It's no wonder Abba were such a successful group - they probably learned to sing in one of Sweden's 106,000 choirs. A piece of trivia I picked up on my travels to this stylish country. My visit was based around Malmo on the coast, a 40-minute trip across the Oresund from Copenhagen, in the province of Skane. The area is characterised by fields, pastures and forests. This is typically agricultural land where the winters are not as harsh or as short as the Sweden we know.
The first thing that caught my eye in this city was the rows and rows of neatly parked bicycles along the streets and none of them locked. Imagine that in Ireland. Malmo is a nicely laid out city with wide streets, lots of parks and open spaces and very traditional Swedish buildings interspersed with modern constructions and industrial areas.
It's a big city with the feel of a small town. Pretty canals dissect the city and you can take a canal tour. In the centre of Malmo is the Old Cemetery, a haven of peace and solitude where the bustle of life seems far away. It has been carefully restored and makes an interesting interlude reading the inscriptions on the gravestones.
I had been warned that Sweden would be "so expensive - you won't be able to afford anything." In fact, I found Malmo no more expensive than Dublin. Some things were slightly more expensive but we are talking pennies not pounds. The difference was in the quality. Beer in a trendy bar was about £3. A meal out for two costs around the £30 mark.
Malmo has its McDonald's and other such establishments for those watching their purses. The Irish bar has also found a home in Malmo and is very popular with the Swedes. Good buys include glassware for which Sweden is renowned.
Breakfast in a Swedish hotel is the way to start the day - they invented the buffet. And what a buffet is served for breakfast! Enough to keep you going for the rest of the day. Fish is the pre-dominent food here and it's served for every meal. Herrings every which way you never even heard of.
After filling up on breakfast get out and about in this friendly city. Its size brings Galway to mind - everywhere is within walking distance if you so decide.
However, the most cost-effective way to see the city is to buy a `Malmo card' from the tourist office. This entitles you to free travel on the buses, entry to the museum, half price on the hydrofoil to Copenhagen, discounted taxi trips and special offers in shops and restaurants. It costs about £12 and is well worth it. Malmo has good beaches nearby. The Ribben is a wonderful, long beach only 15 minutes walk from the city centre. Within an hour you can reach 52 golf courses, 200 historic castles and manors and see cosy inns and pretty farms.
One of the oldest buildings in Malmo is the St Petri Church. It is filled with treasures from the 16th and 17th centuries. Malmohus Castle, a massive 16th century fortress, housed the Danish kings who ruled southern Sweden for many years. Today the castle houses the Malmo museum and a restaurant.
The city's St Gertrud quarter consists of buildings from the 16th and 17th centuries. The tourist office organises guided walks and will also help you plan your own itinerary.
The history of Malmo is entwined with their nearest neighbours, the Danes. We were jokingly invited to take away the statue of a Danish king standing opposite the town hall. We suggested they bury him as we did with Victoria.
Links with Denmark are friendly today. Many Danes live in Skane and commute to work and Swedes go to Copenhagen for shopping and entertainment. A new bridge, the 200-meter high Oresund Link, is expected to be completed with a couple of years.
Close to Malmo is the university town of Lund. It takes about 20 minutes to get there on the Pagetagen train - the lilac train to us. The buildings in Lund are beautiful. We visited Kulturen, the museum of cultural history founded in 1882, next to the cathedral. The museum is an open area of about 30 buildings which show how people lived in southern Sweden through the ages. All the houses are furnished in the style of their day, ranging from the 12th century to the 19th century. It makes a fascinating day trip from Malmo.
We also made a day trip to Flyinge, Sweden's most famous stud farm. Horses have been bred at Flyinge since the 12th century when Danish archibishops held a fortified stronghold there.
The Royal Stud was established in 1658 by King Carl X Gustaf. Swedish warmbloods are bred here for riding, particulary for the army and for equestrian competition. While we were there we saw the first surrogate-bred foal which was only three weeks old. It was also incredible to see storks nesting on the roof of the stables.
Copenhagen is just 40 minutes away by hydrofoil. This makes it and Malmo a very interesting two-centre holiday. Both cities have long traditions of royalty which is reflected in their culture and surroundings. The loop around the Oresund can be completed easily from Copenhagen to Malmo to Elsinore, site of Hamlet's castle, and back. Public transport is reasonable, clean and efficient.
