On Malmö, Sweden, and the Art of Drifting

When my roommates suggested we take a day trip to Malmö, Sweden, I didn’t really think twice about it. Only a forty-minute train ride from Copenhagen? Let’s go. As days went on, the trip grew from a far-off assumption of something we were going to do, eventually, to a bona fide fact.  

Our mighty bunch met at Central Station at 8:00 am, boarded the train at 8:30, and arrived at 9:10. It’s only after arriving that I realized we had no plan. We had tried to come up with an itinerary of things to do, create some sort of structure to the day, but in the end, we had a vague set of ideas to follow: well, we could go to the castle, I’ve heard this food place is good, and so on. 

With no set goal, it seemed that the rushing, freezing air blew us through the city. We stumbled into what I thought was a store, and what turned out to be an art gallery of sorts, with paintings full of American and biblical allusions. Interested in getting some more information on the area, I chatted up the woman at the counter of the store and left with handwritten restaurant recommendations and a free postcard. 

Traveling with such a huge group is tough, and it seemed that half of us were experiencing things while the other half stood waiting. I left the installation and sat on a bench outside while the others looked around. The buildings really didn’t look that different from Copenhagen; red, yellow, blue rising from the pavement. But still, the personal recognition that I really was in a different place in space hurt my mind. I inhaled the cold air and watched breath escape. 

After everyone was done, the wandering continued.  This was the affordance of no plan: freedom. My roommate Cindy wanted to go to a grocery store to get Swedish candy, so we moved on to that next. I threw various colored gummies into my paper bag and paid for them at the counter. On the street, my teeth stung from the sugar. 

Eventually, when everyone had gotten pretty hungry, we searched for a place to eat. I navigated us to one of the places the woman had written down for me. However, once we got there, we were placed in a cold backroom with benches and blankets. We unanimously decided to go to a larger food hall, where hopefully, there would be more seating and more food options.

The food hall was a chaotic marvel. Tons of options from burgers to poke bowls, storefronts with themed designs, and tons of seating everywhere. Unfortunately, not enough space for nine people to sit together. Cindy and I ended up scarfing down bowls of ramen at the edge of the burger place. Satisfied, I leaned back and wondered what everyone else had eaten and where.

Finally, we spent the majority of our day at Malmo Castle, a large attraction with a natural history museum, a scary castle basement, many art installations, and an aquarium. The group had fragmented for walking's sake, though our group chat titled “travel buddies” ensured we never got too far. I stared into the faces of monarchs I’d never heard of, stuffed bears, felted rats, Adam and Eve, and iguanas in warm tropical terrariums. 

It was a great trip. Tired and ready for dinner, we brought our tickets back in the locker room of the castle, walked to the station, and boarded the busy train back. Sooner than later, we were back in Copenhagen and ready for a lazy Sunday in. My nose burned as I walked back into our apartment, and the world felt that much larger.