These posts cover our slow trip through the Scandinavian/Nordic countries from August 4 to October 30, 2026. I will be posting one long post a week about each area where we stay. I like to write one post about a particular place so that I can revisit our travels in one spot on my blog, according to location. I can also refer others to the post if they plan to travel to the destination and want ideas. I welcome you to read the entire post, read parts of the posts that interest you, simply look at the pictures, or not to read it at all. All who would like to come along are welcome.
You can find our itinerary here: anticipation & preparation: a slow motion journey through scandinavia.
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Friday, October 23 – Friday, October 30: This week we moved from Gothenburg to Malmö, Sweden. Malmö is directly across the Öresund Bridge from Copenhagen, from which we would fly home on Friday after 13 weeks of traveling all over the Nordic/Scandinavian countries. Sadly our 90-day limit in the Schengen Zone has been reached, so we must leave Europe until at least February 4, 2027.
Gothenburg to Malmö, Sweden
We checked out of our Airbnb at close to 11:00 and made our way to Gothenburg Central, where we took the Öresundståg train from 11:55 to 2:48. We took bus 12 directly from the train station to a bus stop right in front of our apartment building. This was a first for perfect convenience and ease.
Our Airbnb apartment: Home in Västra Sorgenfri: Karlskronaplan 5, Malmö, Sweden
Our Airbnb apartment is certainly as nice and spacious inside as the one we had in Gothenburg. It’s not really that convenient to sights in Malmö on foot, but we have a bus stop right outside the apartment that will take us to most places, sometimes with transfers. Martin, the host, met us to let us in, informing us at the same time that the apartment was on the 4th floor with no elevator. Since the apartment building was built in 1930 and has high ceilings on each floor, there are three long flights of stairs which we had to carry our luggage up. I said, “This should have been disclosed.” He insisted that he mentioned it in the listing, but I looked high and low and didn’t find any reference to it. He said, “You should ask about stairs if you have mobility issues,” putting the onus on me. I disagree with that stance entirely. I think it’s up to the Airbnb host to disclose this in the listing.
I don’t have mobility issues but I’m now 71 years old and the last thing I want to do is carry heavy luggage up 3 long flights of stairs. Luckily Mike carried the big suitcases while I carried our Foldies.
That being said, Martin was super friendly and walked us through all the neighborhoods of Malmö on a map, which was very helpful. We rarely even meet Airbnb hosts, and most of them don’t give helpful information about navigating the city. So, I appreciated that, but I didn’t appreciate his dishonesty by not disclosing the stairs in the listing and then insisting he had done so.
Activities and Sights in Malmö
Malmö is Sweden’s third largest city after Stockholm and Gothenburg. It is located on the Öresund strait on the southwestern coast of Sweden. Its metropolitan region is home to over 700,000 people.
The city was one of the earliest and most industrialized in Scandinavia as well as the birthplace of several of Scandinavia’s largest industrial groups. After the city financially declined and reached rock bottom in 1995, the building of the Öresund Bridge, linking it to Denmark and the rest of Europe, led to the growth of a new economy; it has continued to grow since.
During the 21st century, the city has undergone a major transformation and today is home to many small- and medium-sized companies in biotech, logistics, IT, construction, and real estate markets. As of 2024, almost half the municipal population had a foreign background; it is home to people from 187 different countries.
Möllevången
We went out our first day, a Saturday, under dreary skies to the neighborhood of Möllevången, also called Möllan. As of 2023, 10,904 inhabitants resided in the neighborhood, about 3% of Malmö’s residents. By the 1960s, the area was in physical and social decline, with high crime rates and poor living conditions. However, the neighborhood began to transform in the 1980s as properties were renovated and young people moved in.
Möllevången was planned in the early 1900s as a working class neighborhood. Many factories and industries provided employment. Folkets Park became a center for community life. The neighborhood played a pivotal role in Sweden’s labor movement and social democracy.
On our way through the neighborhood, we saw graffiti artists busily painting a wall in the neighborhood. We saw other walls decorated in colorful street art.
Möllevångstorget, the main square, holds a lively market; it is also a common site for political demonstrations, particularly from the political left. The neighborhood is seen as a culturally and ethnically diverse neighborhood, as well as being seen as having a “left-wing” character (according to Wikipedia). The square was mostly built from 1904-1907. These structures were primarily one-room apartments in red brick, although some, like the white Art Nouveau house designed by Harald Berglin stood out architecturally. The square over time became a hub of commerce, selling fruits and vegetables.
The statue in the center of the square is known as Arbetets ära (the honor of work). The statue symbolizes the labor movement’s contribution to society, depicting six figures lifting a granite block representing the city, with reliefs of factory chimneys and the city skyline.
We found a charming little street called Fricksgatan, which translates to “Frick Street” in English. It is a small street located in the vibrant, multicultural Möllevången neighborhood. The street is named after Otto Fredrik Frick (1834–1906), a prominent local merchant, consul, and property owner. It features well-preserved, historic southern architecture.
At Mitt Möllan, a kind of indoor food court and mall with creative shops which focus on pre-loved, local production and remakes, we found the bustling little shop Pill & Punch, which featured handmade jewelry, beads for jewelry-making, handicrafts from local talents, prints, interior decor & oddities.
Triangeln
We walked a bit through an edge of the Triangeln area, home to a massive shopping mall. We went inside the mall to search for an Apotek (pharmacy), so I could get more cough syrup and throat lozenges.
A walk around Malmo: Turning Torso, the harbor & a view of Öresund Bridge
On Tuesday morning, we took a bus to the city’s most recognizable building, the 190-meter Turning Torso, a mixed-use twisting residential tower in the Västra Hamnen (Western Harbor) district. It was designed in 2005 by Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava as a free-standing sculpture. It was the tallest building in Scandinavia at the time it was built, but it has now been surprassed by the Skidmore, Owings and Merrill-designed Karlatornet skyscraper in Gothenburg.
We admired the Turning Torso from all angles and then took a stroll along the harbor boardwalk, admiring views of the Öresund Bridge across the Öresund Strait, joining Malmö, Sweden to Copenhagen, Denmark.
Kungsparken, Malmöhus Slott, & Slottsmöllan
We wandered from the harbor to Kungsparken (King’s Park), a city garden that was part of Malmöhus Slott‘s private grounds until the king gifted it to the city in 1872. We didn’t go into the castle but saw it from across the moat.
Castle Mill (Slottsmöllan) is a historical windmill built in 1851 at Mölleplatsen, near the iconic Malmö Castle. Built in 1851, Castle Mill remains a popular tourist attraction due to its picturesque setting in the lush Castle Garden (Slottsträdgården).
Regular milling ceased in 1945, and today the site is managed by Malmö museums.
We enjoyed wandering around this park on a sunny and gorgeous day.
Stadsbiblioteket (Public library)
At the edge of the park, we came upon the most important building (or so it seems) in every Scandinavian town, the Stadsbiblioteket (Public library). The library was inaugurated on December 12, 1905, and moved to its current location in 1946.
It consists of three buildings, the Palace, the Calendar of Light and the Cylinder. The Palace is the oldest part and was built for Malmö Museum in the Renaissance style. The Calendar of Light was inaugurated on 31 May 1997. During this time, the Palace was also renovated and reopened in 1999. The Cylinder connects the buildings, and contains the entrance, reception and café.
It is quite an unusual construction, with a blend of the traditional and the modern. As always, it was being fully utilized by families, students, elderly folks, and young children.
Across the street from the library was the edge of the beautiful and effusive Slottsparken.
We continued our walk until we reached Malmö Opera, built from 1933-1944. Until 1992, it was known as the Malmö City Theatre and was used by several different organizations. Though it doesn’t look like it from the outside, the Opera House is one of the largest auditoriums in Scandinavia with 1,511 seats in the form of an enclosed amphitheater for maximum visibility. It is used for opera, operetta, and musical performances.
We continued our walk, which was in the direction of our apartment. We saw Malmö Konsthall, one of the largest exhibition halls for contemporary art in Europe. We were burned out on museums by this point in our travels and had no plans to even drop in for a viewing.
We also passed the unusual Traingeln Station, one of Malmo’s metro stations.
Soon enough, we came to St. Johannes Kyrka (St. John’s Church), an Evangelical Lutheran Church built in 1907. It is a showcase of Art Nouveau architecture and design. The interior is resplendent with stained glass and murals in pastel colors.
Finally, we reached Möllevången, the neighborhood near our apartment, and saw lively cafes lit with fairy lights as the sun was going down.
We saw, as we saw everywhere, a group of schoolchildren out for their weekly day outside. This is standard practice throughout Scandinavia and is known as Udeskole (Outdoor School); it involves taking regular, compulsory academic and practical lessons outside the traditional classroom—frequently scheduled for one day a week or fortnightly for children typically aged 7 to 16. Lessons cover math, science, history, and language arts using natural and cultural surroundings like local forests, parks, museums, or community sites.
I love this practice of outdoor school and I think it should be done everywhere. Children in the U.S. could really benefit from this approach.
Gamla Staden
Our last day in Malmö, we explored Gamla Staden, Malmö’s Old Town, full of regal buildings lining cobblestone streets and squares. It envelops three historic market squares – Stortorget (the town square), Lilla Torget (the little square), and Gustav Adofs Torg. Half-timbered houses adorn the area, taking one back to medieval times.
Kockska Huset
Kockska Huset is an early 16th-century building that was once the home of the one-time mayor Jörgen Kock (1487-1556). His governance led Malmö into a period of great prosperity.
Stortorget & Rådhuset
Stortorget is the oldest and largest of Malmö’s three squares, dating from 1540. A large equestrian statue of King Karl X Gustav (1622-60) dominates the square. He ascended to the throne after the abdication of his eccentric sister, Queen Kristina.
On the northeast side of the square is the Rädhuset (city hall), which dates from the 1540s.
Lilla Torget
Lilla Torget, dating from 1590, is a pretty square that forms the center of Malmö’s culinary and drinking scene. Plenty of outdoor seating is offered outside bistros and bars, and during this cooler season, most had glass partitions to fend off the wind and cold.
garderoben & Form/Design Center
We stopped into a small courtyard just beside Lilla Torg that included garderoben (Wardrobe design), run by seven designers/craftsmen since 2010.
In one corner of the enclave was Form/Design Center, a museum with exhibits on modern design. One exhibition asked thought-provoking questions about the design of cities. One in particular caught my attention: “What if cities are not projects, but a series of relationships that need to be nurtured?” It turns the whole idea of city planning on its head and looks at it from a different perspective.
Another exhibit showed how the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, founded in 1977, is given every three years to projects setting new standards of excellence across architecture, planning, historic preservation, and landscape design. Through photographs of some of the award winners, it highlighted out-of-the-box thinking.
Gudran Sjõedén
We encountered a store of Scandinavian clothing in colors such as pomegranate, blueberry, and lime. Of course I had to add to my suitcase on our last day by buying a green long shirt and a purple turtleneck.
Joe & the Juice, Espresso House, & Gustav Adofs Torg
All over the Nordic/Scandinavian countries we have met a number of chain coffee or juice shops that are ubiquitous: we have stopped in nearly every city at at least one Espresso House, similar to a U.S. Starbucks but much nicer. They bill themselves as “the Nordic’s largest coffee shop chain!” The company was founded in Lund, Sweden, in 1996 by Elisabet and Charles Asker. In April 2023 it reached over 510 locations throughout Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Germany.
Everywhere we’ve gone, we’ve also seen Joe & the Juice but somehow we never stopped there. On our last day in Malmö, Mike insisted that we had to at least try one out, so we did. Joe & the Juice is a Danish juice and coffee bar company founded in Copenhagen in 2002 by former elite athlete Kaspar Basse. The headquarters are based in Copenhagen, and we were surprised to find out the company opened its first Virginia location at Tyson’s Corner Center, not far from where we live. It operates over 500 locations across Europe, North America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia and is known for its “energetic, social, and music-forward atmosphere resembling a modern lounge or club rather than a traditional cafe.”
Finally we came across the third square in Gamla Staden, Gustav Adofs Torg, a square lined with regal and imposing buildings.
Coop & The Folkets Park
Every town in the Nordics has its own brand of grocery store; in Malmö it is Coop. We now wish we had kept track of all the different names of the stores, as, upon arrival in each city, we had to seek out the local grocery store to stock up on food for the week. Each one had a different character and different products. Next time around, we hope to focus on different foods we buy in grocery stores when we travel. Each grocery store offers a unique cultural immersion.
The Folkets Park was near our neighborhood in Malmö. It is an amusement park inaugurated in 1893 and is the oldest folk and amusement park in Sweden. It took much of its inspiration from Tivoli in Copenhagen. We wandered through on our last evening just to see what it was about, but it seems a bit gritty and neglected. However, it was bustling with families.
A day trip back to Copenhagen – coming full circle before flying out from Copenhagen Airport
When we we in Copenhagen the first week of our Scandinavian/Nordic trip, we knew we had to see the famous Öresundsbron (Öresund Bridge), but we knew we’d have an opportunity to do it when we were in Malmö. On Monday, October 26, a day after the rainy Sunday that was my birthday, we took the train to Copenhagen and enjoyed crossing The Bridge, made famous in the fabulous series Bron/Broen (The Bridge), a Scandinavian noir series that ran from 2011-2018. In the series, a body is found on the bridge between Denmark and Sweden, right on the border (actually cut in half with one part of the body on each side of the border). Danish inspector Martin Rohde and Swedish Saga Norén have to share jurisdiction and solve the murder together. Mike and I are both big fans of all Scandinavian TV shows and loved this series.
The Öresund Bridge is a combined railway and motorway cable-stayed bridge across the Øresund strait between Denmark and Sweden. It is the fourth longest bridge in Europe and combines both roadway and railway in a single structure. It runs nearly 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the Swedish coast to the artificial island of Peberholm in the middle of the strait. The Øresund Link is completed by the 4km (2 1⁄2-mile) Øresund Tunnel from Peberholm to the Danish island of Amager. Construction began in 1995 and it opened to traffic on 1 July 2000.
We arrived in Copenhagen and had coffee at Lagkagehuset, a coffee shop chain we’d only seen in Denmark. We felt like we’d come home again.
Vestre Kirkegård (Western Cemetery) in Copenhagen
Vestre Kirkegård (Western Cemetery) is the largest cemetery in Denmark, covering approximately 54 to 60 hectares in the Kongens Enghave district of Copenhagen. Opened on November 2, 1870, it serves both as a major burial ground and as an expansive, park-like public green space. We took the opportunity to take a quick peek at the park as we had some time to kill before our 11:00 time slot at Home of Carlsberg, which is nearby.
Home of Carlsberg in Copenhagen
We made our way to Home of Carlsberg, which we’d missed when we were in Copenhagen in August. Here we learned all about the history of the company, the family feud between father and son, the big fire that devastated the brewery, the advertisements and logos used over time, the role of the beer ingredients, and the bottling of the Carlsberg brands. We enjoyed the interactive exhibits and the final free beer at the end of the tour.
Carlsberg Brewery was formed in 1847 by J.C. Jacobsen, who had taken over his father’s small brewery in 1835. J.C. Jacobsen named his brewery by combining the name of his five-year-old son, “Carl,” with the Danish word “bjerg,” a tongue-in-cheek reference to where it all started, the Valby Hill in Copenhagen. Carl Jacobsen, born in 1842, was his only son.
Carl did a four-year study abroad to France, Germany, Austria, England and Scotland, where he familiarized himself with top-fermented British beers. His father let him run his own brewery in an annex. Determined to produce a better beer, Carl called his brewery New Carlsberg. He produced a beer with a shorter storage time and his beer sales soon surpassed his father’s, marking the beginning of a family feud.
Besides being an innovative and successful brewer of beers, Carl was a an eager cultural enthusiast known for his interest in Greek and classical art.
In 1867, the brewery suffered from a massive fire. J.C. Jacobsen modernized the brewery, this time with fire-proof materials. He later installed a cooling system which resulted in better quality beer and increased sales.
Father and son eventually reconciled in October 1886, just before J.C. Jacobsen’s death in 1887.
Today, the Carlsberg Foundation is the majority shareholder in the worldwide brewing enterprise, Carlsberg Group, and supports groundbreaking scientific research.
Carlsberg’s partnership with Liverpool Football Club is the longest-standing partnership in the Premier League, having first begun in 1992. Since Mike’s favorite soccer team is Liverpool, he was impressed by this partnership.
We loved perusing the company’s adverting posters through time. Carl Jacobsen’s talent as a marketer was important for building what is, today, a globally recognized brand.
The iconic, long-running advertising slogan for Carlsberg, the Danish brewing company, is the phrase “Probably the best beer in the world.” The famous tagline was first introduced in 1973 and became one of the most recognizable slogans in global advertising history.
Carlsberg logos have changed over the years.
Making beer involved just four ingredients: water, barley, hops and yeast. The basic principles of brewing have barely changed in hundreds of years and the raw materials have stayed much the same too.
Carlsberg prides itself on using the best water, barley, hops, and yeast that nature provides. At the Carlsberg Research Laboratory they have also developed new variations of the raw materials and yeast through natural, classical breeding.
We saw the machine that worked like a huge tumble dryer. It spun massive volumes of malt in a drum to “clean” it, stripping away any small sprouting rootlets. This produced three things. First, the cleaned malt, which was sent to the brewhouse. Second, the rootlets, which were used as animal feed. And thirdly, lots of dust – removed via the large fabric tubes. This was compacted down and used as kindling.
A display of Carlsberg beer bottles caught our attention. We were awestruck by the sheer number of imaginative and colorful bottling labels and bottles.
The Carlsberg Bar & Stables was where our tour ended. We each got a free beer and enjoyed resting in the bar. We also visited the stables. Mike snapped a parting photo of the urinals.
Gamle Carlsberg in Copenhagen
After our tour, we wandered through the neighborhood Gamle Carlsberg (Old Carlsberg). The 1883 historic iron gateway bearing the “GAMLE CARLSBERG” name is a famous landmark on the site.
We also saw Den Snoede Skorsten (The Winding Chimney) is a 56m-tall disused Carlsberg chimney, now serving as a landmark in the Carlsberg neighborhood. Carl Jacobsen, who had founded his New Carlsberg Brewery a decade prior, competing with his father, wanted to show that a chimney for an industrial plant could be beautiful. He made his own rough sketches and had an architect and master builder complete the chimney in 1900. Built in red brick and granite, the chimney turns around its own axis and stands on an octagonal plinth. The chimeras (gargoyles) are replicas of those on Notre-Dame de Paris while the upper part of the chimney is decorated with Egyptian lotus flower motifs.
Küchlersgade in the Humleby (“Hops Town”) neighborhood in Copenhagen
We continued our wanderings on our way to explore the area known as Vesterbro in Copenhagen, which we’d missed in August. Adjacent to the Carlsberg City District is the historic and charming residential street called Küchlersgade in the Humleby (“Hops Town”). It is a picturesque enclave of 235 historic 3-story terraced brick houses built between 1885 and 1891.
The architect, Frederik Bøttger, was heavily inspired by traditional English working-class terraced housing, featuring distinct yellow-brick facades, steep slate roofs, small front gardens, and decorative cornices. Today, what started as humble workers’ housing has become one of the most highly sought-after, expensive, and peaceful residential oases in Copenhagen.
Istedgade & Værndamsvej in Vesterbrogade (Copenhagen)
We wandered along the two commercial streets, Istedgade & Værndamsvej, before we headed back to Malmö.
A day trip to Lund, Sweden
On Wednesday, October 28, we took a day trip to Lund, Sweden’s second oldest city. It was founded by the Danes around 990 CE and was once the seat of the largest archbishopric in Europe, home to 27 churches in its heyday. Today, it is a lovely town with cobbled streets and half-timbered houses, as well as a magnificent 12th-century cathedral in its historic center. Around the cathedral is Sweden’s oldest and most prestigious university (c 1666), Lunds universitet, with its 47,000 students (about half the population of Lund) adding a youthful exuberance to the city.
Lund’s Domkyrka (Cathedral)
Lund’s Domkyrka (Cathedral) is a handsome Romanesque church consecrated in 1145. It was extensively renovated in the 19th century.
Inside, a long nave leads to the apse which is crowned by mosaics created by Danish artist Joakim Skovgaard in the 1920s. The 14th-century altarpiece shows Jesus and 40 saints surrounding the Virgin Mary.
The cathedral has always been an important pilgrimage destination. In medieval times the town was a popular stop on pilgrimage routes to St Birgitta’s grave in Vadsten and St. Olaf’s grave in Nidaros, Norway. The cathedral has initiated a new pilgrimage within Sweden with the Lund Domkyrka as its hub.
Pre-dating the cathedral, the crypt features 41 cross-vaults and profuse decorated pillars and columns.
The highlight of the cathedral is its 15th-century astronomical clock – one of only three surviving in Europe. We arrived purposely at noon to see the spectacle from a front row seat. Two mechanical trumpeters raise their horns and initiate a musical parade of the Three Kings and their servants in front of the Virgin Mary. The symbols of the Zodiac are around the clock and the golden sun is now situated in Scorpio (my sign which is from October 23 to November 21).
It was fun to watch this clock come to life.
We enjoyed wandering haphazardly around the town, admiring whatever caught our eye. We stumbled upon Hökeriet, a grocery store dating back to around 1815; it is one of Lund’s oldest surviving small grocer’s/huckster’s (hökare) shops. It preserves a turn-of-the-20th-century setting and is managed by the cultural history museum Kulturen. It sells old-fashioned goods, traditional candy (karameller in paper cones), local fruit juices, jam, honey, and toys. Sadly, it was closed so we couldn’t go inside, but we had a peek through the windows.
Here’s a short video of our day trips to Copenhagen and Lund.
Visiting markets
We dropped into Lund’s Saluhallen (Market Hall) to look for a lunch spot. Opened in 1909, it was originally a main hall with smaller halls selling fish and cheese. It was threatened with closure in the 1970s, but the locals mobilized to retain it, closing the two smaller halls. A glass extension now houses cafes and restaurants.
Dining in
We made tortellini and spinach pasta with white sauce for dinner one night. One day we had asparagus soup with grilled cheese sandwiches.
My 71st birthday was Sunday, October 25 and I told Mike the best gift would be a day when I didn’t have to set foot out of our apartment. It was basically a birthday non-celebration, but Mike did his best to make it a happy birthday. He ran out for pastries mid-morning and made a yummy chicken soup with white beans, zucchini and diced tomatoes that warmed our souls. He had also bought little round chocolate treats for my birthday
Dining out
Lunch #1: We stopped for lunch in Möllevången at Ölkafèet, a sports bar in Malmö. Mike had a Hetingen burger: Grilled ground beef with cheddar cheese, jalapenos, sweet chili sauce, creamy onion, onion rings & French fries. I had a Baked Potato with grilled halloumi and Rhode Island sauce. Mine was the most bland meal imaginable, but Mike enjoyed his burger. It was a nice cozy place to sit for a while to get out of the cold dreary weather.
Lunch #2: While wandering around Vesterbro in Copenhagen, we found Birthes Smørrebrød, a small traditional eatery known for serving classic open-faced sandwiches (smørrebrød). The sandwiches are all served cold on rye bread, nothing like the warmed-up and tasty pintxos we had in Gothenberg. I have decided after my several samplings of smørrebrød that I’m not a big fan.
We used every opportunity to have fika, and Lund was no exception. We stopped for a latte, pastry and the famous princess cake at Mormors Bageri (Grandma’s Bakery). A Swedish princess cake (prinsesstårta) is a classic dome-shaped layer cake featuring alternating layers of airy sponge cake, raspberry jam, vanilla pastry cream, and a thick layer of whipped cream, all enveloped in smooth, light-green marzipan.
Lunch #3: At Lund Saluhall, we couldn’t resist having lunch at the lively Malmstens Fisk. It was filled with locals on their lunch breaks. We savored the most delicious Gambasräkor (spicy prawns) & Fisksoppa (fish soup).
Dinner #1: We ate dinner one night at Art of Spices in Malmö. I loved my Paneer Butter Masala (Indian cheese cooked in a creamy and buttery cashew & almond sauce with tomatoes, red onion, cream, melon seeds and garlic). Mike had a Butter Chicken (chicken cooked in a creamy and buttery cashew & almond sauce sauce with tomato, red onion and spices). Of course, we had garlic naan with it. We took half home for another meal.
Dinner #2: Our last night in Malmö, we went to a hole in the wall in our neighborhood: FIR. It was a tiny, cozy place with vegan tapas. We shared one larger dish: Gnocchi with kale, salvia, basil, mushrooms and fried capers. We also shared two small plates: Pimientos de Padron and Charred Broccoli and Beet Hummus.
Here in this cozy place we had a long conversation with the guy who does food photography and filmography and was the one who put up some pictures on their website that drew us to the restaurant. He had lived in China for three years while his wife was working there. He has traveled all over the world so we enjoyed talking about our travels.
The waitress here informed us she was from St. Louis, Missouri and has been in Sweden for seven years under a partnership visa, which she renews every two years.
It was a cozy and pleasant way to wrap up our 13-week stay in Scandinavia, and our week-long stay in Malmö.
My 71st birthday & Homebody Stuff
I turned 71 on Sunday of October 25 this week. It was one of the worst weather birthdays I’ve ever experienced, with heavy rain, wind and cold in Malmö. Since I’ve been sick for so long, I told Mike my birthday wish was to stay in all day and to have a total day of rest. It was the best thing I could have ever done and I felt a lot better, although still not perfect. We honestly hadn’t rested an entire day in the 88 days we’d been in Scandinavia.
Every morning, I continued to do my NY Times puzzles: Wordle, the Mini, Connections and Strands. In the evenings, we watched our regular shows: Grantchester; AnotherSelf; The Killing; Ride or Die; Thank You, Next; Nobody Wants This; and Ted Lasso. We finished Old Money (S1) and De Eetclub (The Perfect Lie) (S1). We started watching a new season of The Diplomat and began re-watching the comedy Rules of Engagement for our light, end-of-the-night short comedy. On my birthday, we watched the cute and funny movie Man Up, an oldie from 2015.
I finished reading Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson. I am still reading The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto and I started My Friends by Fredrik Backman.
Returning home to Virginia
We flew on SAS Airlines from Copenhagen Airport, arriving at the airport from Malmö way too early for our 1:20 flight. We had heard of long lines at security in Copenhagen and wanted to play it safe by arriving early. But the lines were not that bad and we had hours to kill before we flew out.
We arrived in Boston, Massachusetts at 4:40 p.m. and had a 3 1/2 hour wait there before flying to Reagan National at 8:05 p.m. By the time we got to Reagan and took an Uber home, we arrived around 10:30 p.m. We had left our apartment at 8:10 a.m. Copenhagen time (equal to 3:10 a.m. Virginia time) and arrived home at 10:30 p.m. in Virginia, a long 19-1/2 hour day of travel.
We are so happy to be home while at the same time being thankful for the amazing opportunity to travel all around Scandinavia!
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