Malmö Calling

You have already had a postcard from Malmö, but here is a town that deserves more than a single-postcard mention. This city was our first Swedish stop on our Interrailing adventure: home in England via Belgium, Germany, Denmark to Sweden and back again entirely by train. Inexplicably, to add further international spice, our journey from Copenhagen was on a Polish train that had no intentions of travelling to or from Poland during its journey. Disappointingly, though we crossed the iconic  Öresund Bridge, we had not a single view of its 16 mile over-sea span from Copenhagen to Malmö.

Malmö however was far from a disappointment. Like many Swedish cities, it’s designed to be walkable and bike-friendly. The station was near the hotel, near the harbour, near to so many explorable corners. In fact I’ll show the postcard I sent again. It just showcases the city as I want to remember it: an exciting blend of old and new.

An evening stroll took us past part of the university campus …

… and to the main square, Stortorget. So much to see here! Its 16th century Town Hall and Kockska Huset, the Mayor’s house. The statue of Charles X Gustav who annexed Denmark to Sweden. The old Apothecary. I can’t show everything from the city in this one post, but I hope they will get their five minutes of fame at some point. Instead, I’ll show you a couple of scenes as night fell (eventually – this WAS midsummer in Sweden!)

We were up bright and early in the morning, looking forward to meeting Ann-Christine, of Leya fame, who’s set this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge: Adventure. And what a treat it was! She’d travelled an hour from her home to meet us, and Malcolm and I relished our time with her. We strolled down streets old and new, well-tended parks and inviting cemeteries, and of course enjoyed Fika, the most important Swedish tradition demanding we relax over coffee, cake and lots of conversation. We had an outdoor table at a park cafe in the sunshine and would happily have spent even longer talking.

I’ve had to limit the images I show, but I’ll single out some shoes. ‘Shoes on a bridge‘ is a permanent public art installation on Davidshallsbron (Davidshall Bridge), created by Swedish artist Åsa Maria Bengtsson. It features 29 pairs of bronze shoes honoring famous artists, entertainers, and cultural figures who left their mark on the city. Besides that I feature reflections on pedestrianised Södergatan; a (to me) unknown building which took my eye; and Sweden’s oldest fortified building, Malmö Castle. And of course, you can guess the last one.

Reflections on one of the city's main streets: Södergatan
Shoes on a Bridge
How shaming: I've quite forgotten what this buildig is. But it was wort a shot.
Malmö castle: a Renaissance building and Sweden's oldest fortress.
Malcolm and Ann-Christine enjoy the park where we stopped for Fika

And that was Malmö. It deserved far more time than we gave it. We’ll HAVE to go back, especially if we could meet Ann-Christine again. But the city had one more surprise for us. As we waited for our trains – the two of us for Gothenburg, Ann-Christine for her home -we saw displayed and always in motion on the station wall alongside which our train would arrive, images we could expect to our onward journey.

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Author: margaret21

I'm retired and live in North Yorkshire, where I walk , write, volunteer and travel as often as I can.

83 thoughts on “Malmö Calling”

  1. All these Swedish posts are making me want to go back and explore more. I do love that part of the world. I seem to remember we went to a lovely botanical garden in Malmö. It had a magnificent windmill.

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    1. The windmill was indeed there and almost made the post. We were so busy talking that photography took back seat – yes, even in those lovely gardens – and I have few images of that morning.

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  2. So lovely to meet up like that. I remember Malmo from a previous post from Ann-Christine (or maybe it was our mutual friend, Viveka Gustavson, who is in poor health these days). I’m still somewhat bemused that you passed through so many countries without actually visiting there? But I know Sweden was a destination in its own right xx

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    1. Our Interrail pass allows just 7 days of travel, so there was that. We also simplified and simplified our plans so we would truly enjoy the places we spent time in. We didn’t want to just rush round the ‘top sights’ in an If-it’s-Tuesday-it-must-be-Köln frame of mind. Plus we had already visited most of our change-of-train destinations in the past. If we’d flown to Sweden we would also have missed out on those cities, and nobody would have thought that strange. M felt his age dictated that a fortnight’s holiday was long enough, and Sweden it was! xx

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      1. I find no fault with that, hon. Slow travel is good. I’d hate to be so close to Copenhagen and not see it. I did that once before, many years ago xx

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  5. I’ve been looking at Falsterbo Bird Observatory as a potential destination for September next year, and wondering about the best way to get there. It’s not far from Malmö so train travel sounds like a good possibility. Thanks for that. Sorry I haven’t been able to keep up with reading your posts – busy time of year, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down much – yet.

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    1. Blog-reading is absolutely not an imposition. I love it when you read and comment, but Real Life is more important. We were impressed by Swedish rail services, so yes, do give it serious consideration. It’s a relaxing way to travel if the routes work for you.

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    1. Actually Jude, no it wasn’t. We were pleasantly surprised. My husband’s on mediacation which means alcohol is a no-no, so I went dry in solidarity, and that may well have helped But eating out, hotels etc were comparable with what we’re used to.

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      1. I remember alcohol being very expensive Norway and only available from liquor stores. I only had a few lagers. And despite the restrictions it was known for the number of alcoholics. No idea what it’s like now.

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      2. Nor me. I think Norways still has the edge in the Expensive department. But Sweden apparently has an alcoholism problem too. Especially among the 65+. At least we didn’t contribute to that!

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  10. Wonderful images. We made an impulse trip to Malmö when we heard they have talking bins. You passed right by one at the end of the shoe bridge, if my memory is correct. 3 hour round trip 😀

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      1. I seem to remember we had to use a translation app, but a lot of the conversation was of the ‘om nom nom’ variety when you put rubbish in it. What a great country.

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      2. I’ve just looked it up! I really can’t add another blog to my list. But of course Carcassonne was very much our home patch (well, it was an hour away), so we doubtless had haunts in common. We were, unhappily, not near a train, having to drive to Pamiers to use one. Big mistake!

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  13. Well you’ve certainly sold Malmö to me – added to the list for possible city breaks forthwith 😀 And with the bonus of possibly meeting up with Ann Christine too. What could be more delightful that a beautiful city? Answer, seeing that city with a friend!

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  16. What a wonderful glimpse of Malmö! 🇸🇪 You captured the city’s unique blend of history, architecture, and charm so beautifully. Your journey sounds like an unforgettable adventure, and your photos and storytelling make me want to visit someday. ✨🚆

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    1. Oh, I can so recommend Sweden generally. Such lovely people, and a welcoming environment. We’re sorry we left it so long to visit for the first time!

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    1. They were. The shoes were controversial, as an earlier project in Budapest commemorating Jews who lost their lives in WWII seemed to inspire this more light-hearted tribute. Sarah wrote about this recently in her Budapest post. The moving pictures at the station kept me happy whilst waiting for our train!

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      1. I think due to the cost it will never be an overly touristy place which is a good thing. Exchange rates aren’t looking too good at the moment.

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      2. Indeed. But contrary to expectations, we didn’t actually find Sweden super-expensive. Limiting alcohol consumption may be the key!

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  26. Oh, Margaret, I am so glad you enjoyed your trip here – and overwhelmed by your happiness about meeting up! I felt the same with you. Such a treat to meet you – both of you! You certainly made my day in Malmoe. Even if I am a lousy guide in that city…you managed to convince me it is both beautiful and cozy – . I went to that university too once, and it really was built in a good location.

    Lovely pictures you took – much better than the ones I have of the city…as I said, maybe I will have to change my mind! But, I do believe it was you who brought the sunshine and the friendly weather! Welcome back and don’t forget to post me!

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  27. It is fun to meet fellow bloggers and explore their territory…. I love the shoes on the bridge display. inspirational to someone whom might be looking for some shoes to fill… I do hop you and Malcolm can go back and visit again. Stay well and peace.

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      1. I really hoped I could make it work last time. Truly icing on the cake describes it perfectly. In the meantime I am going to have to let you share all about Europe through your lens.

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    1. What we saw of the city encourages us to want to visit again. Lot of history, charm,and attentio to the natural world!. Train holidays are definitely the way for us to go from now on. Despite an upcoming post suggesting otherwise!

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