The Bay Area of Europe: Gay-friendly Scandinavia @ Christmas

Pelle Karlsen, Ett Glass bar in Oslo  (Photo by:  Ed Walsh)

 More than ninety percent of Scandinavians are Christian, predominately Lutheran, and that faith is reflected each year in the celebration of Christmas.The long nights in Northern Europe in the winter means even more time for Christmas lights to shine bright. Scandinavia’s longstanding history of acceptance of LGBTs means that everyone is a welcome part of the celebration.

If you can visit Scandinavia’s major cities over Christmastime and can find a reasonably priced flight, you will save some serious cash. Hotels are at their fullest in the cities during the times when business people travel. That means most hotels offer lower prices around Christmas when the demand is low. You can also find cheaper hotel rooms in the summer, but you will usually be faced with much higher airfares.

Copenhagen

Copenhagen has a lot to offer gay travelers over the holidays or any time. The city takes center stage in gay Europe this summer when it hosts the World OutGames. For more information on the games, check out www.copenhagen2009.org.

Check out the great video below that officially welcomes participats to the World OutGames.

Copenhagen boasts a wealth of nightlife, cultural attractions and restaurants, and is home to the world famous downtown amusement park, Tivoli Gardens.

Below:  Nyhavn.   One of the most photographed sights of Copenhagen.

(Video by:  Ed Walsh) 

Tivoli is one of the most visited attractions in Denmark. It opened in 1843 and sits on 20 acres right in the middle of downtown, next to the Central train station. It is Disneyland with a Hans Christian Andersen twist. A larger than life statue of Andersen, Denmark’s most famous (and probably gay) author, is just across the street from the park. The park is closed over the winter but opens from November 14-December 30 with a Christmas theme. The park is adorned at Christmastime with "special fairy lights" to delight fairies of all stripes.

Below:  The symbol of Copenhagen, the Little Mermaid Statue

(Video by:  Ed Walsh)

 Copenhagen nightlife

Copenhagen boasts about a dozen gay bars, nightclubs, cafes and saunas. Most are within an easy walk of each other. The city has two lesbian bars, the Vela Gay Club and the Chaca bar. Undoubtedly the most unique gay bar is the Jailhouse with three booths designed as jail cells. The "Gay Club Foxy" is the city’s most popular gay disco. It’s gay and lesbian mixed but mostly gay men. The Code bar is the city’s newest gay and lesbian lounge bar. The Oscar Bar Café is also new but regularly draws a packed crowd on weekends. Centralhjoernet is the city’s oldest gay bar.

Oslo- The Sights

Oslo may be the most underrated of Scandinavia’s capital cities. It is about 300 miles west of Stockholm and offers visitors a one-stop shop for a variety of indoor and outdoor activities. The city’s Christmas Market on City Hall Square charms thousands every year with Christmas decorations, crafts, food and drink. You can buy your most unique Christmas gifts there.

Christmas in Copenhagen

Copenhagen becomes magical at Christmas time - take a stroll down the pedestrian shopping street "Strøget" and get into the Christmas spirit.

(Photo by: Christian Alsing, VisitCopenhagen.com)
 

Below:  Bus Tour of Oslo in the snow.

(video by:  Ed Walsh)

The most visited sight in Oslo is Frogner Park. The sprawling park is packed with sculptures of naked children and adults by Norway’s greatest sculptor, Gustav Vigeland. Be sure to check out the most famous sculpture of a little boy who appears to be in the middle of a temper tantrum on the bridge in the park. The park takes on a special aura over the winter when snow dusts the statues. Many of the sculptures show people huddled together, and with snow, it appears that they are together for warmth.

Below:  Video of Frogner Park

(video by:  Ed Walsh)

Below:  Oslo Viking Ship Museum

(video by:  Ed Walsh)

Oslo-Gay life

On January 1, 2009, Norway will become the first country in Scandinavia to legalize same-sex marriage. The country is also credited with being the first in the world to enact a law prohibiting discrimination against gays in 1981.

Gay life in Norway is centered in Oslo. The biggest and best-known gay bar in the city is the London Pub. It is centrally located downtown. The pub is divided into two sections. Its cavernous and spacious bar is downstairs and the disco is upstairs. Around the corner, the Elsker bar and restaurant is popular with both lesbians and gay men. The nearby Ett Glass bar and restaurant is also gay and lesbian mixed. Information on a private leather club can be found on www.slm-oslo.no.

Jonas Larsson, bartender London Pub

(Photo by:   Ed Walsh)

Stockholm – the sights

Stockholm bills itself as the capital of Scandinavia. Although you may get some argument about that from other Scandinavian cities, there is do doubt that Stockholm is blessed with an abundance of museums, parks and nightlife. The city is festooned at Christmastime with colorful decorations and open-air markets.

Stockholm Christmas Market

(Photo by:  Richard Ryan - Stockholm Visitors Board)
 

Sweden’s capital city is made up of 14 islands and nearly 60 bridges. Stockholm’s birthplace, the island of Gamla Stan, is also known as Old Town. It is also one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. If you wander through the town’s side streets, you can still get a glimpse of what it was like to live in a Northern European city hundreds of years ago.

Below is video of the main square in Stockholm's Old Town

(video by:  Ed Walsh)

Ironically, the most visited tourist attraction in Stockholm was once its greatest embarrassment. The Vasa Museum contains a top heavy warship that sank in 1628, just 20 minutes into its maiden voyage. The Vasa was raised in 1961 and it is the only 17^{th century warship in existence in the world.}

^{Below is a video of the Vasa Museum.   Shows how the crew had to go to the bathroom!}

^{(Video by:   Ed Walsh)}

The Vasa museum is on the city’s Djurgarden Island, which is home to Stockholm’s second most visited destination, Skansen, an open-air museum and zoo. The museum has more than 150 historic buildings. The zoo’s train and pony rides are favorites with kids. Skansen’s Christmas Market draws thousands every holiday season.

 Below:  Video of Stockholm's Royal Palace

(video by:  Ed Walsh)

Stockholm- Gay nightlife

Gamla Stan or Old Town is home to a handful of gay venues. The Chokladkoppen Café is in the square in the center of the island. Torget is a gay bar and restaurant on the edge of Gamla Stan. Lino, also in Gamla Stan, is open only on Saturday nights and is the most popular gay disco in the city. The Sunday night gay tradition is dancing on the party boat, Patricia. The boat is a short walk from Gamla Stan, near the Slussen subway stop.

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