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Stockholm - Göteborg Day 11 - 22-June

Leaving Stockholm?
I started to love Stockholm, and today I need to go already. I haven't made any day trips and won't make any on the way to Göteborg. In fact I am doubting if I should go to Göteborg, I heard some people saying the city is not very nice and Oslo is not far away either. But I end up going to Göteborg anyway. Most english (and dutch) people call the city Gothenburg but it is actually pronounced as (Yoo te boerej). Quite difficult for me, but I am sure they know how to pronounce it properly when I get there.

But first I need to leave Stockholm, and I take all the time I need for that. I buy a ticket for the breakfast in the hostel this time and meet-up with my companions from yesterday. My roommate has been thinking of a strategy to film everybody having breakfast and walks around with a plate where his camera is placed on (I am one of the few who knows it is actually recording). Because the breakfast room is crowded we grab ourselves a seat outside at the back of the hostel, far away from camera's.

Panorama of Stockholm with the Royal Palace dominantly in sight. In front of the palace is a vikingship (reconstruction) berthed.

After checking out it appears that we don't go to the train station with the 3 of us, the american boy couldn't stay another night and now needs to check-out and find out where he could be going to. Forgetting to exchange e-mail adresses and with a very quick goodbye we are suddenly left with two. We leave for the train station where I quickly check my mail. No news, except for the fact that I have forgotten about fathering sunday. Suddenly I have got a camera pointed at me again, and after exchanging some mail addresses and taking some pictures (the battery is now completely empty) I say goodbye to my roommate and a bit later at the platform goodbye to the Scottish girl. My X2000 train to Göteborg arrives in the boring rain and I didn't manage to get the ride for free this time. But it's better than the free intercity train which takes almost 2x as long for the same route to travel.

Travel details: Stockholm-Göteborg Trainride: X2000 Departure:12:10 - Arrival:15:12 Distance: 455km

The contrasts of Göteborg
Fortunately the sun is shining in Göteborg. Later I find out that Göteborg is actually designed by the Dutch, but at the time I was there I didn't and wondered about all the Dutch aspects about the city. The city is a heaven for cyclists with decent broad cycle paths, separate traffic lights and even separated crossings for bicycles. And there are canals. Around the city a zigzag canal system separates the centre from the rest of town, and some main canals stream through the centre itself.


Canals in the city centre

All of it sounds nice but the city is a big contrast between beautiful and ugly. Most cities have a church tower in the city centre. But the dominating tower in the centre of Göteborg is that of the Power Plant. Beautiful old buildings and old gray concrete buildings are scattered through the city. On one side of the river there is city, the other side has a view over large industrial docks. The water doesn't look blue here, but that's not strange if you imagine that Göteborg is Scandinavia's largest harbor. There is a lot of industry here, and that's why the city grew so big. It's almost as big as Oslo, but not even half as nice.


The landmark of Göteborg, Göteborg Energi.. a hideous big power plant.

The people in Göteborg are very friendly, I find out that they have a different accent and their Swedish sounds a bit different than they did up north. And in general people are very enthusiastic if you talk to them in Swedish and I receive many compliments for my Swedish and the fact that I actually take the effort of learning their language. I buy some stamps and finally post the cards that I have bought in Stockholm and forgot to post over there.

Sweden - Denmark
The hostel is a bit of a walk, but with the map I manage easily, it's basically 1 straight line from the power plant. This place is just like Stockholm a good meeting place and with 2 Australians and a German guy I go to the "Röda Sten". It's a bit of an alternative place at the end of the city centre where they show the soccer match Denmark-Sweden in a big Circus tent. The most popular match for the Swedes. In a circus tent there is such a good atmosphere that I decide to be for Sweden now instead of the Netherlands. Sweden plays 2-2 and everybody is very pleased with that. Outside the club I see the big ferries sailing in, quite an amazing view, sitting in an abandoned industrial zone right under a high bridge where the highway crosses, and one of those huge ferries just sails in. After a quick sum I find out that the Netherlands could be playing against Sweden in the quarter finals. But I don't care, I'll be for Sweden.

Roadsigns for Cyclers, in the background the Utkiken Tower. Things (or is it me?) aren't standing very straight.

Behind this building a large circustent filled-up with people to watch the football, above is a big motorway crossing the river.