Exploring Malmö

Malmö is Sweden's third-largest city (not that there are very many large cities in Sweden...), and it's only a 10 minute train ride from Lund! After spending a week recovering from my backpacking trip, I decided it was time to put on my traveling shoes and go exploring. Unfortunately, the soles of my beautiful bronze Nikes literally came off at the end of my trip, so I got a pair of cute Converse at the secondhand store.

Malmö is also where the second largest IKEA store in THE WORLD is located! I had a lot of fun running around it's maze-like displays and reliving my childhood. The food prices were also so cheap, I wanted to cry. Costco-priced things are really not a thing in Sweden...sigh.

My favorite part of Malmö was the famous Malmöhus, a large castle-turned-museum located in the middle of an absolutely gorgeous city park.

Next to the castle was a cluster of other museums and art galleries. I went inside a Technology & Transportation museum, which featured some really cool interactive exhibits on cars, boats, planes, trains, and even submarines (I got to climb inside one!). If I was a kid, I would've thought I died and went to play heaven but my inner child was super excited still.

Working air traffic control like a bo$$

We all live in a...but forreal this is so cool

 I also found BOBA in a mall, which made me sooo happy. The pearls were overcooked but I was glad to have a little taste of home. It's funny how the city blends it's traditional Scandivanian roots with the cultures of the large immigrant population. Here's a windmill from the beautiful Kungsparken:

Malmö is not exactly tourist central, but it is a place well worth exploring. Little squares and parks will surprise you at every turn, and it's international population means that there is food and culture from many corners of the world. I will definitely be back for more!

 

 Also this is a real concern in Swedish train stations...

The Great London Museum Crawl

Four days in London went by in the blink of an eye, but the start was a little rough...

A peaceful three hours of "sleep" on my overnight coach went by before we were jolted awake by the driver telling us to all get off the bus. We were shuffled in and out of two immigration offices, asked a bunch of pointless "interview" questions, and shuffled back into the bus. 10 minutes later, we were told to get off again to board the ferry (they told me the bus would go by tunnel! ughh), which was another two hours drifting in and out of consciousness.

We arrived in London two hours later than the expected time, meaning I missed my coach to Bath (a nearby historic city). Instead of booking another bus, I thought I'd give my dream city the time it deserves and set off exploring.

First stop was my most anticipated museum - the famous British Museum. However, it was hot, overcrowded, and pretty overwhelming/disorganized and I didn't really enjoy it.

Sad lion

My favorite museum in London turned out to be the VICTORIA & ALBERT MUSEUM, the largest decorative arts museum in the world. What does that mean? you may ask. Well, you've gotta see it to believe it. They literally had collections of all sorts, from statues to clothing to tapestries. I loved the variety, the fact that you could walk right up to the art pieces, and the air conditioning (hehe). The European casts room was a jaw-dropper - one massive room filled with plaster casts of medieval towers, sarcophagi, statues, and even cathedral gates. I liked the V&A so much I went back for a second day!

 Casts gallery, my favorite

 Bernini & Rodin

Theater & Performance gallery!

Tate Modern was also a pretty cool museum, especially for fans of modern art (obviously). The gallery was converted from a former train station, so it kinda gives it an edgy steampunk feel. The art was intriguing but I was too tired to give it a really good look, but I liked what I saw!