Blogs from Skåne County, Sweden, Europe - page 4

This is a late decision to start a blog. It came from the difficulties of trying to send or share photos by email. I gave up on that, and tried this. I've been traveling for four weeks now, so there'll be some disconnected stories to tell.... read more

I had a semi set wakeup time on Monday morning, as I had to make sure I got to the MFF shop right as it opened to insure my ticket for that evening's game. I made my breakfast, got dressed and boogied down to the Stadion wear I got a seat in the last section available, ahhh! Promises to be a good game with that sort of attendance. I also, don't ask how much it was, bought a jersey, because if you know anything about European soccer, you can't go to a game and not be supporting a team, and more importantly, you really want to be supporting the home team. So I got the ticket and the jersey, and then that was pretty much all I had planned for the day other than the actual ... read more

Malmö! Ahhh Malmö... From the moment I stepped off the train from Gothenburg, I knew I was really going to love this city! I slept in relatively late yesterday, which was ok because there was a train to Malmö every hour on the :40. I ended up catching the 11:40, this time with a slightly more scenic view out the window. We passed mostly countryside, quite resembling the Canadian Shield, but there were a few really nice coastal villages we ripped through that looked like gorgeous places to live. Again, about 3 hours later, I arrived in what I think now, is my favourite city, city so far. Like I said, I stepped off the train and instantly was hit by the sun and the positive vibes of a Saturday afternoon in this place of just ... read more

For those of you who like a bit of historical perspective I've decided to add a few notes on Malmö. The city of Malmö emerged during the 13th century and its location, beside the Öresund Sound, is due to the herring. Fish was an important commodity; the annual markets along the coast of Skåne and Zealand attracted merchants from right across Northern Europe. In the 16th century, Malmö was one of the biggest cities in Scandanavia and Denmark's second city after Copenhagen. In 1658, under the treaty of Roskilde, Malmö ans Skåne passed to Sweden. Industrialisation, and many new factories gathered momentum throughout the 19th century; in 1840 the company that would become one of the biggest shipyards in the world was formed. While closures of many industries in the 1970s and 80s saw a downturn, ... read more

Scandinavian spring continues to amaze me! If blossoms were sounds, these last months would have been deafening! Each week seems to have a new treasure that I stumble upon as I make my way around town and the region. We are still over two weeks away from the longest day of the year, but already I’ve had to alter some of my habits in order to sleep enough. Since it is not dark until after 10pm, I have to fool myself by lowering my blackout shade an hour before I want to go to sleep so that I can unwind. My heart goes out to all of the parents trying to put their children to bed while the sun shines brightly! The upside for me is that I have an energy, which was absent for the ... read more