An Important Day in History
Today is June 6, recorded in history as D-Day (or D-dag) if you are in Denmark. This is the anniversary of the day in 1944 when the Allies stormed the beaches at Normandy to liberate Europe from the Nazis. It's is sobering to think that 72 years ago this beautiful country and its neighbors were torn up by war and deprivation. Now, on the other hand, it is possible to travel freely from one country to another sometimes without even showing a passport. (I was asked to show it going east to Sweden but not when going west to Denmark; my current roommate had the opposite experience yesterday.)
Today is also a national holiday in Sweden called National Day of Sweden. The day is a commemoration of the Swedish flag as well as the election of the king in the year 1523. Since Sweden has been independent for hundreds of years, this day does not have the same excitement associated with it that the Fourth of July does in the U.S. Sweden, incidentally, still has a king and queen: King Carl XVI Gustav and Queen Silvia. I've managed to be present for two European national days and will be home just in time for the Fourth of July in the U.S.!
Sweden
To get there, I took a train back to Copenhagen's airport (called a lufthaven or 'air harbor') and then another train to Sweden where I visited the town of Lund.
The Central Train Station in Copenhagen
It took about 45 minutes to get there, and that involved crossing the Oresundsmotorvejen Bridge. At 2 1/2 miles, this is the longest road-and-rail bridge in Europe. Part of the journey involves a tunnel instead of a bridge so that both ships and ice floes can fit through the sound that separates Denmark and Sweden. This is one of the passageways for sea water to move between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. (The North Sea eventually reaches the Atlantic Ocean, while the Baltic Sea separates Sweden from Finland.)
A street in Lund, Sweden
While in Lund, I visited the university there and its historic buildings. What a beautiful and historic place to study!
Lund Univesity's grand center
This was the king's house a long time ago, but still bears that name.
Such is my luck, the museum is closed on Mondays. However, the cathedral was open and very worth visiting. I had a good meal in Sweden and then made my way back to my temporary "home" in Denmark. Enjoy the cathedral pictures!
The exterior of the cathedral at Lund University in Lund, Sweden
The interior of the cathedral at Lund University in Lund, Sweden
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