Registered: Nov 2004
Location: Goa
Posts: 801

Well, this is how I live 7-9 months a year.

No, not inside the actual ice hotel but the nature surrounding it is pretty much what I'm used to.

I'm sure there are other places like this over the world (Canada etc) but I think the hotel here is remarkable.

Panographic view of the ice hotel

The site for the ice hotel if anyone's interested

Attachment: jukkasjärvibar.jpg
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Registered: Mar 2004
Location: USA
Posts: 24374

Canada? They all live in igloos there anyway.

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Registered: Nov 2004
Location: Goa
Posts: 801

Scary. We swedes prefer big icy vodka bottles over igloos.

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location:
Posts: 17911

It was 7 degrees F this morning when I woke up. It should be about 29 for a high today, however, which is shirt-sleeve weather for me. But then, this state has almost nothing but Swedes and Norwegians in it. The Sons of Norway building is a block away from where I'm typing this. You'd likely be right at home here, Mokkori.

Sadly, we have no snow yet, which is odd for this time of year. But it's a bit of a drought, I think.

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Registered: Mar 2004
Location: USA
Posts: 24374

Why don't you take us over to the weather map, Frank, and let us have a look at the forecast?

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Registered: Nov 2004
Location: Goa
Posts: 801

We haven't gotten too much snow this year and right now the weather jumped from -22°C to 2°C over a day or so, screws with my head.

What state do you live in Mugtoe?

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Registered: Mar 2004
Location: USA
Posts: 24374

Denial.

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location:
Posts: 17911

Minnesota, fer Pete's sake, donchaknow. This forecast is actually unbelievably warm for this part of the country. It's usually down in the single digits a good deal as winter comes on here.

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location:
Posts: 17911

well, I'd attached a bitmap of the local forecast, per TT, but it was probably too big to attach and didn't take.

type "55408" as a zip code into yahoo weather.

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location:
Posts: 17911

Mokkori, Sigmo'n I are listenin to the Skitsystem/Wolfpack split 7" in yer honor.


not that honor has anything to do with whatever sigmo'n I are doin

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location:
Posts: 17911

that's a lie, actually. Sigmo is listenin to it and just told me so. I'm at the office drinkin a sierra nevada Celebration ale and gettin ready to head home.


Distortion Records is a GREAT label, however.

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Registered: Nov 2004
Location: Goa
Posts: 801

That's real nice Mugtoe, I feel honoured and that's not sarcasm.

The Kristet Utseende isn't bad either although they sing in Swedish.

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location:
Posts: 17911

quote:

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F6963: ever heard of Kristet Utseende
thee13green: no

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__________________

[Ignore Sig]

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Registered: Jun 2002
Location: Just to the right of the moon
Posts: 3141

I was up in Lappland a couple of years ago. A place called Hella, about 70km from Wilhemina. Was there in the depths of winter for a couple of weeks and had a pretty special time. spent the mornings cutting ice holes in the lake, spent the afternoon pelting through the forests on a snowmobile. when the engine was off - total silence. No artificial noise, no artificial light. Just reindeer. Yeah, that was great. Running around naked when it was -40, trying to thaw the engine block of a Volkswagen camper van with a miniature girls hair dryer, eating surstremming (?) which, in basic terms, tastes like dogshit smells. Yeah. Great place, the frozen north. Didn't get to the ice hotel, although a couple of frinds eventually made it up there. What a place.

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Registered: Nov 2004
Location: Goa
Posts: 801

I live around Lappland/Northsbottom so your description about your time there sounds very alike my everyday life.

I learned to appreciate it more after travelling around to other countries and living in places like Lebanon, Israel and England.

Now I welcome that silence and the fact that ... it never changes,
the nature is still somewhat balanced and the snow that falls stays white for a long time.

And surströmming is a love-hate thing, I just started eating it because it's more or less custom to be able to endure the shit when you're dining with family.

The fish itself was important to our survival back in the days though, the rotten fish was also used to clean out your stomach.

Now we just do it for tradition and for the schnaps of vodka we drink to it.

Skål.

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Registered: Nov 2004
Location: Goa
Posts: 801

This is a picture up from Kebnekaise, our highest mountain in Sweden. My father was a medical officer for the army and they performed a lot of rescue work up there.

I got to tag along a few times and I found this picture from one of the trips.

Attachment: pappa.jpg
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Registered: Aug 2002
Location: Pere Ubu land
Posts: 1080

Strömming...now there is something I crave!

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Hilbert Space
Posts: 35572

Was 19 F here this morning, and nice and sunny. All is well with the world. Love cold sunny days.

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: b0ulder
Posts: 5126

3°C this morning. It's cold!

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Registered: Nov 2004
Location:
Posts: 135

quote:

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Originally posted by Smug Git
19 F here this morning

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Hilbert Space
Posts: 35572

Heh.

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location:
Posts: 17911

quote:

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Originally posted by tessellated
Strömming...now there is something I crave!

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Registered: Aug 2002
Location: Pere Ubu land
Posts: 1080

True enough I suppose, but this isn't it. I mean, there is the stuff that Mokkori is talking about which is some sort of rotten fish, and then there is the strömming I had which can be found for sale in kiosks in Stockholm (and surely elsewhere).

Strömming (Mokkori can correct me here because I am going from memory) is made from herring fillets which is breaded and then fried. From there you have your choice of several different ways of eating it. The traditional one is to have it served on a very hard and thick "cracker" which looks somewhat like a chocolate brown waffle. On top of this goes the strömming, mashed potatoes, a bit of dill, and (red?) onions sliced into very thin strings. There are several other variations on these ingredients. One that I remember in particular, is a sort of tortilla like wrap such that what is given you is cone-shaped with all the yummy stuff inside.

I always sort of viewed it as the equivalent of swedish fast-food, say their cultural equivalent of a chilli dog. I don't know if that's really accurate or not, but damn they sure were good.

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: b0ulder
Posts: 5126

There is a fancy chef in Louisiana serving Nutria as a delicacy.

Swamp Rats

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Registered: Jul 2001
Location: China
Posts: 11771

20 F and blowing here.

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