FAWCO Virtual Tour - Region 2 Recap

The FAWCO Virtual Tour completed Region 2, the Nordic Countries and Russia

With close to 100 participants, and many more members following along on the FAWCO Virtual Tour Facebook page, The FAWCO Virtual Tour quickly walked, biked, and ran us along our route through Region 2: the Nordic Countries and Russia. With over 850 members in total, the seven FAWCO clubs we visited in Region 2 are The American Women’s Club in Denmark, American Women’s Club Malmö, The American Women's Club of Gothenburg, American Women's Club of Oslo, American Women’s Club of Stockholm, AWC in Finland, and the Women's Organization of Moscow. The oldest club was founded in 1911 in Stockholm, Sweden and the youngest was founded in 1997 in Malmö, Sweden. All clubs have a social media presence and active membership. They are dynamic hubs for social events and charitable fundraising.  Following are some of the highlights of our visit to Region 2.

Our first stop in Region 2 was The American Women’s Club Denmark (AWC). AWC Denmark works to provide its 100 members with opportunities for fun, friendship, and philanthropy. Celebrating its 85th anniversary in 2019, AWC holds monthly meetings and activities ranging from celebrating US holidays such as Independence Day and Thanksgiving, to simple soup-and-bread evenings with talks on literary topics, to its traditional Christmas party, at which members wrap individual gifts for people served by the two main charities in Copenhagen that AWC supports. The 2019 party produced 199 attractively wrapped gifts, with labels wishing the recipients Happy Holidays from AWC.

Interest groups within AWC include a monthly luncheon in interesting restaurants and neighborhoods, book and writers’ groups, groups focused on games and sports. AWC members run the only English-speaking Al-Anon group in Copenhagen, within the Al-Anon network in Denmark.

AWC Denmark is committed to charitable activities, donating funds, services and goods to: the FAWCO Target Program; Christian’s Safe House for sexually trafficked women and children within and outside Copenhagen; and the Missionaries of Charity’s soup kitchen for homeless people, in Copenhagen’s most culturally and economically diverse neighborhood.

FAWCO Regional Coordinator and AWC Denmark FAWCO Rep Jonelle Lemcke shared many interesting facts about Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Copenhagen, and the Danish Royal Family including the following:

• The swan is the national bird and they are found everywhere, singly and in flocks of hundreds. Although hard to distinguish, there is a swan pair in the photo.
• Denmark is basically flat with the highest point being 170.86 m (560.6 ft). In Danish, the word “Danmark” means “the fields of the Danes”. The landscape is peaceful. There is a grouping of hills on the island of Fyn which are affectionately called “The Danish Alps” and there is some rugged coastline in parts of Denmark. However, the landscape is peaceful and the weather milder than that found in most of Scandinavia. 
• Most are not aware that Denmark is composed of 406 islands. The island of Fanoe (Fanø) is Denmark’s westernmost island. The sand on the beaches here is so solidly packed that one can drive a vehicle right to the water’s edge. It’s an island where one has to be aware of the times that the tide goes in and out. Change in tidewater height can be swift and dramatic!
• Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, met the former Mary Donaldson at the Sydney Olympics 2000. They married in 2004 and have four children, a son, daughter, and a set of twins. The monarchy is assured, and incidentally, Danish law now permits the first born of either sex to take the throne.  A special act of Parliament was required in 1953 to permit the then Princess Margaret to be acknowledged as next in line to the Danish throne.

Right next door to AWC Denmark is the American Women’s Club Malmö. 

The American Women’s Club Malmö was founded in November 1997 to bring together Americans residing in Sweden and those with ties to America, for the purpose of gaining companionship, support and friendship among their fellow club members. They joined FAWCO in 1998 and have 120 members. Their charities are Ariel’s Girls in Kenya, Kvinna till Kvinna and Friends of Paraguay.

The next FAWCO Club on our virtual tour of Region 2 was The American Women's Club of Gothenburg. Founded in April of 1948, they are a small club, with only 36 members, but are working hard to meet the needs of their members while navigating the changes in the world since the advent of the internet and social media which has made it easier for immigrants to Sweden to connect with each other without joining an AWC. It is a challenge they are currently trying to meet.

Their most popular events are a holiday party in December, a wine and cheese party in August and a 4th of July party.  AWC Gothenburg was involved in getting The Ronald McDonald House built in Gothenburg and continues to support it as well as the Heart Pillow Project.

Kate Engberg, President, AWC Gothenburg shared some fun facts and details about Gothenburg and the surrounding area:

When we arrive in Gothenburg and need a bite to eat and a beverage what local specialties should we look for? There is a restaurant in Vasastan called Smaka. They are known for the best Swedish meatballs. Coffee is EXTREMELY important to the Swedes. A lovely place to have a delicious cup of Swedish coffee is the Rosenkafeét in Trädgårdsföreningen - a lovely botanical garden and park right in central Gothenburg.

What are your hidden, secret, or “off the beaten track” attractions? Take the boat from Saltholmen out to the beautiful archipelago

What are the opportunities in the area to be active? There is a lot to do in the Gothenburg area. The beaches south of the city are a good bet for swimming. Hiking in the archipelago or north of the city on the Island of Marstrand. There are many golf clubs around the city as well. 

What is your favorite walk, run, hike, or bike route? I have two: a hike around Slottskogen (largest park in the city) followed by a fika (Swedish word for a coffee and a pastry) or north of the city around the island of Marstrand where you can see the ancient castle.

Where should we go for the perfect souvenir photo? Almost anywhere!

Any unusual or interesting facts about Gothenburg? Gothenburg is the location of the annual Gothia Cup. It is the largest junior football (soccer) tournament in the world. Each year thousands (yes, thousands) of junior league teams from all over the world flock to Gothenburg in July to compete in this week-long event. Sadly, it has been cancelled for 2020 due to the current situation relating to Covid-19.

What else should we know about Gothenburg and the surrounding area? If you were to visit Gothenburg and the west coast of Sweden north of the city, many Americans would see a resemblance to the Pacific Northwest of the US.

After our visit to Gothenburg we moved north to Norway and the American Women's Club of Oslo (AWC). Started in 1934, today their membership of 140 women is composed primarily of American women, but up to 25% of their membership can be women from other countries. The AWC is a nonprofit organization, whose members participate in social and philanthropic activities. The club provides an opportunity for American women to connect, network, and socialize while living in Oslo. 

From Oslo in Norway we made our way back into and across Sweden to arrive at the American Women’s Club of Stockholm. Established in 1911, they are the oldest club in Region 2. They currently have 249 members and several interest groups including a book group, knitting group, and movie group.  In these days of social distancing, they are working to make more activities available online. They currently offer virtual fikas and have some other virtual activities in the development phases.

For more information on AWC Oslo don’t miss the summer 2020 issue of Inspiring Women where, in the article “A Club Inspires: AWC Oslo”, club president Berit Torkildsen shares more about the AWC and Oslo. https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/63351245/inspiring-women-summer-2020

Long-time AWC Stockholm member, Carole Dispenza-Henderson, put together information for the tour Stockholm. She has lived in Stockholm for many years and knows all the great places. 

Where to get a bite to eat - local beverages and specialties:

Where to get Swedish food:

• Blå Dörren -Södermalmstorg 6 at Slussen – A place with lots of atmosphere
• Swedish Meatballs served with lingonberries, mashed potatoes and pickled cucumber and brown sauce.
• Pytt I Panna – Diced and fried beef, sausage, onions served with a fried egg, pickled cucumber, beets and gravy.
• Wallenbergare - Chopped moose meat served with green peas, lingonberries, mashed potatoes and melted butter.
• Biff Rydberg – Diced and fried beef, onion and potatoes served with gravy, egg yolk, mustard and horseradish cream.
• Fried Strömming – fried herring with mashed potatoes – Swedes love this
• For a starter: Pickled herring
• Sturekatten – Riddargatan 4 in Östermalm – Dates from the 1700s and is known as Konditori Sturekatten for coffee break – the Swedish tradition of ‘fika’ – usually at 10:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M.

Beverages to try: 

• Homemade snaps – not to be drunk without pickled herring, boiled potatoes and Swedish hard bread.
• Swedish cider from Kopperberg

Here are a few “off the beaten track” attractions in and around Stockholm:

• Fjällgatan in front of Ersta Hospital on Södermalm – a wonderful place to take a picture of Stockholm – the palace and the Old Town to the left and Djurgården to your right.
• Old red wooden houses within the city:
• Lång Gatan – Djurgården – near Gröna Lund tivoli and ABBA museum
• Svartengatan – Södermalm – near Katarina Church and Söder Teater
• Open-air Sculpture – Place at different locations in Djurgården – the park itself has great walking paths throughout.

Not “off the beaten track” but must be visited:

• The Royal Palace
• The Vasa Museum in Djurgården
• The Old Town known as ‘Gamla Stan’ – at least a day should be spent wandering around the narrow streets – known as ‘The City Between the Bridges’, the Old Town of Stockholm was founded in 1252.
• The Big Church - Storkyrkan – opposite the Royal Palace
• Skansen open-air museum- Life in Sweden through the centuries and a zoo with typical Skandinavien animals.
• The City Hall – Stadshuset – the site of the Nobel Party on 10 December each year.
• The Globe -Globen – take the elevator to the top for fabulous views of the city.
• A boat tour that gives a good overview of Stockholm is called “Under Stockholm’s Bridges” and shows all aspects of the city.

Opportunities around Stockholm to be active – hiking, walking, boating, swimming, etc.: Royal National City Park is a six-mile-long, 27 square-kilometer green space surrounding and snaking into Stockholm and encompassing three royal parks: Djurgården, Haga, and Ulriksdal. This, the world's first national urban park, is where tourists and locals flock to unwind. The forest harbors moose, foxes, deer, and many winged beauties, including rare birds. Fun things to do include enjoying the museums, castles, theaters, sports facilities, and historic homes. Nature lovers will be in heaven exploring wilderness areas with centuries-old oak trees, streams, lakes, marshes, enticing swimming spots, and craggy hilltops. It truly is hard to  believe you believe you're in the middle of a thriving capital city.

Carol’s favorite walk, run hike or bike route: My favorite walk is from Blockhusudden on the west side of Djurgården to Historiska Museum – but the whole of the Royal National City Park offers almost unlimited walk, run and bike possibilities. Djurgården does too.

A few interesting facts about Stockholm and the surrounding area:

• The city of Stockholm is known as “The Venice of the North” because of all the islands that are connected bridges.
• Stockholm has an extensive archipelago. There are 30,000 islands. Many of which can be reached by boat from the City center. To many of the large islands there is transport all year round. Stockholm has 96 beaches and water is pure enough to swim in in the city.
• The traditional Swedish buffet food smorgasbord originated in Stockholm a few centuries ago. Whenever there were guests, the locals would transfer all the food into large dishes and arrange them on the table – this freed the hosts from additional ceremonies and saved time better used for conversation.
• Stockholm’s oldest remaining building – the Riddarholmskyrkan – is used as the final resting place of Swedish monarchs. It was built in 1270. 
• Since 1901, Stockholm has been the permanent hosting place of Nobel Prize ceremonies. Everyone who receives the prize signs in the guestbook of the Nobel Museum’s café.
• In Stockholm, fishing and picking berries and mushrooms is allowed everywhere – even on private territories. 
• To own a boat or small motor ship no permits are necessary. No license is required to steer a ship and you can even build your own vessel anywhere on the shore. The people of Stockholm own around 200,000 boats.
• The World’s Largest Hemispherical Building Ericsson Globe is located just south of Stockholm’s Södermalm district. It has a diameter of 110 metres, the volume is 605 thousand cubic metres, and the inner height is 85 metres. You can see it from pretty much anywhere in Stockholm.
• Stockholm is home to three UNESCO World Heritage sites: the Royal Palace at Drottningholm, Skogskyrkogården (The Woodland Cemetery) and the Birka archaeological site.

From Stockholm we crossed into Finland with a focus on Helsinki and the AWC in Finland. The club provides women of American heritage and international members with interest or connections to the USA with support, information, and opportunities to connect. This fall they will celebrate their 50-year anniversary.

The club has around 175 members from all age ranges and working backgrounds. A mainstay of the club has been monthly coffee meetings with a speaker and a monthly tour. Several of the meetings and tours are scheduled in the evening to make it possible for women who can’t attend daytime meetings to participate. The club hosts high-profile speakers from academia, business, and government. The heart of the club is in their interest groups. These are popular for small group discussion and meet-ups. Everything from bridge groups, handicrafts and yoga is offered.

The club continues its long-term support of two small local Finnish charities. These charities do not get much outside support, so the donations make a real difference. One charity supports scholarships for students living in remote regions of Finland, the other charity supports activities for young adults who are disabled. 

AWC of Finland FAWCO Rep, Ann Marie Morrow shared these fun facts about Helsinki and the surrounding area:

When we arrive in your region or town and need a bite to eat and a beverage what local specialties should we look for? The Market Square in the center of Helsinki near the Baltic Sea offers all sorts of local food from fresh berries, peas, fish, rye bread, Karelian rice pies, salted licorice (Salmiakki) to "pulla" - sweet pastry buns and "korvapusti" - cinnamon buns.
Any unusual or interesting facts about your area? Finns drink the most coffee per person in the world and are also ranked as the happiest. Coincidence?

What else should we know about Helsinki and the surrounding area?  Lakes, summer cabins, midnight sun and sauna define summer in Finland.

Our final stop in Region 2 was Russia where we visited the American Women's Organization of Moscow (AWO). The club was founded in 1993 with the aim to help North American expatriates adapt to their new environment and to provide social and cultural opportunities during their tenure in Moscow. The AWO provides a place for their 70 members to connect with other women of similar needs and interests through social, educational, and cultural programs. Among their many different activities, the most popular are Coffee Mornings, Photo Club (photo a day challenge), Lunch Bunch, Girls Night Out, Welcome Back Cocktail Evening, Summer Picnic, and Movie Nights. 

AWO Moscow currently supports these charities: MPC (Moscow Protestant Chaplency) - Food program for Pensioners; SAMU Social - Medicine and care for the homeless; 

Otkanzniki - working with Orphans in Foster Care; SafeHouse Foundation - Safe house for Human trafficking victims 

AWO Moscow FAWCO Rep, Annelize Smith, provided the fun facts and details about Moscow and the surrounding area.

When we arrive in Moscow and need a bite to eat and a beverage what local specialties should we look for? Syrniki (Eastern Slavic Curd Cheese pancakes) served with Berry Jam and sour cream, Pelmeni (dumplings with different fillings) and Borscht (beet soup), Blinis (Crepe) and Pirozhki (buns with variety of fillings). 

What are Moscow’s hidden, secret, or “off the beaten track” attractions? 

• Go underground! The Moscow metro is mesmerizing. It is very efficient, affordable, clean and an architectural gem.
• For a City is 14 Million people there is an abundance of green spaces in the city - parks and open spaces are very well utilized and maintained. The newest edition is Zaryadye Park - right next to St. Basil's Cathedral and overlooking the Kremlin. 
• The ever-popular Gorky Park, Sokolniki Park, and the huge exhibition centre at VDNKh with Botanical gardens.
• Novodevichy Cemetery and Monastery are also very popular. 
• Another underground surprise is Bunker 42. 
• Cosmonaut museum. 
• A short cruise on the Moscow river - accompanied with a meal while you enjoy the sightseeing - is also enjoyable.

What are the opportunities around Moscow to be active (hiking, walking, boating, swimming, golfing, etc.)? Hiking, Cycling, Nordic Walking, Cross country skiing, bicycle and scooter rentals all over the city. There is also a circle route to hike around Moscow that cover approximately160 km 

Do you have a favorite walk, run, hike, or bike route? 

• City cycle tours are very enjoyable and popular in summer. You can give the guide your request of things to see and he works out the most convenient route. 
• Cycle/hiking in Gorky park, Kolomenskoye park, Tsaritsyno Park, Zaryadya Park - there are four books called “Moscow walks” (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter) by Phoebe Taplin, with detailed routes to walk in the different four seasons of the year. 

Where should we go for the perfect souvenir photo of Moscow? 

• Izmailovsky
• St Basil Cathedral and Red Square
• Zaryadye Park (newest edition with great views of the Kremlin and St. Basil)
• Christ the Saviour Cathedral 

Any unusual or interesting facts about Moscow? 

• Only 2 percent of Moscow’s population is ‘from’ Moscow. 
• Moscow is home to the 200-tonne Tsar Bell, the largest bell in the world. 
• Moscow has seven skyscrapers from the Stalin era that all look the same called the 'Seven Sisters’. 
• The Soviet-built Metro system is among the most efficient and beautiful in the world. 
• There are over 13,000 restaurants in Moscow. 

What else should we know about Moscow and surroundings? 

There are so many short trips you can make out in the Moscow region by taking the commuter trains. One example is a town called Peredelkino which is 20 minutes by train from the Kiev train station and about a 20-minute walk to two houses that are interesting to see, Pasternak's house (where he wrote Dr. Zhivago) and the Chukovsky house (a well-known children's author). These houses are located 5 minutes' walk from one another.