The exterior of Lund Cathedral (from the back end which faces the AF Building)
Schedule:
Milk Shopping at ICA:
I've yet to properly follow up on my comprehensive ICA blog post, but for starters let's just take a look at the milk aisle! Here are the long-life milks and milk alternatives they offer. It was a little overwhelming (but in a good way!) when I first stumbled across it but it's a godsend. This milk aisle is what motivates me to get out when it's negative degrees outside and go grocery shopping!
My favourite part of the aisle are the little red vegan labels for easy-to-find products!
My current milk stash
Brunch/Lunch: 11:30 - 12:30
After picking up some zucchini at ICA I decided to try making some mini egg quiches. I think they turned out quite well considering I made up the recipe as I went!
I chopped up half a zucchini, separated it into 5 different muffin holders in my muffin tray, cracked 1 egg into each (and scrambled), added salt and pepper to taste and baked in the oven and 175C for 12 minutes. The hardest part was probably cleaning the tray afterwards but nothing a little soap and hot water can't fix!
My mini egg and zucchini quiches!
I picked up my free ticket after the General Information Meeting on the 17th January, but you can pick them up any time at the International Desk :)
Don't forget your ticket!
Entering view of Lund Cathedral
Interestingly, the mosaic you see at the head of the Cathedral was a recent edition - it was completed in the 1930s by Joakim Skovgaard, a Danish artist famed for his paintings. The central figure of Jesus is over 6 metres tall.
Anyway, one of the most significant changes to the interior of the Cathedral following the Reformation was the removal of altars located along the sides of the Cathedral. Wealthy members of society could donate money towards an altar dedicated to themselves, thought to have lessened the time spent in purgatory before entering heaven upon their death. After the Reformation, based on the foundational belief of Lutherans that it is only through God's word (via the Bible) that grants salvation that the pulpit was commissioned and completed in 1592 by Johannes Ganssog, a German sculptor, to emphasise the power of speech and understanding one's faith.
A 15th Century seven-branched candelabrum located in the south transcept
The entrance to the crypt
The crypt is famous as the resting place of the last Catholic Archbishop of Lund, Birger Gunnarsen (1497 - 1519). His sarcophagus stands in the central place, which is said to have been the original place of the Main Altar (consecrated in 1123).
The Altar is the main indicator of the genius behind the stonemason's construction of the crypt. Highly symbolic, altars in general originate from the Latin term adolere, roughly translating to "sacrifice". Back in the day, when the sun rose and light came through the windows, all light would land on the Altar, allowing it to literally, glow - a sign of God's presence, his righteousness and the sacrifice of Jesus for humanity's salvation.
And as Jan said, "what [the moving of the Main Altar for the sarcophagus] means is that those who have enough power and money can do anything, even if ruins things for everyone else."
Different views of the crypt
Perhaps the most famous column in the crypt is this one:
Saint Laurentius, who was in charge of building Lund Cathedral, made a deal with a Giant to help him construct the Cathedral. The Giant asked for the sun and moon as payment, but seeing as that was too unrealistic for the Saint to acquire, the Giant asked for both the Saint's eyes instead. Eventually, the two came to an agreement - if the Saint could guess the Giant's name before the Cathedral was completed, then he wouldn't have to give up his eyes as payment.
Quickly, the Cathederal began to take shape. Despite the Giant only working at night, as he could not stand the sun light, building progress was remarkable. The day of the completion came, and the Saint had still not managed to guess the name of the Giant. In a panic, he paced outside - and heard the voice of a woman comforting two children. As he listened closer, he heard:
"Shh, children, don't cry - your Daddy Finn will be back soon with two eyes of the Holy Man that you can play with."
Upon hearing that, the Saint hurried inside and yelled, "Finn, Finn, lay the last stone!"
The Giant became overwhelmed with rage, and rushed to the Crypt with the intention of tearing down the supporting pillars. But - it was daybreak, and as the sun rose and its rays fell through the windows and into the crypt, Finn the Giant shrank and was turned to stone.
The tour ended with the famed technical masterpiece of the astronomical clock. Built in 1425, it's a favourite attraction of Lund Cathedral. 7 metres high, the clock displays a 24-hour dial, a calendar displaying until the year 2123, the moon phases and Western zodiac signs.
The clock chimes each day at 12:00 and at 15:00 (and on Sundays at 13:00 and 15:00), where the two trumpeters "play" for a procession of three kings (representing the three known continents of the period: Europe, Asia and Africa) around the statue of Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. It plays the cheerful tune from the medieval jubilee, In Dulci Jubilo and was definitely my highlight of the tour!
After the tour and since I was in the area, I hopped over to Hoppipolla Cafe which is about a 7 minute walk from the Cathedral. It's a cute, cosy cafe that was recommended to me and you can read all about my experience here!
I also went exploring around the city centre, can you guess what this building is?
A: It's a bike shop + cafe!!
Key Helpful Phrases:
- Ha det bra! (Have a good day!)
- Kan du vara snall och tala langsammore tack? (Can you please be nice and speak slower, please? - here, "tack" is interchangeable from thank you to please).
- Ta ni kontanter? (Do you take cash?)
- Ta ni kort? (Do you take card?)
- Jag skulle vilja vaxla lite [euro till kroner] (I would like to exchange some Euro to Swedish Kroner).
- Forresten (by the way)
- Slut (empty / the end / none left / out of stock)
- Tyvarr (unfortunately)
- Forlat (I'm sorry)
- Ojda (oops! An expression of surprise or when something is wrong).
- Vad ar klockan? (What is the time?)
- Risk for snoras, istappar (Caution! Falling snow and icicles!)
- Patar ingar (Free refill - specifically for coffee refills)
- Galler ej cykell (Bicycles are allowed on this road)
- Vi ar kanske lite trotta, men alla ar ganska glada och positiva. Nu forstar alla lite mer svenska. (Perhaps a bit tired, but everyone is pretty happy and positive. Now everyone understands a bit more Swedish!)
And we also learned another song about the Months (Seasons)
Januari borjar aret,
februari kommer nast
Mars, april har knopp i haret
maj och juni blommer mest.
Juli, augusti och september
harlig sommer ar det da,
men oktober och november
och december ar sa gra.
January begins the year
February comes next.
March, April has buds in the hair (some things start to grow)
May and June bloom more (than other months)
July, August and September
Lovely summer is it then,
but October and November
And December are so grey.
Movie Night: Mad Max Fury Road @ Smalands 19:30 - 21:00
I was a bit late to the movie night since I'm still not quite used to biking around and navigating when it's dark is a significant challenge for me AHAHA
Smalands is very indie/alternative and a bit punk too, but everyone's super friendly and there was an abundance of free popcorn. I enjoyed the movie with three other people from my mentor group - it's action packed and I liked how there wasn't any romance side plot going on. Wouldn't watch it again but it was a good way to end the night!
Wow! Today was more action-packed than I could have ever anticipated, given my slow and relaxed morning that blossomed into a full blown day of sightseeing and exploring around Lund. I reckon I've settled in pretty well - the Swedes know how to host guests the best!
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