16 October 2023 Monday. Cold, windy, sunny.
Today in Malmo, I rode my bike to the skateboard park, then I headed towards the beach.
The first swimming place had a lovely wooden deck and little jetty/dock thingies you could walk out on, with ladders into the water. People were taking photos because nobody in their right mind would swim there now. It was quite windy today, so the waves were too strong for swimming. It was cold, too, but I have a wetsuit.
I pedaled all over this fancy, new part of town, wondering how much $ I would need to live in one of the oceanfront condos. There were a few houseboats, too, that I would like to live in.
Had hoped to connect with someone for a swim date, but it didn’t happen, so I decided to go to the bathhouse instead of the beach next to it. It’s a really old bathhouse, with separate areas for men and women. You have two dipping options: the water inside the bathing area, which is calm and flat, or the crazy, crashing waves sea. You can enter via two different ladders.
I watched for a bit as women came out of the sauna and climbed into the calm water to cool off or walked down the docks to reach the ladders to the wild sea.
Amazing to be in a place where women walk around naked. The Swedes don’t give any f’s about nudity. I saw women of all ages, all body types. I knew I would stand out for wearing head-to-toe neoprene, but I didn’t care. I was tired from the long bike ride (45 min), so I figured it was safer to pay to use the facilities than to swim alone in the sea at the beach 200 yards away.
I asked permission, of course, and the girl at the desk said I was welcome to wear the wetsuit, but if I went in the sauna I had to be naked and have a towel to sit on.
I didn’t expect the locker room would be so crowded. Everyone leaves theirs shoes in the entryway of the locker room, then there are benches and hooks for hanging up your stuff. There are also tiny lockers if you want to put your wallet in one and bigger lockers for clothes and bags. I bought the lock with my entrance, so I used one of the cubicle lockers for the rest of my stuff.
I got lots of looks while putting on the wetstuit, then even more once I had it one. A woman got out of the water and said something to me in Swedish. I said, “I”m not Swedish, it’s too cold for me. I have to wear the wetsuit. I knew going in I’d get looks. Swedes really want people to follow the rules. But there is no rule against wearing a wetsuit in the sea. I explained to another woman who looked at me that I was trying to be safe by swimming in there instead of alone on the beach. I would think their brutal pragmatism would kick in. Not.
I floated and paddled around a bit in the swim area, but when I tried swimming farther I saw tons of seaweed and turned around. I am afraid of getting tangled in seaweed and drowning because I saw that happen to a teenager when I was a kid.
My hands were cold because I didn’t wear my 5mm gloves, but I felt pretty comfortable. Wearing a 5mm hood with the thermal suit really provides a ton of warmth.
I got bored very quickly and decided to go into the crazy waves. I climbed down the ladder and flung myself into the waves. I tried to swim to the other ladder, but the waves were so strong that I was just getting tossed around. I was a wee bit concerned I’d end up tossed onto the rocks, but that wasn’t going to stop me because it felt so good to be in teh water. I tried to tread water and give myself an arm workout while I looked over at the Turning Torso.
Pretty blissful to be in the sea, even if the waves were strong. I swam back to the first ladder, but stayed about 20 feet away, treading water. I love the buoyancy of the wetsuit. I just let the water toss me around. I tried to swim to the other ladder, and again, got tossed around. I made it, though, and hung out again in the waves.
Behind me the sun was setting behind the Oresund bridge. One of the coolest things about Malmo is that you can be in Denmark in 20+ minutes. I love that.
After awhile I got out of the water and walked along the dock, looking out at the massive park next to the water. So much green space. I got back into the calm water and practiced my chair stroke, shimmying myself backwards all over the small swim area. Again, don’t care if I look weird. I have my way of enjoying the water, and I”m not bothering you, so kindly F off if you have a problem with me.
I alternated between doing my weird stroke and floating on my back. While I was floating I noticed that there was a rainbow in the sky. I always take rainbows as positive signs. And, this is the second rainbow in just a few days. What is the universe trying to tell me?
I finally got out because my hands were getting really cold. I sat on the dock, peeling off my gloves, neoprene socks, the wetsuit, the hood, and slowly packed everything but the wetsuit back into my swim buoy. Then I went into the locker room to try the sauna. I couldn’t figure out how to hang my wetsuit, so I put my bouy and wetsuit on the edge of a bench (because there were two benches about eight feet long, and one person sitting on one bench), figuring it was fine there for the two seconds I would be in the sauna. I never do sauna because I have low bp, but literally everyone I have been swimming with here has invited me to sauna and I didn’t go. I wanted to try it for a few seconds.
I went in, and the place was filled with naked woman. Lots of talk going on. I put my towel down and then sat on it. Then someone said something to me in Swedish. I realized I hadn’t closed the sauna door. I closed it. I like the smell and feel of a sauna, but I didn’t feel it was a relaxing place for me, so I left after maybe a minute.
I walked outside of the sauna to see my wetsuit (inside out) and bouy on the floor, in a puddle with random hairs in it. At first I thought it fell, but now I realize that I someone was schooling me in the passive-aggressive behavior I’d heard was common in Sweden. Seriously? I left my things on an almost empty bench for one minute, and someone had to throw it on the floor? WTFF? Not cool, lady.
The locker room was a mess, and I had forgotten to bring locker room slip-ons, so I was cringy about walking all over the showers and the locker room in barefoot. Also, afraid I’d slip and fall. Made my way over to the lockers, and slowly tried to get to my locker. There were so many women in the tiny locker room.
I noticed two women talking in English, and I asked where they were from. “Here.” They are the first Americans I’ve come across in almost three months here.
As I was getting dressed the lady from the reception came up to me, wrapped in a towel, and asked, “Did you enjoy it?” I told her that I did. And that I got a lot of stares because of the wetsuit. She was like, “fuck them.” I felt better.
On the way out I paid way too much for a special sauna towel (for sitting on) because it’s blue and has the logo on it. Then I pedaled to a lovely park, but it was dark and I didn’t want to get too lost. I checked my phone to see where I was, and quickly corrected my route so I would be able to stop by the mall and get luggage tags.
The mall was fancy, underground. I got my tags, then saw an eyeglass store where you can have a contract for your glasses, then they sell second-hand glasses. So you can change with the fashions. Stopped into A-Mart for some snacks and rice noodles.
My rental bike, Merrick, was waiting for me when I left the mall. I checked him out again, then started toward my Aparthotel. My legs felt like lead, and I sort of wanted to chuck the bike and get a taxi home, but the fewer taxies I take, the more $ I have for snacks and fancy bath towels.
Finally made it home, feeling like I was going to fall over from fatigue and hunger, and the bike app said I had the leave the bike somewhere other than near my hotel. Pain in my f-ing ass. So I had to ride a few blocks farther before the app said it was ok to leave the bike.
I walked home in the dark, a little bit pissed off about the b*tch at the bathhouse who threw my gear on the floor but mostly really content and happy that I got to be in the water. M
When I got to the hotel my fav guy from my time here in August was at the reception area, so we chatted for a bit. They have lemon water on tap 24/7, so I had four glasses before I finally left for my room.
Wow. Hello, again, Malmo! Thanks for the sun, the skateboard park, the beach, the sea, the bike paths, and the nice people who work at the aparthotel!!!! Xoxoxo
