(25th – 30th April 2024)
What follows is the tale of a journey that was 6 years in the making, my 5th solo trip abroad, and without a doubt my most ambitious adventure that I’ve organised alone.
Firstly, I’d like to take a step back in time to where this all began. In May 2018, myself and my dad embarked on a trip to Denmark and Sweden, covering Copenhagen, Malmo, and Gothenburg in the span of 6 days, watching 3 Allsvenskan matches at Malmo FF, BK Hacken, and IFK Goteborg along the way. This particular trip was very enjoyable, and one that I wrote a brief article on (LINK HERE) during the infancy of my blogging. On this particular trip, as we passed through the city of Helsingborg whilst on the train to Gothenburg, I remarked to my dad that I’d “love to visit here, and get the ferry across to Denmark to see Helsingor”. Even though at the time this may have been a throw away comment, it still stuck with me as I waited for an opportunity to make it reality. Sometimes in life we’re all guilty of saying things for the sake of it that’ll never come true, so I felt glad to tick off one of those aspirations at the end of April. In truth, the same can be said about my blogging, it’s fallen off the wayside in recent years, having been a big part of my life throughout 2020 and 2021 which helped to keep me motivated when times were tough. As is often the case, life gets in the way though, so I’m hopeful that sometime soon I’ll be able to share more of my adventures.
I always enjoy the logistical part of organising a footballing trip, and began planning in March when the relevant football fixtures were set in stone, the only issue was that the Danish leagues have an end-of-season split, so their final rounds of games weren’t confirmed until less than a month before I was flying out. I’d narrowed down my choice into 2 options, either a 3 night, 3 game trip travelling to the west and north of Stockholm which was my initial thought, but that lost out to the enticing 5 night, 6 game trip to the east of Denmark, combined with the south of Sweden. Looking back to last year, I travelled from the east to west of Sweden in a 3 night, 3 game trip by flying into Stockholm, with onward overnight stops in Orebro and Boras, before travelling back from to Manchester from Gothenburg which proved to be nicely rounded expedition. This time I viewed the planning differently, as I wanted to stay in one central location and make return journeys day-to-day for my entertainment, which was partially determined by the travelling, the location, and the price. I booked a 4 night stay close to Helsingborg Central Station, with a final night stopping close to Malmo Central Station, which proved the most useful for transport connections, and importantly was less hassle than changing hotels daily. Flights were acquired from Manchester, which is quite a simple journey from our Telford home, flying with Ryanair to Copenhagen, and so, on the final Thursday morning of April, I was on my way!
The first day’s plans were relatively straightforward, if a little hectic, depending on the flight and if there were public transport issues. After arriving into Copenhagen airport I bought a ticket to Helsingborg C (using the Skane Traffic ticket machine), the journey taking around an hour, before checking into my hotel, dropping my case off, then heading back to the train station for the onward journey to Halmstad for my first evening’s entertainment. Halmstad proved to be a very pleasant town, and on a lovely evening I very much enjoyed my wander from the station through the town’s main sights and streets, stopping at Swedish restaurant chain “Bastard Burgers” for a vegan burger, fries and milkshake. I’ve visited a couple of their sites previously and enjoy the offering, with there being vegetarian and vegan alternatives of every meal it gives me plenty of variety and is a reliable place to stop for a quick bite! Football fans were gathering in the town’s bars and restaurants, with many donning the green and white of the evening’s away team, Hammarby FF, who have one of the largest fan bases in Sweden.
The route from the train station to Halmstad BK’s ‘Orjans Vall’ is an easily walkable 25 minute journey with nice scenery along the way. Tickets for all of my matches were bought online in advance so I could simply get the QR code scanned off my phone. My first taste of football on this trip was a very enjoyable experience, with the Hammarby fans being in fine voice throughout the match, along with plenty of technical skill on display. Tactics would be the deciding factor in this game though, as Halmstad’s 5-3-2 Low-Block to Counter proved highly effective at both ends of the pitch, with Mohammed opening the scoring for the hosts on the brink of half-time from a counter-attack, before Svedberg doubled the lead from the edge of the box after 53 minutes played, finally Hammarby netted themselves a consolation goal through Tekie in the 90th minute. Overall, a enjoyable game to watch and ground to visit, which was my 317th in total and 8th in Sweden. After the game, I made my way back to the station for the return journey and settled in after what had been an exciting day.
Day 2 was left open until the evening, and would end up being dictated by the weather. I had a wander around Helsingborg and got some snacks on the way, before catching the ferry to Helsingor in Denmark around midday. The ferry itself was very clean and stylish, and of a much higher quality than I had anticipated. I sat outside on top deck and admired the views when crossing the Oresund, with the journey only taking around 20 minutes in total. Return tickets were easy to buy from the kiosk in Helsingborg Central Station, and don’t be surprised to see Swedes journeying back and forth throughout the day, usually to buy duty free alcohol on the ferry itself. Helsingor is most notable for its castle, which is known as Elsinore in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The Kronberg castle is quite impressive, particularly when looking from the sea, and was an important military location for the Danes. Every year there are Shakespeare festivals held here across the summer months. I’d had enough time to complete a loop around the castle and its monuments when the heavens opened, and they didn’t stop for hours. Much of the afternoon was then spent inside the warmth of coffee shops, which was a shame, as Helsingor did seem like a nice traditional Danish town to explore, but before long I made my way to the Friday evening’s football match, and it was a first for me.
The Travelling Therapist 