County of Skåne

Skåne and Jämtland are two counties in Sweden which are like isolated islands from the rest. It is Sweden but not Sweden. My family in Sweden lives in Skåne in the South just across the boarder from Copenhagen so when I was running Götebrgsvarvet and had the following Monday off through Pingsten I ended my Sweden tour with two days in this fantastic part of the country. Skåne during the spring is something extra with the yellow raps fields all around and before all tourists arrive it is a place you don’t want to leave.

Ystad

My parents moved this year from Västerås to Ystad and to go there from Copenhagen airport is very easy. Either you drive through the inland high way or take the sightseeing route at the coast or take the train from Copenhagen airport which leaves every half an hour and takes one hour.

When you get to Ystad you will get to a very picturesque city which is known in many thriller books. The city is old and although it is rather small with it’s 30 000 inhabitants it is lively with a lot of stores and cafes and restaurants compared to similar cities where shopping malls has taken over the commerce.

There is even a neighborhood with my name. A Pernilla area.

Skåne is flat and very biking friendly. Many people travel around by bike between different villages and I can strongly recommend that. And if you are tired of biking you can bring it on the public transport. Public transport also works for transport or of course by car. Or maybe running or hiking at Skåneleden which takes you through the very best parts.

Apart from great sightseeing Skåne has a lot of great food places. We went for a fika lunch in the city of Ystad at Söderberg & Sara and I can only recommend it. Homemade fantastic baked fika and sallads and toasts that looked worth the travel there for.

The ocean is never far and during my two days I managed to do two runs. One to the east from my parents house and one to the west. It can be windy- (and was a bit) but who cares when the views are reaching to the horizon.

Smygehuk

The southernmost point of the whole country is along the coast say accessible so when we drove back from a bbq and pool afternoon at my brothers family in Höllviken we stopped by. I had never been at the sign before so a new check on the list. This Monday evening in May we were almost by ourselves but during the summer there are a lot of well known Swedish singers coming there for performance. And there is a cute harbor for private boats.

There are really a lot of great places to visit in Skåne. Malmö has maybe not had the best reputition the last years but no need to worry, the city is worth a visit, Kivik with its apples and national park, Sandhammaren with the most beautiful beach in Sweden, Brantevik with its charm, Mölle and Höganäs with its cuteness and Helsingborg which has a marathon worth its name I have heard (and hope to try out this year depending on my vacation plans) is a must. And the old student town of Lund. I am telling you. Skåne is filled with gems. I forgot maybe Åhus and Simrishamn. It is a must see for everyone going to Sweden that is one thing that is true. Have you been and found some treasures?

/ Pernilla that loves Skåne