Home again! Goteborg to Sydney

 Wednesday 25 September

This morning the temperature outside was down to 0 degrees. We made our farewells to Pernilla who had to leave early for school. Mirja came to collect Pernilla's car and us to drive us to the airport where we enjoyed our last cup of coffee together.

The check-in gate opened while we were having coffee so we got into the short queue leaving Mirja with the coffees until we had checked in. All worked smoothly and we soon bid Mirja goodbye and proceeded to security. I got the random shoe check and pat down this time and we'd both forgotten to empty our water bottles but it was all quite an easy security check this time.

Up then to wait for boarding, Elaine pacing and I writing and reading.

I was able to have a short snooze on the flight to London so arrived fresh. Now for our 9 hour wait for our next flight! We just followed signs, caught the shuttle bus to our new terminal and followed more signs. It turns out that our Qantas frequent flier cards allow us to use the American Airlines transit lounge to wait until our flight gate opens. This is fantastic!It is quiet, with free food and plenty of comfy chairs and separate rooms to watch TV or snooze. We thought we would have to spend 9 hours in this...

But instead spent 9 hours in this...





I spent about 4 hours updating the blog with our Swedish adventures and Elaine was able to get online, wander, watch TV etc. 

 

 

 

 

 This makes travel much more pleasant. There are even showers, and a bed if you want to pay for it. I wonder if you can sleep overnight?

We boarded the plane with all the normal security checks. A reasonable flight to Dubai but only time for about 2 hours sleep between dinner and breakfast.

At Dubai we had to get off the plane with all our things and go through five different security checks. Just when you think you are all through and fill water bottles again then there is another check and they take them from you. Elaine even had hers confiscated empty because it was too big while others were allowed to keep theirs. There are a long of not very happy campers.

After the horrible next leg with too little sleep we touched down at 5am and through passport and customs checks, into a taxi and home before 6am. That was incredibly fast. Elaine continued on to her place in the same cab.

Now we just need to catch up on a bit of sleep and get unpacked ready for normal life.

In all a fantastic trip but I am now happy to be home.

A day on the water - Sweden

Off early this morning to Pernilla's school where Elaine waited in the common room while I spent half an hour with Pernilla's technology class who were making machines like I used to do with my classes.

 

At abut 9am Mirja came to collect us for a day out on the Goteborg archipeligo. After 2 long tram journeys we were on our first ferry of the day south to Bratten on Styrso Island where we had a coffee in a beautiful little cafe.

 



 

 

 

Bratten parking lot

 

 

 

 

Then the next ferry to Vrango Island where we walked around to the southern tip. We had our picnic lunch of smoked salmon sandwiches and then I actually paddled in the water. It was really cold and the wind chill factor made it even colder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We continued our walk around to the ferry wharf through a nature reserve. 

 

We then caught the ferry back to Bratten where we changed to another ferry to Husvik on Branno Island. On Branno we walked across the island, stopping on the way at Mirja's friend's tiny house, and just sitting for a while and using the bathroom. Unfortunately the friend was not at home but we could get in.

 

At Rodsten we caught a ferry back to Goteborg. This time we took 3 trams to get back to Pernilla's by about 6pm.

Parking lot at Rodsten

 

 

The day was a wonderful experience of peace just being in the stark, rocky landscape, strolling though nature and the small hamlets on the islands. Mirja pointed out sloe fruit, a fungus with cancer curing properties which grows on birch trees, many apple trees with hundreds of ripe apples and all manor of wild flowers and garden flowers. There were beautiful views across to other islands and small rocks. Some of the islands had just one house on them.

 

Mirja walked at my pace as we were both really interested in nature and building styles and she was able to tell me about the culture of the area. Sometimes we walked quietly together and just drank in the atmosphere. It was a real  case of the hare and the tortoise as it has been for the last eight weeks with Elaine walking briskly ahead and me just strolling along. At least this time I did not feel I had to run to keep up as Mirja also has a hip problem. This hare and tortoise has been the source of much rubbishing in various places we've stayed and between ourselves.

 

Dinner tonight was roasted Swedish sausage called falukorv. Pernlla slit the large sausage and inserted mustard and cheese into the slits before baking. She served this with mashed potato. Yum! Mirja stayed for dinner too and her son from another flat in Pernilla's block came to chat for a while.

 

After dinner we did our accounts, packed, wrote diaries and recipes then called it a night after a long day in the open air.

Rainy Sunday, Glorious Monday in Sweden

 

Sunday 22 September

While updating the blog Elaine got the email to say she was a grandmother again! A little girl, Maliyah! We now have an ecstatic and teary Elaine.

Today it is raining!

Pernilla took us on the tram to the city centre where we walked to an old fortification called Skansen Kronan. It was a very steep walk up, a beautiful view of the city, then a lot of stairs down again all in the rain.

 

 

 

Once down we walked down to a canal and visited a second hand shop looking for a lace table cloth but without luck. On then up the Haga Nygata to our lunch stop, Husaren Cafe, where Elaine and I enjoyed baked potato, she with tuna filling and I with prawn filling. It was yummy and I was really hungry. Pernilla had a giant cinnamon bun for fika.

 

We continued our walking up to the top of the Avenue to the art gallery. Here we saw some lovely works by Carl Larsson, on of my favourite artists. There were other works that I liked by other artists too, especially Bruno Liljefores (Swedish) and P.S. Kroyer (Danish).

We caught a bus back down the Avenue to take a quick look at the oldest building in Goteborg (about 1600s).

 

Back onto a tram to a supermarket for supplies then another tram to Pernilla's.

At about 6pm Mirja arrived to meet us. She will be our guide for the next few days. Once she left I quickly got online to double check our tickets for Wednesday while Elaine and Pernilla prepared dinner. Lo and behold, our connecting flight from Goteborg to London had disappeared from our itinerary even though I had a new email to say it was there. Another call to Qantas London to get this flight reinstated. They promise me it has now been done. I wonder if we will ever get back home on Friday?

After our dinner of sandwiches with typical Swedish fillings we sat down in front of TV to get over our very full day both emotionally and physically.

Monday 23 September

This morning Elaine was able to ring Bernessa. Both mum and bub are now home and doing well.

Mirja arrived at 8:30am as planned and we left for our trip north. Our first stop was to but some smoked fish for dinner from a shop that does their own. It all looked and smelled wonderful.

 

Then we took the E6 north to the Vitlycke Museum and Tanum World Heritage Centre near Tanumshede. This museum has a reconstructed bronze age settlement of around 1700 BC but is also caretaker of a multitude of bronze age rock art very reminiscent of the Kokopelli figures we saw in Utah years ago.

 

 

We walked a track through the woods to see some rock carvings that have been painted red both to protect them and to make them more visible.

 

Mirja

 

An ant mound

 It was then time for lunch so we followed the coast road back south and although most things were closed (summer season ends in early September) we did find a wharf bar and restaurant open for the beginning of the lobster fishing season at Fjallbacka.

 

We sat on a wharf that was part of the cafe and I sat inches away from the edge watching some decent sized bream type fish. There were so many boats of all types - fishing trawlers, sailing boats and small runabouts. I was surprised by the lack of seagull noise but perhaps they were all out with the lobster fishermen.

Our lunch was magnificent - a ball of hamburger mince but served with small roast potatoes, lingon berries and a fabulous unthickened gravy.

 

When we left our table a seagull turned up to eat our leftovers. The waiter had to rush out to clear the food away so as not to encourage them.

We then continued on the coast road with glimpses of inlets and islands until we found the Nordens Ark, a zoo for endangered animals. The entry price was huge but we paid and as the sign said we'd have 2 hours before closing we'd see what we could. However, after less than an hour we were told the gates were closing and we must leave. We all thought this was a bit much considering the entry cost. Mirja was most annoyed and went back to the ticket sales people who agreed to refund all our money. We were surprised that this all happened so easily and that they admitted they should not have sold us the tickets.

Maned wolf

 

 

We then decided to take the E6 home as the coast road and ferry would take far too long. We had to be home by 6pm because Pernilla had booked the communal laundry and drying room for us to do our last load of washing before leaving for home.

Mirja joined us for dinner. She brought reindeer fillet from where she used to live in the far north of Sweden, we had bought smoked salmon and smoked mackerel and cloudberry mayonaise that morning and I also tried some Swedish beer.

 

Off in a hurry to catch the ice cream shop-n for dessert before it closed. Back for a bit of sorting and TV before collecting our dry washing and sinking into bed.

Saturday in Sweden

 Saturday 21 September

Up to a Swedish breakfast of bread and ham and cheese. We then set off south to Varberg (60km south of Goteborg) to visit Pernilla's mum, Gunborg. On the way we drove along the old main road rather than the E6 expressway that goes from Rome to Norway.

At Gunborg's house we enjoyed fika, a swedish morning tea type feast with coffee, buns and cakes. Gunborg had made quite a few cakes that were gluten free, a thin almond torte and hazelnut meringue type biscuits. Both were so yummy we now have the recipes for Pernilla to translate. 

 Pernilla's brother Magnus and his family (Annette, Elis and Svarta) live next door and came in to visit (no it is not a low ceiling).

 Pernilla then took us to the Varberg Castle to see the castle itself but also the museum there that houses a bog man from the 1300s with intact clothing. An amazing display.

 We walked on then past the cold bath house and hot bath house of the late 1800s spa society. We declined to bathe choosing instead to drive into the countryside to see the house where Gunborg had been brought up near Valinge.

 At Torpa we wandered around a mediaeval church where Pernilla's mum and dad were married. We even found some conkers in the churchyard.

Back for dinner at Gunborg's house. She had prepared a spread of local cheeses, crispbreads, bread and a beautiful creamy vegetable soup. Dessert was local ice cream with apple sauce (compote) from her own apples.

We had lots of fun chatting together in broken English, minimal Swedish and many translations through Pernilla.

The sun had not risen much over about 30 degrees above the horizon all day and had well set by the time we got home though the daylight hours are about the same as ours at this time of the year. We drove hgome along the faster but boring E6.

It was great to return to Sweden and be reminded of the horizons of pine and fir trees, the red painted houses with white windows and the unusual traditional fence construction.