Blogs from Malmö, Skåne County, Sweden, Europe - page 14

Still at home, but it finally feels like the most important around-the-world-trip preparations are done ! Destinations, flight tickets, international drivers license, visas, guide books, safety bank account, dentist, insurance etc. But it hasn't been all hard work. I got to relax from preparations and feel very calm by visiting two places: A small warming-up-trip to Gotland which was not as sunny as the sunniest place in Sweden should be (about last 3 hours were sunny). It was very nice though even with all the tourists which still feels like less crowded then Malmö on a normal day. Four days of fur trading, raining, antiqueing, raining, walking, raining, pancakes, politicians and a small test of climbing with a rope. Don't know why, but I slept like a baby including afternoon naps :) Last week I went ... read more

Today we made one last foray into Copenhagen before we rode the train under the Oresund bridge to Malmo to meet our friends Johan and Charlotte, and their daughter Olivia. We met in the Train Station and walked over to the "Little Square" for lunch. Then we went back to their apartment and got settled in. Later that night we went out for a delicious dinner and some coffee. We walked through their local park and also walked down by the beach for a while. The sun didn’t go down until 11 PM! Tomorrow night is the soccer game, and Seth can't wait! I just wanted to add some of my thoughts and observations to what Vicki already posted. It is often the little differences that I find the most interesting. For instance, the flushing mechanism ... read more

I was tempted to title this post “Sjælland (Zealand) and Sweden”, but I promised to avoid such. This is a two part entry, covering a couple of day trips I made from Copenhagen (yes, I was able to tear myself away). July 6, 2007 Waking to another gloomy, grey day, I felt inspired to undertake a Shakespearean pilgrimage to Hamlet’s Elsinore (now called Helsingør) and its castle, Kronborg. Only an hour north of Copenhagen by train, Helsingør felt a suitable location to situate the mad prince - set on the narrow passage of Øresund, the strait that separates Sweden and Denmark; dark choppy seas crash around the castle. But, as my earlier research revealed, the story of Hamlet, while set in Denmark, did not actually unfold in and around Kronborg, but in the region of ... read more

How about a last-minute Elton John concert? Usually going to a concert requires some planning, not the least in the aspect of acquiring tickets. A bit surprisingly though, the concert is not sold out, so we get tickets only a couple of hours before the concert. An artist in this league, the highest of them all, should guarantee a great show, but due to the short notice I haven’t had the time to build up any expectations. Turns out that was for the best. Elton starts the concert with a number of to me unknown songs. If I was in charge of the playlist, I would have chosen a well-known and popular song as a starter, to get the crowd going. But Elton can afford to go his own way. On very few occasions he leaves ... read more

Left Stockholm for Malmo on the morning of 15th of Feb. With the fast express train it took only 4 hours or smooth and quiet journey thru the thickly wooded forests and farm lands of south Sweden. There is something so convenient and refreshing to get on a comfortable train in the city center of one town and end up in the city center of the next, bypassing the airports. The culture shock was not as pronounced than what i would later receive in Amsterdam and for sure in Paris. Malmo's sophistication and civility does not trail too much behind that of Stockholm. The city is much smaller, lacking the major waterways and the archipelago so much associated with charm of Stockholm, but buildings are similarly constructed and there is a vibrant and orderly city life, ... read more