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MY SWEDEN - SUNDSVALL

SUNDSVALL

Sundsvall: ‘It’s like living in a wok pan’

Bird-watcher and nature enthusiast Leelene Karlsson presents Sundsvall for this week's My Sweden, explaining that a gigantic ice lolly, a cross-dressing singer, and life in a wok pan make Sundsvall the ideal Swedish town.

Sundsvall: 'It's like living in a wok pan'

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Thirty-year-old Leelene Karlsson was a student when she came to Sundsvall, a town of just over 50,000 people on the east coast of northern Sweden, but decided to stay when she found herself in love with the town.

The best thing about the town is the proximity to nature, according to Karlsson, who explains that residents are never more than three kilometres from the great outdoors.

“This town is perfect for nature lovers,” she tells The Local.

“If you've got the stamina, you can even walk out of the town and up into the mountains. Sundsvall is surrounded by sloping mountains on three sides – it feels a bit like you’re living in a wok pan,” she adds with a laugh.

IN PICTURES: Take a walk through Leelene Karlsson’s Sundsvall

As for the town itself, she refers to it as a miniature version of Stockholm – but with friendlier people.

“This is the gateway to northern Sweden,” she says.

“It’s the talkative part of Norrland too, so you can get more of a conversation than if you went any further north, and the people aren't as shallow as Stockholmers.”

However, what really gets Karlsson atwitter is the huge variety of wildlife on show in the Sundsvall skies. The 30-year-old claims to have been fascinated by birds since her childhood on a farm in Lidköping.

“Our TV had three channels in those days so we were always outside. We lived near an airbase, and we could either watch people parachuting all day long – or watch the birds. It didn't take me long to realize the birds were much more fascinating.”

While particularly partial to a common blue tit, Karlsson has long been keeping her eyes peeled for a kingfisher.

“That’s the most beautiful of them all and I'm yet to find one. Bird-watching is like hide and seek, it’s a true game, and you never know what you’re going to find.”

But there’s more to Sundsvall that just 200-odd species of bird. There are also some exotic personalities in the music industry – including Sweden’s favourite rock-and-roll son… or should that be daughter…

“Yes, Yohio comes from Sundsvall,” Karlsson says, referring to the 17-year-old who sings in Japanese, dresses like Lolita, and plays guitar like Hendrix – and has taken Sweden and Japan by storm.

“He might even have a chance to represent Sweden at Eurovision this year. He’s certainly very unique, even if his song isn't.”

For those not interested in the birds or the cross-dressers, Karlsson points to the town’s rather unusual landmark as a point of interest – a lookout in the shape of an ice-cream.

The Glasspinnen (“The Ice Lolly”) stands atop the Norra Stadsberget, and according to Karlsson provides the ultimate view of the entire town.

But don’t be fooled, it’s not really in the shape of an ice lolly at all, and in fact looks more like something from the shelving pages of an Ikea catalogue.

When challenged upon this observatory observation, Karlsson can only chuckle.

“Well, no, I suppose it’s not in the shape of an ice lolly, but it is similar to what we call a puckstång in Swedish, a kind of rectangular vanilla ice cream stick. They even dress the tower up with candles during the Christmas period.”

Strange shape aside, one thing remains for sure, standing atop the tower allows climbers to experience the town from the perspective of the birds themselves.

“When you get up to the top, you’re lost for words. It’s like – wow. It’s the perfect end to a walk around the town.”

Her final advice for people who might be considering a Sundsvall drop-in?

“Get your best walking boots and ask someone to take you out into the nature, because if you love the forest and want to be outdoors, this is the town to be,” she tells The Local.

“You'll be amazed. That’s a promise.”

Oliver Gee

Follow Oliver on Twitter here

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CELEBRITY

Is Elijah Wood in Sundsvall and what is he doing there?

It is not that Sundsvall is not a nice town. It is just that it is not normally the place where Hollywood stars go for a night out. So rumours that Elijah Wood was visiting the town quickly went viral on Thursday.

Is Elijah Wood in Sundsvall and what is he doing there?
The main shopping street in Sundsvall. And Elijah Wood. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT & Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

The 35-year-old actor of Lord of the Rings fame was reportedly spotted visiting restaurant 'Tuppen' in the central Swedish town, which posted picture evidence on Facebook and Instagram late on Wednesday.

News of the unexpected celebrity visit quickly dominated local news headlines in Sweden, and was picked up by some of the national newspapers too, with growing excitement on social media. Several newspapers even asked readers to call them if they had any more information about the visit.

“Starstruck at Tuppen. Celebrity visit in the shape of Elijah Wood himself from the Lord of the Rings. Thanks for the visit!” wrote the restaurant.

Not everyone was convinced that it actually was the star, however, and some speculated that it could just be a lookalike or a clever PR trick by the restaurant itself to attract more visitors.

“I think it's fake. They had a customer who looked like him and wanted to joke,” wrote one person on their Facebook page. “Is it fake or is he looking for the ring in Sundsvall now?” wrote another.

Wood, who's currently starring in BBC America series Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, visited Stockholm last month to perform at the Södra Teatern venue with his friend Zach Cowie as DJ duo Wooden Wisdom. His film production company SpectreVision, of which he is a co-founder, helped produce Swedish 2013 science fiction movie LFO.

With a population of some 50,000 people, historic sawmill town Sundsvall is the third biggest town in Sweden's northern region Norrland and Sweden's 21st biggest town overall. It is home to one of the campuses of Mid-Sweden University as well as Sweden's first-ever international casino.

Sundsvall's nearby island Alnön was recently voted one of the most beautiful places in Sweden. Restaurant Tuppen is one of a number of restaurants in the town. It opened in May this year and aims to serve locally produced meat and fish.

The reason behind Wood's supposed visit to the town was not immediately known, but it would not be the first time an international celebrity has fallen in love with unexpected places in Sweden.

Last year US-Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean revealed that he wanted to move to Sandviken outside Gävle. British actor Hugh Grant recently bought a house in Torekov, southern Sweden. And rapper Kanye West paid a visit to the rural town of Älmhult to convince its Ikea headquarters to let him design furniture.