AbsoluteZeroBlog: Helsingør, Copenhagen and Malmö! Oh my!

On the ferry from Helsingborg to Helsingør

Hello dear friends!

It’s been a few days since I’ve updated, but with the gray skies came the lack of desire to write. Back to sunny skies in Malmö, Sweden today and lots of things to share:

Since I last blogged from Helsingborg, we’ve been to Denmark and are now back in Sweden. We had a fun time in Helsingør (home of Kronborg Castle and the inspiration for Hamlet’s Elsingor) and Copenhagen where we did some shopping, visited the Tivoli Gardens and got to ride one of the oldest, still functioning roller coasters, along with seeing a ridiculously funny and at times good dance program by a few amateur dance squads from the age of 5 to 18 on the Tivoli stage. One of the biggest attractions in Copenhagen is The Little Mermaid statue that sits in the harbor of Denmark’s capital. Kate was very much looking forward to seeing her, and when we got there we found out that she was on exhibit in China from April until December of 2010. So we went to Denmark and all we got was this lousy billboard (see photo).

Kronborg Castle, Denmark

Once we found our hotel, Copenhagen was great... but the experience of getting through the city was a complete and utter nightmare. Let me just say this: Google Maps will be receiving a strongly worded letter once I return to the states. Their maps overseas have been all but useless once you get into any metropolitan area. It’s a good thing I brought my Swedish Atlas and a good navigator. We spent nearly two hours, not only trying to find our hotel in downtown Copenhagen, but also a good portion of that time was spent trying to find a gas station that sold Ethanol 85, which seems to be the preferred fuel for the Volvo we’re driving, but not so much the preferred fuel in Denmark. I had to settle for regular E95, but it was either that or run out of gas. Seriously.

The drive from Copenhagen to Malmö was far easier, and I think I’ve finally been cured of my phobia for high bridges over bodies of water. The Oresund Bridge was a piece of cake. The toll at the end of said bridge: highway robbery (no pun intended). The toll to cross from Denmark to Sweden via the Oresund was 325 Swedish Kronor. With today’s exchange rate: $45.50. We cruised into Malmö in the early evening and walked around, getting our bearings and had a nice dinner at a place called Krua Thai (Thanks for the suggestion, Charlie).

Kronborg Castle, Denmark

Speaking of food: It’s only gotten better as the trip has progressed, in my opinion. In fact, both Kate and I have compiled a list of our three favorite meals since we’ve left.

Jared's top three:

Mello Yello (Malmö):

Beef filet with a truffle bernaise over rocket salad with tomatoes, onions and chives, with deep fried potato wedges.

Strandbaden (Falkenberg):

Duck breast with an apple, walnut and fig compote served with pancetta fried brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes

Tight (Copenhagen): A starter of steamed mussels, the Tight Burger: served on homemade ciabatta with onion, mushroom, slaw, bacon, lettuce, tomato and emanthaler cheese with rosemary potatoes and aioli. For desert, Kate and I split the Tri-Nations desert, consisting of Creme Brulee, Chocolate Mousse, and Vanilla Ice Cream with a berry coulis.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Kate's top three:

Elite Örebro:

Zander fish, in a truffle cream sauce with a side of fingerling potatos and asparagus.

Mello Yello (Malmö):

Lamb filet with asparagus and potatoes in a cream sauce

Tight (Copenhagen) - A starter of steamed mussels, the Tight Burger: served on homemade ciabatta with onion, mushroom, slaw, bacon, lettuce, tomato and emanthaler cheese with rosemary potatoes and aioli. For desert, we shared the Tri-Nations desert, consisting of Creme Brulee, Chocolate Mousse, and Vanilla Ice Cream with a berry coulis.

Outside Tivoli Gardens

We visted the Malmö Mazetti Chokladfabrik (factory & museum) today and came away with lots of delicious treats both for ourselves and as gifts for family and friends. The factory itself was opened in 1888 and was operated until 1992 when it closed. Upon reopening in 2004, they branded their own chocolate 1888, after the year of inception. They are also the only manufacturer of chocolate producing from cocoa beans, rather than powder. I just finished a Champagne truffle. It was quite delicious.

Tivoli Gardens

But food isn’t the only thing we’ve done here in Malmö. We went for a walk though the park, toured the castle, which is far more claustrophobic than I remember it being, and spent a couple hours shopping for various things such as hats to keep our ears warm and new footwear. Kate is after a nice pair of black boots, which she has yet to purchase (thinking it over, since they were quite expensive), and myself a new pair of trendy shoes like I’m seeing on the streets here on all the young men. I had chosen a nice Peak Performance leather sneaker. They were going to be around 160 US dollars, and unfortunately they weren’t that comfortable... so I chose not to get them. If I’m paying that kind of price for a shoe, it better be damn cozy. Malmö has also installed a new skate park since I was here last that is about three times the size of any that I’ve seen in the states and very pretty. We walked past around 6pm tonight and there were dozens of people using all the ramps, bowls and rails. It was nice to see the wide variety of age groups all “playing nicely” together without any fights or arguments. Speaking of new construction, Malmö it seems is going through a bit of expansion. There are four huge cranes in the central area. One section is being redesigned to be more bicycle friendly and there is going to be a whole new plaza between the Central Station and the new skate park next to the Turning Torso building. While I’m sure it will be beautiful once it’s finished, Malmö seems to be having some growing pains - not to mention the disappointing explosion of American restaurants within walking distance or within the town square itself. I don’t care what anyone says, TGI Fridays should NEVER go in a historical building!

Tivoli Gardens

Tomorrow we’re headed to the new Moderna Museet here in the city, and meeting my friend Helena for coffee in the early afternoon. Then it’s off to Visby, on the island of Gotland. It’s about a 4 hour drive to Oskarshamn, where we’ll catch a ferry (for another 3 hour trip) out to the island, where we’ll spend two days and maybe (hopefully) treat ourselves to a spa treatment. I know I could use a nice massage. My feet are really working overtime, here. I’m not sure what the internet situation will be on the island, so you may not hear from us until we hit Stockholm on Thursday.

I hope this finds you all well and although I’m having a great time, I miss my home and my cat! Hopefully my dad hasn’t adopted him as his own yet, as I’m going to want him back. Looking forward to seeing you all soon and now it’s postcard writing time.

Until next time, friends, I'll leave you with a few more photos...