What’s Different in Malmö?

By Lisa Chandler, 13 April, 2024

We arrived in Sweden on Thursday. For L and me, it’s our first time. Peter has been many times and Olivia, at least a few. 

Today we asked for early observations from L. “What’s different in Malmö?”.

Here’s what she said:
People bike a lot. Without helmets. Even Peter did, though she did not see this. I saw it because I did too. 

Man on a bike without a helmet.
No one lives in a “house”! And none of the apartment buildings are green, blue or purple (from the outside). Many of the streets are cobblestone. 
People walking on a cobblestone city street in Sweden.
Lots of people are willing to speak English to us. 
 
And the playgrounds are way better.

Girl on a rope play structure.

And a few from me:
The Swedes are more innovative with potatoes. They call these tornados!
Two women with a fried potato tornado.
Airport food is much more artfully displayed in Scandinavia (at CPH).

Danish sandwiches in a display case.
Peter’s Swedish friends will move mountains to support his (our) creative pursuits. Here we’re binding little books to put into the “This Box is for Good” edition that we’ll design and print this week in The Netherlands. 

People around a table binding little books.
Old Swedish couches are way cooler than old Canadian couches. This one belongs to Peter’s friend Luisa in her studio at Blå Huset.  
A teal couch in a large creative studio.
And Swedish dogs can speak using buttons. Well, at least these cute little ones can.

Two people and two small dogs sitting on the floor.