Gothenburg, Sweden

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Our final destination on this trip. Gothenburg is Sweden's second largest city and like the rest of Scandinavia seems to be a wealthy place. As usual everyone speaks English and the country is clean and tidy. Our morning tour was to the strange 19th century manor house at Tjoloholm. This was built in the Elizabethan style so lots of dark wood and over 30 rooms. It was built by a wealthy Brit who died before it was finished, was lived in by his wife for 2 years before she also died after which the sons had it for a time before the State bought it and kept it as a museum. It has lots of hand painted Art Nouveau walls and lots of passages and stairs. At the moment there is an exhibition of the costumes worn during the Downton Abbey series. Each costume is in the appropriate room in the manor. One interesting item was the vacuum cleaner which was so large it had to be left outside and the long hose brought up through the windows. A very pleasant lady took us through each room and explained all of significance and we helped her out with her English when she couldn't find the right word. After the tour we were free to roam around the pretty gardens and also go down to the little beach by the sea. There is also a small exhibition of the hansom cabs and wagons used at the time. After we drove back via the Fjaras Bracka which is a long ridge which is essentially a large glacial moraine. The ice melted leaving a high freshwater lake on one side 15 metres above sea level. There are lots of pretty wild flowers and is a popular place for a countryside walk.

Our last night on the ship and time to say our goodbyes. A taxi picked us up at the harbour and laughed when he saw our tiny boat as he was expecting a large cruise ship. He took us to the Clarion Odin Hotel which has a strange lay out with the reception on the 2nd floor. We had an apartment room so we could have cooked if we wanted as it had a fridge and cooker. However we only had one day so not worth the hassle. The best way to get an initial impression of Gothenburg is to take a Paddan Canal boat trip. The guide on the boat said everything in Swedish and English and was very good. The boat goes out to the waterfront as well as in a circular route under bridges and along the small canals. This city was built on marshland and they got the Dutch to help them drain the land. However some buildings are sinking. After the trip we walked back along the canal to the Fish Market or Fish Church as it is called. There is some lovely looking fish being sold here so you could get a take away prepared seafood lunch. We ate at Gabriel's which is a famous restaurant in the town. We had oysters, a box of shrimps and some large crayfish- all well presented and tasty. From here it is a short walk to the Haga Nygata which in probably the oldest pedestrian street in the city and is lined with antique shops and bars. Don't expect to find a bargain as everything is expensive as it was in Norway. However you do not need to change any currency as everything is done by credit card even the taxis. In fact a lot of places don't take cash at all. At the end of the street you can walk through all the parks by the canal ending up at the largest which has a palm house and a lovely rose garden.

In the evening we walked to the Kungsportsavenyen which is a large boulevard at the top of which are the theatres and art galleries. The large statue of Poseidon overlooks the square. There are many restaurants and bars in this area. We had a pleasant drink in the Ruby bar and the very nice waiter told us of a seafood restaurant just in the block behind the bar. It is called the Sjobaren and the name is unpronounceable in Swedish. We had an excellent meal here- fish soup followed by a shared seafood platter and bottle of rose. All very tasty if not a bit messy to eat.. It cost 1343 Swedish kroner over £100 in real money! Will have to get back to work and earn some money for the next trip!

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