the handlebar moustache club

A WEEKEND IN YSTAD

This is the story of a trip to Ystad, a town in Southern Sweden, which a group of ten people associated with The Handlebar Club took to attend the 15th Anniversary Celebrations of the Swedish moustache club, The Svenska Mustaschklubben. This took place from Friday, the 2Oth August 1999 to Sunday, the 22nd.

In writing these stories in the past I’ve started by summing up and will do so again. It was very, very good indeed. Hence, if what may appear to be adverse comment is made it is not done in a disparaging manner but in order to make things even better for the future.

The group from the UK consisted of Ted and Stella Sedman, Ted being the President of The Handlebar Club, Rod Littlewood the Secretary, Ted and Win Worth, this Ted being the Treasurer, Handlebar Alf Jarrald, Geoff and Carolyn, they being respectively the sister and brother-in-law of Rod, and Rosemary and me. All of us are located within reasonable distance of each other in South-West London except for Alf who lives in Manchester. Thus it was arranged that as we were to fly from London City Airport to Sturup, the airport for Malmo in Sweden, we would all go in a hired mini-bus to LCA. Alf flew down from Manchester on the Thursday and stayed with Geoff and Carolyn overnight.

So we all congregated at Geoff and Carolyn’s house in Givons Grove, Leatherhead, on the Friday morning and left at 09.05 hours. It was intended to leave at 09.00 so it was very much up to schedule. The drive to London City Airport was, as expected, quite "fraught" in that virtually all the way it was 10/10 traffic. I don’t envy anyone who has to make that drive, hence the collective transport. We got to the airport at about 10.45 in good time to board the aircraft taking us to Sturup.

London City Airport, a smallish airfield right in the centre of London’s Docklands, is quite good as far as passenger facilities are concerned and it amazed me how thriving it was. The person who thought of the idea thought well. However, I wasn’t impressed with the booking-in set-up, it seemed to take too much time. However, one has to consider the present day security precautions. So we finally made it to the embarkation point a trifle later than anticipated. The take-off time was stated as 11.35, but due to various reasons, one being air traffic congestion over Amsterdam, we left at 12.10.

For the air minded, the aircraft in which we flew was an Avro RJ, it being a design originated by the old De Havilland Company at Hatfield. The airframe is British, although I understand that in the future, or perhaps even now, they’re made in Romania or Indonesia, the four jet engines are American, and the plane was owned and run by Malmo Aviation of Sweden which is an offshoot of the Scandinavian airline, Braathens.

Having settled ourselves in the plane and being delayed as mentioned before, we finally set off. Immediately after the understandably swift and steep take-off we encountered some moderately bumpy weather. This was perhaps to be expected as we were for some way still over London and air currents over cities can be tricky. Soon lunch was served and it was typically Swedish in that it was mainly meat. Included was a quarter bottle of wine and this was enjoyed by me. I also had Rosemary’s as well and that made me nicely "mellow" for most of the journey! The cabin staff were very good and the plane was just about fully loaded. I don’t think that it was quite up to the excellent standard of Braathens with whom Rosemary and I flew to Trondheim but even so, it was very good.

We finally got to Sturup about half an hour late. The last time I’d seen Sturup was about 10 years ago and at 06.00 hours. It appeared quite gloomy then but this time the sun was shining and the whole place had been painted outside in a mustard yellow. I don’t remember it being like that before but passengers who arrive a bit queasy must feel the effect! But there’s good reason for that colour, it makes the place identifiable from the air.

On arrival we were greeted by Bo and Ingrid Jonsson, Carina Hamrin and Dan Sederowsky. It was great to see them. Bo and Ingrid always remind me of how Scandinavian people should look. As we were late in arriving we were almost immediately put into two mini-buses - which were driven by Bo and Dan - and set off for Ystad. Ystad, pronounced "Erstard" with the emphasis on the latter part of the word, is a seaside town about 30 kilometres southeast of Sturup. To get there we drove through some very pleasant countryside reminiscent of the flatter parts of England with a few undulations. The houses, mainly farms, were spread out for Sweden is, by comparison with the UK, quite sparsely populated.

Ystad has the usual factories and warehouses on the outskirts but they aren’t "untidy" as with many towns and cities. The town was a thriving place back in the 1300's and there has been some trade with England over the years. The centre of the town is very old and has been beautifully preserved. Most of the shops are in that area. We were taken to our hotel, the Ystads Saltsjöbad bad, and very good it was too. One must point out that Sweden isn’t really a tourist country. How often does one see adverts for holidays in Sweden? The reason for this is that the country has been "neutral" for many years and one can appreciate that very much. Hence tourist and hotel facilities aren’t as "slick" as one would find in other countries, but my view is that with Sweden now being in the EU things will change. Especially along the coast around Ystad, it being the most southerly point of that country, it should develop quite considerably in years to come.

The hotel is in very pleasant wooded surroundings to the east of the town and boasts over 100 rooms plus an outdoor swimming pool. Rosemary’s and my room had a window looking out over the Baltic Sea, that sea being about 100 metres from the hotel. The sea remained very calm all the time we were there with very little tide indeed. One member of our party subsequently remarked that Rosemary and I were given that room so I’d say nice things in this story! This isn’t the case, even if I’d been put in the cellar I’d have enjoyed it!

Having settled in at the hotel, the evening festivities started. We were scheduled to have a meal and then attend a tattoo in the town. Before we went to Sweden we heard that the cost of the tattoo would be about the equivalent of £35.00 a head and that I thought was a bit much. However, in the event it was much cheaper and so off we went. A few words in digression here, the general cost of most things, apart from alcohol, seems to be roughly the same as in the UK. Alcohol is very much more expensive. On arrival by taxi at the place where the tattoo was to be held we became a bit confused as to what was really happening. Before the actual tattoo we were to have a meal and so were directed to a large marquee where there must have been about 400 people. It looked like the meal would be somewhat sparse but actually it turned out to be very good. Swedish cooking isn’t all that interesting in appearance but it is very well cooked and really tasty. How these meals were cooked and served under such conditions beats me, but it was excellent. After that we made our way to the arena for the tattoo. The arrangements were somewhat "temporary" and we had some difficulty in getting in. Fortunately, Rosemary and I had front row seats and so were able to have a good view.

The various bands that played in the tattoo were excellent. They came from several countries but of course the greatest number were from Sweden. There were two bands from the UK, Scotland actually, these being the Strathclyde Police Band and the Lowland Band of the Scottish Division. They were the last performers before the interval. The "house was brought down" by their playing of "Amazing Grace" but also there were the Polish Marine and the Estonian Border Guard Bands and they were both very good indeed. But the final performance, by a Swedish band, I thought was really good. It seemed to me to be an elite band of the Swedish Army but in fact it turned out to be a band of recruits which had only been together since the beginning of the year! It was a great surprise to be informed that it was the first tattoo that had been held in Ystad. The venue was a redundant Army barracks area which had been evacuated about a year previously. It made an ideal setting and one can see that if such an occasion is repeated in coming years there’ll be a more permanent arena built. We became a bit confused in that some people told us that it was the first of such events in Sweden as a whole while others said it was the first in Ystad, there having been others in Stockholm. But whatever the situation, we enjoyed it very much and would have been sorry to have missed it.

I might add that at around the time of our arrival at the hotel there were similar groups to ourselves from other countries already there or soon to arrive. There were contingents from Norway, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, and of course, Sweden. It was good to see old friends again and to meet new ones. There were four Norwegians including Ole Skibnes, Erik Borthen and Ola Løekberg, resplendent in their new brown blazers and a goodly group of Dutchmen augmented by one or two Belgians. But the biggest group came from Germany. It seems there were three of their clubs, one being a new one to us, it being based in Berlin. The Germans mainly came by coach all the way but our good friend Jörg Diamantoupoulous (and I’m willing to bet that’s spelt wrong!), he in the Höfen club, came with several other chaps in a motor caravan. Jörg is a great fan of The Handlebar Club and we in turn admire and respect him very much.

The following day dawned with a thick mist over the Baltic but it soon cleared to give another excellent day. This was Saturday, the day of the parade and competition. We first had a very good breakfast in the hotel, this being a case of "if you want it, we’ve got it". Apart from some of the beautiful bread of Sweden there was ham, cheese, tomatoes, hard and soft boiled eggs, fried sausages and bacon, scrambled eggs, several cereals, tea, coffee, fruit juice, you name it. If one couldn’t make a breakfast out of that they were distinctly lacking! So, replete, we went off to the old town square where we gathered for the procession to the hall where the moustache and beard competition was to be held. On arrival at the town square there were several clubs milling around and while we were waiting for the band which was to lead us we were entertained by a German and a Swiss who played some tunes on their alpenflugels or alpenhorns. Interesting it was too. The band finally arrived, it being the Griffon Band from Malmo, a small but very lively Scottish pipe band. I can’t say in which order we moved off behind the band for with the great Sten-Erik Molker, the Patriarch of us all, and a Dutchman, I rode on an antique Volvo fire engine which apparently is the pride of Ystad. The reason for us three old chaps riding on the fire engine was because we aren’t too good on our legs these days and it was felt that the walk would be a bit too much for us. So we brought up the rear. Off we went and soon there was quite a crowd of spectators walking behind us, some ladies even joined us on the fire engine.

Eventually we got to the hall and settled ourselves inside, ready for the competition. Our club isn’t "into" these competitions but we participated. To me, if you’ve seen one of these competitions you’ve seen them all but especially the Germans like them very much and take it all quite seriously. They can be rather long and tedious but this time Several classes of moustache and beard were eliminated and so the whole thing was shorter. Surprisingly, The Handlebar Club won three cups but in a roundabout sort of manner. The Germans usually win most of the prizes for they have quite magnificent moustaches and beards and dress to match the part. In our case, apart from our club tie, we don’t wear an official "uniform" but do wear deerstalker hats. The three prizes we "won" were by Ted Sedman who came third in the free-style section, and Bruce Roe who came second in "Hungarian" section. A first prize was "won" in an indirect manner for one of the Germans, Frank Werthwein, won the free-style moustache and soon after asked to join our club (which he has subsequently done). Bruce is an American who I first met in Trondheim, Norway, he coming from Washington State. Apart from being a member of our club he is also the President of the newly formed American "Whisker Club". It was good to see him again and to meet his wife, they both enjoyed the occasion immensely. In the latter part of these competitions it is quite amusing to see the behaviour of some of the competitors and onlookers. Tension runs high and this time one of the Germans (I think he was) walked out and one of the Dutchmen quite actively protested at the decision of the judges. But overall, great fun was had by everyone.

After all that we made our way back to the hotel where in the evening a dinner was to be held. I think that about 250 of us must have sat down to the meal. Various gifts were exchanged between clubs and there was great conviviality all round. I didn’t think much of the actual dinner itself, there was too long a delay between courses and the portions were small. However, it sufficed. After that there was dancing to a two-piece band with electronic support. It was very good too and some of our group, including Rosemary and me, managed to take a turn round the dance floor.

Sunday morning dawned bright and clear and again we had one of those tremendous breakfasts. After that there was a meeting between all of the clubs, this taking up an hour or so in the morning. This was so that the various clubs could air their views, especially with regard to closer ties. I have definite views on this but at that meeting could not see how these could be reconciled with the views of the rest of the clubs. There was a lot of discussion about the make-up of the competitions and in this our club is not really interested, as said before. Frankly, I didn’t think that a lot came out of this meeting but it is early days yet. One useful move was the exchange of Internet identifications which will enable most clubs to communicate more readily. Fortunately, Ted Sedman and Rod are on the Internet and so we’re at least "up" in that.

While this meeting was going on, the ladies of our group were taken by two ladies of our hosts, Carina Hamrin and Ingrid Jonsson, to a very beautiful sheltered garden locally to Ystad which had many varieties of fuchsias amongst other interesting plants. Carina had arranged the visit with the couple whose garden it was. They showed our ladies around and explained how they coped with the delicate plants in what can be a very harsh climate. To them, very many thanks.

After the meeting the clubs started to leave in their various manners. All agreed that we had had a wonderful time. When Bo Jonsson arrived with a mini-bus and Hans Hamrin with a car I thought it was to take us direct to Sturup where we could get lunch and wait for our plane at 17.30, but no. We set off in the direction of Sturup, Bo and Hans driving through quite heavy rain, the first they’d had for some time, but by-passed it and ended up near Malmo. To my great surprise and delight we visited the new Øresund Link which had just been completed structurally. Over the past two or three years I’ve been kept informed both officially and privately of the progress with this Link. This project has been most interesting for whilst not as long as the Channel Tunnel it is just as impressive. From Sweden a bridge goes out for 8 kilometres, descends onto a ½ kilometre long artificial island and then carries on in a sunken tunnel for about 4 kilometres to reach Copenhagen in Denmark. The whole lot carries a four-lane highway and a two-track railway. It should be open to the public in 2000.

After that there was lunch in a restaurant on the edge of a marina and this was very good indeed. Rosemary and I had Wiener Schnitzel plus trimmings and this went down very well. Then it was back to the vehicles for a quick tour of Malmo. During my first visit there some years ago I wasn’t overly impressed with the city, but this time, even though it was over a much shorter period, I saw a lot more of the place and was quite impressed. From Malmo we then headed for Sturup and our plane. It was very sad to say goodbye but our ladies were most surprised and pleased to be each presented with a delicious Split Cake, a speciality of the Skåne Region in which Malmo and Ystad are situated although they originated in Ancient Greece.

Our return journey to London City Airport was really a reverse of our journey out. The mini-bus was waiting for us at LCA and it being a Sunday with the traffic not so dense we were taken, mainly for the benefit of Alf, on a short tour of central London and on to Leatherhead. From Leatherhead we wended our way home, Rosemary and I arriving back at about 21.00. Alf was taken to Heathrow for his plane the following morning after spending the night again with Geoff and Carolyn.

So ends the story but there’s still a few things to be said. I would mention another two stalwarts of the Svenska Mustaschklubben who treated us so well. One was Tommy Berglund and the other the aforementioned Hans Hamrin who is now President of that club. They, along with their wives, did a remarkable job in running this gathering. I was told that during the actual weekend there were only five club members who were active and that makes the whole event even more remarkable. The great Sten-Erik Molker, who founded the Swedish club 15 years ago, was quite active and really indulged himself in his hobby of photography. Indeed a great many photographs were taken by a number of people and they have been extensively exchanged.

It should have been mentioned that Ted and Win Worth didn’t come with us in the mini-bus to LCA as they live in Croydon and so could get a bus or buses more directly. It may be wondered why the aforementioned Jörg has such a surname. I’ll not repeat it here! It is because his father is or was Greek and his mother German.

Next, a word must be said of Rod Littlewood, our Secretary. He made the arrangements and conducted our party extremely well. Our very many thanks to him.

I close with an amusing little incident which happened when I presented my passport for scrutiny at Sturup when we were leaving. The young chap returned it and said, "Thank you very much". Jokingly I replied, "Just a minute, this is Sweden!" Taking the joke he then replied, "Tack" which is Swedish for "Thanks". Most Swedish people speak English very well, in some cases better than we do. So on that note I end by saying to all our friends in Sweden, "Tack så mycket" which means, "Thank you very much".

Conway Chiles

April, 2000.

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