We set off from Helsingør in the north of the Øresund early in the morning, so that by noon Malmö’s landmark skyscraper, the “Turning Torso” (see below), has already come into view. Eventually, we make our way into the old shipyard basin, now transformed into a marina surrounded by smart new apartment buildings. Our local friends collect us by car shortly afterwards — wonderfully kind of them! — and take us to Lund (cathedral: see above and below).

Lund Cathedral, dating from the twelfth century, is the oldest cathedral in all of Scandinavia. According to legend, it was built from massive blocks of stone by the giant Finn at the request of Saint Lars. Once the cathedral was completed, however, the giant resolved to tear it down again. As he seized the first pillar, he was turned to stone, and in this form he can still be seen in the crypt to this day (see below). The fourteenth-century astronomical clock is well worth seeing, too. After our sightseeing, we join our friends in the lively university town for an Italian-inspired Swedish “fika”.

Back in Malmö, we round off the day with a slightly escalating ICA shopping expedition: the luxurious supermarket stocks what are quite possibly the finest blueberry muffins in Scandinavia, as well as the bare essentials for a Kräftskiva celebration. According to the guidebook, the shellfish pictured below — traditionally the larger ”kräftor“, although nowadays the native kräftor are severely affected by crayfish plague — are “at the centre” of the festivities. Yet the selection of drinking-song books and aquavit glasses on offer suggests a certain willingness to explore other focal points as well. The strong stuff itself, however, remains unavailable at ICA: for that, one has to cross over to the state-run Systembolaget next door.