I went to Västerås and had an okay time

Which town should I visit next? 👀
This video is a totally different format from my other videos, and I'm super nervous to post it! I hope you guys like it, and if you'd like similar videos in the future, please let me know.
Instagram: bit.ly/Insta_reaganlouis
I asked you guys on Instagram about things to do in Västerås, Sweden. After finding out it was known as "Cucumber City," I booked a train ticket and spent the afternoon trying your suggestions.
In this video, I visit or talk about:
1. Konst museum (Art museum), västmanlands län museum
2. Stadsparken (City park)
3. Stadshuset (City hall)
4. Slott (Castle)
5. Lake Mälaren
6. Kokpunkten (water park)
7. The Steam Hotel
8. Vallby Friluftsmuseum
----
På svenska
Jag frågade er på Instagram om vad jag ska göra i Västerås, Sverige. Så många av er sa att Västerås är känd för gurka och även kallas gurkstan.
Jag åkte dit och vloggade min dag!

[@Hurricane000007]

This has to be the most Swedish title to a KZbin video ever :D

[@skitleses4524]

it had one swedish word

[@rickardelimaa]

"Västerås: had an okay time" Yep, that sums that city up alright. :P

[@NominePatris]

Alltid lika roligt att se Sverige från ett nytt perspektiv! Det är så mycket vi tar för givet och inte ser som spännande eller intressant, "hemmablinda"! :)

[@syndafloden]

Visit Uppsala. The Cathedral is magnificent and the old parts of the town are nice. Oh. And there's an actual castle there.

[@marthali8937]

Ett tjat om historia får man när man är där och allt om vikingar och Gustav Vasa till exempel så Om du åker till Uppsala så bör du vara där länge eftersom det är mycket att åka till! 1. Uppsala Slott som Gustav Vasa började bygga 2. Gamla Uppsala högar som är gamla vikingagravar 3. Domkyrkan som de håller på att fixa i tornen med så det är en gigantisk lyftkran där… 4. Kungbjörns hög som är en till gammal vikingagrav i hågadalen där också predikstolen finns som är en liten klippa där det förut vid bronsåldern fanns en borg som vaktade hågaån.

[@747070]

OMG Uppsala is the most beautiful city ever, please go there! PS. I live there xD

[@nisse7399]

Domkyrkan in Västerås have three stars in guide michelin.

[@Phalaenopsisify]

And the botanical garden too! :)

[@baxtrom]

Yes, but its a new one, 16th century.

[@sofien3250]

H&M was founded in Västerås! I think the store is located at the same place where it opened 1947.

[@MeaganAfterDark]

I'm just seeing this now lol. Very cool! I didn't know that!

[@DeLantis]

Unfortunately not. The original store dosen't exist anymore

[@torbjornkallstrom2316]

This was fun to watch. I think reviewing more Swedish towns could be an interesting video series :)

[@HeyItsMelinax]

As someone who lives in Västerås, this was a complete roast video and I loved it😂

[@herrbonk3635]

A roast of modernism, not the city per se. Quite a few beautiful buildings are still there, as she even pointed out (despite the 1960s "social democrats" attempts to eradicate bourgeois culture).

[@sophiecupelli7950]

Västeråsare här, Västerås is a very boring city so i really appreciate the 6.5 gurkor😂i did not expect it

[@Youtube_Globetrotter]

I lived in Norra Vallby in the 80's

[@HouseWinterfifr]

Öster Mälarstrand and Lillåudden are beautiful but Willhem’s big Brown blocks at Liegatan in Hammarby 💀

[@Snedstige]

My immediate thought about Västerås Stadshus (when I moved to Västerås a few years back) was that it's a crossover between something from the Soviet Union and something from Mordor.... Everyone could imagine the Eye of Sauron at the top of that thing, right?! Love your channel! Keep up the nice work!

[@SPL1NTER_SE]

Check out the police station in Norrköping if you haven't seen it. That really fits your description. 😄

[@indraallian6371]

How cute can you be? You really looked like you were working for the Swedish secret service (noob lvl) at the start. Loved the video and its always so fun to get a "foringers" view of a place you have been many times.

[@XJeyX]

Being born and bred in Västerås, I really enjoyed this video. The museum is what I always recommend when people ask what to visit, so I'm glad you went. I do agree with you about the castle; it's not much to look at. Remember though, a fire in 1736 ruined quite a bit of what it used to be. Actually, Västerås is quite a significant city historically speaking, so read up on it if you find the time! Also, there's a bit of a rivalry between Örebro and Västerås. You're building bridges!

[@ekstatisk]

Love your editing and sense of humour. And your laugh is so infectious! 😁 Bra jobbat!

[@Rockfan182fuckyeah]

You should visit Uppsala! I would love to show you around :)

[@marthali8937]

Hallå jag har varit typ överallt! Mycket historia…

[@jroemling]

I lived in Västerås for 5 years, mostly because it is perfect for commuting to Stockholm and you can get an apartment for 1/5th of the price. I liked it there because it reminds me a lot of the city I grew up in in Germany, but whenever some friend wanted to see where I live it only took an hour to show them "everything".

[@ajcastro829]

Wich city in germany?

[@staffan.eriksson5061]

You have a great impact on Sweden, and our culture. Keep up the good work! You are amazing!

[@rasmusjonsson4653]

Hello! First time commenting. 🙂 Lovely video! Västerås is my home town so it felt really surreal to see you walk around there. I'm not used to seeing Västerås on KZbin 😂 I have a small channel and I've filmed some stuff downtown just to like, showcase a couple of buildings I like. Loved seeing your perspective and to follow your day! There is a lack of things to see and experience but I would recommend going to Björnön and Anundshög for people wanting to experience some nature. For your next trip, I would recommend the town of Uppsala. Very pretty architecture 🙂 Have a good day!

[@nickgray123]

Enjoyed watching that, it was a genuine wandering around visiting a town experience. Also you reminded me to go and watch some uppdrags: mat and see if my Swedish has got better.

[@janeshirokitchen1186]

Västerås is a calm beautiful city

[@VanessaLjungdahl]

God, I love you! You’re so funny and inspirational 👏🏻👏🏻

[@DarkGift666]

Haha, no way. I was in Västerås earlier this week, literally for the first time as well. I think I might've even visited the same café! Anyway, really enjoying watching you experience all things Swedish for the first time, keep it up!

[@ottarkraemer9001]

So nice to see you visiting Västerås! :)

[@heureuse8568]

What, I think Västerås is quite beautiful! Next time you go there you have to see the cathedral and Tidö castle.

[@robinbackrud89]

Lovely video. I now know a bit more about Västerås. Sometime you could maybe visit Simrishamn, Skillinge or Kivik on the east side of Skåne (area called Österlen) if you want to experience beautiful nature and old houses on the sea side, or Växjö in Småland where there are a lot of lakes and new modern structures popping up all the time :) Just some tips to take in consideration.

[@Griexxt]

Being from Österlen, I approve of this comment.

[@anehakansson7771]

The tower you thought was the city hall is actually the ASEA tower. ASEA, once one of the most inventive and innovative company in Sweden within power technology made everything from simple switches to nuclear reactors. Electrical locomotives was also a big business and, actually, the US bought Rc locomotives from Västerås, the "Mighty Mouse" as they where called.

[@AceOfBased]

LOL that you forgot about the cucumbers. Älskar din kanal och din personlighet!

[@onomatopoetisk]

I really liked the video! In my opinion, Västerås definitely doesn't deserve to be called the ugliest city! I don't know if you want to continue visiting "boring" or "ugly" cities... This tip is not of that type: go to Norrköping. Such a nice city, so much things to do there! - Industrilandskapet (incl. Arbetets museum) has an old industrial look and great atmosphere, cafés and bars. - Knäppingsborg area, cute blocks of small shops and restaurants. - Visualiseringscenter C, a dome theatre with movies and exhibitions. - Strömparken: a nice stroll in a central park next to Motala ström. - Folkparken: disc golf, ice cream, "äventyrsgolf" with miniature buildings from Norrköping city, a stroll around Motala ström. Oh, and an hour away with bus from Norrköping is Arkösund, one way to get out in the archipelago. :)

[@jojje3000-1]

You are in the Swedish ”rust belt”, lotsa old industrial towns recovering from their downturns. Go south and maybe to the west coast.

[@Anquarius]

Loved this video! Ser gärna fler vlogvideor när du reser någonstans.

[@janjohansson5059]

As a Vasterasare in the USA I really enjoyed this video and it really made me homesick.

[@stenandersson6704]

Nice to see my home town thru your eyes.

[@Tavic1]

Gillar din personlighet, hoppas att du fortsätter göra fler videos =) thumbs up

[@hueningdolphin582]

I really enjoyed this video! Keep it up

[@chikitabowow]

This video is essentially an extension of what i tell foreigners when they ask me about Sweden: That Sweden is a great place to live, and an okay place to visit 🤣

[@brin9987]

Nicely edited, fun to learn about Västerås, and your commentary is always hilarious. Come over to Oslo and do a rating here to, we dont have cucumbers but lots of other fun things.

[@babalas2867]

Stumbled over you channel and I just adore it. You should make a trip to the north of Sweden to experience the nordic light, maybe the Icehotel, if you go in the winter or the midnight sun in the summers. ❤

[@kristoffer-2614]

Maybe this could be a series on the channel? You visit different Swedish cities and make videos about it, like this one. It was verry enjoyable!

[@sebastianlundahl1282]

haha! älskar din personlighet!

[@ewe3439]

You just have to visit Ängelsberg (about 40 minutes from Västerås). Ängelsberg is a small Village with old industrial heritage. Here you will find Oljeön, an Island with the worlds oldest preseved oil refinery. There's also Engelsbergs iron works, a world heritage site. In the town there's lots of old villas and houses from the 19-20th century. You can have lunch/dinner or fika in one of them and look at the beautiful view over Oljeön and lake Åmänningen. Cant forget to mention that you can take the train from Västerås to the old station In Ängelsberg! (Takes 45 minutes).

[@kristofferbeckman9073]

I just can’t refuse to say that my favourite thing to read about is Swedish history, i just LOVE museums about our my history, so if you come close to any historical museum i’d reccomend to visit them, especially the ”Vasa Museum” ( my fav ) have a good one ❤️‍🔥

[@andersholmstrom3571]

You also have Anunds hög just outside of Västerås. It is the biggest iron age buriel mound of the country. At the same site you also have the biggest collection of ship shape stone settings. And a café.

[@starcloak]

You should definitely visit Borlänge, but I'd recommend you touring around Dalarna if you got the time and is interested in Swedish history and culture. Learning about the copper mines in Falun, the origin of the dalahäst and Vasaloppet and so much more.

[@Krubbe]

Very nice! Would love to see more

[@eminamohamed4105]

Uppdatera meeeera 👌🏼👌🏼❤

[@NewstromJulianna]

I loved it and I’d love to see more of this kind of video but that’s not to say that I don’t love your other style of videos. I’m sorry about the cucumbers, I love cucumbers I was excited to see what made their cucumbers so special! 🤣❤️😂

[@fargbarn]

Love the video! Look up Nyköping, it's a smaller town 1h from Stockholm. I love the scenery and the castle is very beautiful! (In summer they also have a history journey with live reenactment lol)

[@Koettnylle]

That ough sound bite cracks me up every time

[@freemangriffin4953]

Could you do a video of your favorite places in Orebro? I am curious about your city! This video was wonderful! I hope you do more like this one! (:

[@cissi021]

Västerås is my hometown!

[@Svanberg123]

Instead of Kumla, you should go to Nora, especially in the summer. It's the north of Örebro. 30 min with bus.

[@annicaesplund6613]

Absolutely supercute town!

[@rogersandell7870]

Very nice video! It was both fun and interesting to follow you around in Västerås! Welcome to Falun and the world heritage site Falun copper mine or Falu koppargruva. You can do Borlänge on the same trip. Just take enough time. I guess one day in each city is the minimum. As you noticed, one day in Västerås passes by very quickly.

[@adoby83]

Fun video! Do more!

[@michaellust]

So swedish to be shy! 💯❤️ I for one certainly love this kind of videos. Maybe you could bring some friend to have a conversation with? Or interview some random one? You are an American so that shouldn't be a problem! 😊

[@perspira8226]

Cool! More of this.

[@Bentzel75]

This was fun!

[@Phalaenopsisify]

You perfectly captured a typical small town :) Next time go to Sala and the silver mine! It's very cool.

[@tha_tram_man]

SMALL TOWN its 5th lagest

[@Fistfury42]

Btw the 'Stadshus' looks like a soul-less remake of the Stockholm one.

[@Xenofonx]

There is a lot of places worth mentioning, but if you're into castles I do recommend Mariefred with Gripsholms Castle or Skokloster south of Uppsala - which is accessible either by boat (a nice way to travel) or by car. The latter only in summer though.

[@rasmuswi]

I kind of guess that the bronze age settlements showed in the museums would have been where Västerås is situated as I guess that place would have been under water in the bronze age. The post glacial rebound has raised central Sweden a LOT since then, and Mälaren would probably have been a part of the Baltic sea. As for places to visit: Visby! While some weeks like medeltidsveckan, almedalsveckan etc are of particular interest, it's worth visiting whenever you have time. Have a beer in a pub in the basement of a building that was built in the 1200s, check out the city wall and all the ruins, learn the harrowing story about the 1361 Danish sacking of the city. If you do go during medeltidsveckan, watch a real medieval-style tournament!

[@Griexxt]

The "creepy" music at the train station sounds like "Miserere" by Italian renaissance composer Gregorio Allegri. It's a classical masterpiece.

[@rogersandell7870]

It is. I love it!

[@jonathanandersson3402]

It should also be pointed out that it's an example of what (at least in Sweden) is known as "excluding design" - that is, an area meant to deter (homeless) people from wanting to stay there for too long.

[@Griexxt]

@@jonathanandersson3402 That is certainly not at all what this music was designed for.

[@Emotator]

Glad you enjoyed my hometown altough without trying the famous Västerås-cucumbers :)

[@killerhank83]

Perhaps some interesting information is that the building that you thought was a better alternative to the state house is the Swedish headquarters for ABB and which was originally built as ASEA's (the A in ABB) headquarters. The hydroelectric plant below the castle was also built on ASEA's behalf so that sufficient electricity could be ensured for ASEA's production. västerås is also the hometown of H&M.

[@chrisd3712]

Great grand tour of Västerås. I work in Västerås (Westeros :-) ), but so far I haven't had time to visit "things" around here.

[@CocoLicious]

My husband and I went to a swedish festivals a few years ago and a guy told him that he's from Västerås and my husband thought he made a Game of Thrones joke😆

[@salahudeenchalu9597]

Nice video lrealy liked.. your presentation..😍 from lndia

[@12dakis]

Are you going to Stockholm any time soon? ☺️ I have a trip booked there in mid August 😄

[@Rbajter]

Västerås is the birthplace of the pub chain Bishops Arms. Also, there was a restaurant in the city that is rumored to be the first place in Sweden you could order a pizza (in 1947).

[@coldkingdom4733]

Strängnäs and maybe Mariefred (just outside of Strängnäs) that has Gripsholms Castle (a "real" castle 😄). Real cozy in the summer!

[@melissastragapede9466]

Tips är att besöka Visby på Gotland!! Oförglömligt ✨✨

[@linusfotograf]

This was fun. Come to Norrköping :-)

[@Sterrendei]

I've lived in Västerås and I think it's quite beautiful 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@mihitoo]

Awesome video 👍 you need too visit gothenburg 😀

[@idanlevy9096]

I know it's quite far, but I really recommend Lund. I am biased as I live there, but it's soooo beautiful.

[@nattawadee4135]

I want to go there! I really miss Sweden so next time when I get back I may go there for a trip

[@fressno1807]

You should definetly visit Nynäshamn. Just the name is a mouthful. Pitoresque harbour town. Ice cream bars, local fish/meat smokery, localy produced beers, big boats, local bards playing at bars/restaurants. And so on. A day well spent in the summer.

[@scanern574]

9:24, it's the second ugliest got me laughing so hard🤣

[@bakatstravarenmattsson3418]

I have never seen so much of V-ås!!, i just passed through once.

[@swelarsson86]

Västeråsgurka is a smaller field cucumber and it's often the pickled version which is typical for Västerås.

[@prophetate]

In Västerås you should visit Djäknenerget as well 😊

[@DanHammarstrom]

Come to Uppsala, check out the Doom-Church and old Castle in the center. Just an 5-10min walk from the trainstation. You probably have to go thru Västerås and/or Enköping to get here tho because the stupids planned for all trains to go through Stockholm.

[@prophetate]

I used to live in Västerås during my teenage years so recognized a lot of places but the steam hotel was new 😂

[@95BWG]

6:41 That map is a bit misrepresentative! The connections from Mälaren to the Baltic Sea are mainly in central Stockholm and are quite slim. The reason why Mälaren is a sweetwater lake and not just a huge bay of the brackish Baltic is because of the locks in and around Stockholm, the one in Slussen being the most famous. And by the way, you should visit Uppsala next! 😊

[@frankkrunk]

Yes, I also thought that map looked weird. There's only two natural connections between Mälaren and Östersjön (the other two are man-made canals.). Söderström has been made navigable with sluice gates (Slussen) while Norrström is too turbulent. The flow of the water is also an indication that Mälaren is not a bay. Before the lock was built, boats had to be dragged upstream into Mälaren using horses.

[@95BWG]

@@frankkrunk The water flow is a good point. So one could technically say that Mälaren is just a very wide river, I guess?

[@herrbonk3635]

Uppsala, not yet as destructed as Västerås, but quickly closing the gap.

[@95BWG]

@@herrbonk3635 What do you mean?

[@herrbonk3635]

@@95BWG That they build awful looking new milieus, even in the middle of the city, and still to this day plan to destroy more beautiful buildings from the 1800s and early 1900s.

[@SwirishStories]

I'm about to move to Västerås with my fiancé from London! I agree with you regarding the ugliness - I'm confused!? There's lots of really pretty places in Västerås but hey, maybe I've just not seen enough of Sweden yet lol. Steam Hotel is so cool and the water park is legit one of the best I've ever been to.

[@markuserikssen]

When I was living in Sweden, I regularly heard that Västerås was one of the ugliest towns of Sweden, so it made me curious. I went there 2 times and actually didn't think it was that bad. Yes, there are some ugly buildings, but the overall downtown area isn't that bad. Some areas are actually very nice! Many suburbs of Stockholm are way uglier and you will also find a lot of smaller, lesser known towns in Sweden that have ugly downtowns too. Interesting video btw!

[@muffinklang]

I would try to visit Nora or Lindesberg in summer, two beautiful small towns at the edge of smallish lakes quite close to you as well.

[@nolkeb-son2572]

come to Malmö and we can have an amazing day :) so much to se and do! we can mabye meet up for a fika or just a walk along the sea in västra hamnen or something!

[@ajcastro829]

Malmö is refugie city, danish country not even swedish.

[@jonathanandersson3402]

I've got an office in the City Hall building (although I mostly work from home now during the pandemic). Whenever I go there, I can't help but to quietly hum the national anthem of Russia. 😅 It's just as depressing on the inside as on the outside

[@CrowColdblade]

You went to westeros and didnt even sit on the iron throne?

[@mrolsen6987]

You should go up north to Östersund/Jämtland I really think you would like the view from Frösön and the historyland/museum Jamtli, and take a detour to Åre. 👍

[@SgtMcNasty]

So many little cool things you always miss if you don`t get someone local to show you around. Some of Västerås most interesting historical points are to do with the developement of industri. ASEA-strömmen for instance. Bryggargården and Metallverken to name a few. We also have the old millitary airforce base. Björnön is pretty special as well. Gamla stan and the kolonistugor down by the river. And also all the little local anecdotes. Like the story about some of the local punkrockers that stole the T from the sign outside PUNKT so it just said PUNK. True or not it`s a local legend.

[@Koyaanissparris]

The music at the train station is the end verse of Gregorio Allegri's "Miserere Mei, Deus", one of the most famous classical choral pieces of all time. No idea why it was playing though!

[@kalegolas]

The buses arent dangerous 😉 But fun that you kind of liked my home town 🙂

[@killerhank83]

I live in Sweden's "second ugliest city" Västerås and there is horse meat in our stores too, mainly in the form of sandwich spread, like ham. I sometimes buy horse meat as a topping for sandwiches and then have it on sandwiches, usually together with soft cheese and cucumber. Concludes by saying that Västerås is the hometown of H&M

[@homelessman8047]

Man, this is so weird to watch. For one thing, you went to a lot of places that most natives wouldn't even realise exists, and you missed out on a lot because you didn't go to the stuff that's farther out. No Erikslund, no Vallby, no Hälla (kind of dead there anyway), and you didn't go to places like Myrorna. Regardless, it's interesting to see how someone else navigates a city. Tourists always manage to find stuff that's right there and that you've never seen before, and then take a great interest in them. Also, you didn't get to see the Christmas lights or people like tutmannen or getskägget. There's a lot to Västerås. Gyms (including some great free outdoor ones with running paths), forests, lots of places to swim...

[@hencytjoe]

I grew up just outside of Västerås but moved to Gothenburg 11 years ago so it's pretty funny to see this popping up :'). About the list, being the ugliest city when you have places like Marstrand to compete with it's kind of easy to get the last position. Doesn't mean it's ugly per se, just in comparison :')

[@andreferreira6357]

Thank you Meagan for giving some tips. I will stop there this weekend while heading in Orebro for a couple of days. Any tips for Orebro?

[@andreferreira6357]

Didnt find any cucumber either. Damn!

[@xelection3434]

You didn’t see the cathedral!? It is highly recommended a trip of its own because its so uniqe by Guide Michelin! Welcome back!

[@BjorckBengt]

Wow! I love the understated tone. Never met a US citizen with this low key humor.

[@rickhunter8484]

Never been to Västerås myself, only passed it from time to time. But Borlänge i have been to, and it is ugly ;)

[@CreRay]

As a non-swede, when I hear Västerås I think of Ronny from Kärlek & Anarki 😂. I am honestly puzzled how that can qualify as 2nd ugliest, it seems quite pretty to me!

[@bjorn83]

Cool that you were here. Västerås is a very lagom city. Not the most exciting. Kind of like Stockholms little brother. I like it though, but i may be biased. My family has been here for atleast five generations.

[@davidry2777]

Oh! You where 200 meters away from my Escape Room haha. It's close to the first museum.

[@benghazi4216]

Borlänge has some American vibes. Very car focused. They literally have a four lane 80km/h road going straight through the city.