Lund is a pretty small city located in the southern part of Sweden, in the province of Scania. It is quite an old city in Sweden and is famous for their research and education institutions, including the well-known Lund University, which is one of the biggest universities in Scandinavia. The purpose of my visit to Lund was to attend a landscape conference, so here are some of the things we did here in Lund...



1. Attended the Urban Growth Conference

The reason we came to Lund was solely for the purpose of attending this conference. It was recommended by our Head of Department (HOD), Prof. James Hitchmough (he was one of the speakers). The conference was held in the Lund City Hall Lunds Stadshall and took place for 3 days. Well-known plant enthusiasts shared interesting knowledge on perennial plantings and landscape design and ecology.

The food that they provide during lunch breaks and coffee breaks were delicious! We even had the Swedish smoked salmon for lunch and it was super yummy!

2. Ride bicycle around town

We weren't really lucky with the weather while we were in Lund. It rained all day long for the first 2 days, but we got the perfect sunshine on our third day. Our Airbnb provided bicycles for us to go about the city, so Fizal and I rode bikes to and from the conference venue and around town for the whole 3 days.  The beautiful weather on our third day made our ride much more enjoyable. Cool air brushed against our faces but the sun shone brightly to keep us warm. We got to see the city in another light as it was much nicer and more lively when the sun was out. 

The Lund Cathedral

I haven't cycled since I was in high school (I think) and it felt really good to get peddling again. :)

3. Walked around Botaniska Trädgården (Lund Botanical Garden)

We took advantage of the beautiful weather to walk around Lund Botanical Garden after the conference ended. It was huge (bigger than Sheffield's) and showcased very interesting range of plant species. 

We met the group of speakers walking around the garden as well - this is James, our HOD at the Dept. of Landscape, UoS.  

4. Tasted prinsesstårta (Swedish Princess Cake)

We searched for a lot of local dishes and came across Swedish traditional layer cake, the Princess Cake. As there were many bakeries and patisseries in Lund, we saw this bright green marzipan calling us from inside one of the bakeries' window, so went straight in and bought some. :p

But to be honest, I'm not a big fan of the taste, it was too sweet for my liking. For you sweet tooth out there, you might enjoy this. It is basically a layer cake consisting of sponge cake, custard and a thick mound of whipped cream topped with (usually green) marzipan.

5. Walked along small 'Scandi' streets and neighbourhood

We got a full day of bright sunshine on our last day in Lund. We didn't miss the opportunity to take a leisurely stroll around the neighbourhood within the city. We came across some small colourful lanes that gave the 'Scandinavian' feel to it. They were very pretty with ornamental plants covering the streets and buildings/houses - which calls for some photoshoots! haha

6.  Walking around Lund University (read: bumping into green walls everywhere)

Lund is very well known for its prestigious Lund University, one of Sweden's oldest universities. So of course, we took the time walking around its beautiful campus and the university compound, which was filled with glorious green walls, as well as beautiful landscape surrounding, perfect for us landscape geeks.

My personal favourite, as I'm sure most people's as well, is the university library, standing with pride as one of the largest and oldest libraries in Sweden. 

7. Admiring interior decorations

Who haven't heard of Ikea? Which planet are you on? 

We all know that the Nordics are very much into home furnishings and decorating. I'm really interested in interior decorations (if I haven't taken my degree in landscape, I think I would've wanted to do interior designing), and being in Sweden, or any Scandinavian countries as a matter of fact, you can really see how they put so much effort into making a space to look and feel very cosy. They like to incorporate the use of wooden furnitures, candles and dim-lighings, blankets/rugs and quirky photo frames or desk ornaments on the walls or tables.

8. Cafe-hopping

Yep, it's what we do best - finding the best fika (coffee shops /  coffee breaks) and cafes that serve the best cakes and pastries. This trip was filled with finding bakeries and patisseries. Here are some that will make you drool! :p

Hummus Bar

This one, Fizal loves so much. They are also highly recommended in Trip Advisor for their classic cinnamon and cardamom buns, which sold out sooo quickly! Lucky we got to taste some before they were all gone in an instant! But bear in mind, they only accept card payment - we had to pay some international card transaction fees just for some cinnamon bun. :p 

OK, that would be the end of the things we did in Lund. It really is a small town, but the amount of time we spent there was just perfect for leisurely stroll and enjoying the traditional Scandinavian vibe that Lund offers.

Until then!