Copenhagen to Kalmar

As Margo mentioned, we are now blogging from the land of blondes and ümlauts. I have a special affinity for Sweden as it's my primary ancestry. I'd last visited about ten years ago and I will enjoy seeing more of it.

Sarah and I have both been mistaken for locals on our trip. People start talking to us in the local language, but fortunately everyone speaks English also.

Margo came up with two more language jokes that Sarah loves repeating:

Can you tell me how to say "no" in German?
"Nein".
I didn't ask about numbers ...

Can you tell me how to say "thank you" in Swedish?
"Takk".
But I am talking! I'm trying to ask you a question ...

We left Copenhagen in late morning. I have to say, I found it a quite dirty city. There were lots of fag ends and rubbish on the sidewalks, and the air was hazy for much of our stay. Sarah and Margo were blowing their noses in the mornings.

Our first journey was a train ride to Malmö, just across the water. We crossed on a very long bridge.



When we arrived in Malmö, we had about two hours to kill. I took a stroll through some of the town centre, taking in some shopping streets and two plazas.



Then we boarded a train to Kalmar for a journey of a few hours. As the landscape rolled by, I noticed a few things. There were lots of birch trees. I think birch is the type - thin and tall, with white bark and small leaves. Small lakes would appear now and then. I also noticed that building roofs are metal or tile but that there is some wood frame construction, though most buildings are made of masonry.

We arrived into Kalmar and had to merely cross the street to get to our hotel, the Frimurarehotellet. We love it! I think it's the cosiest hotel we've yet seen, and probably will see on this trip. It feels like the proprietors have invested a lot in making their guests feel comfortable. Our room has two sides of windows. The floors are old hardwoods. There are comfy chairs and bookshelves just where you'd want them.



This is the lounge, where tea and coffee can always be had. It overlooks a park with rows of trees.



For dinner we strolled to the nearby square and sat outdoors at a pub. In this picture, the pub we ate at is on the left.



Margo had a shrimp salad sandwich, and Sarah and I split a platter with local sausage slices, some veg, and nacho chips. Margo and I also had some Rekorderlig Swedish pear ciders. I'd had some previously at my local in Ipswich and really enjoyed it - it's very sweet and smooth yet strong.

After dinner we walked to the nearby waterfront.



As we turned the corner from the waterfront, we were back on the grid of shopping streets we'd eaten on earlier. It gave the pleasant illusion that there was nothing more to the town than the train station, our hotel, the waterfront, the shopping streets and the square.

Back on the square, we got some ice creams and walked through the small park by our hotel. Sarah had no idea what her face looked like when I took this.



Since then we've taken lots of time to relax and read, and Sarah's enjoyed playing with the Legos in the lounge. I'm sure we'll sleep well tonight, well rested for our next journey to Stockholm.