Yah götta gö to Göteborg

Friday 29 July

Today is our 16^th wedding anniversary. Yahooo.  Congrats to Us!

We were extremely happy to leave this camp site as it was the noisiest we've experienced to date (excluding the planes in Berlin). As the camp was close to the Swedish/Norwegian border, we don't know who the culprits were but they kept us up way past the 11pm curfew with singing and guitar playing. Consequently most of the camp was awake and talking so sleep was not possible until the early hours. For whatever reason some young Swedes camping near us then decided to have a conversation at 4am so patrolman Bill pronounced the internationally recognised request to “shut up”.

After a stop at a huge shopping complex for lunch a couple of hours down the road, we headed to the suburbs of Göteberg to the home of our friends Per-Erik and Barbro Sunström and parked our monstrosity in their driveway. 

Bill and Per-Erik had worked together on business for over 12 years, so it was lovely to catch up again, enjoy a beautifully home cooked meal and sleep soundly in the peace of their suburb. We did hear the mailman arrive in the wee hours and grumble about the large vehicle parked in front of the postal box.

Saturday 30 July

Per-Erik and Barbro packed their car to head off on their own holiday for a week and we caught a taxi into the city for a week-end of being “normal” tourists.

We dropped our bags at the Hotel Avalon right in the centre of the city, which was highly rated by TripAdvisor, and went exploring. So far the week-end promises fine weather with top temps of 27 degrees.

Returning to our hotel for the 3pm check-in we noticed that our room was quite warm so fiddled with the air-conditioning, freshened up and went out again for a very late but leisurely lunch to celebrate our anniversary.

The temperature in our room hadn't changed from uncomfortably warm when we returned so we kicked up a stink and were eventually moved to a room where the air-conditioning worked a little better. Though the hotel is only 4 years old, they finally admitted to their system not coping well with extreme heat (we didn't think 27 was too extreme) or cold. Quite a shame really as in all other respects it's a lovely hotel and in such a fantastic location.

Sunday 31 July

We picked up the Göteberg Card from the local Tourist Information which gives us access to most attractions and public transport and raced to the Lilla Bommen harbour to catch the ferry to the Älvsborg Fortress at the mouth of the Gota Alv River built in 1660.

Most of the fortresses we've seen on our travels have been massive and over time generally renovated into castles. This one however was quite small on a small island from which you could not escape (the prisoners before, and now us) until the next transport in 2 hours time. Not to worry, there was a guided tour starting immediately, if you speak Swedish, otherwise the English tour is in 2 hours time! So we set off ourselves to explore and read the information panels and take a look at the areas actually opened to the public.

The fortress dates back to 1660, built to defend Sweden's gateway to the North Sea. The Danes tried to conquer it in 1717 and 1719 but were unsuccessful. The canon balls remain wedged in the church tower as evidence of this (although they look fake to us). In the late 18^th century it became a prison which closed in 1869. Some of the buildings are now used for weddings and functions but are not accessible generally. And even the church could only be seen if you were on the guided tour, or attending a wedding!

Back on the mainland for lunch then did the Paddan Canal Boat tour which included travelling under several very low bridges. One was so low all the passengers had to sit on the floor to avoid being beheaded. 

On the harbour we got up close to the replica of the Gothenberg ship which sailed to Australia when completed in 2005. We also went past the Naval Museum containing several ships including a submarine, all of which could be boarded. And the beautiful Barken Viking with its 4 masts, the tallest of which is 55.5m. This ship last sailed into Gothenberg in 1950 before the Älvsborg Bridge was built at a height of 45m, meaning it could never leave. It is now used as a a five star hotel and restaurant.

Back on dry land we walked to the Gotaplatsen to see the fountain of Poseidon and then onto Liseberg, a huge garden and amusement park. The land was originally owned by Johan Anders Lamberg in the 18^th century who built the gardens and a couple of houses but eventually sold to the crown who went on to build this amazing “Disneyland” style park complete with the world's biggest wooden roller-coaster still in use today. 

This place was super crowded, everyone screaming and having fun on the rides, and many getting wet on the Flume ride and the Barrel ride down the rapids. People were also walking around with enormous chocolate or chip packets won in roulette wheel fashion. It's obviously a very popular place in summer and becomes a winter wonderland for Christmas with many markets.

We caught an antique tram back to our hotel and after freshening up had a beautiful meal in a little Greek restaurant tucked down an alley. The perfect end to a perfect week-end.

Monday 01 August

Caught a taxi back to our friend's house to collect our travelling beast before boarding a Stena Line ferry for a 2 hour journey to Frederikshavn in the north of Denmark. The weather was fine and warm and the seas calm. 

Once in Denmark we had a 3 hour drive to our camp site for the night, Kolding City Camp. This place was fantastic with great facilities and oh so quiet.

More photos here.

Getting Wet in Sweden

Getting wet around the Lakes and in the rain in central Sweden.

Friday 15 July

Thought of our friend Jo Turner today who is celebrating a special birthday back in Brisbane.

Packed up and headed off early, still in a northerly direction to Vadstena on Lake Vattern, the 2nd biggest lake in Sweden - at last count there are over 97,000 lakes in Sweden.

Travel time was 5 hours including stops for fuel, lunch and groceries. Our camp site at Vadstena Camping is a good one with a couple of new service buildings, so excellent facilities, but the advertised internet access is only one computer available for use at reception as they're “still working” on getting WiFi. We really rely on internet access with no TV and often no easy access to English language newspapers.

As the afternoon progressed, the sky darkened, it rained a little, but the temperature dropped so much we had to put the heater on. We had a nice evening anyway reading some British papers we'd luckily picked up yesterday at Kalmar.

Saturday 16 July

Though the skies are still dark, some blue sky is trying to peak through so our wardrobe got careful consideration before we headed off for a 3.3km walk into the city centre. This was another case of “there is no bad weather – just bad clothing choices”.  We had both added wet weather pants to our wet ensemble at Kalmar, so headed out fully kitted out.

The Information Centre is in an old church where a glass section in the floor revealed fragmented gravestones (and a skull and bones) discovered during excavations below. Pretty spooky. With yet another inadequate tourist map we set off for the Bridgettine Abbey.

St Bridget is Sweden's patron saint but wasn't actually a nun. At 13, Bridget married a local dignitary and bore him 8 children. As a child she had religious visions and as an adult made pilgrimages to Spain, Rome and Jerusalem. Some of her visions had political themes and she was able to influence the political arena. In 1370 she gained the Pope's permission to found the monastic Brigittine Order. Her remains are in Vadstena and there are still 11 nuns living in the convent.

The Abbey is a very imposing building from the outside and inside very beautiful, but not decorated as heavily as the German cathedrals. The grey brick walls are plain but very effective and there is the usual magnificent ceiling. In the monk's choir to the back of the high alter is a really well preserved wooden alter dating back to 1480. There is some reference to St Bridget here but not her tomb. There is however the tomb of Duke Magnus Vasa. Behind the Abbey are the ruins of the original monastery but today the nun's convent has a magnificent location right on the lake front.

The Vadstena Slott (castle) was the only one of Sweden's castles to be commissioned by King Gustav Vasa. He had it built for his youngest son, Duke Magnus Vasa. We had a quick look around by ourselves before an English guided tour by an elderly gent dressed in the appropriate garb of the era. There is not much furniture in the castle but what is there, surprisingly, dates back to later periods of the castle's royal existence. And once again, they are not hidden behind glass or heavy ropes.

In one of the 3^rd floor rooms (the Queen's floor) the wooden ceiling panels were removed at one point but returned during a restoration. Unfortunately the panels weren't returned in the correct order so the painted pattern doesn't align.

Initially this site was just a fort to protect the city, but over the years the castle was built and successive monarchs added different parts. The final addition was the Chapel with 15 meter ceiling and beautiful plate glass windows. A very old and well preserved pulpit was on display as well as the two royal boxes and the bell from the tower, said to have been cursed by the nuns (can't remember why though).

After lunch we took a walk out to the small lighthouse on the point before starting the return journey home. We thought we'd take a longer route to explore the lakeside and some of the housing estates which have large cottage gardens full of organic veggies. That was the nice part. The not so nice part was constantly walking into large swarms of midges and mozzies. They were so thick that Sylvi had to pick up a switch to swat them away for ¾ of the way home.

We were also reminded on the way home of the seemingly strict building painting code in Sweden. Barns must be dark brown, and houses light yellow. This aspect of the landscape is increasingly strange for us as we see how widespread it is – and it's starting to get monotonous.

Before dinner we headed to the camp site pub for a drink and to hear the local talent singing English songs from Elvis and the like. As well as many different beers, Sweden has a huge array of ciders to choose from. So far Sylvi prefers the pear cider over the lime one.

Sunday 17 July

Upped stumps and headed off by around 10am (fine but cloudy) still heading north for Karlstad, a town built in the 16^th century,on the Klaralven River delta, where it flows into Lake Vänern - the largest lake in Sweden. This brings us super close to Oslo Norway which may be our next goal.

Along the road, we again encountered the Swedish notion of 1 & 2/3 lanes.  At many spots along the highway, there is a 2nd lane that isn't quite the full size, and you are apparently supposed to squeeze into this if someone wants to pass you.  Quite dangerous, and a bit stressful for us in the larger campervan.

As we got closer to Karlstad the weather started looking ugly and by the time we'd settled into the First Camp Karlstad Skutberget, the rain had set in. Not to be outdone, we put on our wet weather gear and did the 5km walk in the forest that surrounds the camp. There is a gym here with “state of the art” equipment which we're very interested in using after not having been to the gym since leaving Frankfurt many moons ago. Time will tell if the tag is correct.

The Swedes don't let the weather prevent them from going outdoors. They're out in the rain playing frisbee golf, biking or jogging, but unlike us they're in shorts and tshirts.

Monday 18 July

Weather predictions for today and the next week is rain, rain and more rain. Today looked very set in with steady drizzle as we set off in our rain gear to catch the local bus for the town centre. This time we had an excellent map with relevant attractions well listed. As the town is quite small, we saw the first one as soon as we stepped off the bus and the next 4 shortly after.

The Peace Monument erected in 1955 to commemorate the dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway, stands in the middle of the town square. For a “Peace” monument, it doesn't look very peaceful with the victor standing on the decapitated head of what looks like a solider with Medusa type snakes coming out from under the helmet.

King Karl IX founded Karlstad in 1584. His statue stands opposite the Residenset building which now houses the Sweden-America Centre.

“Enjoy the Sun in Karlstad” is the local catch cry. Unfortunately not today. But really this phrase was used to depict Eva-Lisa Holtz, a waitress of bubbly disposition who worked here in the 18^th century. Having a sunny outgoing disposition was apparently unique enough amongst Swedes that a statue was erected in her honour. Our experience so far is that the Swedes are even more reserved then the Germans, but like the Germans, once you make an effort to connect, they are generally nice and helpful.

The English style City Gardens were established in the 1860s and although quite small, are very attractive. We just couldn't figure out why there is a statue of two naked children in the fountain. The Varmlands Museum are nearby but we passed them by. A new park not far away complete with about 50 meters of sandy beach and lovely wooden boardwalk sits off the Klaralven River. Though it is a “beach”, signs encourage you not to swim as the current is quite strong.

By now it had stopped raining and wasn't too cold so we carried on to the Ostra Bron (Stone Bridge) built between 1761 and 1811 (seems a long time, but anyway). It has 12 arches and is 168 metres long. Only pedestrians and buses cross this bridge now. Nearby were several “dolphins” used previously as tie-ons when wood was floated down the river for trade, or to moor ships. They are must a memento now.

There has been a long history of churches burning down in this area, from the first built in the 14^th century, to the current Domkyrkan (Cathedral) in 1723-30. The last renovations were carried out in 1998. It is a beautiful cathedral painted white on the outside with imposing tower which we were too early in the day to climb. Inside there are many beautiful furnishings including the golden chandeliers and olive tree candle holder which accommodates 137 candles.

Swedes are great animal lovers, taking their dogs and cats with them camping as the Germans do. It seems they love all birds too as there are no signs along the shopping mall asking people not to feed the birds. Consequently, these cheeky crows and sparrows swoop down to steal from your plate if you're not careful.

By now the sun had started to make a small appearance and by the time we got home the sun was out. We hit the gym which was basically ours as only 2 other gents came in but the showers and sauna were a different story. Sylvi had the ladies facilities all to herself but Bill's was full of men for some reason. And the showers are communal.

So what started as a bleak day weather wise ended up glorious and we had a really great day. We prefer these smaller towns where it's less bustling.

More photos here.