AKA Last stop of the summer: Gothenburg.
One thing I like about crewing on a sailboat is the random places you tend to end up, like, for example, The Kingdom of Sweden. (Kingdom, really? Do kingdoms still exist?) I have a long list of places on my bucket list - more than I have time for - and yet here I am in another city, country even, that I'd never even considered. And, why not?
Gothenburg was founded as a fortified city by royal charter in 1621 by King Gustavus Adolphus and has reinvented itself many times over during the past four centuries. It is very 'European-looking' to me, in an almost generic way, by which I mean it has city wall remnants, old buildings with interesting brickwork, canals crossed by many bridges, parks with huge trees, cobblestone pedestrian streets, bakeries wafting fresh pastry aromas, sidewalk cafés perfect for people watching, squares with statues, fountains large and small, and flower shops on many corners.
Being here the last sunny weekend of summer is lovely. So is the fact that we're in a marina right downtown. I can walk off the boat and it's literally steps to the opera house (where I take in the most bizarre modern dance performance anyone could imagine), to the main square (which is hosting an international food festival with fantastic taster plates), to the old town (where I do a guided tour and learn a smattering of the history), to a huge mall, a hundred pubs and restaurants, many parks and museams, and even the main train station (from which I will leave (sob)).
And, as with so many places, it is not only the history and architecture that are interesting but also the more recent developments. Sweden has opened its doors over the past few decades to large numbers of migrants, 20% of its current population is from elsewhere, a huge real time social experiment the results of which may not yet be clear.
I'm not sure I'd put Gothenburg on my top ten essential places to visit in a lifetime list, and I can't imagine ever coming back, but I'm happy to have been... and it does have the best burgers in the world hands down!
(I tried to take a few photos of statues and buildings and the canals but they ended up looking pretty standard so instead...
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| ... a last shot of the boat I've been on this summer... |
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| .... and the view from her in downtown Gothenburg. ) |
That's all folks!
