On our last day in Sweden, we took a train two hours east from Malmö to Simrishamn, to attend the Annual Herring Day Festival (“Sillens Dag”), where Mathilda was staffing a table promoting her employer’s edible seaweed startup. Amy and Mathilda left earlier to setup, while Kathleen and I arrived around 10:30 AM, with hundreds of people already enjoying the stalls and exhibits selling crafts, cider, and of course, herring: pickled, canned, smoked, fried and baked.
Simrishamn, population 6,500, is an adorable seaside town located in the southeast corner of Sweden, on the Baltic Sea. Dating back to the 12th century, it has historically harbored one of Sweden’s largest fishing fleets and is a popular tourist destination. Map link: Simrishamn, Sweden
Bonus Question: What musical instrument name becomes another musical instrument when an “f” is added to the front? (answer at end of post)
We walked among the vendors, who effortlessly switched to English to accommodate our complete lack of Swedish language skills. We ate local seafood and ice cream for lunch, then wandered into town, stopping at the 800-year-old Sankt Nicolai church, which has a definite maritime vibe inside and is named named for Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors and fishermen.
After the festival ended at 3:00 PM, Mathilda took us on a tour of her nearby office and lab, then we caught the train back to Malmö. Amy and Mathilda went to a party at Mathilda’s sisters’s in town, while Kathleen and I ate our last dinner in Sweden at Fregatten (“frigate”), a neighborhood pub serving Polish food.
Bonus Question Answer: Lute becomes flute.
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