d never been into the Arctic Circle until this New Year. Yes, it…
How to create a hyggeligt home for winter
I don’t know about you, but where I am today it’s pretty bleak. It’s grey and drizzly and sort of ‘stickily chilly’, where it’s too cold to not wear a coat but not cold enough for it to be entirely comfortable. I’m spending my day sheltering from the gloom outside on the sofa, in a woolly…
Hygge places: Reykjavik, Iceland
Before I went to Reykjavik this week for the second time, I had plans for writing a post on my return about all the hygge spaces in the city. But I can’t really do that, because Reykjavik is the total and utter epitome of hygge, everywhere, in every way. I first visited in 2011, and I fell in…
Oslo: A city review
Oslo is the somewhat overlooked capital city of Norway. Nestled at the top of the Oslofjord and surrounded by lush forest, it’s a wonder more people haven’t tapped into a spectacular natural beauty of the area, or more importantly, the fact that it appears to be the most chilled out capital in the world. I…
Hello Hygge 