As you might know, Villa Villekulla is the name of the Swedish fairy-tale-figure Pippi Longstocking’s house. In Gothenburg Café Villekulla is a hidden fairy-tale inspired café, known for it’s delicious cake buffet…

I have heard many Erasmus students blessing the Swedish cakes and cookies you find in the city’s plurality of cafés. As a frequant café guest and a part-time café worker, I have had my share of cakes and cookies- and it’s true the Gothenburg cake selection is heavenly! Something out of the ordinary is the cake buffet of  Café Villekulla. For 65 kronor (45 if you buy something to drink) you get passed the dilemma of choosing between the cakes- you can have them all! Perfect if you rapidly want to get an overview of the Swedish cake selection and find your favourite.

Not only does this café offer a delicious cake buffet, also the decoration makes it worth a visit. Imagine pay the grandmother in the fairy-tale The little red riding hood a visit. That’s more or less how it feels like being in Café Villekulla. Crowded with gadgets and old funiture this café is as far away from the impersonal coffee chains as it can possibly be!

Even if it is not as cosy and chamry as Café Villakulla, you can’t speak about cake buffets without mention Steinbrenner & Nyberg. If you have the budget for a more luxury alternative, why don’t try the soup lunch including a gâteau/cake buffet in their restaurant downtown? Steinbrenner & Nyberg is a famous bakery/pastisserie, known for their alsolutly delicous cakes, gâteaus and pastries- for 87 kronor you get the chance to try them!

I can’t answer whether a visit in Café Villekulla and Steinbrenner & Nyberg will make you even more obsessed by the Swedish cakes, or if you end up too filled up with cakes to even think of it for weeks… There is just one way to find out. Make a visit and have some cakes!

Café Villekulla, Storgatan 10, Opened 10-21 every day

Steinbrenner & Nyberg, Östra Larmgatan 6, Week days 11-16

/ Sanna, Misi.se team 2010

Hey allstudents!!

So Sweden should be one of Europes high-tech countries, and it is! But not so much among light consumer products with the  exception from some few products. Mostly Sweden is known for it’s big industrial conglomerates the ABB, Ecrisson etc however recently a controversial Swedish website cought the worlds attention known as The Pirate Bay.  The Pirate Bay is one of the first bittorrent sites that allows people to share movies, music, softwares for free! Lots of Swedes and other embraced the ability to download movies and much more thanks to The Pirate Bay athough not really legally….. it was and still is a very famous homepage first originated from Sweden.  . However nowadays the next new big thing from Sweden is Spotify!! Though almost a decade of free online music illegall downloads Swedish people have just started to pay a little again for their music, making Swedish people listening to music now legally!

All because of Spotify!! Spotify is a online music streaming program started by Daniel Ek from in 2006, Spotify is just like Itunes or any music player but the advantage with spotify is that you don’t need to download any of the music or install any music to your library. All the music is already in Sporify all you need to do is search for the music you like and it will start streaming with great quality instantly! Spotify from it’s lunch in 2006 until now include most of the popular hits in their online library but not all, the music player also shows albums lists artist info etc just like Itunes. However the music player is not all for free! If you are lucky you might be able to receive an Spotify invite then you can use the service for free on the computer and stream all music for free but with some regular radio commercials. Otherwise Spotify charges 99kr per month for their service and you can use the service unlimited without commercials and even stream the music library to your mobile phone if you have Iphone or android device.

All in all! Students look out for a Spotify invite and try out the new Swedish sensation!!!

// Yining Misi.se 2010team

Most likely all students know about the Gothenburg Opera by now. Just as me probably most students have never been inside the opera house. Since opera is really expensive to enjoy this high end entertainment and opera might not be so appealing to younger generations. However the Gothenburg Opera house is really famous in Sweden and the design of the opera is very unique.

So how can we students enjoy this cool atmosphere without paying too much money on a thing that might not brings us enough value?

My answer to the question is go to the opera during the day and have lunch in their restaurant!

Last week my friend insisted to go to the opera for lunch, after some debating he won and we went there. The outcome was awesome! The interior parts of the opera are really fancy, customers as well as waiters were all very properly dressed and reception was really nice.

The restaurant is located right by the river so one could enjoy a great calm view while having a nice lunch.

The lunch menu varies each week but is always accompanied with a salad buffet, fruits and coffee. The price for the lunch and this experience inside Gothenburg’s Opera house: 99kr

It was definitely worth it

But before you go! You must book your table here and dress properly : )

Have a good time!

//Misi.se

As the weather gets a bit better day by day, there’s plenty of good outdoor activities that one can do here in Gothenburg. Recently Stena Line (the cruise company here in Gothenburg) is offering a great cruise deal to go to Danmark and back in one day from only 118kr (if there are at least 5 persons).  The boat goes regularly and the trip on the boat to Denmark takes around 3 hours one way. Most departures start at 09.00 and arrives in Denmark Fredrikshavn around 12.00 and returns to Gothenburg from 20.00 and arrive around 23.00 in Gothenburg.

On the boat there’s plenty of resturants and various activity offerings that you can enjoy, or just relax on the boat, enjoy the great ocean view, read a book and get some sun tan

The boat will arrive in Fredrikshavn in the northern part of Denmark. Fredrikshavn is a small cosy city situated right to the ocean. Due it’s situation close to Sweden and to the ocean, it has recently become a more and more of a tourist attraction. In Fredriskhavn they also have a very nice beach with real palm trees to the north of the city, and in the city there are many outlet shops and offerings.

So as the tip for this week go to Denmark for a day and take advantage of the soon to be good weather in Gothenburg. For more information and to book tickets click HERE (the homepage is in Swedish, so please ask a swedish friend to help you out)

// Yining Misi.se 2010

There is a big gym where you can train with a big variety of tools. You can also attend the group-events such as Aerobics; step-up; pilates; indoor soccer; basketball; floorball; climbing etc etc. The best thing is that you don’t have to bring a team to fysiken; you can simply go there and you will be divided into a team when the tournament begins. For each sport there is a schedule telling what times and day’s different sports and activities are played. To see the schedule; just go to www.fysiken.nu and click on the activity that you would like to join. You then get information about time and days of your preferred activity. To reserve a spot just click book and enter password and username that you get when you buy a membership card. Membership card costs 1395 kr per 6 months (only Gibraltargatan; access to all group activities included). If you like to have the possibility to train at both Kaserntorget and Gibraltargatan the price is 1995 kr for 6 months. For a card that is including just the group activities the price is 950 kr for 6 months.

To contact Fysiken; call 031-10 69 30. Fysiken is situated on Gibraltargatan 39 and Kaserntorget 11. If you want to set up groups that like to do some of the sports together; you can use the forum supplied to you on misi.se!

Alright students here’s a more detailed guide for students how to get a cell phone fast and easy in Sweden.

In Sweden we use the GSM/3G network which follows the international standards that means that if you have a cell phone from your country which supports GSM you can use it here in Sweden. In that case all you need to do is to get a sim card from one of the providers and switch it with your current sim card. However if you want to use your old cell phone in Sweden you must make sure that your cell phone is not sim locked to a local provider.

In Sweden just like many European countries you can either sign up for a cell phone subscription plan or just simply use a pay to go card. We recommend you to use the pay to go card the price is just about the same and you need to be permanent living in Sweden at least first 6 months before you can sign up for a subscription. The pay to go cards can be recharged at any convenient shops or on the internet at any time, so it’s very convenient as well.

The main cell phone providers here in Sweden are Tele2, Telia, Telenor and 3. The cheapest provider is Tele2 and in general most Swedish students uses Tele2 as provider due to their prices. Their signal might not be as good as the other providers in northern parts in Sweden but in the more populated areas it works just as fine.

Different kinds of Pay to go plans! *Important*

A big difference in Sweden is that there are also some different kinds of pay to go pay checks that you can chose among each time you recharge your card. For example Tele2 has the regular Kontant price plan, Amigos, Kompis and Knock out price plan. The prices per minute and sms are very different from each other. A detailed price guide can be checked out here. (Page is in Swedish but you can use google translate for translation)

We think that the Amigos is the best plan for international students under this plan you can call freely to everyone within Tele2 per minute with a start up costs per call of 0,69kr/sms to everyone is 0,69kr and calls to other operators are 0,69kr per minute. But a major advantage with Amigos is also that it has cheap international call prices compared with others. So if you would ever need to call to France or Germany you can call for around 0,99kr per minute instead of the normal around 2,49kr per minute.

*Important* Very important to note is that the price plan Amigos, kompis or knout out etc is only valid for one month from the day of the recharge!!! It don’t mean that your money that you have left will disappear it only means that the price plan will change to the standard Kontant kort prices, please note that this price plan is much more expensive!! Per minute price to everyone in Sweden is 2,49kr and 0,99kr per sms! But whenever you recharge it again with Amigos all of the money that you have on your card will change its price plan to Amigos.

In general the Cell phone prices in Sweden is fairly cheaper in Sweden that in many other countries due to the strong competition within the providers. If you need to buy a new cell phone in Sweden the cheapest starts from around 399kr which is a very simple model to call and receive sms. You can buy these phones at mostly any electronics shops like the phone house, SIBA, Class Olsson etc you can find all of them in Nordstan the major shopping center in Gothenburg.

*To check how much money you have left on the prepaid card put in *111# and press the call button!

We can help students order free SIM cards from Tele2 so please let us know at reachus@misi.se

Alright we hope you have received detailed information about the cellphone situation and that you can get connected quickly with your new friends in Sweden !

Best wishes

Misi.se

// Misi.se 2010

For more than 60 years, the historical sightseeing boat Paddan has showed milions of tourist our Gothenburg. Nowadays Padden is so famous that it has become a synonym with Gothenburg and a must do for all foreign and domestic visitors, who travels to Gothenburg.

Going under 20 bridges and out into the harbor. The classic city tour with Paddan shows off the beauty of Gothenburg from the water. The tour starts at the center of the city in Kungsportsplatsen, where it takes around the old moat and canals that date from the 1600s and tells the old story the history of the Gothenburg’s construction and defence.  The tour continues under the many low bridges, including the Osthyveln. You’ll see the fascinating port with traditional shipyards, harbor, new and old housing, expanding commercial and educational areas and the maritime museum.

The guides on the Paddan tells the history of Gothenburg and it’s modern situation, goals and vision. This 50 min ride takes you through the parts of Gothenburg that you might have passed by many times, but conveys the area in a different perspective that makes each part of Gothenburg much more appreciated than usual.

To wrap up your stay in Gothenburg and if you still haven’t taken the Paddan sightseeing boat, a sign that you most probably have passed a great number of of times, don’t hesitate, just go to Kungsportsplatsen and wait patiently for the next ride

Enjoy the best of Gothenburg before it’s too late!

Extra infobox:

Price: 140 kr /person

Length: 50 min

Departures: Every 15 min from Kungsportsplatsen

// Yining Misi team 2010

Every year, airplanes of different types take to the sky to give a give a fantastic air performance. This year promises to be even more memorable than previous years, because this time we are celebrating 100 years of Swedish aviation! And can there be a better for the aero show to be held than the Aeroseum, an aircraft museum located in an old nuclear bunker situatet a mere 15 minutes by bus from the city centre?

Completed in 1955, more than fifty years ago, the old rock shelter resides some 30 metres below ground and measures a massive 22,000 square metres. Originally intended to shelter Swedish air force airplanes in case of nuclear attack, the underground rock shelter remained a top secret military air force base during the cold war and was later converted into an aircraft museum in 1999.

Not counting the annual aero show, Aeroseum really stands out because of the fact that it is housed in an authentic old rock shelter. Exploring this once top secret air force base and imagining what it was like when it was newly built and still operational is indeed very exciting. Exhibitions about the cold war and the construction of the rock shelter further add to the feeling that you have journeyed back in time to a much harsher era, whilst at the same time maintaining a sense of distance. It is as if you are walking around in a place where time has stood still for the last 30-40 years.

Even the airplanes and helicopters on display, both civilian and military, are mostly older models, although not necessarily contemporary with the base itself. Some are obviously older, whereas some are just as clearly much younger than the base. Still, to a casual visitor like myself, this does little to change the feeling of being somewhere where time has stood still for a long, long time.

What further sets Aeroseum apart from many other museums is that you are actually allowed to touch several of the airplanes and helicopters on display. Indeed, they even allow you to enter the cockpit of some of the helicopters as well as the Swedish Viggen and Draken fighter jets. On the Viggen they even allow you to crawl through the engine compartment, should you feel inclined to do so. There is supposedly also an airplane simulator where you can try flying the civilian Commanche sports airplane and the military Viggen fighter jet for an extra fee, but this was closed when I was last there.

a visit to the Aeroseum is definitely recommended, now more than every, if you are interested in seeing an aero show, want to learn more about the history of flight, old rock shelters or are simply looking for a slightly out-of-the-ordinary museum experience.

Further information about the Göteborg Aero Show 2010:

• Visit the official website for more information.
• Visit this page for information on how to get there.

Practical information about the Aeroseum:

• Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 11AM-6PM. Closed on Mondays.
• Regular prices: Adults – 80SEK (the price is higher during the aero show. Visit the official website for current ticket fares.
• For further info and the latest updates, visit their calendar.
• The Aeroseum website.
• Find Aeroseum on Google maps.
• Bus line 35 can be boarded at Hjalmar Brantingsplatsen and will take you to Granhäll, the closest bus stop to Aeroseum. From there, there is a short walk to Aeroseum. As usual, visit Västtrafik for updated information about public transportation services in the area.

/Nils, Misi.se team 2010

I climbed the mountain on foot. Some might frown at my frivolous use of ‘mountain’, but the climb is steep enough to feel like a mountain, even though it should probably be called a hill. At the summit of the great ‘mountain’ was situated a bastion, one of two remaining bastions of the old city defences. I took some time to catch my breath at this point, and looking around I was astounded by the magnificent sight that awaited my tired eyes. The city lay before me in all its glory, the people milling about on the streets tiny and the cars reminding me of miniature toys. It spread out in all directions, as if I were on top of a lone island in a sea of city.

Situated a few yards from the great bastion, on what appeared a natural terrace, was a café. I walked down there, bending low as I passed over the threshold into the ancient house of wood that was once a soldiers’ croft, but now housed a café. The exceedingly low ceiling beams and my slightly taller than 6ft 7in (202cm) height made for a very interesting posture as I walked, hunched over like an old man, up to the counter to make my order. But even though I decided to sit outside, it was quite an experience to enter this ancient house and imagining how it must have looked back in the days when the bastion was still manned and part of the city defence.

Having a fika at the top of Skansberget, overlooking the city, was very different from having a fika on street level. In part, this can be explained by the breathtaking view, but personally I enjoyed how quiet and peaceful it was. It truly did feel like an oasis where you could seek refuge not from a desert, but from the busy city life. And just like an oasis is situated in the middle of a desert, so is Skansberget situated in the middle of the city.

Skansen Kronan offers a fantastic view of the city. In fact, in a Summe Fun Theme Special published here on Misi.se last year, ‘evening sun at great heights’ ranked third in our Top Ten Summer Fun list, which specifically made mention of Skansen Kronan as a great place to experience the ‘evening sun at great heights’. This makes it really popular, at least with the members of the Misi.se team. I certainly like it and would happily recommend it, especially if you want to take some time off from the busy city life and relax for an hour or two.

Skansen Kronan (map) – a short history

• The bastion Skansen Kronan replaced the older Rysås bastion in 1698.



• The original wooden crown on the top of the bastion was added in 1699, and was later replaced in 1733 with the current one.
• When Skansen Kronan was decommissioned in 1806, its 23 canons had never been fired.
• During the mid 19th century, the bastion was used as a prison.
• During the 1870s, when there was a great shortage of living accommodations in Gothenburg, Skansen Kronan was used as emergency housing.
• Between 1904-2004, the bastion was used as a military museum.
• Today, Skansen Kronan is used for parties, weddings, banquets and so forth.
• The café is, I believe, only open on Fridays during the summer, and is closed during the rest of the year. The view is well worth the effort, though, even if the café should happen to be closed.

• For more info, visit their official website.

Photo Gallery

/Nils, Misi.se team 2010