David, our Colorado correspondent, hopes to travel to Malmö for Eurovision 2013. But can he convince his wife to make the trip with him?
I couldn’t come to ESC last year because my wife said no way on Baku. The year before was out because it was the same weekend that one of my daughters graduated from university. But this year there are no conflicts and Eurovision is taking place in oh-so-very-safe-and-modern Sweden.
If it was in London, Paris, Munich, or Prague, my wife would be all in favor of it. Not the song contest itself (she is not a fan of European Pop, or concerts – but I love her anyway). But vacationing in some place nice in Europe? That’s an easy one.
But Malmö…
I asked one of our customers in Germany about Malmö and he replied:
David, concerning Sweden and Malmö (where the song contest takes place):
Sweden temperatures in the high summer: 55°F – 70°F…
North Sweden is cold and lonely…
Middle Sweden is flat and full of nice lakes – there are two possibilities in the summer:
a) it is raining (possibility 50%) or
b) it is not raining but you cannot go out because it is full insects.
Even if you go out, you find the next super market and perhaps people (…) in a half an hour drive.
South Sweden: Concentrate on the cities (Goeteborg, Maloe) – also visit Denmark.
If you ask me, for someone coming from Colorado, I would definitely choose the Greek islands, like Cyclades, Corfu, Crete, Rhodes.
Not helping!!!
And VisitSweden has this to say:
For all the expansion, Malmö is a small, friendly city with a good choice of cultural attractions, including the new Moderna Museet Malmö. Look out for Malmö’s many quality restaurants and bistros and great cafés. And the shopping isn’t bad either, especially if you’re looking for Swedish design-ware and hip, new Swedish fashion labels.
Again, not helping!!! This is tourist bureau speak for Malmö has nothing interesting. And then there is the ongoing WiwiBloggs.Com series, “Malmö Crime Watch.”
So how do I sell my wife on Malmö? Any stunning scenery? Can you get really good food there? Any parts of the town worth visiting? Please help, I need something. (Not museums, neither of us find those interesting.)
Then again this may all be moot as I can’t find a hotel room anywhere in the city.
You could tell her about the massive shopping centre that recently opened next to Malmö Arena. Expansive retail floor area…over 200 stores…*insert Homer Simpson-esque drool here*
Alas Wiwi, I don’t sell Baku – and admittedly, if I did, I may have some trouble. Starting with the fact that you need a visa to visit and for Aussies that means getting a courier to send your passport to Malaysia for processing…
Give me almost any other destination in Europe, and I am sure I could convince anyone of its worth.
Thank you Wiwi & Sharleen. It sounds like the way I sell my wife on Malmö is to tell her she doesn’t have to go to Malmö 🙂
I too would focus on the argument that it is close to Copenhagen and that could be where you base yourselves.
Whilst you are off enjoying the pleasures of Eurovision, she could dine in the worlds best restaurant (Noma), visit the Danish royal palaces, have tea in the Tivoli gardens and enjoy sunshine on the harbour.
From there, she could also do overnight or a couple of days tripping to Legoland, or maybe even visit Germany or Norway via ferry.
I don’t think its a very hard destination to sell, and I sell it for a living.