Gothenburg

After Stockholm, I left for Gothenburg on the west coast of Sweden, via train. The trip was 5 hours. A high speed train would have gotten me there in half the time, but also for twice the price, so I decided to relax and just watch the countryside go by. I think when comparing train, plane, bus or car, train is definitely my preferred way to travel. You're not confined, you can at least to a reasonable extent get up and walk around, and Swedish trains are beautiful.

Once again I was lucky that I coincidentally arrived in the middle the city's cultural week. So lots of outdoor performances and free museum entry. A friend of mine from the Hague, MS is from Gothenburg and has moved back there. He complained a bit about it being a sleepy city with not too much to do. This was not the impression I got in my short time, but I also think I caught the city at a good moment. I was surprised to notice more than a few restaurants and bars closed on a saturday night! But in comparison with Stockholm, somehow I felt like I came across design and furniture stores much more easily in Gothenburg. Maybe it's just because I was on foot much more.

I was surprised to learn Gothenburg is population-wise the same size as the Hague. But it feels so much more spread out. Contributing to the "size" element, the city has some large hills in it, which provide for good lookouts and add some contrast. I was also glad to discover that the city public transportation network extends to the boat and ferry service that reaches the islands off the coast of Gothenburg. I got on one boat, whose travel time was 50 minutes one way to a tiny island called Vargö. I don't think there were more than 5 houses on this island and the rest was a nature reserve. I walked myself across the island and parked myself on top of a rocky hill and just sat and watched the water for a while. Really gorgeous stuff! The sense of solitude and quiet there was just so striking, the first word that came to mind to describe it was actually "holy," but I don't want to accrue any spiritual associations of the ridiculous sort. Spirituality YES, absurd obsessions to be forced on others, NO!

Gothenburg was the last stop in the Swedish part of my Scandinavia excursion. What to conclude? One friend of mine, upon hearing that I was in Sweden, said "Ah, Sweden, I've heard they've been making the world look ugly for the last 400 years!" What was this comment about? The state of the country itself? It struck me as remarkably clean, well kept, and cared for. The people? I think something foreign or different always looks attractive to the eye.

I have some more thoughts on traveling in general, but I'll save those for a post dedicated to that topic.