We were back on the road and our next stop was Gothenburg, the second largest city in Sweden. I was prepared for cooler temperatures as we were heading closer to the northern latitudes. and but the weather here took me by surprise! I learned later that day from the operator that this was due to the moderating influence of the Gulf Stream. The drive on E6 through Sweden resembled driving through south central Pennsylvania, with similar vegetation greeting our eyes. Along the highway that hugged the west coastline of Sweden; were signs for McDonalds and Burger King and surprisingly, none for local eateries. We stopped at a McDonalds for lunch and what was interesting and different about this was the way they recycled/disposed their waste. Once used, every item had its own dispose slot and chute, such as a slot for mugs, for cups, for the plastic cap/straw and the paper box. A curated disposable system! It was a no brainer that the Swedes like their Danish neighbors cared more for the environment than the Americans!
We reached Gothenburg and and rushed to take the Paddan canal ride. Our tour operator was a witty young girl who had
funny anecdotes to share about the various landmarks that dotted the water way, but first off we had to be wary of ‘cheese slicer bridges. So we ducked under them as we went out into the harbor giving us a ‘ducks eye view of the canal and the state of its waters! It was interesting to know that the green roofed Gothenburg City Museum was originally the headquarters of the East and the much disliked building called the Lipstick had won the least coveted award of the most ugly building, 7 times in a row! The indoor fish market building was called the Fish church as it resembled a neo gothic church with its own slogan ‘In Cod we trust
I couldnt help the canal ride to the earlier canal boat ride in Copenhagen. The rides were similar but the views were different, it was easy to note how infrastructure was directly proportional to the economic prosperity of the place and Gothenburg was on its way there! The city was also home to the automaker ‘Volvo which was founded here in 1927. Other are AstraZeneca and SKF. Their main public transport system
is the electric tram which began in the early 1900s and is still functional giving the city an old world look, it seemed like wed gone back in time!
We did go to the Haga, a prized neighborhood of cobble stone streets and wooden homes that now host cafes, vegan bistros, bakeries and quaint shops selling antiques, collectibles among other things. Most popular among the coffee shops was Cafe Husaren where we sat down to have their famous ‘Hagabullen, a giant cinnamon bun, ‘Havreflarn which was an Oat crisp cookie with coconut and ginger toppings and ‘Chokladdrom; a crispy Swedish choco cookie, as it was time for FIka, the Swedes famous coffee (KaFi break)! As Haga was a pedestrian only area, this place did have a lot of foot fall. It was very quaint indeed with an old world charm that the citizens of Gothenburg seem to love as this is the only area of town thats quite like it and I couldnt help but leave with wishes for much happiness and pride in their ‘Haga and Fika
