Ystad and Beer

The weather in this town could really stand to get its act together. It factored into our decision to forgo a last-minute weekend trip to Göteborg, Sweden's second-largest city, and has been something of a general killjoy. Instead, we opted to keep our adventures local and try to rest up for the very busy summer ahead.

Ystad

Last week, my friend Julie and I braved the dark skies and hopped on a train to a little town in southern Skåne called Ystad, which is best known as the setting and primary filming location for the British television series Wallander. At their tourist center, you can sign up for a tour called "In the Footsteps of Wallander" or purchase any number of Wallander memorabilia, including coffee mugs and t-shirts. We did not do any of these things. Instead, we walked all over the place, covering most of the town in just a couple of hours, and marveled at the cozy half-timbered houses that line the winding, cobble-stoned streets. Some of the houses are 500 years old!

We also explored the grounds of Gråbrödraklostret -- Grey Friars' monastery -- and its well-manicured gardens as well as St. Mary's church, both of which date back to the 13th century. The monastery doubles as a museum that seemed to have had some sort of anticlimactic textile exhibit going on, though that may be presumptuous of me since we didn't actually go inside. 

Over the centuries, the monastery has served as a church, poorhouse, hospital, granary, and distillery. Since at least the 17th century, a night watchman has looked over the place and blows a horn every 15 minutes from 21:15 until 01:00 each night to let the citizens and guests of Ystad know that they are being cared for and watched over. The Ystad website notes that the watchman "now telephones the emergency services if anything untoward happens," so we can all rest easy. 

The friar below was standing nearby. His face makes me very, very happy.

Helsingborg's Brewery

After extending our usual late-morning Saturday fika to wait out the crazy wind and rain that has basically become a character in our Swedish story, Erin and I hopped on a bus and made our way to Helsingborg Brewery's oxhallen, a small marketplace in which they serve beer alongside other stalls selling produce, cooked sausage, handmade soap, and candles, among other things. (For you Detroiters, it's kind of like a mini Royal Oak Farmer's Market without all the secondhand junk.) While seated at the brewery's unsturdy, handmade bar, we ordered a flight of the four beers on tap -- pilsner, wit, lager, and coffee stout. 

The bartender let us know that the coffee stout was made with Zoéga's coffee, whose roasting plant is located a stone's throw from our apartment.

This weekend, we will be taking care of a big dog named JP, which means that at least one of my wishes will come true. Until next time!