Alcala, Spain Fall 2007: Gotenborg, Sweden: I fell in Love

Late Evening 18October – MidMorning 20 October 2007

WARNING: VERY LONG BLOG WITH LOTS OF PICTURES! ☺

One of my apartment-mates and I left right after school to get to our 1705 Ryan Air flight from Madrid to Gotenborg Sweden. I had very few expectations of Gotenborg as the people I had talked to who had been to Sweden had never been there.

We arrived late at night, seeing a beautiful Scandinavian sunset from our plane window. The airport consisted of a portable on an airfield, but it was welcoming all the same. We easily found the shuttle to take us into the city and checked into our hostel by 1030ish. We asked where we could go to get some food, and were told that the only thing open in Gotenborg at that time of night was 7-Eleven. It was funny to us because it was such a stark contrast to Spain where the night is just beginning at 1030 or 11pm.

The people who worked at 7-Eleven were really nice and spoke English (almost everyone we met in Sweden did). It was exciting for me to check out the different Swedish foods that were offered in a familiar-American establishment. There was actually a lot of good stuff in there so it wasn’t at all a unpleasant place to eat our first meal in Sweden. I ended up getting a whole grain roll, a hot tea, and a Swedish cinnamon roll…all warm and wonderful.

The next morning we got up around 9am and headed out to a breakfast place I had researched before we came and was quite excited about because it served pancakes! You just can’t find places that serve pancakes in Spain…so this was quite a treat. The place is called “Eggs & Milk” and it is a very stylish and warm café. After ordering our pancakes we were given a buzzer which would tell us when our food was ready. They were delicious…all four of them (huge too). I told the lady who took our payment that we would definitely be back again tomorrow morning.

Next we set out to get the “Gotenborg Pass” which gave us entrance into a lot of the sights and access to all the public transportation for a set fee. The first thing we went out and did was walk along the water (a moat) in these parks and tree-lined sidewalks. Everything was stunningly beautiful for me and it was in this moment, with a stomach happily full of pancakes, that I fell in love with Sweden. The fall air was crisp and refreshing, the falling of the leaves was calming and soothing to the soul somehow, and the golds and reds of the leaves on the many lovely trees was too beautiful for words. The best way to describe how I felt was complete contentment and joy…it was a spiritual experience for me as I felt the Lord’s presence all around me in the mastery of His artistic creations. I was in awe and constantly taking pictures to try to capture how I felt.

We went to a Botanic Garden by tram (which turned out to be a mini-adventure was we went the wrong way after getting off the tram and had to j-walk across a highway;). In the garden I was again Romanced by Sweden’s beauty with all the autumn wear on the trees and the sunlight playing through their branches. We went into a green house (since it was warm) and saw some tropical plants.

Next, we went to another park (known by my guide book to be “one of Europe’s best preserved 19th century parks”) that had the infamous “Palm House” (designed to look like the crystal palace in England). We saw more tropical plants there and were able to take part in that day’s special exhibition of exotic fruit tasting. We had horned cumber, star fruit, a fruit related to a potato, cactus, and more.

We took a boat tour (also part of our pass) of the moat, canals, and the harbor. The best part of the tour was going under these really low bridges. For one, our guide told us that we would have to sit on the floor in order to pass under it. We all thought she was joking at first, so no one really moved, but then she repeated herself and more firmly and we saw the bridge…so we all sat on the floor of this little boat right away. It was called “The Cheese Grater”…and for good reasons. The tour also showed us an old battle ship from WWII (that is now the Maritime Museum), a synagogue, a building called “The Lipstick Building” (that supposedly has a great view of the city), an old sail boat, a floating dock (where they repair ships), the “Fish Church” (a fish market, but also a location where some people get married), and the Gotenborg City Museum (location of the old East India Company in Gotenborg).

Right after the tour we hurried off to a café I had researched called Café Husaren: known for having “the biggest cinnamon rolls in the world”. We were cold and hungry, so a warm, stylish (complete with book shelves and a chandelier) café filled with Swedish pastries was just what we needed. They weren’t joking about the cinnamon rolls being the biggest in the world…they clearly were! I got two other pastries, once which was a long strip of a snicker-doodle cookie and the other was a sticky square of oats, dates, and something crunchy…Sweden does food right. I also got a big tea (tea comes in big mugs here which is nice because I have missed getting a big mug of tea in Spain…they are more into the small mugs of Espresso).

Next we went in search of some authentic Swedish Meatballs, as my flatmmate wanted to try some before she left Sweden. We got a recommendation from a local who said, “It was my living room last year” which I believe translates to “I went there so often last year, I practically lived there.” It was, again, very stylish with bookshelves and soft lighting, old oak tables and chairs. The meatballs were quite authentic I was told, better than one can get at an IKEA in the states ;)

We went and grocery shopped for some snacks because we had a 4-hour bus ride the next day to get to Oslo, Norway. Also, one of my friends who studied abroad in Sweden had told me that the grocery stores were very good in Sweden. Everything looked so good and interesting in the store, very healthy and organic. Between the wonderful coffee shops, pancakes, and great grocery stores…I could definitely live in Sweden!

All the tourist sights close early in Sweden, around 1700, so we had a few failed attempts to go and see some (The World Cultures Museum and the Lipstick building) but we ended up spending the rest of the night at another great coffee shop called “Café Tintin”. It was decorated with posters of the old comic strip “The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin”. The tea was great and the place was so comfortable, we could have stayed all night.

We got up early the next day to get another breakfast at “Eggs and Milk” (a delicious Waffle this time) before we headed to the bus station to get to Oslo (see Oslo blog for more).
I have never felt so comfortable and drawn to any place in the world as I have in Gotenborg. I fell head over heals in loved, and was romanced by its autumn air, golden-leaved trees, charming parks, warm and inviting coffee shops, delicious pastries, and friendly locals. I hope that I can one day work, study, and/or live in Sweden. I just felt instantly at home, and I have never felt that way about anywhere besides my actual home. It was a very spiritual experience for me and I didn’t want to leave to go back to Spain after visiting! I highly recommend to you all that you make your way to Gotenborg, Sweden at some point in your life…you won’t ever forget this wonderful Scandinavian town.

HIGHLIGHT OF GOTENBORG: Spending time walking among the golden-leaved trees with the autumn sun peeking through the branches and then warming up in one of the abundant stylish and comforting coffee houses with a hot tea, Swedish pastry (or pancakes/waffle), and good conversation. In summation: being Romanced by Sweden and encountering God in some of His most impressive artwork.

1. My AMAZING pancakes from "Eggs and Milk"