Welcome to Malmö, Sweden!

A few weeks ago I packed up my stuff and life and headed over the pond again and moved from the US back to Sweden. I decided to settle in Malmö, Sweden’s third largest city. It’s a little more than an hour drive from my place of birth, Laholm, and it’s also the place where my older sister lives.

Growing up in a small town, I realized early that I was a city girl to the core. I want to live in a city where I can walk out and find a coffee shop around the corner and be able to buy fresh groceries every day, bread, baguettes…gosh, sounds like I want to live in Paris, right? Well Malmö is not Paris, but it’s a great city. And I have the good fortune of living right smack in the center now. Thanks sis!

With this blog post I would like to introduce you to Malmö. To give you my first impression of the city. This is just my current take on Malmö and will display the limited amount of knowledge I have so far. When I at times considered settling in Sweden I always thought I would end up in our capital, Stockholm. And maybe I will in a few years. But for now, Malmö is my place of residence. Close to my family and close to the rest of Europe…let me explain:

Malmö is located in the south of Sweden and is attached to Denmark via a bridge. From my apartment you can walk for 10 minutes to a train station, jump on a train and in 20 minutes you are at Kastrup, Denmark’s largest airport. 10 more minutes with the train and you are in the heart of Copenhagen, a great city! The region Malmö/Copenhagen is pretty rad. Many Swedes living in Malmö work in Copenhagen and vice versa.

"Möllan"

I live at Möllevångstorget, called “Möllan." When I registered my move here I got some information sent to me about the city along with some really, really nice coupons for discounts in several stores. In one brochure “Möllan” was called Malmö's Soho. As I am a big fan of Soho in both New York City and London, this made me smile. It’s centered around a square, Möllevångstorget, where every day there is a large farmer’s market with tons of fresh fruits and veggies for sale. Farmer’s market? But wasn’t the point to move from the countryside and into a city?! Hehehe…Many exotic restaurants and stores are located around the square, stores with names such as “Asian Groceries” and “Baghdad Food.” Malmö’s population is extremely diverse and people from around 170-180 different countries live in the city. 31 % of the population is born abroad, making Malmö a true melting pot. This kind of environment works well for me as I have lived abroad for a very long time. I blend in with my broken Swedish. 

During the first walkabout my sister took me on around the city I learned about 3 squares, in addition to my own stomping grounds, “Möllan.” I learned that Gustav Adolf's Torg (a square named after a dead king) is where H&M is located. I have a special bond to H&M as I used to work for them in the US. Another square is “Stortorget” (the Big Square). Not very big in my opinion, but here is where my first outing in Malmö took place. I had drinks and snacks with my sister and two of her friends and it was a great experience indeed. I feel that the food is fairly affordable in Malmö, although Sweden is an expensive country as a whole. However, having a glass of wine with your meal will set you back. This is with regards to Sweden’s high taxation on alcohol.

Lilla Torg

Moving on to “Lilla Torg” (the Little Square), this is where you go to be seen I was told. Lots of beautiful people sitting at the many bars and restaurants. Overall I feel that people in Malmö are very stylish. Well people in Sweden in general are very well groomed and really into their fashion.  But they all look the same to me - following the latest fashion trends to the core. I am more of a hippie. I did wear high heels when I was out with my sister and will probably have to invest in more of those kinds of shoes if I am to fit in. But on the other hand, that’s never been my goal as of late, to fit in. Speaking of hippie-ness, I have already found plenty of stores carrying chia seeds and the like so my healthy eating habits can continue.

Västra Hamnen

Going back to where to be seen, during summertime you should go to “Västra Hamnen” (the West Harbor) and sunbathe laying on the wooden boardwalk. It's awesome that you can take a swim right in the middle of such a large city! It’s a newly developed area and the architecture there is really cool. There are apartments, coffee shops and canals mixed together. Malmö’s most famous building, “Turning Torso”, is located there. 190 meters high, 54 levels. The tower consists of apartments, but the two top levels are for conferences, parties etc and people can rent the space. The view is of the ocean and “Öresundsbron”, the bridge connecting Sweden and Denmark. And no, the tower is not turning. It’s just made to look twisted.

"Ribban"

Another place for sunbathing, not far from the city, is Ribersborg, "Ribban." This is a beach with nice sand. You can see "Turning Torso" from the beach. “Ribban” is where my sister and her friends took me during my first sunbathing session. We drove there with the top down in my sister’s cabriolet and we felt all glamorous...at least I did.

Emporia

To keep up with the trends and fashion etc, you may need to frequent a shopping mall. There are a lot of shops etc in central Malmö. However, in 2012 Scandinavia’s largest shopping mall was opened just outside of the city. It’s called “Emporia.” I am not a devoted shopper anymore. Honestly, shopping kind of bores me. But the entrance of the mall is very impressive, the inside is modern and the selection of stores is good.

The Central Station

The Central Station in Malmö got a facelift in 2011 and I like the atmosphere in there. Kind of a light, light version of Grand Central Station in New York City. Inside the rather small, but charming, building are many restaurants and cafes.

Speaking of cafes, holy cow! There are tons in Malmö! “Espresso House” is a chain of coffee shops and the company has 19 (!) locations within the greater Malmö area! Yes I had to Google this one, but any visitor to Sweden can see that Swedish people LOVE their (our) coffee! "Espresso House" is a coffee shop chain with a chilled vibe, but for a more unique coffee experience you should go to “Lilla Kafferosteriet” (a local shop roasting their own coffee beans on the site). I vow to work my way through the various coffee shops in Malmö so I can give a more extensive report later.  

I am generally not too keen on chain restaurants either, but I must say, for now, my favorite place to eat at in Malmö is “Vapianos.” A place which serves amazingly fresh Italian food made with high, high quality ingredients. And they have a great wine selection too!

Okay, do all Malmö residents, myself included now, only eat, drink coffee and shop? Yeah…and they exercise. My favorite place for that…now it sounds like I have lived there more than the few weeks I have…is Pildammsparken. I wrote a blog post about the outdoor gym located in the park last week. It’s a beautiful park indeed.

And oh, the one and only Zlatan Ibrahimović, one of the best (if not THE best) soccer players in the world comes from Malmö!

So there friends, this is my first impression of my new city. Now…who will come visit me?