Scandinavian Trip - Day 10 - Malmo City

Today's plan was a nice relaxing sightseeing trip in Malmo city, so we got up a bit late. The breakfast spread at the hotel was the best of this trip so far, with a wide variety of bread, cookies, local delicacies like sweet saffron cookies, Swedish pancakes and yoghurt with lingonberry sauce. We filled our stomach to the brim before heading out.

We spent the late morning on a nice walk to the Malmohus, the Malmo castle, which was a royal party house in the past for the Danish kings ruling over South Sweden (Skane), where lavish and extravagant parties were thrown. It also served as a prison for 5 years to the Earl James, husband of queen of Scotland, and has seen seiges. The museum showcased the opulance and the sometimes weird traditions of the royalties of the time. The Malmo castle has also been a refugee camp for the world war 2 Scandinavian prisoners of war held by the Germans, who were rescued by the Swedish Red Cross using White Buses, and weirdly sprayed with DDT as a "harmless disinfectant", such were the times then! There was also an exhibition showcasing some of the stories of these refugees. 

While my daughter and myself were immersed in the history of the Malmo Castle, my wife, her aunt and my son went to the nearby beach and the Turning Torso, the twisted building which rises high above the Malmo landscape and well visible from most parts of the city. 

When the stomach grumbled, we decided to find an Indian restaurant, and Kashmir did not disappoint. The freshly made thali and starters were very filling. The sun had set by the time we came out of lunch, so we went on a nice stroll around the town centre and visited the Christmas Market, munched on some Churros while taking in the sights and the Christmas vibe of the locals. We visited a Science Fiction book store for a browse as well, before returning back to the hotel. We decided on a rough itinerary for the next 3 days, settled in for an early night's sleep as tomorrow is expected to be a long day with some long drives planned.