NordenBladet – How frequently do the Scandinavians actually travel? United Kingdom’s travel site MoveHub.com compiled a list of nations that travel the most, based on World Tourism Organization and World Bank data – top 5 of this list included as many as two Northern countries, Sweden and Finland.
People from Hongkong travel the most, according to surveys its inhabitants undertook 11.4 journeys per year. This extraordinarily high number was due to the matter that the travels of the neighbouring country China were also included in the statistics.
The second place went to Hungary where the inhabitants travelled 1.62 times per year.
In the top 5 there were also the Swedes, the Finns and the Luxembourgians. It was surprising to discover that the Norwegians travel significantly less that the rest of the Northern population, in that respect being beaten even by Estonians. According to the statistics, Estonians undertake 0.93 travel per person per year.
NordenBladet – The Moroccan manually woven carpet is a natural luxurious original piece of work that will add to the character and gloss of each and every home. While manually woven, the carpet is not threatened by water, it is 100% natural and will wear only after decades. Actually this type of carpet necessitates replacement during one’s lifetime only in case of home interior design renewal.
Handmade carpets with traditional patterns are inherited within the family from one generation to the next. Traces of wearing out of a carpet many decades old just increases its value. In the Northern countries for example one might compare this phenomenon to that of preserving the folk costume skirts and aprons down each generation, every piece of handicraft accumulating more value with the years.
Producing a handmade carpet is a long time enterprise and therefore also precious labor. A fine carpet also has a fitting cost (prices of the smallest carpets start from 600 euros).
While in Morocco as a tourist we might ponder the question whether the carpets are actually original work (handmade and not prepared through automated process) and also how we are supposed to transport the carpets when we travel back home.
Answering the first question appears tricky – definitely there are both original works and fake products for sale, so to prevent being deceived it is best to ask from the hotel or from yout travel guide where you can purchase the original products.
One place where you can definitely obtain a quality hand made carpet is the „Chateau Des Souks” carpet and antiquity store on Marrakech market (44, Souk Semmarine Marrakech). „Chateau Des Souks” will give the client a proper carpet performance – will cater peppermint tea and will spread one great carpet after another beyond your feet. The purchase will be redirected straight to your home so you wouldn’t need to worry about that further. Comfortable and trustworthy place!
From the same store you may also acquire beautiful antique articles. A genuine pearl in the midst of the big Marrakech market (soak).
NordenBladet – I am a wild dreamer, but not in the dull, negative sense. I have a vivid imagination, perhaps too intense at times to fit in the frames of normal. However, those that don’t dream big are left with their modest wishes as are the impurities on a lamp shade. I am fond of dreaming and this is one of the best and most pleasant brain gymnastics as well as a way of spending time when you have short breaks in between events. For example, when I am driving to take the children home and there is a tedious moment of pause at some place, then at once I start dreaming. My favourite type of dream starts like this: What would I do if… and there the ideas are let fly…
My so to say dreaming has been the foundation for many big projects that have come to be in the actual world. For example, all my life I have admired Arianna Huffington, today 67 years old. I started off with the design of the OHMYGOSSIP brand towards the end of the year 2007 and at the time I thought I would really wish to be much like that woman – vigorous, skillful, empowered, independent, innovative, etc. Back then it was merely a dream, completely outrageous and unrealistic. I accompanied my dream so closely that a few years later I ventured to assert in my blog that one fine day on the media terrain I would be more influential than Arianna Huffington (you can read about it HERE). In 2009 Huffington held according to Forbes the 12th place among the most influential women in the media. In the year 2014 she was according to Forbes the 52nd most influential woman in the world. In 2011 the media corporation AOL took up Huffington Post for 315 million dollars. Huffington became the president and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group. It is true, my starlight has not reached her measure yet, however, I am less of age by half today and besides the breakthrough in online and print media I have divided myself between various projects – I am developing and expanding my own fashion brand that has gained popularity around the world – Ohmygossip Couture (T-shirts, casual wear, accessories), with my daughters I have founded the enterprise Elisheva & Shoshana, and I am the manager for the 11-year-old Estella Elisheva, the violinist and my daughter, as well as the promoter and administrator of seven world famous stars on Twitter and FB. During the past ten years I have become the most influential woman in the Scandinavian social media (see HERE and HERE). I am not embarrassed to name it – I am the greatest, the most well-known, the most liked, the most shared, I am the top of the cap in every ranking. OHMYGOSSIP and NordenBladet are the best known media brands in social media, with 150 000+ regular unique daily readers and with 5+ million followers in social media. Our marketing portfolio is longed for and envied both by the Estonian significant agents (Ekspress Meedia, Eesti Meedia) as well as the Scandinavan largest media – Schibsted, Bonnier, Alma Media, etc.
Yes, what I have just exercised is boasting and perhaps arrogant, yet the reason why I chose to do that is positive – my message to you is: believe in your dreams, the bigger your dreams, the more you will achieve! Do believe in the impossible, since almost any dream is possible once you really wish to reach them! What is the life cycle of a dream from the emergence of the dream until the dream coming true?
If you dream big and yearn to encourage and inspirit your dream, then you can rely on the reaction to your dreams being spitefulness, malevolence, the wounding and belittling of your dream, negativism and anything else that might tell you the word: be average, do not stick out, do not think for yourself, do nothing to seem different from everybody, do not have hope, do not have ambitions for anything further etc… You may be absolutely sure that if there is someone that feels like your dream looks good, they will try to steal it from you (or do so, if you are not long-sighted enough) and should you be on someone’s way, instead of starting teamwork you will be criticized, defamed, attempted to be reduced. A good saying is: FIRST THEY LAUGH, THEN THEY COPY! At the beginning they ridicule you, and once they realize you are a considerable player, they will start to copy you. Therefore – should you have a dream, be it realistic, unrealistic or completely outrageous – believe in yourself! Everything is possible! Whoever falls repeatedly and knows what it is like to be in the dirt face downwards, will rise towards the sky with the greater, bolder and brighter flash than ever! Everything is possible! Once more, believe in yourself!
In the next post I will tell you more about realistic, unrealistic and completely outrageous dreams, ambitions and enterprises!!
NordenBladet – We have carried out a sizable survey and analysis concerning the NordenBladet and OHMYGOSSIP sites and quite many indicators have surprised me. For exmple, the fact that an entertainment site has grown into a premium travel site where the most searched for are travel blogs and travel info.
Spontaneously enough I have become „a professional luxury travel blogger”, professionally reflecting the luxurious travel lifestyle. It definitely is a fact that the Scandinavians like to travel a lot and their finances favour the enjoyment of life. According to recent surveys the Finns, the Swedes as well as the Estonians are keen travellers and it is a trend that people visit expensive destinations and luxurious hotels and resorts. Also, the age group of our readers was a surprise for me – being higher that what I expected. Our typical reader is a 45+ years of age wealthy lady.
I have for many years been in collaboration with tourism ministries, tourism bureaus, travel agencies, shipping and airline companies, hotels and restaurants. Last week a new direct flight on the Helsinki-Marrakech line was launched and NordenBladet editorial board received an exclusive invitation to travel this line among the first. Invitations like these to various press travels, hotels and flights are abundant and thus unfortunately a selection has to be made as to both what we would wish and be able to reflect. NordenBladet’s target group are the well-off Scandinavians and their preferences, this has been our program already from the starting days of the web journal. However, that the target group exactly be formed according to our original vision – this was something that we had not been quite so positively tuned to happen. I would have presumed our prime reader to be almost 15 years younger. As a mother of two, leading one of the most influential Scandinavian media groups, I often havethe same feeling myself – that once when I take time off, the vacation must be the best possible. There simply isn’t time to kill doing something next to pointless. Time is money, spare time is luxury – therefore making good use of the quality time is a priority for every person.
The affluent kind cares for smoothly organized travels, quality service and nice treatment at the destination and a personal approach. Especially the latter – you should like to feel welcome, that you matter. You should like to feel that you are pampered. Weather going on a mission or on a holiday, people expect quality catering and a clean and cozy, spacious hotel room, the SPA and swimming pool add to the plus side, and the service standards are not reduced at any time. As long as the destination is worthwhile, the elevated cost is not problematic. People turn to me more and more with the query: „What would you recommend?” „Whould you actually travel there were it self-financed?”, „How would rank the service?”, etc.
I am extremely pleased and grateful to realize that my personal opinion is of such value. On the other hand it brings alongI huge responsibility – when earlier I used to post to Twitter, Facebook whatever my mood and whatever crossed my mind, then I now carefully ponder what to lay out and what to withhold.
However, I must say that I am very emotional and I do like to continue with this kind of posts every once in a while, and oftentimes I think back afterwards, wondering if it was the right move. And yet my reader is already familiar with this and probably these readers that are with me since 2008 perhaps know me better than I know myself and they already look forward to the straightforward posts!
As a matter of fact, I also have news for you! Actually this is monumental! From now on, via several tourism ministries and tourism bureaus I am going to be organizing press travels for blog writers and journalists. So listen up, the travel-natured – this is your opportunity! If your passion is travelling and discovering the world, please let me know! Certainly I prefer to send to these complimentary luxury travels in the first priority range the blog writers and journalists that contribute in the NordenBladet and OHMYGOSSIP stream, however, until there are vacancies, I’ll be opening the doors for the travel friends who are running their own game. Until the new and exciting travel experience unravels!
If you feel that you are keen on travelling and wish to incorporate your (travel)blog under the NordenBladet and OHMYGOSSIP sites, please let me know of your wish via email: info@nordenbladet.com
On the opening photo: 2x Violinist, Luxury travel blogger and OHMYGOSSIPteen chief managerial staff Estella Elisheva (NordenBladet/ Helena-Reet Ennet)
OHMYGOSSIP — Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, was told she’d become a royal by a tarot card reader. The 45-year-old royal – who is married to Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark – has told the story of how a walk through a local flea market in her home country of Australia saw her meet a fortune teller who told her to expect great things from her future.
Crown Princess Mary insists the clairvoyant told her she would leave her workplace and meet a man from abroad, before becoming famous and moving to Europe.
Speaking to Jens Andersen for his new authorised biography on Crown Prince Frederik, ‘Under the Bar’, Mary said: “So I left there and thought, ‘Well yes, that was a lot of fun, but nothing more.’ But I’ve always been interested in the spiritual. In mystery and fate.”
Soon after her encounter with the fortune teller, Crown Princess Mary met her future husband in a bar in Sydney during the 2000 Olympic games, and she insists she had no idea he was royalty until further down the line.
She recalled: “The first time we met, we shook hands. I didn’t know he was the prince of Denmark. Half an hour later, someone came up to me and said, ‘Do you know who these people are?'”
The couple’s relationship blossomed from there, and they married in 2004 before having four children, Prince Christian, 12, Princess Isabella, 10, and six-year-old twins Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent.
Meanwhile, Crown Prince Frederik admits he also believes in fate, but doesn’t think people can predict the future. He said: “I believe in fate. When I look back on all the exciting things that have happened to me, it’s not random. But I don’t try to look ahead and say, ‘Can I predict my destiny for the next two years?’ I don’t want to talk to anyone who claims they can. No one should read anything about me and my future.”
NordenBladet – In the year 2017/2018 I intend to look deeply into further developing the Ohmygossip.fi web page and launch some rearrangements. As I have said before, the OHMYGOSSIP portals have joined the Scandinavian media affiliated group and within the coming year we will convey all the Ohmygossip pages under NordenBladet. I would like to recruit more wonderful bloggers (drop me an e-mail, should you wish to join us!) and leave the topics about society and politics for the NordenBladet.fi site. The layout scheme for our Estonian web magazines is largely settled and the same is awaiting to be performed with the Finnish and Swedish portals.
Since the homes of our co-authors, translators, board partners etc are scattered all over Scandinavia the accordingly we hold meetings infrequently. And the best solution for that would be a travel outing – be it in Estonia, in Finland, Sweden or faraway. As a rule, I plan one on one meetings with companions in a hotel or in a restaurant, this has so far been most efficient. My bold dream is of course to open up separate offices in Estonia, Finland and Sweden one fine day, however, at this point of time it is financially unavailable and neither is it currently reasonable. Also I have in mind the future trend of arranging regular travel meetings that various Norden Bladet editing team members might partake. At the moment I am further encouraging our cooperation with tourism ministries and tourism bureaus in Morocco and Israel – these are very pleasant people and very professionally minded. This far it has been a very healthily progressing cooperation and I am hoping to expand our common enterprises.
NordenBladet is a multifaceted platform and in addition to the routine output regarding daily news, politics, health topics and home columns it pays remarkable attention to tourism issues. The Scandinavians like to travel and therefore people constantly seek to find travel stories and tourism related information from our multilingual portals. Also, people are keen on the entertainment section and the opinion and reviews from blog writers that can be found on Ohmygossip sites under NordenBladet are highly valued.
Last year I have taken various team members and business partners to several trips to Morocco (Agadir) and the journeys have been very splendid. Joining me to the same Agadir business visit was Ohmygossip.ee co-author and Ohmygossip Couture long time model Marianna Link and Ohmygossip.fi blog writer Tuija Järvinen. I very much hoped that our Finnish to Estonian route translater and co-author Marju Rõmmel would join us but she was bound to staying at home with her baby son. Then again I mysel couldn’t attend the second trip, but I sent a delegation of three business partners. This year’s travel to Morocco is within the framework of Ohmygossip.fi and accompanying me I have a crew consisting of Ohmygossip.fi blogger Tuija as previously, then Ohmygosspi.fi Estonian to Finnish route translator Risto and then also Estella Elisheva, who is in charge of OHMYGOSSIPteen development. The plan was to have with us Ohmygossip.fi blogger Pia Sarkkinen, but other professional obligations prevented her from joining.
We will be travelling to Morocco (Marrakech) via Helsinki and Stockholm, and on our way back we will test the Norwegian direct flight Marrakech (RAK) – Helsinki (HEL).
However, the Morocco travel itself will be depicted closely in the next post!
Read about last year’s Morocco travel from HERE, HERE and HERE
Hereby a few photos taken by me of OHMYGOSSIP co-authors Marianna and Tuija on our previous journey ?
NordenBladet – I have made up my mind about distancing myself as much as possible from all that has negative impact and the best way to achieve that is being closer to G-d. The more we manage to melt into the rest of nature to be as one the further away we reach from the pointless noise surrounding us in daily life. It often happens that also the nearest and dearest tend to hurt us and on those occasions we need all the extra energy it takes to handle it. As for me, I derive energy from nature!
Lucky enough, I have got my own „secret garden”, and actually it is not quite so secret – however when glanced at with a different pair of eyes, plenty of mystery will unfold. Through various twists the previous year has added quite some esoteric aspects to my life as well as it has included contacts with extraterrestrial forces. For example, as incredible as it may seem, last summer while visiting Viljandi with my sister we stubled upon an actual spook (read more about it from previous blog posts HERE, HERE and HERE) and from then on we have witnessed many evident predictive signs. Actually, prophecies and clairvoyance are not an unknown phenomenon in our family – many ancestors have been veritable sorcerers and with profound knowledge about herbs, helping many find their true path – with the employment of herbs, lunar phases, and overall wisdom – and have helped wipe away love worries, financial concerns and health problems. I know, this tale may sound like regular crap from any Chatterbox in the light of all those TV shows about witcraft, but you can’t beat actual facts. Well, does this somehow scare me? I would say, definitely! I have always been rather sceptical about stuff like that, yet the further down the road the more I recognize that it is important to trust the inner feeling, take into account the signs and not ignore mental images.
But now back to the garden… I am keen on those semi-set half wild gardens, those like my very own. The more you invest your time in the trees and bushes and the more you talk to them, the more the garden opens up in return. It is a very pleasant feeling! I am fond of how in earlier times people grew everything they ever needed – the less of all that industrial production the better. As for me, I also grow plenty myself – especially the beverages (for example various herbal teas and apple juice for winter). I dry up several plants and herbs with numerous beneficial (therapeutial) effects. Should you be interested to learn more about that, then HERE I have compiled a brief practical compendium about easily available plants with significant effect.
I have also observed that I am really in to taking pictures of nature. Here you can find a gallery of a few recent photos that really make me sigh: Life is beautiful, make sure you notice that! The Almighty has provided us with so much to be joyous about!
NordenBladet – In a session of the Council of State 20 October, the King has made changes in the Norwegian Government. State Secretary Marit Berger Røsland has been appointed Minister of EEA and EU Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Marit Berger Røsland’s work experience includes:
2016 – State Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2015 – 2016 State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice and Public Security
2014 – 2015 State Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister
2006 – 2014 Lawyer, Wiersholm.
2010 Deputy Judge, Oslo District Court
2003 – 2005 Political Adviser in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2000 – 2001 Political Secretary, Mayor of Oslo
Political appointments
2003-2007 Member, Oslo City Council
2000-2002 Deputy Chair, Young Conservatives
1997–2000 Member, Akershus County Council
Marit Berger Røsland holds a Master’s degree in law from the University of Oslo (2006).
NordenBladet – In a session of the Council of State of 20 October, the King has made changes in the Norwegian Government. Minister of Defence Ine Eriksen Søreide has been appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. he is the first woman to hold this position.
Political background
Eriksen Søreide represents The Conservative Party (Høyre), and is elected to parliament from the constituency of Oslo.
Her parliamentary experience includes:
2009-2013 Chair, Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, and Chair, Enlarged Foreign Affairs Committee
2009-2013 Head of the Delegation for Relations with the European Parliament, and Head of the European Consultative Committee
2005-2009 Chair, Standing Committee on Education, Research and Church Affairs
2001-2005 Member, Standing Committee on Education, Research and Church Affairs
Eriksen Søreide holds a Graduate degree in Law (Cand. jur.) from The University of Tromsø (2007).
NordenBladet — On Thursday and Friday, Tallinn will host a meeting of the Presidents of the Supreme Judicial Courts of the European Union Member States. The central focus will be on ensuring the separation of powers.
The Presidents of the European Supreme Judicial Courts will convene in Estonia for the first time. The meeting will be chaired by Priit Pikamäe, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, who was elected in October last year to serve as Chairman of the Network of the Presidents of the Supreme Judicial Courts of the European Union.
According to Priit Pikamäe, the independence of the administration of justice and the substantive achievement of the separation of powers have become increasingly topical issues in Europe: “I am referring to the developments in Poland but also before that in Turkey, where the coup d’état was followed by the wholesale arrest of judges. Also in Hungary, the politically motivated judicial reform resulted in many judges losing their offices. This shows that the independence of the judiciary is not an undisputed fact, even in 21st century Europe.”
“Ensuring the independence of the judiciary is a decision to be made by the legislators, and is thus an important part of the political culture. The influence on the activities of the courts through public political reforms is only one aspect of this, as a much more insidious tendency is the influence on the activities of the Supreme Courts through financing decisions,” Pikamäe said.
During the meeting in Tallinn, the presidents will discuss the conditions which must be fulfilled in order to ensure the independence and autonomy of the judiciary as a separate branch of power. Similarly, the exchanges of mutual knowledge and experience will involve questions on whether, and to what extent, the other national institutions should control the actions of the Supreme Court, and what role the presidents of the courts should play in relation to the judicial reforms. One of the goals of the meeting is to develop uniform standards for the definition and understanding of the independence of the judiciary.
The meeting will be attended by the Presidents of the Supreme Courts of Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Croatia, Finland, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden, Germany, France, Latvia, Montenegro, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Slovakia, Albania and Estonia.
