We had two main goals in Malmö: See the new development along the western harbor and go to the Malmö Art Museum. Goal one check. We biked through a large neighborhood development along the waterfront that seems to be an ongoing project. There were some interesting urban design choices as well as building projects and landscape/hardscape. There is only one real high-rise at this point which is the so-named "Turning Torso" building by Santiago Calatrava. Pictures here. Well, it might look cool or whatever in pictures, but in person it comes across as downright silly. Looking up at it causes dizzy spells, because it looks to be in the process of falling right on top of you. I think Calatrava should stick to bridges. The highlight of the western edge, was well the western edge... the waterfront. They accomplished a close connection to the water by really allowing people to get right down -in- the water.
After snooping around the waterfront, we biked in towards the city center. We passed what might be the coolest kids playground ever. The surfaces are all made of colored rubber that squishes under foot, its almost bouncy. The rainbow object is actually a little foot bridge and the butterfly thing is a jungle gym. Crazy benches too.
Our first disappointment came when we tried to enter the "closed" Malmö Art Museum. I screwed up my dates and they were in the middle of hanging a new show. I did however get some solace when I peeked in the window side window to find quite an interesting scene...
After biking around a bit more, wondering what to do--and getting a bit cold as well--we happened upon a magical land called Ribersborgs Kallbadhus. Well, not really a "land" but the building reminded me of a Hollywood set for a western frontier town saloon. The place is actually a turn of the last century (1898) sauna-house. There is a mens side and a womens side. The rickety wooden building 100 meters out over the sea, had these little 5x5 foot individual changing rooms with a door and window overlooking a common swimming area. This area was surrounded by more changing rooms and a wrap around deck. The sauna rooms all face the wide-open sea and once you've had a good twenty minutes of wood-fired dry sauna heat, you can trot out to the outmost dock and cold-plunge into the ocean. Fan-tas-tic. The Kallbadhus website has a funny description describing the traditional no-swimming suit option, which is the norm at this sauna house... "The baths are a charming and relaxing place to go for people who like to sunbathe without getting sand in their bathing costumes!"
2 comments:
You're forgetting dear- there were three goals- The first two you covered, but the third had to do with food, of course. It was to eat swedish meatballs with fresh ligonberries, as one would expect to do in sweden. But alas, this was perhaps too cliched for the swedes and after biking around two neighborhoods and desperately reading every menu (getting fainter by the minute)the only place we found with meatballs on the menu was deserted and entirely too depressing for dinner. So now i'll have to go to ikea in Seattle to get my swedish meatball fix!
Yes thats right! thats right!
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