A river runs through it................

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After we all caught up with some much needed sleep we awoke to a beautiful sunny day here in Goteburg (I am slowly learning the Swedish lingo) just as well as the main activity I had planned for today was the canal tour around the city called Paddan.

We made our way across the centre of the city towards the departure point with some of the group stopping off to grab a quick bite from one of the many food vans scattered across the city, perfect for a quick bite as the cost is much lower than many of the other eateries in the area but the verdict was mixed not helped by plenty of friendly wasps who obviously liked the look of the food more than the group.

Our timing was perfect as while we had a 25 minute wait for the next tour to start a bike club of some description roared passed us and quickly became the main attraction for everyone in the area.

It was nearly time to board and we were greeted by the Paddan frog so took the opportunity for a quick photo - Alex must be considering a change of direction for her career as she was ready to step in if the frog had to hop off anywhere.

The tour guide greeted us in Swedish and English with ease another reminder of how un-european we can feel in our country sometimes as the guide probably spoke better English than me (ok definitely did) and we set sail, it was a fascinating 50 minutes that included info on many of the local attractions and some of the famous landmarks in the area. The tour took us along the moat and through the 17th century canals while the guide gave us the history of the area.

We continued out into the harbour where we were guided through classic shipyards and fishing ports with some amazing vessels that mainly now act as sightseeing attractions or hotels and restaurants.

I thought my height might work against me as we passed under many low bridges one scarily named the 'hair cut' for obviously reasons - shame as just had mine cut before the trip so could have saved a few Krona.

The whole group seemed to enjoy the experience and it was certainly a great way to appreciate how the city is structured and help get familiar with the layout of the area and at the same time receiving a history lesson.

The rest of the day is free time for the group so we can all relax and get ready for the exciting work programme to commence tomorrow.

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Comments

[Ray Brewis]

Durham has landed!
Good to see that all is going to plan and you haven't broken Sweden..yet. I hope you all enjoy your experience and have as much fun as possible.