Malmö: Sweden’s southern bridge

After my few days in Stockholm, I had to find a way to make my way back to continental Europe. Malmö, located in southern Sweden, was a perfect choice for my next destination. Considering there is an approximate 600 km distance between Stockholm and Malmö, that would make for a very long bus ride. Instead I took a fifty minute flight with Norwegian Air; a lot more convenient wouldn’t you agree? Hubert, my host in Malmö, picked me up from the airport and we drove into the city. For the record, I did not see any IKEA stores here either, I don’t quite understand where they are hidden.

Hubert lived in a small apartment pretty close to the centre of Malmö with two beautiful dogs, Eva and Fillipo. Unfortunately, Eva passed away recently, she was such a sweet dog. My host took me on a small road trip through the city to get a feel for the place I had just arrived in. The city is not very big, but big enough to keep someone busy for a few days. I was there for three nights and I definitely did not see everything Malmö has to offer.

Originally Malmö belonged to Denmark and was one of its most important cities. In the 17th century the city came into Swedish possession and has remained so ever since. My first night in Malmö, I walked to the centre with Hubert and spent some time exploring there. Beautiful Christmas decorations were up and that holiday feel was in the air. There are plenty of pedestrian streets to enjoy and little shops to explore. Hubert decided to treat me to some Mongolian BBQ. This was my first time hearing of the concept, so obviously I was curious and eager to try it. The entire restaurant was a buffet, with Japanese, Chinese, and intercontinental available in the back, and the Mongolian option available in the front. A Mongolian BBQ is when you have a ton of raw vegetables, meat, seafood to choose from, mixed with your choice of noodles or rice, and this is grilled with some sauce and made into something resembling stir fry. I actually have no idea if this is what people on Mongolia eat, or if it is some Western concept someone came up with. Whatever the origin, the food was fantastic. It is called Restaurant Bamboo City, I have provided the link to their website below.

The next day we took a drive to a small area on the coast located near a restaurant called Luftkastellet. I didn’t eat at the restaurant, but it looks super cool and you should check it out if you get the chance. Hubert and I came to this spot for the view of the Øresund Bridge, an 8 km bridge connecting Sweden and Denmark. It was a super windy and cold day, so walking out by the water wasn’t very pleasant, but it was cool to see the bridge and know that Denmark was not so very far away, maybe even swimming distance… For lunch we ate at a small fish restaurant located in the ship yard. I call it a ship yard, but it was an area for wintering boats that are usually in the harbour. The food was fantastic, I ate some breaded fish with some sweet cream sauce, parisian potatoes and some steamed vegetables. The fish was amazing, and Sweden is definitely a place where seafood and fish should be eaten.

Malmö has a fantastic microbrewery called Malmö Brygghus (link at the end of article). It is the only microbrewery in Malmö and has many different beers on tap to offer. They have a taster option, where you can pay for five smaller glasses of beer and try all of their locally brewed beer. This probably cost about $15, which is slightly more expensive than what you would pay in Canada, but then again it is Scandinavia, everything is more expensive over there. The five beers I tried were the Vete-öl, Pilsner, Amber Ale, Beersson D.I.P.A., and Cacao-Porter. My favourite was probably the Amber Ale, but all the options were good. I would visit this place again when I visit Malmö in the future.

On the nature side, Malmö has beautiful parks and open green space. I was there in November and the leaves were orange and red, but I am sure that in the spring and summer the bright colours are breathtaking. There is a man made body of water surrounded my trails and fields of grass. The green space is very well arranged and incorporated into the city. When I was here I really felt as if I had escaped from the harshness of the city and concrete and entered an oasis of natural elements. It is the perfect space for jogging and dog walking.

On my final day in Malmö I had to travel across the bridge by train to Copenhagen and catch my bus to Berlin. This is when the usefulness of the bridge became apparent and I don’t think that normal trade and travel activities could function normally without it. Travel to Copenhagen’s central station from Malmö is approximately thirty minutes. As a result of Malmö’s proximity to a large city metropolis such as Copenhagen and to the North it makes a great travel destination.

Links:

http://www.bamboocitymalmo.kvartersmenyn.se
http://www.malmobrygghus.se/in-english
http://www.malmo.se/English.html

© Tijana Djokic and Eyes.Wide.Open., 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts, links, and photos may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Tijana Djokic and Eyes.Wide.Open with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.