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I got back from my second trip to Ystad just over a month ago, and have been working my way through the four billion photos I took, as well as catching up with stuff online.  Once again I have to say that Ystad is one of the most ridiculously beautiful places on earth.  Its existence more than makes up for the existence of places like Cumbernauld and Hemel Hempstead.  The more time I spend there, the more I fall in love with it <3



Not only is it pretty, but it has a long and interesting history, lots of very attractive old buildings, and of course the Wallander connection!



Skåne as a whole is just so damn pretty that it's impossible not to fall in love with the place anyway, but if you're familiar with the Wallander books and films you can barely turn a corner or go up a street without seeing something familiar.  For me, this translates into a lot of squeeing, but also a lot of more quiet appreciation.  And even if (heaven forbid!) you ignore the Wallander connection, there is still something deeply magical about Ystad, especially on a summer evening after sunset, when dusk is gathering over the quiet (or sometimes not so quiet), atmospheric streets.  There's a special charm about this place, which still has a night watchman to keep guard over the town every night, and where you'll find some of the most picture-perfect streets in Scandinavia.  There's something inherently loveable about Ystad, and about Skåne.



I miss it so much already, but already have plans to go back(!) and blogging about it on Tumblr is helping with the inevitable Fernweh** that always strikes after a trip like this.  I'm also working on what is going to be a pretty huge post, to create a Wallander fan's guide to Ystad.  Now, I know one of these already exists, thanks to the Ystads Kommun website, but there are quite a few filming locations that it doesn't include that I managed to track down, and I also think it'll be fun to put something together from a fan's perspective :)



* Ystad, my Beloved
** A German word-concept referring to what would pretty much be the opposite of homesickness.  Literally translating to "away ache", it implies a deep and passionate longing to be somewhere far away.  Cue Homer Simpson: "Those Germans have a word for everything!"  (And actually I think they probably do!)