Lund is a picturesque college town is southern Sweden. We stopped there for a short visit to see our friends that we met over a decade ago. During our one day there, our friends took us for a charming walk around the city center. The highlight was most definitely the Lund Cathedral. Sweden is not a religious country and it was interesting to see how nowadays people go to the religious institution more for cultural reasons rather than prayers. When we went there, there was a high school theater rehearsal and one of the aisles had a circular bench with a teddy bear sitting on it. Perhaps the toys in the church are placed because the kids tend to get bored durning the mass. Below are some pictures of the cathedral.
Ancient astronomical clock & religious calendar
Lund cathedral has several spectacular must sees. One is a massive astronomical clock and calendar. The other is it's catacombs. It was amazing visiting these ancient tombs and experiencing them almost entirely to yourself. Where other sites like this are typically bombarded with tourists, on the day we visited it was completely empty. It was also special because on the day we visited, it was the anniversary of one of the tombs burial, 893 years ago!
Sweden has really good coffee and we learned on our trip that there is a big coffee culture here. They even have a word for it which is FIKA, a "coffee break". This isn't just a regular coffee break or a visit to Starbucks. Swedish people take their time drinking coffee and eating some baked sweets. The Fika's (coffee shops) are social hangouts and many people go there to relax and talk with friends. The coffee shop that we went to, Espresso House, was filled with people young and old, and there was not one person working on their laptop. We had the "Salted Carmel latte" with soy, of course, at the Espresso House. It was probably the best latte ever! Yum!
The Swedish countryside is unbelievably beautiful. If you love nature and the country side with wild flowers, dramatic clouds and moderate temperatures definitely come to see Lund.
Special thanks to our hosts Charlotte and Adam for letting us stay with them. They are both amazing friends that cooked for us, took us on a tour of Lund and welcomed us into their home and family. This was a great experience. Thank you!!
