Denmark, Sweden, Norway: Day 4 - Malmo to Skanor, Sweden

After spending a restful night in Malmö and taking advantage of the buffet breakfast at the Scandic Kramer, I decided to head out for some early morning exploring. My first destination was the Malmöhus Slott castle.

But first I had to cross the Kungsparken, an 8.4 hectare English-style park built in 1869.  It's full of walking and biking trials, lakes, fountains and fanciful sculptures like this one. 

Strolling along the Malmöhusvagen, I passed the historic "High Court" building. 

Crossing the slottsgraven (fortress moat), I came face to face with a medieval castle, the Malmöhus Slott, built around 1536 by the Danish King Christian III, making it the oldest preserved Renaissance castle in the Nordic countries.

As Skane county was passed into Swedish possession by the Peace of Roskilde in 1658, Malmöhus lost its importance as a Danish royal castle and work began to improve Malmö's defenses. Several blocks of buildings were torn down to give the fortress cannons a free field of fire towards the town.

Around 8,000 soldiers, residents, and prisoners of war worked on the fortifications from 1684 to 1697

After 1658, the Swedes modernized the castle with a Dutch-inspired defense system, and in 1675 it withstood a Danish siege.

Over the years, the fortress lost its importance as a fortification, fell into disrepair, and Malmöhus was used mainly as a granary and an arsenal for the Swedish army. 

From 1828 on it was used mainly as a prison. The prison was closed in 1909 and Malmöhus was used as an emergency shelter for homeless citizens during the next 28 years.

Aerial view of the Malmöhus around 1923.

The first museum moved into the old walls in 1937 and today, after an extensive restoration, Malmöhus Slott shows how it looked in 16th century.

I'm drawn to crows and ravens, (as long as they're quiet) and at first, I thought I was looking at some form of Scandinavian crow, but, upon research, I found out it's a western jackdaw.

Like crows, they are highly intelligent.  They are a handsome bird - and that piercing eye!

Walking around the grounds, I came across this bloom - elderflower?   

My favorite spritz liqueur!

Walking along one of the castle paths, I came across the Slottsmölla, an old windmill located on the remains of the bastion built when the Swedes were building up their fortifications in 1658.

The Dutch-style windmill was built in 1850 to replace the old stump mill (that existed there prior) and was put into use in 1851. 

If you peak behind the path's hedge, you'll find the Slottsparken insektshotell, built to provide bees with a place to lay eggs.

The castle mill and the nearby miller's residence and garden are protected as historic buildings and for their cultural significance.

Circling back to the NW to get on the south side of the former secondary, exterior moat, I discovered the Malmö Kanotklubb, a rowing shell, canoe club.

Their waterway connects to the Baltic Sea to the west and the Tubinkanalen canal to the east, encircling the old town.  Looked like some club members were gearing up for an outing. 

Continuing along the path, I came across the Storadammen lake.

Very picturesque with it's fountain.

Continuing on, I discovered this bronze sculpture with another Malmö attraction lurking in the background...

... the famous "Turning Torso" building over by the Varvsparken to the north.

I crossed the Kommandantbron bridge and at the base of the Trädgârdsbron bridge, I, again, noted how the Swedes make their city and their parks bike-friendly - the metal tracks are for adult and kid bikes to negotiate up and down the stair and bridge connections throughout the park.

Continuing east, I loved strolling among the early-morning 

shadows cast by this soldier row of trees. 

Looking past the Gjutjärnsfontän was a beautiful building that houses a company offering educational services and a salsa dance academy.

Next, I came across this interesting little grotto with a whimsical snake head spitting venom (water) into the basin below.

Exiting the Kungsparken, I found my way on the Jakob Nilsgatan street, passing the Annellska House (on the left), one of the oldest half-timbered houses.  

It was built in 1705, as shown by an inscription on the right-hand side of the door beam. 

The owners' initials are also engraved, JM and JAD, referring to the crown baker Johan Müller and his wife Ingeborg Andersdotter. Two smaller, one-story houses are connected to the original one-story row and the compound originally included a farm (now converted into houses).

The houses along Jakob Nilsgatan are super-cute...

and even the doors were very attractive!

Further along Jakob Nilsgatan, on the south side, were even more cute, "I can't take it" houses.

Like an Italian noona, a house cat monitors the neighborhood, ensuring lawfulness and order ...

I rendezvoused with Kathi and on the way to get coffee and a pastry, we crossed the Davidshallsbron bridge, lined with bronze shoes, part of the “Way To Go” memorial, created by artist Åsa Maria Bengtsson.

Unveiled in 2014, the installation honors notable Malmö artists and performers by representing them with bronze replicas of their shoes, each accompanied by plaques bearing their names and life dates. The shoes are positioned to face locations in the city significant to each individual’s career.

We arrived at the Hollandia Bakery and Kathi and I selected a few pastries from this sumptuous display and then retired to the outdoor seating to enjoy our breakfast.

Cappuccino with a glass of water of course!

On the way way back to the hotel, we stopped at the Apoteket Lejonet the "lion" pharmacy built in 1896. 

At the time of its construction, the lion pharmacy was considered one of the largest in Europe. It's worth a duck inside as the wall shelving and cabinets are all preserved - lovely!

Above this bench is the history - unfortunately for us, all in Swedish.

Beautiful cabinets...

Stacked high...

Before leaving Malmö, Kathi stocked up on some more pastries, this time from her namesake bakery - Katarina.

The day had only begun (!) and we had more to go. We were finally on our way to Skanor-Fasterbo and our friend Lars' surprise birthday party. We picked up our rental car at around 11:30 at the train station (not easy and almost a disaster!), picked up the ladies back at the Scandic Kramer, crammed them + luggage into our all-electric Volvo and hit the road south.

We wanted to get some lunch so we wouldn't show up to the party venue at 4 pm famished. We pulled off the highway and navigated into Vellange where we found a cute little shop, Nordbergs, with traditional Danish smørrebrød (open faced sandwiches). Danish, because this area used to be part of Denmark.

The shop owner was training his daughter how to work in the store and we were in no hurry so we chatted with him while he directed his daughter how to ring up the order.

While Corky and I waited for the food to be prepared, Kathi and Toni found a nice place in the town square to eat.

Lunch is served!  

We got a sample of roast beef, cheese, and fish smørrebrød.

There was a food truck, parked at the edge of the square, selling falafel and Kathi bought one to share and for me to try - delicious!  Based on its wide availability, even in small towns, the Swedes seem to love their falafel!

Arriving in Skanor-Fasterbo, we dropped off our friends and made our way to our cottage accommodations (listed as Stuga i Skanör med Fasterbo in Booking.com).  It was great!

Here's the livingroom...

... adjoining kitchen...

...bedroom...

...outdoor deck...

...night lights and flowers...

... deck table and chairs...

... and bikes (of course!)

We were here with our friends from the neighborhood in America for a surprise birthday party for our dear friend Lars (who is Swedish).  His wife Nancy arranged the ruse and it was about to come off!  

Being close to mid-summer, the party venue, Studentgården i Skanör, was decorated with mini maypoles and staged with bottles of local akvavit (aka aquavit).

... and flowers with ribbons in Swedish colors.

To protect everyone's privacy, I won't post any party pictures except this one of a happy Lars.

We were lucky to meet his Swedish family and friends and reunite with his kids and their significant others who have moved across America. We ate Swedish foods, toasted his good fortune, played games, and danced around the maypole singing traditional songs.  There may have even been a flash mob to an Abba song - maybe.  In short, it was a magical summer evening - one that you never want to end.  Feeling blessed!