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Monday, December 14, 2009

Tiger & Elin Woods' Rumored Swedish Hideaway






































Tiger Woods Update: Elin Nordegren's Swedish hideway offers privacy, but no running water


Perched on a tiny Swedish island shielded by miles of ice, Tiger Woods and his family have a new hideout that is virtually paparazzi-proof.

Privacy comes at a cost: The millionaire and his family will have to give up indoor plumbing.

In the Swedish winter.

According to the Global Post's detailed look at the $2.3million estate Elin Nordegren recently bought off the coast of Stockholm, a shutterbug would have to pull a James Bond-like exploit to get there.

Nordegren's new home is an isolated 250,000-square-foot property on Faaglar - or Bird - Island, normally accessible only by an infrequent two-hour ferry ride from Stockholm.

In winter, the waters surrounding the island freeze over, and ferry travel becomes impossible.

The only way to reach it now is by hydrocopter, an amphibious aircraft-propelled catamaran specially designed for Arctic conditions.

"During the winter time, almost no one lives on the island," Nordegren's neighbor Urban Andersson told the Global Post.

The rustic home's remoteness also comes at a hefty cost for a Florida millionaire accustomed to the lap of luxury: indoor plumbing can only be used from May to October.

That's because winter temperatures regularly plunge into the teens.

"[In winter] we need to bring water from the public water pumps. It is very old-fashioned and sometimes uncomfortable, but also very cozy," said a neighbor.

Another hardship for the man who could buy anything: The island doesn't have a single shop.

"It takes a lot of planning when it comes to food and everything since it is an entire day's work to go to the supermarket on the mainland," a resident said.

Elin Nordegren grew up nearby in the small town of Vaxholm, which can be reached from the Woods' new home by ferry - when the ice melts.

The estate was purchased early this month with the help of twin sister Josefin Lonnborg, just as Woods' sex scandal exploded publicly.

It includes a main house, two outdoor storehouses, a private beach, a miniharbor and a boathouse sauna.

There are also three small guesthouses - in case anyone ends up in the doghouse.



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Sources: NY Daily News, Google Maps

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