Blogs from Gothenburg, Västra Götaland, Sweden, Europe

Finally! For ~14years I have dreamt about going to Australia and New Zealand, and now I'm finally on my way. My bags are packed, the apartment clean and I have left enough food for Sookie so my flatmate doesn't have to worry about her. The plan for this trip are somewhat loose. In NZ I will bungyjump (unless I freakout and faint), take a 3day hike around Lake Waikaramoana, meet up with an old friend from High School and take a trip to Hobbiton . In Australia I really have no plan at all. I want to try Surfing, visit a koala Sanctuary outside Brisbane and just relax. We'll see where I end up. Over and out, A... read more

So, this is it. It's time to leave the cold and dark in Sweden for six months of sunshine and adventures in San Diego, California. For those of you who have known me for a longer time, I kept a similar blog when I did my exchange year in lovely Potosi, Wisconsin back in the days. I still smile when I go back and read my entries and look at the photos from then, so I figured it would be a fun thing to do something similar once again. Not only does it make for a good memory, but it makes it easier for me to keep you guys updated without having to spam Facebook or send out mass emails. Yes, the blog will be in English. There are some of you who haven't learned enough ... read more

As I have begun exploring the country of sweden with my sight being through a camera lens I have fallen in love with the architecture and colors of this city. Every street has a different identity. The smells, the colors, the people all change with each turn. On the avenue you see fashion of the modern century. From channel to prada the streets scream fashion show. The buildings on the avenue are red brick and worn green copper. Inside these buildings are remodeled flats. The flats are painted white with black furniture and red accessories. The avenue has a restaurant for every taste bud. I now crave the homemade pasta. This street is always filled with a young swedish crowd. Pubs are adjacent to the delicious restaurants. Lights are strung across the street and trolleys give ... read more

For breakfast we enjoyed the Radisson Blu's fantastic Scandinavian spread. After breakfast we were picked up by a Volvo chauffeur and driven out to the factory, where we enjoyed Volvo's very warm hospitality (in exchange for buying a car). Our car was rolled out to us, and then we had the opportunity to tour the factory. This is a tour that is open to the public, and it was very interesting. Afterwards we enjoyed a nice meatball-and-potato lunch (a la IKEA), and then it was time to brave the Swedish highways in our new car (gulp)! I had mapped out a Swedish grocery store en route to Oslo because we understood that food in Norway (well, everything in Norway) was expensive. Not that food in Sweden is terribly cheap, but even Norwegians will pick up groceries ... read more

We arrived in Gothenburg on Sunday and were delivered to the Radison Blu by the very nice folks from Volvo. We cleaned ourselves up from the long plane ride and, ignoring the jet lag, ventured out into the rainy afternoon in search of lunch. We very quickly found ourselves at Gothenburg's Horticultural Garden, labeled on the maps as Trädgårdsföreningen. Admission was free at the time that we were there. Even in the rain and clearly past the peak of its season it made for a lovely stroll. There were still plants in bloom and some of the trees were changing colors. The kids found snails. We exited the garden at what I believe was Nya allén, a busy road but nice for its tree-lined sidewalks. The trees here were beginning to turn yellow. I spent time ... read more

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000167 EndHTML:0000031208 StartFragment:0000000457 EndFragment:0000031192 Leaving Stockholm for Gothenburg (Goteborg) June 28: We boarded the SJ Train in Stockholm at 16:10 for the three and a half hour trip to Gothenburg passing flat farmland and forests with some light industry along the way. My sister Laurie lived in Gothenburg when she was a young adult and was eager for me to meet her friends, experience the places she loved and where she lived. According to my sister Gothenburg was a small fishing town on the sea (but she has spent most of her time in NYC and so small is relative.) This country girl was surprised to end up in quite a large city, in fact I later learned that Gothenburg is the second largest city in Sweden and the largest seaport in the Nordic countries. ... read more

On a wet 22nd of June we went to the Midsummer celebrations at Öckerö Hembygdsgård (local folklore centre) in Gothenburg's northern archipelago. Öckerö is linked to Hälsö (to the north) and Hönö (to the south) which in turn is liked to Fotö... read more

On another damp June day, a Sunday walk around Klippan area of west Gothenburg...lots of graffitti art... read more