After staying for a few days with Amanda and Vanessa in Lund, but spending all of our sightseeing time exclusively in Denmark, I finally got the chance to see a bit of Sweden. Amanda had school Friday morning so she helped me plan a walkabout route through Malmö, which is the third largest city in Sweden with a big university, an active port, and a long history of industrialism and changing nationalities.
I began with the
Turning Torso, which is quite a long walk from everything else but is well worth the trek. It´s a skyscraper near the coast of the Öresund Straight, the channel between southern Sweden and Denmark, and it is the tallest building in Scandanavia and the second tallest building Europe (after a palace in Moscow). Basically it looks like cubes that twist completely around as the building rises, and get skewed a little in the process. The architecture is really modern and clean and beautiful. Looking on the outside made me wish it wasn´t an apartment building, so that I could explore the inside space as well; looking at it from the outside doesn´t give any clues as to how the space inside would work.
Unfortunately (fortunately?) I had only my imagination to rely on. From there, it was just a short walk to the beach on the edge of the Öresund strait. It reminded me a lot of the Isle of Skye in Scotland to look over the cold ocean and, through the fog, catch the outline of the bridge linking an island with a peninsula.
I then headed to the Malmö castle, where I had lunch in a cafe across the street and mostly saw everything I wanted to see from the window there. The castle contains a few museums concerning the history of Malmö, but I didn´t have the time (or the inclination, really) to see the inside. So I just walked around and read the single sign on the history of the building.
The sun came out as I began the third section of my exploration of Malmö: strolling up the main streets and checking out all the little squares. My favourite was the Stor torget, where the City Hall and Governer´s Residences are. The city was in the process of putting up Christmas decorations and setting up a small ice-skating rink, and it would have been so lovely
to see it once it´s all done! I really do get the impression that here in Europe, Christmas is somehow more special than it is in Canada. There is something in the air - some excitement, some magic - that Canada is entirely missing. It makes me a bit sad that I can´t experience Christmas here with my family. Partway up the main street, Amanda and Vanessa joined me for a cup of hot chocolate and a short rest, followed by some "Let´s Not Go Shopping" shopping. The setting sun made us remember how tired we felt, so we headed back to the apartment in Lund for some napping action, eating, and getting ready action.
By the time the action was all over and we were ready to head back into Malmö for a night on the town (more action!), it was nearly 1am. I love how late clubs in Europe are open until! I think my party stamina will really be quite sad when I get back to Canada, where the parties end so early. Anyways, on the train I nipped to the loo and when I got back, Amanda and Vanessa were chatting with a couple of
Swedish guys who we later nicknamed Pinky and the Brain. One was beautiful but not so bright, and the other was incredibly smart but a bit socially awkward. The funny thing was, they fully admitted these faults of theirs! Once in the club we lost them, though, which was fine because as soon as we found the House DJ that Vanessa had brought us to hear, all we wanted to do was dance. The music was so beautiful, and the dance floor wasn´t that crowded so we had lots of room to really move! I wore a vintage hat, although the security guards told me I couldn´t wear it inside the club (actually, that was an adventure, too: my protests distracted the door staff and I ended up getting in free), and so we were the celebrities on the dance floor... and we ended up meeting this lovely group of Swedish gay guys (and their single token straight friend) who were super personable and awesome. A few times we tried out the hiphop room and the weird room (it played a mix of Swedish pop and Prince... seriously.) but decided the House room was clearly the place to be. We
Canadian ladies found it so cool how, contrary to unspoken Canadian rules, men dance their asses off in Europe, even if they´re only in a group of guys! At the end of the night, the weird room was the only one with people left, so we went back there... and ran into Pinky & the Brain again! I danced with Andreas (Pinky) for the last dance - Purple Rain - and then the club closed, although we really weren´t ready for the night to be over! So Johan, the token straight friend of the personable gay guys (who I met again in the coatcheck lineup) invited us all back to Tony (one of the friendliest guys) and his boyfriend Tony´s place! Yes, they are both named Tony. So we headed back there and had our own little party: their sound system was awesome so we just hung around and chatted and made jokes until the sun rose. That night gave me such an amazing impression of Swedish people!
Sweden's Flag
Map of Sweden