Linköping, Sweden

Saturday, May 21

I woke up to a gloomy Saturday in Simrishamn, to enjoy another wonderful breakfast of a sandwich, melon, and kalles, made by Kerstin. She was a great owner and hostess, providing us with comfortable accommodations. She was also enjoyable to talk with; she and I discussed world travels for some time. She had been all over the world – from Asia-Pacific (India and Nepal) to Peru and Bolivia to New York and Florida, among other destinations. She’s also been to Belize, and she and her husband (who is from Greece) are going to Greece next month. Overall, Kirstin’s breakfast and cozy accommodations, and the picturesque outdoor patio, made my experience at Aurora Bed & Breakfast quite pleasant.

After leaving Simrishamn, my favorite of our first three cities, we were in for five hours of train rides from Simrishamn back to Malmö and on to Linköping. During our 40-minute layover in Malmö, I perused a variety of cafes for lunch options; I decided to check out the station’s large market. In addition to buying some souvenirs, I had a salmon, spinach, and shrimp sandwich with a chocolate energy bar and chocolate milk. Best sandwich of the trip so far!

For the three-hour ride from Malmö to Linköping, the train was much more luxurious. I sat with fellow traveler Nick, a sophomore majoring in Art Game Design. While we conversed about our interests and travel experiences, we also played card games like “WAR” and “Dirty Louie” to pass the time.

Upon arriving in Linköping, we met up with Peter (Mary’s husband), who led us to our hotel. This was our first place with a “hotel” feel, with a more typical bedroom with bathroom setup. After unwinding at Linköpings Cityhotell (LCH), we bussed over to meet with Mothers of the World in a nearby suburb. These mothers are from the Muslim religion, from places including Saudi Arabia and Iraq/Iran, and they all had kids (probably ages 2 to 15) with them. We discussed democracy and civic responsibilities to benefit society. My family was a mother with two kids, Alan (age 5) and Hillan (age 7/8); they also drew me some pictures. Alan loved biking, so he “showed off” his little pink bike. The evening concluded with a fulfilling multicultural dinner and group dancing. I especially enjoyed taking the stage with other children and fellow travelers. This was a very enriching cultural experience…

Sunday, May 22

Being a Sunday, we were able to have a relaxing day. After breakfast, I decided to go with other students, Mary, and Peter to nearby Berg Slussar, a 15-minute bus ride from Linköping. When we arrived around 10:30, we toured the Vreta Abbey Church and Cemetery area. A nearby building had graves from the 1100s, with those who established the Church and surrounding area.

Not far away was the more modern town, along the canal, with residential apartments, restaurants, ice cream shops, and even mini-golf! After a nice lunch of pesto sandwich and mint-chocolate-chip ice cream, Mary and I enjoyed a quick 9-hole round of mini-golf. Despite my ace on hole 6, Mary was victorious by four strokes. So now I can say I have played mini-golf in Europe!

With a few hours before activities, and the weather sunny and in the 60s, I was eager for outdoor activities. After researching local disc golf courses, Alex and I headed to Stangebro Disc Golf in a more scenic part of town. We enjoyed “practicing” around Hole 1 but were ambiguous about where to go from there. While the course was on an open field, there were no signs for following holes. What was more confusing was, for example, how holes 2 and 8 were 30 to 40 feet apart. Therefore, the two of us “made” our own holes around the course. The Stangebro Disc Golf Course was definitely the most wide-open yet confusing course I’ve ever played.

This evening’s event was J.S. Bach Organ Concert at Linköping Domkyrka (Cathedral). The music included Bach’s Pedalexercitium, Trio in G Major, and Prelude and Fugue in A Minor. Sitting near the back, I could hear the beautiful organ acoustics throughout. At concert’s end, I was fortunate to meet the stage organist, Sara Michelin. Sara had been playing the organ for 16 years, and I loved how she played every piece with emotion and suspense.

To end the evening, some travelers and I grabbed dinner from Hemkop, a local grocery store. I tried the local classic: Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, topped off with tasty cheese rolls. Nick and I enjoyed dinner together in our hotel floor kitchen, playing cards and having fun figuring out the microwave. Overall, today was a great sightseeing day in Linköping.

Monday, May 23

We met with the Linköping Mayor, Lars Vikinge, very early this morning. We were shown around City Hall (Stadshus), and convened in a major room for discussing political affairs. Lars was very informative with his stance on issues ranging from climate change to public transportation to foreign relations. Two things that stood out to me were the city’s goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2025 and the effort put forth with public transportation in Linköping.

After a quick stop at Wayne’s Coffee for a Chocolate Chip Cookie Shake, Norrkoping was the main day trip, particularly for the Visualization Center. This provided a great STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) experience, ranging from exhibits on how the brain works to studying climate change worldwide to the Nordome, the world’s most immersive dome experience. In the Nordome, we watched videos on 3-D design & architecture and the solar system, galaxy, and beyond. The was definitely a very “immersive” dome experience.

In the middle of exhibiting, lunch was a group one at the VC. I tried the Swedish pancakes, along with the salad bar. While the was okay, the coleslaw was, simply put, the best coleslaw I’ve ever had! The pancakes were tasty as well.

For the last 30 minutes, we were free to explore the museum. About half a dozen of us congregated around Mindball, a game to test one’s stress where two players compete against one another. As in an EEG, players were “wired,” or wrapped with a cloth that simulated covering electrodes during an EEG. The ball moved toward the person who was more stressed at a point; once the ball landed in someone’s goal, that person lost (games went anywhere from 2 to 20 minutes). In all, Nordome and Visualization Center were fascinating STEAM experiences.

Once back to Linköping, we were all free for the night. I opted to go to Mary’s house, to see some Swedish countryside and residential areas. Once getting off in Borensberg (Mary’s hometown), she showed me some popular tourist attractions – restaurants, boating, shops, and others. Peter, Mary, and I ate at Pizzeria Napoli, which had “special” and “extra special” pizzas. We had two “extra special,” one being ham and salami, the other Hawaiian with bananas. After pizza, Mary showed me the local scenic overlook and into their house. The house was massive inside with nice views; I loved the organ they had too. Seeing Borensburg and their house was a special opportunity…

Tuesday, May 24

Tuesday morning greeted us with quite pleasant weather. To start, I walked around the local Linköping Tradgardsforening Garden. The garden was full of tulips, daffodils, and wooden trellises with vines and other shrubbery. I also enjoyed my morning breakfast here, consisting of a leftover pork wrap and coleslaw. The garden sights were spectacular, from the front gate to waterfall to other architecture.

Mary then took us to Gamla, Linköping’s old town district. There were an abundance of small gardens, cafes and shops. After walking the town and its forested areas, I bought some hard Swedish candy from a quaint store. Overall, Gamla Linköping was a very charming district with its old, colorful buildings and attractive shops.

We then headed to East Sweden Games for lunch and tours. ESG is home to a plethora of game development; we could see some game design studios and meet company employees.

Before the tour, our group lunch was in the company’s cafeteria. There were many appealing choices; I went with “kebabtallrik.” All I expected was an average-sized plate of meat and potatoes. Instead, I received a loaded plate of French fries topped with meat (pork?), cheese, and small vegetables. The plate was so loaded, I passed it around for others to take fries. Thankfully, half of them were taken (although I didn’t eat half of what was left). The meat and cheese tasted great, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the fries.

For the rest of East Sweden Games, we were shown games the company helped develop. Personally, I was not very intrigued or engaged on this topic. So, after a presentation or two, five of us headed back toward downtown Linköping.

After some time shopping, I went to the local pool with Ahnikah, Brenna, and Tim. After entering, to our pleasant surprise, it was more than a pool; there was a waterpark! We did both the body and tube slides a couple times. Because I couldn’t quite hold onto the rope myself at the top of the tube slide, I once rode the double-tube down by myself. With the waterslides and relaxation, the four of us had a blast at Simhallen Waterpark.

One final late-night event was gaming at Kappa Bar. When I walked in, around 12 or 12 fellow travelers were playing card games. They had been snacking and enjoying games for the last few hours. When arriving, I somehow immersed myself into Cards Against Humanity for an hour.

Overall, from walking around Tradgardsforenging to Gamla Linköping to evening activities, I had an enjoyable last day in Linköping, Sweden.