Malmö and 7 things to do there

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Our few days in Malmö provided a lovely smaller-town respite between Copenhagen and Stockholm. Malmö, the third-largest city in Sweden, is the capital of Skåne, the country's southernmost county. In addition to it being an obvious pass-through if training between Copenhagen and Stockholm, Malmö and Skåne showed up several times in the Martin Beck crime series I'm so fond of, so I figured I just had to see the place. Literary pilgrimage just a bit. ;)

Parts of it were really lovely (parts may have been those where (fictional) crimes were set), everyone was incredibly friendly, and we had some delicious food and drink. I'm not saying you need to make a special effort to visit Malmö, but if you're there, here are some recommended to-dos.

1. The Knotted Gun

Officially entitled Non Violence, this sculpture by Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd was put up in 1985. He created it after John Lennon's murder, as a tribute to Lennon's peace work and as a way to process his own grief about the assassination (Reuterswärd was a friend of both Lennon and Yoko Ono). There are several replicas around the world, including at the UN in New York and in Berlin. Though the piece is smaller than I expected, it is very powerful, especially for an American who desperately wishes the US would do something meaningful to address the gun violence raging across the country. 

Non Violence

Non Violence

2. Malmö Saluhall

This saluhall, or food hall, has both fresh produce/meat/cheese/fish/etc and stalls at which you can order prepared food. It has a great selection! Tom went to Pink Head Noodle Bar and got a bowl of hand-pulled wheat noodles with pork, bean sprouts, peanuts, and such, while I went next door to Papi and chose the pasta with pork cheek and gremolata. Both were really delicious. On our way out of town, Tom got a pulled pork sandwich and a falafel salad for us to take on the train. Again, both were quite good. And the coffee was excellent.

3. The Turning Torso

This residential skyscraper, and the tallest building in Scandinavia, was designed by famed architect Santiago Calatrava. It was based on a sculpture he'd done called the Twisting Torso. Construction on the building, which sits on the Öresund Strait finished in 2005, and on certain days, the public can visit an observation deck on an upper floor. It's not mind-blowing, but again, if you're in the area, why not see a Calatrava work.

4. Lilla Torg

Lilla torg, or small square, is a popular plaza in the old part of central Malmö. It seems like a lovely spot to sit and enjoy cocktails as evening rolls in. We ate elsewhere both nights but enjoyed the architecture around the square as well as the people watching. (Have I mentioned my love of manhole covers?)

5. MJs hotel and bar & MJs restaurant

Just steps from Lilla torg, MJs is a wonderfully-located, welcoming, comfortable hotel with a great bar and restaurant and spacious rooms (if ours was an indicator of the usual). We couldn't have enjoyed our meal at MJs more nor the drinks and conversation at the bar with Erik. I told him I hated gin, and next thing I knew I was tip-toeing my way through a gin flight and then a Bee's Knees which is an exceptional cocktail (because the gin taste was hidden, in my opinion). The service throughout the place is impeccable.

5. Coffee and quiche at Eida

Maybe two blocks from MJs is Eida, a coffeeshop that also offers quiche, baked goods, and a salad bar. We loved it because it seemed like a real locals spot and also the coffee was wonderful. Additionally, the staff was super friendly, and my quiche was scrumptious. 

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6. Gamla Kyrkogården

In this park is an old, beautifully tended cemetery. It hails from the early 1820s and has been designated of cultural importance. The tree canopies, flowers, and sculptures around the lovingly kept graves make for a very peaceful, thought-provoking walk. 

7. Final bits: Raoul Wallenberg park, Bastard, the Maxi, just walk and ride.

Restaurant Bastard gets rave reviews, and it's worth a visit. Not amazing, but a fun vibe, really cool wine list, and centrally located. (It's two steps from MJs.) There is also a small park dedicated to Raoul Wallenberg which is nice to see, and if you're hankering for a Super Walmart sort of place, complete with Post, gardening supplies, food and so forth, head to the Maxi. It's very near the Turning Torso. A good place for inexpensive travel essentials, and Tom also managed to find an excellent selection of Gardena garden products and we are heading home with a new nozzle for our hose. LOL.

Lastly, walk. And ride a bike if you'd rather or want some variety. Donkey Republic is a great bike rental service with an easy-to-use app, and we made great use of their bikes in both Copenhagen and Malmö. You never know what wonderful view is waiting for you to see it!

Copenhagen in pictures

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Amass post to come following our return to the States which, at this point in time, is nothing I'm excited about. It has been indescribably fabulous to be beyond the borders of the decrepit toxicity that is the US right now. I haven't head to wear my nightly mouthguard once since being on Scandi soil, and I have noticed yet again that the pace at which Americans race through the days is excruciatingly unhealthy. There is more to life, but it's hard for anyone to be a schooner in a tsunami.

In any case, we left Copenhagen around noon today and arrived in Malmö (Sweden) shortly after. The cities are connected by a relatively new five-mile bridge called the Øresund, and we took a quick train to traverse it. 

For reasons I have yet to fully distill, I didn't love Copenhagen. Neither did Tom. We liked it, and in fact loved elements of it, but overall, it's not in our tops list. Nonetheless, a great five days, and here is a sense of the city in photographs.

^ 2nd row: the Round Tower; view from the Nyhavn bridge
^3rd row: Nyhavn; Vor Frelsers kirke

^ Christianshavn; Lars Bjørnsstræde; Lars Bjørnsstræde; Democratic Coffee; Torvehallerne x 2; the old Copenhagen stock exchange building x2. 

^ 4 views from Vor Frelsers kirke; a happy bee; the Amager Bakke plant (SO cool: read about it here). 

^ Reffen toilet; a Refshaleøen warehouse; wind turbines; the warehouse from the other side; a Danish boat flying the Dannebrog. 

^ at the Baby Baby Bar along Refshalvej; Em with ice cream on Strandgade; the rest throughout CPH; a father and son in Democratic Coffee.

København

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We arrived in Copenhagen early on the morning of the 5th and have been going full steam ahead since. The weather has been spectacular, a wonderful reprieve from the steaming pea soup we left behind in DC. 

For most of the first day we walked around getting our bearings and enjoying the Danish Design Museum. We are staying in the Latin Quarter, across the street from the University of Copenhagen. Founded in 1479, it is one of the oldest in Europe, and the main building is quite beautiful. 

the University of Copenhagen

the University of Copenhagen

The Design Museum was undergoing some (seemingly needed) renovation but we very much enjoyed the 20th century and Danish Design Classics exhibits. There was a fascinating film on Børge Mogensen, the famed Danish furniture maker, and an eye-popping collection of all the Danish chairs that inspired mid-century design and (many of which) remain beloved and revered. One of the coolest things I learned was the great degree to which Danish artists and designers were influenced by Japanese art, especially the way nature was expressed and honored through it. 

On a wall outside the Danish Design Museum: what remains after some of the ivy was stripped from the wall. I just love this.

On a wall outside the Danish Design Museum: what remains after some of the ivy was stripped from the wall. I just love this.

Dinner on day 1 was at Aamann's 1921, a warm, stylish place whose chef, Adam Aamann, has updated the humble smørrebrød, an open-faced rye-bread sandwich traditionally loaded with mayo and meat, to a refined dish with more vegetables and herbs. Now known as the King of Smørrebrød, Aamann also makes the soaps for the restaurant bathrooms, and seemingly everything in between.

Our meal was a beautiful one but not terribly memorable; most dishes, including both our smørrebrøds (see the salmon one below), needed salt. But the service was impeccable, the ambiance inviting, and two of our choices, the BBQ ribs of free-range port, new onions, and rocket sauce, and the potato compote with pine shoots, gooseberries, onion, and bacon, were marvelous. 

Yesterday we started with a three-hour bike tour around Copenhagen which was really helpful in knocking out a number of sights in a single, educational way, and it was fun. Like Amsterdam, Copenhagen is a major biking city. The Little Mermaid? Check. Amalienborg, home of the Danish royals? Check. Churches and harbors? Yep. Plus the Free State of Christiania,  excellent history and exercise. 

^The Little Mermaid (Den Lille Havfrue) and the view of Frederiks Kirke from Amalienborg.^ 

^clockwise from top left: Nyhavn (New Harbor); the amazingly cool spire atop Vor Frelsers Kirke; my first snegle; a croissant (Denmark is known for its pastries).^

^the Free State of Christiania, a commune with delineated borders inside of Copenhagen. Though residents (~800) were once excused from paying taxes, they now do. Though you are really not allowed to sell marijuana in Copenhagen, the police seem to have given up enforcing the rules within Christiania. The only thing banned on Pushers' Row is taking photographs. It's a neat place although sadly, the original hippie ideals are giving way to drug-based crime and a rather impoverished life within (according to our guide).^

Last night was dinner at Amass. But "dinner" does the experience an injustice, so I'll write about Amass in a separate post. Go there if you can!

And today was a ridiculously fun day that proved over and over again that travel is the greatest education and opportunity for truly memorable experiences, that spontaneity, flexibility, and following your nose often result in magic, and that following your passions (specifically today: design and food) is always a win.

It involved a return trip to Refshaleøen, an island in Copenhagen's harbor (and where Amass is located), to spend the day eating and drinking through Reffen, an outdoor Copenhagen street food market built from repurposed shipping containers. There are food trucks, all manner of juice and alcoholic beverage, some art and idea labs, and a delightful vintage market. Due to a major finding at said vintage market, the day also involved renting bikes to head back into Christianshavn, the nearest neighborhood with an ATM, then biking back to Refshaleøen and getting a bit distracted by the Sweden-England game which required another beer and lots of cheering, then going to the market only to find it closed but determinedly banging on the door until the delightful Danish proprietor let us in with a gentle smile and an "I'd given up on you." I then explained the bike rentals and rides to and from Christianshavn, but not the half-drunk beer in my hand (sorry Sverige), to which he replied, "Oh, that is far. Well, let's pack it up."

watching the game in Reffen

watching the game in Reffen

The rest of that story, which includes a delightful encounter on the metro afterwards, will be detailed tomorrow. But for now, some final photos from Reffen which was utterly delicious and fun in every way.

That pulled pork sandwich was one of the single best things I have ever eaten anywhere. Also, three cheers for Jacobsen IPA and also Nørrebro's Bombay IPA.