Summer has been slow to arrive but today is the first really hot day, by my standards, at 84 degrees. It might even qualify as a heat wave, which in Sweden is 3 consecutive days with a high of at least 77 degrees. Because the infrastructure is built to reduce heating costs, there hasn’t been much attention to combating extreme heat. Most malls and modern public buildings have cooling systems but lots of houses and apartment buildings do not. Surprisingly most Swedes don’t have black out curtains, see this article about the devil’s underwear. We have them to deal with the 17.5 hours of daylight and the street lights outside our windows. They aren’t usually needed to keep out the heat but on days like today I think they are really worth the small reduction in the overall light levels that results from having them. My neighbor said her apartment was 34 (93 degrees) and it was only 2pm. She was taking her 2 year old to hang out at the mall and grocery store. They don’t have curtains on their west windows so I’m sure it’ll be an oven in there by the time the sun sets.
We met up with some of the kids friends at the quarry and everyone swam while I napped. It was fun to catch up with the kids who have been at Uni this year.
We’ve done some nice summer hikes and a trip to Dalby Stenbrott, an old quarry turned swimming-hiking-recreational area. Sommar Lund is the educational and entertainment offerings in our area this summer. So far I’ve been to see a couple of art installations, concerts, the botanic gardens special exhibit and part of a comedy show, which was an extreme challenge for my Swedish level. I enjoyed the fresh air and community spirit but didn’t get any of the jokes!
In 2020-21 when first first arrived in Sweden, we saw a few of the Anonymouse installations in the streets of Lund and Malmö. After some vandalizing incidents, the installations disappeared. The artists announced the end of the project. Now Skissernas Museum is exhibiting the entire collection from all around the world. There was even one from Wisconsin! Melissa came to Lund to spend the day exploring with me and we enjoyed lunch at the expanded Buljong soup restaurant, found all the mouse houses at Skissernas, and toured the climate change exhibit at the Botanic Garden which is undergoing a major greenhouse expansion but is still open except for the greenhouses and cafe. Botan has a temporary coffee cart and gift shop. Melissa and I snagged one of the premium garden swings and enjoyed fika in a lovely green space.
The concerts at Stadsparken have been very popular. The series is well attended, with Lundabo of all ages gathering to dance or lounge on blankets in the grass. Early birds might get a bench seat. One of the funniest things is hearing the call of the circling gulls amplified by the sound system! We saw Jonathan Johansson, who has a new song called Amerika, which is about the death of the American dream. Even without understanding all of the Swedish lyrics we could tell that it was quite depressing. We heard “white trash on the road to Minnesota” and “a little rain over Paisley Park” and “if the dream is dead, America, I will never forgive you”… uffda.
But overall the concert was an exciting summer vibe party, with fairly big names performing. Even without going to the park one can enjoy the music from almost anywhere in town, lol, even from north of Lund, where I take my evening stroll.
The International Club of Skåne had a BBQ for members to connect in Skurup, a small town not too far from Malmö. I caught up with some of the sewing club from years back. Recently I rejoined and started to attend book club and Swedish conversation coffee group and it was nice for the rest of the family to meet some of the group. Bryant especially liked socializing with other English speakers outside of work. Also noteworthy was the Grand Opening of CostCo in Malmö. It was crazy and there were not as many American brands as I’d hoped but there were a few fun items and the chance for other products we miss to come along someday. It was surprisingly fun to hear English spoken everywhere, all the signs and labels were in English and I felt no pressure to even attempt Swedish… and of course, samples!
On my cemetery walks I look for the oldest graves. Most of the oldest are impossible to read but this one must have been recently cleaned. It has the earliest DOB Ive seen, 1741, beating out 1757, which is nearby. Summer in the cemetery is so charming. I suppose it seems strange to say but the flowers, birds, paths, and endless creativity with the grave markers makes it hands down the most interesting area to walk regularly. I see lots of wildlife (hedgehogs, deer, hares, as well as the usual squirrels and birds) and always notice something new.
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