On Monday, I embarked on a crazy whirlwind trip south. I basically had the week off from classes, minus the International Trade final exam I had yesterday (I guess it could have been a week of studying...yeah right). I really wanted to check out Copenhagen, which happens to be very close of Malmö and Lund. I figured that I should try to see all three since I was already going to be traveling four hours...
I took the crazy 3:45 am bus to Copenhagen on Monday morning, so that I would arrive a little after 8:00 am. That was not my number one travel choice, but the only other option was arriving in Copenhagen around 3:00 pm, which is a whole day wasted. I was able to get in an entire day of sightseeing this way! I opted for the city 'walking tour,' which turned out to be an awesome loop through all the historical sights of central Copenhagen. I love the canals running through the city! I checked out some cool (and very old!) churches, saw the Royal palace, went to the coast to see "The Little Mermaid" statue, and braved the wind, rain, and snow. I think that Americans have a much different view of what constitutes old...I am continually amazed at the age of the buildings I see in Europe. It is amazing to think that some of these places have stood the test of time for hundreds and hundreds of years! Copenhagen was a really busy city and a little bit overwhelming. Unfortunately, I decided to visit on Easter Monday (I had never heard of this before), so the city museums were closed. I am not always a huge fan of museums, but some of them sounded really interesting. Plus, when the weather is less than optimal, museums are a great activity!
I took the crazy 3:45 am bus to Copenhagen on Monday morning, so that I would arrive a little after 8:00 am. That was not my number one travel choice, but the only other option was arriving in Copenhagen around 3:00 pm, which is a whole day wasted. I was able to get in an entire day of sightseeing this way! I opted for the city 'walking tour,' which turned out to be an awesome loop through all the historical sights of central Copenhagen. I love the canals running through the city! I checked out some cool (and very old!) churches, saw the Royal palace, went to the coast to see "The Little Mermaid" statue, and braved the wind, rain, and snow. I think that Americans have a much different view of what constitutes old...I am continually amazed at the age of the buildings I see in Europe. It is amazing to think that some of these places have stood the test of time for hundreds and hundreds of years! Copenhagen was a really busy city and a little bit overwhelming. Unfortunately, I decided to visit on Easter Monday (I had never heard of this before), so the city museums were closed. I am not always a huge fan of museums, but some of them sounded really interesting. Plus, when the weather is less than optimal, museums are a great activity!
Canal in Copenhagen
I spent the night in Copenhagen at a youth hostel, which was a bit far from the city center, but allowed me to see other areas. It was interesting, to say the least. I have to say that the three-tiered bunk beds were not my style, nor was the loud 'hip' music playing everywhere all the time. Since I was only staying a night, it was not that big of a deal. The thing about hostels is that you book them online, so there is really no way of knowing exactly what to expect. I like them though...it is a great way to find a cheap place to stay and I wish that we had a network of them in the USA like I have seen here in Europe.
I left Copenhagen for Malmö early on Tuesday morning. It is only 45 minutes away by bus, over this HUGE bridge which connects the two cities. You can actually see the other city across the water. My absolute favorite part of the trip was all of the wind turbines that are stationed out in the sea! I think that they really add to the aesthetic value. :)
I left Copenhagen for Malmö early on Tuesday morning. It is only 45 minutes away by bus, over this HUGE bridge which connects the two cities. You can actually see the other city across the water. My absolute favorite part of the trip was all of the wind turbines that are stationed out in the sea! I think that they really add to the aesthetic value. :)
Malmö is the third largest city in Sweden. I found out when I arrived, that it is also a really environmentally conscious. It was the first city in the world to be designated as a "Fair Trade" city. The main city park has an amazing organic garden and greenhouses. All of the buses are run on biodiesel. There is a 'green newspaper' in addition to the normal city newspaper. Needless to say, I pretty much loved Malmö! I had lunch at a little vegetarian/vegan cafe that was in the "Ethnic" area of the city. It was sort of a hole in the wall place, run by students, but definitely neat. Everything vegan on the menu was marked and they even made soy hot chocolate! I think that I saw the entire city of Malmö thanks to my handy tourist map. I went down to the coast in the afternoon and it was the perfect time. Malmö has some lovely beaches that are really popular in the summertime.
I spent the night in a small hostel outside of the city center. It was an adorable, little house that was definitely historic. It was much more of my style than the crazy hostel in Copenhagen! If I visit Malmö again, I will definitely stay there.
I spent the night in a small hostel outside of the city center. It was an adorable, little house that was definitely historic. It was much more of my style than the crazy hostel in Copenhagen! If I visit Malmö again, I will definitely stay there.
Malmö's Coast
My last stop was Lund, Sweden...Wednesday morning to Wednesday afternoon. I arrived in the middle of a huge snowstorm, so I had to wait it out at the train station. Luckily, it cleared by mid-morning, and I got to check out the city. I really enjoyed Lund! It is another old city, based around a prestigious university. The most amazing feature is the City Cathedral (below), which is over 1000 years old. That place was amazing! It is absolutely huge - a main church area, small side chapels, a crypt complete with dead bishops...very cool. I loved the botanical gardens too. They house an amazing greenhouse complex with plants and trees from every climate. I also spent a few hours at the Museum of Sketches, which houses the world's largest collection of sketches and models for final art. It was incredible! The art comes from all over the globe, in a all styles. I had a hard time leaving!
Lunds Domkyrka
I took MANY more photos than these three! Check out my picasa album for those.
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