Introduction: Late Summer in Scandinavia
Flight Review: American Airlines B737-800 First Class, MEM-DFW
Flight Review: Finnair A350-900 Business Class, DFW-HEL
Flight Review: Finnair E190 Business Class, HEL-CPH
Lodging Review: Fairfield by Marriott Copenhagen Nordhavn
Our Time in Copenhagen
Lodging Review: Best Western Hotel Hebron, Copenhagen
Lodging Review: Next House, Copenhagen
Lodging Review: Story Hotel Studio Malmö
Our Time in Malmö and Ystad, Sweden
Lodging Review: IKEA Hotell, Älmhult, Sweden
Our Time in Älmhult, Sweden and High-Speed Train to Stockholm
Lodging Review: Motel L Älvsjö, Stockholm
Our Time in Stockholm
Flight Review: SAS A320neo Economy Class, ARN-OSL
Lodging Review: Comfort Hotel Grand Central, Oslo
Our Time in Oslo
Lounge Review: SAS Lounge, Oslo airport
Flight Review: Lufthansa A320-200 Business Class, OSL-FRA
Flight Review: Lufthansa 787-9 Business Class, FRA-MSP
Flight Review: Delta B737-800 First Class, MSP-MEM
Our next stop was the city of Malmö, Sweden, which is practically a suburb of Copenhagen. We actually didn’t spend all that much time in Malmö itself. After taking the train from Copenhagen (and there are dozens of trains per day) we dropped our bags at the hotel and began exploring the area. We had the rest of the day in town but the following morning we took the train out to Ystad for the day and did not return until late afternoon. We then had the remainder of that second day in Malmö as well.
Malmö
We spent most of our time in the old town (gamala staden) of Malmö. This is an area to the southwest of the train station. While there are streets threaded through the area, there are lots of pedestrian-only areas. There’s lots of shopping and places to eat in this area, both for tourists and locals.
We enjoyed just walking around and I was able to pick up some more short-sleeved shirts to keep from roasting. I wish we’d made it over to Malmö Castle but we did not. Still, while many of the buildings were new, there were also places like this large cobblestone square, ringed by restaurants and bordered by a half-timbered building that dates to the 16th century.
Malmö is also known for some unusual public art pieces. This one is called Way To Go by Åsa Maria Bengtsson, 2014. There are 19 pairs of bronze shoes, each set recognising the style of a Malmö star, including actors, singers and even a circus star.
Way To Go
Another is this one called Non-Violence by Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd. It’s a knotted Colt Python .357 Magnum. Reuterswärd was acquainted with John Lennon and he stayed up all night to work on this piece after Lennon was murdered. This was the same type of gun that Mark David Chapman used. The original was purchased by the Luxembourg government and donated to the United Nations. There are currently 29 copies of this piece around the world with 14 of them residing in Sweden.
Non-Violence
This one was near our hotel, across the street from Non-Violence. It’s called Spectral Self Container by Matti Kalloinen and was created in 2012. It symbolizes youthfulness, joy and creativity – which are also said to characterize the city of Malmö.
Spectral Self Container
And while not really an art piece we did get a kick out of the Talking Trash Cans of Malmö. Since they only spoke Swedish we couldn’t understand them but later research showed they play humorous messages thanking folks for not littering.
Ystad
One of the primary drivers for the day trip to Ystad (about an hour away by train) was the BBC TV show Wallander, shown in the US on PBS Masterpiece and currently also available on Prime Video. Kenneth Branagh stars as the Swedish police detective with the late David Warner as his father. The series ran for four seasons over the 2008-2016 time period. There was a prior Swedish series as well. Our first stop was the tourist information center (practically straight ahead when you exit the train) where there was no shortage of Wallander souvenirs and information.
Ystad is quite a picturesque little town with cobblestone streets in places and housing that could easily be centuries old.
Our ultimate destination was the Ystad Studio Visitors Center. While the tourist map shows it at the eastern edge of the map, be aware that it is several blocks beyond the edge of the map. We ended up walking quite a bit farther than we’d planned. But the visitor’s center was uncrowded when we were there – it was the three of us plus a couple from the Netherlands – so we were able to explore at our leisure. We first watched a short film (several languages were available but fortunately the Dutch folks were fluent in English) that filled us in about the various incarnations of Wallander and about some of the other things we’d see in the center. Then we were able to take our time with whatever exhibits caught our interest.
Dining
Malmö
We were quite hungry for lunch on the day we arrived yet weren’t willing to pay the arm and a leg that some of the restaurants wanted to charge for lunch. We ended up at the California-themed Surf Shack Smash Burgers. I only had a basic cheeseburger with fries and a REALLY good milkshake but it sure did hit the spot.
For dinner that night we ended up at Steak House on the the Lila Torg (small square) shown above. I normally get a filet when I have steak but it was more than I wanted to pay. The flank stake I did have was pretty tasty though. 
Ystad
For lunch in Ystad we ate at the Graffiti Cafe. They have quite a selection and even our pickiest eater was happy with the selections. I had the tuna wrap. Unfortunately I was too full for the ice cream! 
In the end
I think we should have better planned our time in Malmö (though part of that was my fault due to poor wardrobe choices) but the day trip to Ystad was more fun than I expected, considering that I’d only seen a couple of the Wallander episodes. I think both towns are worth visiting though a well-planned full day is probably enough in each of them.
2B Traveling 
Recent Comments