I'm writing this on Sunday evening at the end of my first week back in Malmö. Its been a busy week, with plenty of work and work meetings and a fair bit of time spent shopping, collecting the scavenger hunt list of things the family wanted - I'm hoping I can fit it all in my bags for the trip home.
I'm due to fly home Tuesday in just over a week, so need to make sure I get a negative Covid-19 test. A lot of people nearby have been coming down with it recently, so its a bit of a minefield - but I have decided not to let it stop me going out, I'm just sure to make sure I keep my hands washed and wear a mask on public transport. Coming from Australia where everyone was masked up inside and flying for 30hrs with a mask on whole time, it has been really strange in Sweden where very few people are wearing masks. Maybe 1 in 20 people on the buses and about 1 in 50 at the shops.
I finished my last blog post in the hotel on Sunday after my shopping trip, trying to stay awake. I failed and ended up in bed by 8:30. That was fine though, as I managed to get into work refreshed on Monday morning. It was great to catch up with the work team again, most of the people I worked with when I was here on the expat trip were still there and getting back into the work environment was really easy.
After work I caught up with a friend and dropped off some Australian goodies (Tim-Tams mostly). I got some pictures of the harbor at Vasträ Hamnen - it was pretty chilly (about 1 degree) and windy, so the water was pretty rough:
There were a few places still with Christmas lights up, but this one was impressive:
And I love how ornate the manhole covers are in Malmö:
Monday also was the night with the drama of the Bank Card and PIN Code. Well, actually that all started in Australia before I flew out.... (Cue fade to a flashback):
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Warning - long story and rant below:
I still had my Swedish bank account from when we had lived in Malmö, we cancelled the card when we came home as that had a monthly charge, but I'd kept the account. Using an Aussie card in Sweden accrued a 5-10% international transaction fee, which would rapidly add up, so I transferred some money to my Swedish account. It could take up to 5-10 days to get a card, so I couldn't apply when I got there. So I used the bank's secure message system to ask for advice and they suggested ordering a new card but sending a message with an address in Sweden to send the card (work or a friend's house). I ended up sending a message to get it shipped to a friend's house. The Wednesday before I was due to fly, I hadn't heard about the card and my friend hadn't received it, so I messaged the bank again. No reply. Later that day I received an email from a shipping company that the card had been shipped and would arrive in Australia on the 28th of Jan... I ended up biting the bullet and calling Sweden. After being on hold for 40 minutes (at 75c a minute, since I don't have an international phone plan) I got hold of someone who admitted that the message was received and cancelled the card and shipped a new one to my friend. He received the card on the weekend and I picked it up Monday. Trouble was, it didn't have the same PIN code as my previous one. Normally they send you the PIN but my friend didn't receive that letter.
Swedish banks have two ways that you can identify yourself for security (in addition to passwords), BankID - a 2 factor authentication program or digipass, a little Tamagotchi looking device that you log into and it responds to a bank generated code with a response code you can use:
I had BankID on my phone, but the Digipass was back in Australia. I was able to log into the bank's internet banking site with the BankID, but to change or view the PIN I needed to use the app. Fine, I would download it on my phone. Nope - not available to people in my region (Australia). Ok, I'll change my phone region to Sweden - not a good idea, since if I did, I wouldn't be able to change it back for a year (Google rules to stop people switching around to get different apps etc). So, I decided to set my IPad location to Swedish and download the app. Success! But to log in, I needed to attach a phone number that would receive a confirmation SMS. My phone doesn't have roaming, so I wouldn't be able to receive it. So I put in Kistine's number and she sent me the code. So far, so good. To log into the app I then needed a digipass code. So I called Kristine on messenger and she got me the codes I needed. Success! I was logged into the app. I went to the PIN code section, only to see "You must log in with BankID to see or change PIN codes." Not a problem I have BankID on my phone. Nope, to use the app the BankID has to be on the same device. I have BankID on my IPad so that's fine. Nope, it's out of date. To reset it I need a digipass code and SMS code. So I have to call Kristine back. With those codes I manage to update the BankID and get my PIN code. By now its almost midnight, so I thank Kristine, and say goodnight. The last thing I need is the Skåne Trafiken app so I can buy bus tickets. Downloads fine but of course "You need an SMS code to continue..."
For the record, my friend received the PIN code letter on Wednesday...
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Tuesday I made it out to ICA Maxi at Vasträ Hamnen and stocked up on some more supplies as well as some Swedish treats to take home. The I caught up with Gorm, a friend from the Skåne Old Boys Rugby team and we went out for a curry. He let me know that the some of the rugby team were planning a curry night on Saturday, so I put my name down. I got a few more pics of the harbor and town on my way in, it was still dark at 7:00 when I headed to work and dark when I left just before 5:
It was a little foggy outside:
The top of the Turning Torso peeking out of the fog above the buildings:
No pictures from Wednesday. A storm came through and it was pretty windy and cold. I caught up with a friend from work and his family to play some Nintendo and watch the new Boba Fett episode. Its been great to catch up with old friends again.
On Thursday I woke up to a little snow. Not much, a light dusting that was gone by mid-morning but it was fun to see snow again. Not much to report on Thursday, it was laundry day. I had to book at time and the latest session was 3pm-6pm. I got back from work around 4:45, so went straight up to the laundry. The clothes wash cycle was about 30min, so I stayed in the laundry reading my book. The dryer cycle was just over an hour, so I set the clothes going and went back to my room. At about 5:45 I returned to find that the condenser water tank on the dryer hadn't been emptied and was completely full, so all my clothes were still soaked. I emptied it and restarted the cycle. At 6pm I check and noted that the card would no longer let me open the door to the laundry from the outside - so if I left the room I would not be able to get back to get my clothes. So I sat in the laundry from a hour with a book. After an hour my clothes were still damp but I took them back to my room and hung them up. I had Swedish Max Burger for dinner and had an early night.
The old post house:
Malmö Central Station:
Stortorget - I love the KFC nestled between the two old buildings:
Stortorget:
Apoteket Lejonet - One of Sweden's oldest pharmacies:
The Musicians:
Gustav Adolfs Torg
:Friday after work I headed out to a board game shop (Playoteket) and then Svågertorp, to visit a few shops and continue to hunt down the items on the family shopping list. The snow hung around a little in the morning and there was a few small pellets of hail, but it warmed up in the afternoon:
Saint Petri's Church:
Klaffbron:
Stortorget:
This display in Ikea made me feel right at home:
Saturday I had a sleep in and then headed out to Hyllie and the Emporia Shopping center to continue my present hunt. In the evening I caught up with some of the Skåne Old Boys for a curry night:
Emporia:
The Hyllie water tower:
This creepy sculpture shoots water from its mouth in summer - the kids called it the drowning guy
The multicoloured Emporia carpark:
The interestingly named "Letz Poke" restaurant...
Malmö Arena - Home of the Red Hawks Ice Hockey team:
After the curry we ended up back at one of the team's place for a few more drinks.
Sunday started a little slowly. I headed to another friend's house to drop off some presents and say hello. Afterwards I did a little shopping at the Triangeln shopping center and relaxed at the hotel for the afternoon:
One of the bridges near the hotel with orange tree sculptures at the ends:
ICA (grocery store) in an old building:
So, I'm now half way through my trip. It's been a weird sense of being home but also being away. It feels like I haven't really been gone very long, but the kids I remembered from being here the first time are all growing up and there are new buildings and some missing. I'm really grateful for this chance to return and catch up with friends again, but I only wish the family could have been here with me. Still, that means we have to look at booking our holiday here soon!
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