Simrishamn

It's raining here again. How about paying a weekend visit to Simrishamn, a - largely medieval, well "conserved" small town in Southern Sweden?

Simrishamn is a fishing town, since early middle ages. (It was first mentioned as a municipality in XII century and as a town in XIV century).
These pictures were taken during an annual Herring Festival. Lot's of boats in the harbor - all on display, all preparing for the evening parade of boats.

Most of them very modern. And the buildings facing the harbor are also rather modern, though made to look like the traditional architecture of the region.

But already on the main street leading to the harbor most of the buildings are old, though very well maintained. The street is full of small restaurants and cafes, and - during the Herring Festival - overrun with tourists.

A bit higher up on the same street, close to the town square there is more small shops, boutiques, than eating establishments. Here the banner advertises an Ibsen play Miss Julie by a local theatre ensemble.

Still higher, a small side street leading from the town square is almost deserted.

These are the typical townhouses in a residential zone. Many of them are medieval - at least on the outside. They usually have charming small gardens with flowers and herbs at the back. Just like the one I had, only more established.

Scania (Skaane), where Simrishamn lies, is the breadbasket of Sweden. It is also well known for its gardens: herb gardens surrounding medieval churches, flower gardens surrounding noble mansions

Here, a quiet picnic square under an old oak (supposedly 700 hundred years old) and a nearby house in traditional style of wood crosses filled with plastered straw bales, more or less the same age as the oak.

Experiments in minimalist living: Simrishamn

Three years ago when I started my early retirement, I decided to go to Scania (Skaane), the southernmost province in Sweden, where I lived about a decade ago (see post A place with a view on minervavelsangrona.wordpress.com). Although during most of my time in Sweden I lived in Stockholm, and loved it, after I discovered Scania, I fell in love with it, too.

Simrishamn, a picturesque fishing village turned tourist mecca, seemed like a right place to spend a summer in - may be even as a permanent base from which to travel. I was lucky to be able to rent a small townhouse (row house) in a quaint, less touristy and much smaller village near Simrishamn; white brick, red roof and two tiny gardens, one in front and one behind the house. Part of the garden was already planted. A plum tree,
a small lawn, and a hedge of red currant bushes.
And I could instantly enjoy most welcome guests in the garden: flowers planted by my neighbor several years ago, that threaded itself to my side of fence:

But the inside of the row house was empty. Initially I had no furniture - just my clothes, books, laptop and a few " making me feel instantly at home" accessories.

So the day I moved in I bought a camping bed and bed linens, a lamp and a phone. I hanged a painting by a Costa Rican artist friend, put a cardboard box I found to a good use... and voila: a stark, minimalistic bedroom

But with a living room I hesitated. My brother offered to bring from Stockholm my furniture that he stored for me, so I decided to wait a week or two.

Just happened to read somewhere about some music celebrity, who was into a minimalistic design big time and in the living room of his vacation cottage he had only a big rock and a Bose stereo.

OK, I am neither that young - or that macho - to enjoy reclining on a rock, nor a musician, so I decided on an armchair and a TV as my minimalist requirements.

But before I managed to go to town to shop for those pieces, one of my new neighbors dropped in for a visit, to see who I was, how I was settling in and if I need anything. Her gesture delighted me, but also surprised. Swedes are usually shy, do not initiate contacts with strangers, but are usually polite and helpful at heart behind that facade of standoffishness.

This woman from Scania, Carina, was just the opposite: welcoming immediately, trying to be helpful without being asked, not shy at all and not a slightest hint of standoffishness.
Her attitude was that of an instant friend.

And as an instant friend, after seeing my empty apartment and hearing about my plans, she took charge: put me in her car and drove to a country flea market of sorts, where she quickly pointed me to a rustic fall leaf table and a couple of chairs for the breakfast nook in my kitchen and for my living room: an armchair ( an early IKEA design circa 1950? ), a side table, a small puff to serve as an ottoman, a TV, a lamp, curtains matching the chair etc.
When we brought home these purchases, she left me to arrange them, and returned soon after with a couple of plants for my windowsill. And voila again: an instant living room in a grandmotherly-minimalistic? cottagy-minimalistic? style? You be the judge :-)