sweden's third city

I had a good feeling about Malmö, the Swedish city that sounds so “Scandi” (according to friends like Anna) yet hadn’t existed to me before I stumbled across the Media Evolution conference that was to be held there. My late night experience reinforced this optimism; as did Liselott(CouchSurfing host)'s morning apologies for only having muesli and milk for breakfast—my Parisian standard, her suggestion that we meet for dinner on Thursday evening at the city’s annual festival, and her Friday night invite to the city's chocolate factory turned microbrewery. I got a good sense of it too from intermingling with media and academic professionals from the area. But I’m not reflecting on the conference, not yet. Today, I’d just like to share a glimpse of Sweden’s third largest city that’s still small enough to be digested in a 4-day visit. I walked to and from the Slagthuset (an atmospheric former slaughterhouse, it's possible) each morning and evening to make sure I saw as much as possible. And I can’t imagine not knowing (and loving) it now.

By the way, I’m not one for souvenirs, but couldn’t resist buying my mom (the woman who ultimately gave me the courage to make this trip possible) traditional Swedish licorice … salted. It’s a thing. Also, I totally loved being introduced to Say Lou Lou’s music.

welcome to malmö

My plane touched down in Copenhagen Airport at 11:21pm. I rushed towards the train and, somehow, successfully bought tickets, read the timetable, and ended up on the correct platform. It was barely a 20-minute ride to Malmö. Once at the Central Station, I found the bus stop and was able to catch the #4 just as I confirmed what direction I needed to go in. It was midnight by now. As I paid close attention to the stops, listening to the distinct Swedish pronunciations, I texted my CouchSurfing host, Liselott. "On the bus now ... could you tell me which way to walk from Kronsprinsen?" No answer. Ten minutes later, I descended from the bus. Still no answer.

I had no idea where I was.

There was a hotdog stand miraculously open at 12:15am on a Wednesday morning. I was greeted with a hej (sounds like "hey) as I approached. Responding politely in English, I pointed to the address I'd scribbled down and asked if he could point me in the right direction. It sounded familiar. He parlayed the question to an old man who'd come up behind me. Together, they gathered, I had to walk back past the bus stop and make a left. Then a group of younger adults chimed in (a line had formed by now), adding that the street would be on my first or second right after the original directions. I thanked everyone and scurried along with my suitcase.

Walking down that main street in the dark of night, I was touched by the crowd-sourced kindness. The dim storefronts were charming. It felt safe. Suddenly, someone called out in front of me. "It's right here! This is the street." I cautiously approached him and realized it was the old man from the hotdog stand. He must've mentioned it to his wife when he'd gotten back into the car with their midnight snacks and kept an eye out for the street sign on their drive home. Thanking him, I felt guilty for having been alarmed.

I called Liselott timidly while standing in front of her apartment building. She awoke on the third ring and graciously ran down to let me in. She was unnecessarily apologetic about having missed my text earlier. "Please don't apologize, I'm sorry to wake you up!" I recounted the anecdote above while she welcomed me. Gosh, I thought, Swedes are as nice as everyone told me they'd be.

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The rest of my experience in Malmö was just as incredible. I arrived back in Paris yesterday absolutely exhausted, and at the same time, bursting with excitement. Each person I had the pleasure of listening to at the Media Evolution Conference and/or chatting with before, during, after has had such an impressive impact on me. I feel so thoroughly lucky for these past few days, and after I've had a chance to let it soak in, I promise to tell you all about it. I should probably try to catch up on life in the mean time :). For any new readers, here's some more details about me. Otherwise, please enjoy video archives of the presentations.

roaming around rekyjavík

Hello from Iceland! It's hard to believe I've only been here for two days; I feel like I've had the chance to do so much. I can't even explain to you how spectacular it is... or how cold, much more so than I'd expected :). So, I thought I'd take you on a tour of the smallest big city, Rekyjavík before my busy tomorrow of a morning coffee date, afternoon at the Blue Lagoon, and late night flight to Paris. Shall we?

[Hallgrímskirkja church]

[Laugavegur, Reykjavik's main shopping street]

[Lunch at Buddha Restaurant featuring miso soup (with shrimp), chopsticks from home (literally), and a spicy salmon-avocado sushi roll]

[Old town center]

[Listasafn Reykjavíkur (Reykjavík Art Museum)]

[Happy hour (and room tour) at Icelandair Hotel Reykjavík Marina]

[Lobster soup dinner #1 (& whale) at Saegreifinn with CouchSurfing friends]

[Fish & chips dinner #2 with skyr dessert at Icelandic Fish & Chips]

[Red wine nightcap at Cafe Rot]

[the "night's" sky at 10pm... yeah, I know]