We spent two weeks in Copenhagen and Sweden. We had an awesome time. Lots of things to see and do, great food, super friendly people.
Copenhagen
We were in Copenhagen 2 ½ days. I could easily have spent another day – or even two! I loved the energy. We toured the main tourist sites. We also visited the botanical gardens which were lovely. The truck hanging from the tower was for a yearly festival called Distortion which just happened to be going on when we arrived. Big outdoor party.
Sweden
The reason we went to Sweden in the first place is because Will is one-quarter Swedish and our friend is one-half Swedish. Turns out they come from towns very close to each other.
Malmo
We took a train from Copenhagen to Malmo just across the border to Sweden and rented a car. We spent a few hours in Malmo. Had a great lunch including our first Swedish Meatballs in Sweden!
Lund
We drove to Lund where we spent the night. Lund is a university town and fun to walk around. The Cathedral has an astronomical clock from the 1400s (and restored since then). Twice a day, it becomes animated with heralds raising their trumpets and statuettes of the the Three Kings and others paradign across the top of the clock.
The Kulturen is an Open Air Museum that is several blocks big. It contains historic buildings from the middle ages on as well as some old runestones. It was surprisingly interesting. The homes, farms, and other buildings were well preserved and presented. I learned a lot.
Helsingborg
After Lund, we drove to Växjö and stopped on the way for lunch and a short visit in Helsingborg. Helsingborg is only about 2 miles from the Danish coast. Because of its strategic position, it has a 12th century fortress. We climbed up to see the view which showed both modern including a modern ferry, and old. Beautiful view.
Växjö
From there, we went to Växjö where we spent two nights. We went to the House of Emigrants Museum where we did an audio tour about Swedish emigration and then met with a specialist where Will and our friend looked up info about their families. Växjö (pronounced something like “vek-chwa”) is a lovely town with several lakes with a beautiful double spired cathedral. I walked four miles around a lake which had a charming, mostly shaded path and sculptures along the way.
Anbey
We stopped briefly in Aneby – the town where Will’s ancestors are from. The records about his family are from the church below.
Stockholm
We spent three days in Stockholm. We stayed in the Old City. We went to see the Royal Palace and changing of the guard. We took a boat ride through the Stockholm Archipelago which has 30,000 islands. We went to the top of City Hall which has a spectacular view of the city and we visited Sodermalm which also provides wonderful views. We walked all over the city – I clocked 12 miles two days and 10 miles the other day. I loved the old and the new.
Kiruna
Finally, we flew to Kiruna which is the northernmost city in Sweden and in the arctic circle. I wanted to go because I love the Midnight Sun. It truly never got dark while we were there.
Kiruna has the largest iron ore mine in Europe. This has brought great prosperity to the town. But the mining has also caused the land to be unstable so they are moving the entire town to a safe area.
We asked several random people – someone we met hiking, someone we met standing in line at the food truck, as well as the guide (who is actually Finnish) about the mine. None of these people were unhappy. The town has grown 30% since 2016. There is full employment between the mine and the other companies supporting the mine (as well as tourism in Winter). The government gave people 125% of market value for their old homes. They are proud that the mine is 2% of Sweden’s GDP. I am sure there are others who object. We did not run into them.
While here, we went hiking in a nearby ski resort, took a Midnight Sun boat ride on the Torne River, and visited a Sami open-air museum to learn more about the Sami culture and pet some reindeer. We also stopped by the famous Ice Hotel and I confirmed that I definitely would not want to stay there.
Poolinger Family Site 