The Ice Hotel of Sweden is an ultimate place to chill. The Hotel is situated in the Swedish Lapland town of Jukkasjarvi. It opens every year in early December and closes at the end of April. Every year in October the artists and local villagers, most from the Sami tribe in the area, begin to build the new ice hotel, which opens in mid-December. Snow canons and front loaders start by forming the snow over the steel sections that are the main structure of the Ice hotel. Sections are moved around and replaced by ice pillars put in place to give support to the snow arches. blocks of ice taken from the frozen Torne River each winter and frozen for use the following year, the Hotel at the moment is in its twentieth re-incarnation and is as impressive as ever. It began meagerly 14 years ago – one room. The 2004 season boasted 50-rooms with 5,000 square metres built of 30,000 tons of snow and 4,000 tons of ice. Read more

Kalmar was once one of the most important fortified towns in Sweden. Now the town of about 35,000 people on the Baltic Sea is a green travel destination. Kalmar has the usual site-seeing and cultural attractions.

Visitors to Kalmar should include a stop at the Kalmar castle with its well preserved fortifications, a walk through the old town with its well-worn cobblestone streets, and a visit to a few of the wonderful museums highlighting regional Viking history. Sampling the local cuisine is a must. All of this can be done with the knowledge that your carbon footprint while there will be minimal. Read more

Vaxjo, Smaland (Sweden) which the name originates from “väg” meaning road and “sjö” meaning lake, used to be the place where traders converge during the Ice Age and the time of the Vikings. When the Viking period came to its end during the 1000′s, it grew to be a religious center with the construction of the Vaxjo Cathedral (12th century). It has been told that Sigfrid, a missionary came from England had this Cathedral built. Known to be the first messenger of Christianity to Sweden, St. Sigfrid is now a national saint for Sweden. His image is also portrayed in the Vaxjo’s city arms. Read more