Last stop, Sweden

I just spent the most wonderful week with my friend Viktoria in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Last stop on this crazy adventure: Gothenburg, Sweden. (Photo by Avery Cropp)

Gothenburg, is the second largest city in Sweden and it's a gorgeous, peaceful port city. I've spent a lot of time during my trip in large cities that feel as though they're small towns and Gothenburg was no exception. I had such a wonderful time. It's been so great to be able to see all my friends over the past trip. I miss them all already.

I spent the days sightseeing while she was at work and I had the same question asked of me many times by local people. What sort of sightseeing can you do here? Well, there's quite a bit.

There's just enough to keep you busy during the day but not too much that you run yourself ragged trying to get to everything, like in Paris or London for example. It was the perfect fit for me during my last full week of my trip of a lifetime because I was able to relax, recharge, and enjoy my time there without feeling overwhelmed.

So what can I recommend?

Day Trip

A home in the Swedish countryside, Viktoria told me the red house with the white trim is very typical Swedish (Photo by Avery Cropp).

I spent a day with my friend's family in her hometown of Trollhattan, about a 40-minute train ride outside of Gothenburg, though if you're able to chat with a good friend on the way it feels like it's much less.  The city, despite being known currently as "The Detroit of Sweden" due to the recession, is pretty nice.  If you don't have a personal tour guide like I did you could probably spend an hour there, but you'd need to ask a local where the pretty parts of the city are.
Trollhattan is named after a rock formation in the river. When water rushes over the stones it apparently looks as though trolls are hiding under the water and all you can see are their hats.
One of the highlights of the day, besides playing several rounds of bocce ball with her grandpa, brother and dad, on the coast was a trip to the locks. They are the oldest locks in Europe, according to her dad and the area around them is lovely as you can see in the photo below.

Part of the river in Trollhattan (Photo by Avery Cropp)

The locks of Trollhattan (Photo by Avery Cropp)

View from above (Photo by Avery Cropp).

Tour

The Paddan Boat tour is a great way to see Gothenburg
 (Photo by Avery Cropp)

Now, Gothenburg, being a port city, is surrounded by moats. There's a really nice tour that you can take with a company called Paddan Tours. They take you through the city, under bridges, and into the harbor. It's a really fun tour especially when you have to get down on the floor of the boat because you're going under one of the lowest bridges in the city which they call the "Cheese Slicer". My guides were quite good and I had a nice and relaxing time. It also allowed me to get a feel of the city and see places that I wanted to stop by and explore in more detail.




Parks
There are tons of parks in Gothenburg. They are great for walks, and have plenty of people watching opportunities. I highly recommend the Gothenburg Botanical Gardens, Slottskogen (Castle Forest), and Kungsparken (Kings park).

The Gothenburg Botanical Gardens have won several awards and feature several different areas dedicated to places from all over the world. It's a beautiful walk and the scent of some of the plants is intoxicating, and it's free.

Gothenburg Botanical Garden (Photo by Avery Cropp)

Gothenburg Botanical Garden (Photo by Avery Cropp)

Gothenburg Botanical Garden (Photo by Avery Cropp)

Slottskogen (Castle Forest) used to be owned by royalty before it was released to the public. It's a huge park that is so great to walk in. The paths are well-marked, and it features some zoo-like displays with seals, penguins, birds, moose, goats, cows and tons of other animals. There's also a beautiful Café near the lake that should be a must do.

A lovely day in Slottskogen (Photo by Avery Cropp)

Seals swim in their aquarium at Slottskogen park (photo by Avery Cropp)

Belle Parc Café (Photo by Avery Cropp)

Kings Park supposedly has one of every single species of plant from Sweden in it. It's a nice place to have lunch and people-watch.

Museums and other attractions


The ruins of a Viking ship at Gothenburg Stadsmuseum
(photo by Avery Cropp)

I highly recommend that you make a visit to the Stadsmuseum or City Museum. There's a wonderful display about Vikings here that features real-life ruins of a Viking ship in an exhibit. I learned a lot about the Viking culture and it was a very informative exhibit. There's also tons of displays to check out and learn the history of the city and check out some great artifacts from all over the world. Once a main port of the East India Trading company, Gothenburg has done a lot of business throughout it's existence. I learned some things that my friend didn't know even.

Other attractions: Universeum which has many animals indoors, Liseberg which is an amusement park, and Brunnsparken which is a huge shopping area.

Other than that it's a great city to walk around and discover things on your own too.





Well, it's been quite a ride folks, but it's time to go on a hiatus now that I'm back state-side. The next time I have an adventure I'll certainly write something more here, but for now, until next time, I'm signing off. Thanks for hopping in my suitcase with me, it's been a pleasure to share this awesome experience with you along the way.

Sincerely,

 

Avery Cropp