Hilda, the motor home, is continuing to take Viveka and I on our tour of Skåne, Sweden. This leg takes us up the west coast.

Malmö is well known as the home of the ‘Turning Torso’. It was built in an area that was originally industrial shipyards, and is now a still developing well-designed community of condos and green space along the sea wall.

Of course there is still the old town with beautiful buildings and streets

Øresund bridge which joins Malmö with Denmark. It’s nearly 8 km, and for comparison, the Confederation Bridge in Canada between Nova Scotia and PEI is almost 13 km.

But Europe is just more concentrated! We are still exploring an area that is only 100 km square, and not seeing it all!

Kalpudding, a typical Swedish dish made of ground meat and cabbage. I love to cook and I’ve had a recipe for this that I was going to make, so it was interesting to eat it first. Personally, I don’t think they caramelized the cabbage as much like my recipe recommends….

We spent several days based in Helsingborg, a very pretty city

A fifteen minute ferry from Helsingborg, Sweden to Helsingor, Denmark for the day. Main attraction for us was Kronborg Castle, otherwise known as Elisnore Castle of Hamlet fame.

There are four ferries, with one loading at each port as the other two are traveling. Very slick service.

And very crazy as the duty free shopping on the ferry is fast and furious.

Some passengers are just going to buy alcohol in Denmark as their prices are lower than Sweden. Sweden’s liquor stores are government owned, with limited hours. I was amazed to see they close at 2 pm on Saturday and not open until Monday.

A local activity is to go back and forth, without getting off, to enjoy some food and drink.

In 1585 Frederick II built Kronborg. It’s strategic location at the entrance to Ørelund created great revenue from the sailors paying a passage fee while the cannons were pointing at them!

A very public argument between Polonius and his daughter Ophelia about Hamlet’s affections

Hanging out with Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle who murdered his brother to become king and then married his sister-in-law. Sweet guy otherwise…

Great actors that encouraged visitors to interact, play chess and ask questions

Clever use of the old canals for a museum

Danish smørebrød, beer and schnapps is the most popular lunch option

Sofiero Palace and Park is close to Helsingborg. We didn’t plan it, but ended up at their annual garden competitions. Some very interesting displays…

The haunted forest

One day it was really raining and we decided to walk around IKEA and pick out furniture for the homes we don’t have. Much safer than the mall!

But suddenly there was a loud noise from Hilda’s engine and we limped into the mall parking lot. We both thought ‘that sounded expensive’. Viveka could not get a service appointment until the next afternoon, but within an hour had sent me a message that Hilda was now good to travel!! Whew!

Viveka’s sister Lotta took us out for a fun evening at a wonderful seafood restaurant

We also had a great lunch with Gisela, Viveka’s sister.

Another ferry trip, this time to Ven, a small island between Sweden and Denmark. We had a tasting session at the distillery, followed by dinner and then I had a good sleep in a cottage while Viveka went back to Hilda.

Ven is only 2.4 by 4.5 km, so easy to explore, though some sun would have been nice! There are hundreds of bicycles to rent.

Last stop, Viveka’s family cottage in the forest for some cooking and relaxation before Estonia on Tuesday.

And thank you to Viveka, Hilda and my friends in Denmark for a great first of four months!!