A day trip to Sweden: Lund and Malmo

Quaint structures at Lund

 We took a one-hour regional train from the Copenhagen central station to cross the Øresund bridge over to Sweden. We were so close after all that we could actually hit another country in this trip. We went first to Lund, which was farther out.

one of the buildings at Lund University

 This university town was on the sleepy side. It was very quaint with some traditional houses along the way to the Botanical Garden, which was our first stop after going through Lund University. We did not have time to explore Kulturen which is an open-air museum of traditional and historic structures, but this can be an option for you to explore. We went to the greenhouse of the Botanical garden, which opened for Spring just days before we arrived. It was a lovely garden but we had to make our way to the Lund Cathedral to catch the 15^th century astronomical clock, Horologium mirabile Lundense, chime at noon. 

Lund Botanical Garden

It was a short show and not at all fancy. However, keeping in mind that it was from the 15^th century, it was still a nice thing to watch (and catch as it only chimes at noon and at 3pm).

Lund Cathedral

Horologium mirabile Lundense

 We then headed to the Saluhallen Lund (food hall) where we had our lunch. Hubby had some meatballs (can it still be called Swedish even if these were from the Sweet and Spice, North African place?) while DD#2 and I shared couscous. Grandma had a most delicious Thai Red Curry chicken at Thai Way and DD#1 had a nice shrimp, cheese and bread dish from Malmstens Fisk and Kök. It was an unexpectedly nice meal that got us set for the rest of the afternoon.

Saluhallen Lund

Moroccan couscous meal

 

Moroccan meatballs in Sweden :P = Swedish meatballs?

shrimp dish at Malmstens Fisk and Kök

After a quick stroll at Stortoget, including a stop at Åhléns department store, we headed back to the train station to go to Malmö, about 15 minutes away by train.

Malmo Central Station

Malmo Central Square

 Malmö had a different feel from Lund. It was more vibrant and more modern. Even while we spent less time here (and hence, less pics as you may have noticed), I would pick Malmö over Lund, if I can only visit one city. It is, after all, closer to Copenhagen. We just walked to Södergatan, which is a pedestrian shopping street where Grandma had coffee at Espresso House. We also had to check out H&M, but decided there were better sales at home. After a whirlwind visit to Sweden, it was time to head back to Copenhagen. If you can manage it, I would definitely recommend checking out Lund or Malmö as a day trip from Copenhagen. While the vibe of both countries are similar, you still know you are in a different place.