The Adventure

Being the cheap man that I am, I decided to walk from where I lived in Malmö, Sweden instead of taking the bus or train all the way to Lund. Public transportation, which would have cost 43,50 SEK for a student, or 58 SEK for an adult (around $5.75-$7.75 CAD), and taken around 20 minutes between central stations seemed unreasonable to a man such as myself. Instead, I decided to save the money at the expense of 3–3.5 hours walking each way.

The trip was enjoyable though, at least on the way there. I’ve told myself that if I’m ever back in the area, I’ll make the journey again. I guess it’s been long enough that I have forgotten the pain of the return journey. But with the Lord of the Rings’ soundtrack in my ears, the journey through the Swedish countryside was quite nice. In a way, I felt a bit like the fellowship, taking on the world by foot, though I would never make such a journey without shoes. I didn’t see much nature during my stay in Sweden and in my adventures around Europe, so it was refreshing to get out of the city for a bit. I also got to see a few smaller towns on the way, passing through Arlöv, Åkarp, and just skimming the edge of Hjärup.

I left Malmö around 10:30, arriving in Lund around lunchtime. Again, because I’m cheap, I chose to pack a sandwich instead of eat out in Lund. It was unusually hot out for a mid-October day, at least in my experience, so I settled in some shade at Stadsparken (City Park) while I ate. From that point on, I wandered the city without any sense of direction or intention. I was simply going to take in the sights as I came across them. I knew next to nothing about the city before visiting, so I was pleased to find several beautiful old churches, and other historic buildings such as Kungshuset. At one point, it did begin to rain, which I believe is pretty typical for that area of Sweden, though it’s more common closer to the coast. As usual, though, the rain was brief and the rest of my day was undisturbed.

I spent just the afternoon in Lund before returning home. The long walk back was relatively similar to the walk there, though I was tired from a long day, and it took a bit longer. In total, I spent over 8 hours walking, and needed to take a short break on the way back (I was also pretty hungry). I stopped at a grocery store in Arlöv to pick up some food, and took a quick rest before walking the remaining hour (ish) back to Malmö. This walk lingered with me for months afterwards. I could still feel the stress put on my feet and where blisters and dead skin had been. However, I would still do this trip again, especially since I hope to do more challenging walks in my future travels.

Highlight

The highlight of the trip was easily Lunds Domkyrka (Lund Cathedral). I am a sucker for a nice church, and the cathedral in Lund was unlike anything I had ever seen. The church appears to be constructed from these dark stones, sometimes appearing more black than grey. The outside of the building is covered in round arches and features two square towers at the front of the cathedral. Parts of the church date back to as early as the 12th century, while other major features are from the 14th or 15th centuries.

The interior is as impressive, if not more so, than the exterior. Entrance is free, and I was able to take in the intricate details that covered the interior of the building and everything inside. The historic carved choir stalls are particularly impressive, but every inch of the interior was filled with intricate detail and beauty. The cathedral’s interior also featured not one but several organs, and a historic astronomical clock. I’ve seen a few astronomical clocks in my time, and am still clueless on how to interpret the many rings, arms, and other details that supposedly communicate time on a level beyond our twelve-hour clocks. I also find it impressive that they had such an advanced understanding of time and astronomy so many hundreds of years ago. The clock itself was also full of artistic details that somewhat distracted from reading the time.

Concluding Thoughts

Overall, I highly recommend a visit to Lund, Sweden. It is a beautiful city full of history and culture, with lots to see and do for little to no money. If I ever find myself in the area again, I will definitely pay it another visit, and I would recommend that you do too if you ever find yourself in southern Sweden.