Latest news with #Friluftsliv
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The Independent
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Simon Reeve: ‘Travel helps us to question who we are and where we're from – that's how we learn'
'I left a little bit of my heart in Norway,' says Simon Reeve, speaking between shows on his current UK tour. 'I think a lot of Scandinavia is proper, jaw-droppingly gorgeous. I was in a sports café by the coast in the Lofoten Islands in Norway, and I sent my family a video saying, 'I really hope we'll make it here someday,' ideally in an electric campervan. That would be my nerdy green dream,' he says. Reeve recently released the three-part series Scandinavia on BBC, which charts his journey through pockets of Denmark, Sweden, Norway and its honorary Nordic members Finland and Iceland to discover what drives the region's reputation of being so happy, organised and successful. 'I think we've been dragged into the divisions of the United States. Of course, it's interesting and there are big characters,' says Reeve. 'But if we look at areas of the world where people are happiest and the most content – it isn't the United States, it is Scandinavia. 'We met lots of great characters there who were changing lives and trying to change the world. We've stuffed it all into three programs.' Looking from the outside in, the Scandi countries seem almost utopian-like, with the levels of trust in society demonstrated through honesty shops and leaving babies outside in prams, pioneering green technology such as wind farms and carbon capture machines, and a deep connection to outdoor 'Friluftsliv' living and a love of nature. Unlike the United States, Scandinavian countries stay relatively out of the world's headlines. Yet what Reeve discovered is that the region is also full of surprises, from Finland's large investment in military at NATO's longest border with Russia, the constant threat of volcanic eruptions in Iceland, to the wave of gang violence using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the Swedish suburbs. While no part of the world can claim the title of a perfect utopia, free from challenges and injustices, Reeve did encounter almost fairy-tale-like landscapes throughout his journey to the land of snow, picturesque fjords and colossal glaciers. Yet, there was one location that left him spellbound, and that was Norway. It has the second longest coastline on the planet; ludicrously jagged and broken up with thousands of tiny islands.' Cities such as Stockholm and Malmö were featured in the series, but the main focus was Scandinavia's magnificent rural vistas, which show us why so many people are be drawn to off-grid escapes over urban mini-breaks. 'Stockholm is often rated as the most beautiful city in Scandinavia, admittedly, mainly by the Swedes,' Reeve recalled himself saying during one episode. 'That was a little cheeky, because [Sweden] is gorgeous and it was breathtaking to film there. 'I'm not undermining the beauty of the cities either, but I do think that the countryside in Scandinavia is glorious. They've got much more space than we have on our crowded little islands. 'But of course, people there don't take the p*** the way people sometimes do in the UK. They don't wander about having spontaneous festivals or fires on other people's land. You can walk and camp almost anywhere in Scandinavia, which is an amazing freedom.' The lure of the Arctic has previously seen travellers head to Scandinavia for winter sports activities and adventure tourism, and Reeve explains that the region is now more accessible than ever. 'In the past, it wasn't easy to get hold of the kit you needed to visit, and the clothing wasn't as readily available either. And in truth, it is a bit cheaper now as well. Whether it's Lapland, Svalbard, or Iceland, oh my goodness, the sights you'll see, the experiences you'll have are intensely memorable, and that surely is one of the best things about travel.' Flying out into colder landscapes calls for more preparation than just throwing your swimsuit and flip-flops into your carry-on, as Reeve explains: 'Follow the advice I was given by an elderly woman selling vegetables outdoors at a market in Siberia. She said, 'You need to dress like a cabbage', that is the key to dressing for the cold.' Reeve recommends getting to know the area through a local. 'I think you always want a guide if possible. We've been taught for a while now to do things spontaneously,' says Reeve, 'which you can do, but you'll miss out on that local knowledge. It doesn't have to be horrifically expensive.' 'A lot of people want to share their area with you. We just had a guide when we were in Laos as a family, and the experience we had as a result was so much richer.' During Reeve's journey through Scandinavia, he was led by several guides, from a Sami reindeer herder in northern Sweden to a young volcanologist in Iceland, and he explains how these encounters with local communities were enriching. 'My favourite form of travel is when wealthy folk take their hard-earned money and spend it in parts of the world that need it; giving back to local communities and helping to support wilderness areas,' he adds. 'Scandinavia is an ethical place to go on a holiday, if you do it carefully. You can travel cleanly and greenly on public transport, much more so than you can in many other parts of the world. It's not guilt-free travel, that doesn't exist. But I certainly think, because they've made great strides towards becoming cleaner and greener, we can benefit from that as travellers.' While Reeve's series uncovers that not all is paradisiacal in this region, he also took a lot from the way Scandinavians live their lives. 'It made me question where I'm from, and the direction of travel that we're [the UK] on.' 'Maybe we need to take inspiration from how they're living in Scandinavia and consider how that way of life could benefit us. 'Travel helps us to question who we are and where we're from. That's how we learn.'
Forbes
13-05-2025
- Forbes
This Chic Hotel In Itacaré Puts A Nordic Accent On Brazilian Style
The main pool at Barracuda Friluftsliv is one of those wonderfully Scandinavian words for the art of living. It denotes having a simple life in nature without destroying or disturbing anything. It's not the sort of word you'd expect to find on T-shirts in the boutique of a small beach hotel in Brazil. But then, Barracuda is not the sort of hotel you'd expect to find on a small beach in Brazil. They're hanging beside more swag that says Confia para está na Bahia ('trust, because you're in Bahia'), a more expected—and common—expression in the surfer-chic beach town of Itacaré. And it's the combination of those two ideas that makes Barracuda such a singular place—not only in Itacaré but in the world. Itacaré is one of those effortlessly cool beach towns that was first 'discovered' by surfers. Until 1998, when a road was built to connect it with Ilhéus (the main city in southern Bahia and home to the closest airport), Itacaré was largely cut off from the world, a place where most people caught fish or cultivated cacao but were hospitable to their foreign visitors. The rooftop of Barracuda hotel With that connection in place, more people came, both for the waves and for the lively Afro-Brazilian culture, natural beauty (rivers and waterfalls, not only oceans and beaches). Eventually, the town took on a life of its own, attracting like-minded people who wanted to encounter each other as well as the destination itself. (It's tempting to compare it to Tulum 20 years ago.) Juliana Ghiotto, a designer from São Paulo, was part of that early wave of visitors. In 2004, she meant to come for one week to 'slow down,' but fell in love with the place—and with a local surfer, Daniel Lima—and decided to stay. 'People thought I was crazy,' she recalls, but she knew she was onto something. She took a job at a local guesthouse, got involved with the local community and welcomed international visitors. 'Bahian and Swedish people both like a design that goes down to the essentials. It's like different languages to say the same thing. But our goal is to create a 'Barracuda language' that's a fusion of both cultures.' Now Ghiotto and Lima are the creative and hospitable soul of Barracuda. They're often on hand at the main Barracuda hotel, just outside the bustle of Itacaré, or at that hotel's lively little sister, Barracuda Boutique, on the main street in front of the fishermen's bay. Both properties are love letters to their adopted and native home. But also in the early days, when Ghiotto was working at the other guesthouse, she met a Swedish visitor, who happened to be one of the founders of a well-known Scandinavian hotel group. Since she was 'a Paulista full of energy' in a sleepy coastal town, she became a sort of fixer for the Swede and his artist and entrepreneur friends, organizing their stays in Itacaré and travels around Brazil. A room in the Barracuda hotel And when they decided to develop their own project—the one that would become Barracuda—they invited Ghiotto and Lima to do it with them. The Brazilian couple built bridges with the local government and community that allowed them to succeed where other developers failed. Now other would-be hoteliers come to Barracuda to see how it's done. But the partnership wasn't merely expeditious. The managers, owners, investors and supporters found that they had much in common: aesthetically, philosophically and creatively. Bahian and Swedish people both like a design that goes down to the essentials, a 'less is more' idea, says Ghiotto. 'It's like different languages to say the same thing. But our goal is to create a 'Barracuda language' that's a fusion of both cultures. 'Both like simplicity,' she continues. There's Swedish reserve and Bahian exuberance, but 'Barracuda is a perfect combination. It's warm but minimalistic. It's not so materialistic. There's space for contemplation or connection.' The restaurant There's also a purity and integrity of materials, even though Barracuda is full of Brazilian hardwoods instead of pale Scandi beech. 'It's all solid. There's nothing fake,' says Ghiotto. 'There's nothing that's meant to be something else. It's all very real.' That's true in the 11 rooms of Barracuda Boutique, the 17 suites of the more luxurious Barracuda hotel and the small but growing number of ultra-luxe villas. They worked with Brazilian architects and interior designers, and all the furniture is from local carpenters. It's also true in the style of genuine hospitality from the largely local staff—many of whom have worked here 10 years or longer—and the complete lack of fuss around fancy things and fancy people. They never talk about it, says Ghiotto, but some members of the Swedish royal family have posted on social media about their Barracuda stays. Other high-profile people check in from time to time, but they get to be low-profile here. The living room of a villa Originally, Barracuda was meant to be their private low-profile playground, a collection of villas spread around a 64-acre property. They emphasize that they've developed less than 10% of the land when 20% is allowed (and far more is often used in practice). Even when an ambitious planned expansion is completed, they'll still be using far less land than they could get away with. As a result, there's more biodiversity within the bounds of the property than in the rest of the region. (And this is just a sliver of Ghiotto's deep commitment to making things better in the community around her.) The hotel came about organically, when they decided they wanted to offer a gathering place, a restaurant, concierge-type services, a big shared swimming pool and a rainforest deck for yoga and fitness classes. (And Barracuda Boutique was a surprise of its own: Since the environmental permits for the main project took seven years to come through, they built it in the interim, so they wouldn't lose the opportunity to invest in 'the right kind of tourism.') Notably absent, though, is a spa. Having a dedicated area for wellness didn't make sense to Ghiotto, who says wellness is baked into everything they do. The rooms are plenty big for therapists to come in with portable massage tables. Sometimes they set them up on the large terraces, allowing for a soundtrack of crashing waves and birdsong. A villa At the main Barracuda hotel, the 17 suites integrate natural light and sea breezes. They're clad in gorgeous native wood, decorated with natural fibers such as dende palm straw, and spiced up with vivid green cushions on the terrace chairs. But the star of the show is the ocean right in front of each one. The views from the rooftop terrace are even better. Some of the rooms share the main building with the pool terrace and the restaurant, which goes heavy on the fresh catch that's brought in daily by native fishermen, and refined takes on local dishes. There are tapioca crepes for breakfast, various ceviches, and a DIY acarajé, the local snack of white bean fritters (not unlike falafel) that are sliced open and stuffed with dried shrimp, a paste of ground cashews with palm oil, and the tomato-cucumber-onion salad that Brazilians call vinaigrette. Once a week, there's a big barbecue party, where they grill enormous lobsters on the terrace. Along with the hotel, the Barracuda villas are bigger, more private sanctums, designed by architect Eduardo Leite to accommodate anywhere from 8 to 16 people. They're the investors' vacation homes as well, so each has its own personality and a sense of being lived-in and real (and a style that caught the eye of ArchDaily). The look was overseen by interior designer Janice Miguel, who mixed pieces by local carpenters with objects from indigenous tribes and furnishings from renowned designers like Sergio Rodrigues, Carlos Motta and Jader Almeida. Still, she says, her guiding principle was and is a purity and simplicity of forms that would maximize the views of the forest and the sea. Her home base in São Paulo is half a world away from the Nordic proponents of friluftsliv, but it's clear that she—like everyone involved with Barracuda—has mastered that art of living simply within nature.
