After our Copenhgagen trip, Dipayan and I decided to spend a day in Malmö. So, Instead of choosing a direct train to Stockholm, we opted for a train to Malmö. Since Malmö is easier to visit from Copenhagen, travellers tag Malmö with their trip to the Danish capital. In fact, Copenhagen Airport is the nearest airport from Malmö.

We boarded in the train to Malmö. Departing from Copenhagen, our train entered into a tunnel, followed by a sharp elevation to the iconic Øresund Bridge, the connection between Sweden and Denmark over the Flinte Channel.

It was raining outside so we could not get the clear view from the bridge but we could feel the architectural relics of the structure. 

“Amlan, can we get a view of this bridge from outside?” Dipayan asked me.

“Yes”, I replied, “We need to go to a park where we can get a view of the bridge. But since the bridge is so long, the view might not be very clear.”

“But see the photographs in Google, they have got the top view and perpendicular view.”

“I think they are taken either from helicopters or using Drone.”

“So, there is very less chance to get a clear view of the bridge in this weather.”

“Don’t be so upset, in Europe, the sky might get absolutely clear after the rain.”

He looked a bit disappointed even though I also felt a bit unhappy with the weather. Since it was mid November, the daytime was reduced to 8 to 9 hours. Effectively we would have only 4 to 5 hours in hand to visit the city. I knew, it was enough time to explore the small city Malmö  provided the weather would permit.

By 10PM we reached Malmö Central Station. We came out of the station, had sandwiches and a cup of coffee from Pressbyrån (the largest chain of convenience stores in Sweden) and headed towards the adjacent bus stop. Like the other Swedish Central Station, Malmö Central Station is as expected beautiful. Architecturally, Malmö is the new desination for today’s business world hence the modern architectures have been constructed. The coexistence of Baroque Architecture with the flamboyant buildings of new generation added an aesthetic value to the city.

“The sky is clear, we should first go to the viewpoint to get a glimpse of the bridge” I said to Dipayan.

“Yes, obviously.” Dipayan replied.

“Correct, first we need to get to the bus that is supposed to come within 2 minutes.”

Dipayan also agreed. By that time we reached the bus stop and within a minute the bus came.

View of Øresund Bridge from Daniaparken (Dania Park):

Bus No. 3 took only five minutes to reach Värnhem. A walk of 10 minutes we arrived at the gate of Daniaparken. Further walk of 5 minutes toward the sea finally we got a clear view of the famous Øresund Bridge.

“Magnificent” Dipayan said.

“Look at the engineering”, I replied, “The suspension bridge started as a road and rail bridge together. In the middle of the Flinte Channel, there was a huge gap to keep a passage for the cruises and ships. Two girders are holding the bridge in that area. Finally the bridge sloped down to a tunnel under the sea and reached Copenhagen in the tunnel way. This is a magnificent example of engineering.” I said to Dipayan.

“Really a work of art”

I was feeling thrilled as I had just crossed the bridge by train. I was pretty much sure that Dipayan was also thinking the same. Anybody must think the same. Øresund Bridge is not only a masterpiece of technological relics, but also a milestone of modern architecture.

We wanted to be there for some more time but the cold air of Nordic Coastal area was cracking our bones. Moreover we had limited time in hand. The sun was already on the western sky. So we started for our next destination – Turning Torso.

Turning Torso:

A walk of 15 minutes took us in front of Turning Torso – the tallest building of the Nordic Countries. 

“Amlan, look at the other buildings with this one. It seems like Turning Torso is the Gulliver and others are lilliputs.” Dipayan said to me.

“Indeed” I replied with a laugh. “Not only that, look at the architecture – it can be named as a “Twist Building.”

“Obviously. Another work of art.”

My friend Dipayan was right. If Oresund Bridge is a milestone of technology and art then another prominent one is Turning Torso. The building has been constructed in nine segments of the five storeyed pentagons that twist relative to each other as it rises. The topmost segment is twisted 90 degree clockwise with respect to the ground floor.

We tried to get inside the building but unfortunately it was closed. Dusing Summer, it is allowed to go to the top floor for the tourists.

We were planning for our next spot but suddenly it started raining. Fortunately we found a Domino’s Pizza purlor and decided to have lunch.

After lunch we headed towards Malmö castle.

Malmö Castle (Malmöhus Castle):

Dating back to 1434, Malmöhus Castle is one of the best tourist attractions in the city. It was actually still part of Denmark. What I loved about this castle is that it explains a great deal of the history between Denmark and Sweden. The lines were not always so clear-cut as to who owned which part of the land. Anyone wanting to learn about the history of Malmö or the Skåne region in general will be in for a treat as the castle’s exhibits explain just how the then-town changed hands from Denmark to Sweden, as well as paint the picture of the centuries of war between the two countries.

Since I was very much interested in History, I liked walking inside the castle and then we went to the adjacent Slottsträdgården.

Slottsträdgården:

Slottsträdgården is an open, organic garden in the middle of Malmö. Here you can enjoy the changing of the seasons in a quiet and beautiful place with the windmill Möllan in the background. It would have been great if we could visit this park during Summer. But I really liked the calmness of the park. Though it was November, we found some fall colour. Moreover, the wooden windmill was really nice.

Dusk was about to set in with the gradual decrease of temperature. We decided to walk towards the station.