The Dress

Okay so I officially went with the dress. I didn’t want to do it because I knew I would stand out. Everyone here is all covered up in dark and neutral tones. Matt and Sarah (via text) convinced me to wear the dress. Which ended up getting a lot of looks throughout the day.

Getting Started

This morning we took the East–West lettered trains to get to our meeting point for our tour. I originally led us to the wrong station entrance (north and south trains), but luckily, a very nice local gave us directions to the correct platform. When we met our group, I noticed we were the only ones from the U.S. Even more interesting, every party (about 15 total) had passports from a different country, making this the most multicultural group we’ve been a part of. Everyone made it on time, and we departed as scheduled at 9:30 a.m.

Helsingør: Kronborg Castle

First stop Helsingør, home to the Kronborg Castle.

Kronborg Castle was built on a massive scale and has been restored more times than I can count, but it still dominates the shoreline with its size. The King and Queen clearly knew what they were doing — out of all those drafty stone halls, they picked the warmest rooms in the castle for themselves. Smart royals, because power means nothing if you’re frozen stiff. I grabbed a tiny little crown magnet from the gift shop… too cute.

Across from the Castle, we stopped at Brammers Menuer i Bjergegade for some proper smørrebrød — those famous Danish open-faced sandwiches that are way fancier than the name makes them sound. Think rye bread piled high with toppings so pretty you almost feel bad eating them… almost. Matt had the fish option and mine was beef. Both delicious.

We were in a time crunch and I got lost trying to find a bathroom. I stopped at a fancy hair salon called PARK by Kyhl Coiffure to ask where it was… they were so sweet and said I could just use theirs, which was a major upgrade. I want to come back now just to get my hair done there.

I miscalculated how much time we needed to get back to the bus but luckily we were only a couple minutes late.

Crossing the Øresund

We crossed the Øresund by ferry, gliding smoothly from Denmark into Sweden. The water was calm, the views wide open, and it felt almost effortless to slip between two countries in less than 20 minutes.

The tour director gave us a lot of background on the history of Denmark and Sweden’s relationship. So here’s the deal: the Skorna entrance to the Baltic was basically the VIP door to all the good trade routes. Whoever controlled it got to play bouncer of the sea.

Cue the Danish–Swedish wars — years of neighbors squabbling like siblings over who gets the bigger slice of cake. Denmark was like, “We’ve had this forever, back off,” and Sweden was like, “New management, baby!”

And yeah… Sweden kinda went all in. They didn’t just step on toes — they went ahead and bulldozed past the idea of keeping peace in the north. It was less polite expansion and more “sorry not sorry, these borders look better over here.”

Lund

Here’s the breakdown of Lund and all the things we learned:
• Cathedral: 900 years old, still ticking with an IKEA-style clock no one fully understands.
• University: Brains + beauty, with botanical gardens made for Instagram.
• Bikes: Cars who? Everyone here is basically auditioning for the Tour de France.
• Shawarma + Pizza: The true local delicacy, mastered by the Iraqi and Syrian residents. Don’t fight it, just eat it.
• History: Lund’s been tossed between Denmark and Sweden so many times it probably needs therapy.

We went all in on the food here: gourmet chocolate, ice cream, and pizza. The pizza was the kind that you have to eat with a fork and knife or all the toppings and cheese just slide off. Very Euro!

The housing authority here runs a little differently than you might expect. They build low-income, income-based apartments, but they also act like a private company — selling homes on the side to keep money flowing. And if things ever go south? The government is basically their safety net, ready to bail them out if needed.

Malmö

Malmö is Sweden’s spicy little southern cousin — scrappy, stylish, and full of surprises. The Turning Torso skyscraper twists into the sky like it’s trying out for Cirque du Soleil, while the old cobblestone squares serve up endless coffee and people-watching. This city is ridiculously multicultural, which means you can score world-class falafel right around the corner from a medieval castle (because why not?). And with Copenhagen just a bridge away, Malmö holds its own with a vibe that’s laid-back, a little quirky, and impossible not to like. Malmö doesn’t try too hard, and maybe that’s why it’s so easy to enjoy.

We used this opportunity to shop! Matt bought me a gorgeous bangle with yellow stones as well as some cologne for himself. And of course, we had to get some Swedish souvenirs.

As we were crossing the street to get back on the bus, someone called out to us, pointed at me, and said to Matthew, “Solen.” Realizing we couldn’t understand, he translated, “Sun!” and pointed up. We smiled, Matt gave his friendly chuckle. I was confused, so I pulled out my ChatGPT and discovered that in Swedish, calling someone “solen” (the sun) is a warm, affectionate compliment. It usually means the person brings light, warmth, and happiness. Just melt my heart, why don’t you? I’m telling you — this dress stands out!

Back in Copenhagen: Meatpacking District

Back in Copenhagen, we headed west to check out the Meatpacking District. Some locals we ran into yesterday suggested it for the best authentic Danish food.

The Meatpacking District in Copenhagen is a jumble of old industrial buildings set in straight rows, once home to slaughterhouses and butchers. It’s gritty and loud, with crowds spilling out everywhere, but honestly I felt safe here because that’s exactly what I expected. The second we walked into one of the courtyards, I was greeted by the sound of glasses shattering — a pretty fitting welcome to the chaos.

Matt chose Restaurant Gorilla and it was a great choice! I had lamb shank and he had Hake (a fish we never heard of before).

Our food was delicious and the service was great. People are always interested to know where we are from. We mostly get indifference if we just say the U.S., but if we say California, we get a more welcoming response and people engage us more. We even got some great recommendations on where to go tomorrow.

Tomorrow

About tomorrow — there are no officially scheduled/booked activities, so we can actually sleep in. There are several suggestions in the itinerary but nothing set in stone. Wish us luck!