Tag Göteborg
I intended to make a single post about our trip back to Sweden but it became so long I decided to split it into two parts. You can find the first part here.
After the train debacle that you can read about in my last post, we were really happy to see my parents standing on the platform as the train rolled into Helsingborg station. All the stress from the last two days just melted away as we stepped off the train into their arms. Pretty much as soon as we got to the house, things slowed down and we … Read the rest
Last week one of my best friends got married so of course I had to fly back to Sweden to be there for him. Renegade Wife and I spent the week before the wedding in Göteborg meeting up with old friends in lots of different constellations which was great fun. In fact, I had too much fun chatting with them to remember to take photos.
Anyway, the wedding was on Saturday last week. The ceremony was a bit unusual compared to most Swedish ones I’ve been to since the bride has polish ancestry, but beautiful all the same and the couple looked very … Read the rest
A woman stands to the right of the altar, her voice fills the church with clear, warm tones and the people in the pews listen to her song with rapt attention. In the front of the altar, right at the center of attention stands my friend, turned to the side to face the singer, his arm around the woman at his side. He is dressed in a tuxedo with a white jacket, she in a light, pure white dress, her hair done up in a kind of bun, lots of little white flowers dotted throughout. The bride and groom look … Read the rest
We spent Friday exploring Gothenburg city, following the suggestions my friend Sofie gave us the night before. We started with the sightseeing boat Paddan that took us around the various canals and rivers of the city. Yini’s parents really enjoyed it, and thanks to a great guide so did I.
After that we went to the small market selling food from different countries, but I was the only one who was hungry so we didn’t try as many foods as I thought we would. Instead we went to Kronhuset, one of the oldest buildings in the city, and looked around … Read the rest
On Thursday we had already shown Yinis parents most of the places we wanted to show, but we took a short drive to the meadows at the far end of the village, and just strolled around taking in the view and breathing in the fresh air. There is a special kind of enjoyment in these simple pleasures.
After some lunch in the sun, we packed up our stuff and took the train north to my old hometown Göteborg. We found our hotel, an old ship that had been converted into living quarters, then went downtown to meet up my friends … Read the rest
When I woke up this morning I felt sure my cold would keep me indoors all day but, with the sun shining brightly through my window, I decided a small cold couldn’t kill me, grabbed my bike and ventured out. That turned out to be a stroke of genius, for here I am, a bright blue sky above, the sun on my face for the first time in ages, and I’m walking on the Ice. Admittedly, I’m really just crossing a small, man made bay and I know that it doesn’t sound all that impressive, but given the dreary weather we normally … Read the rest
Swedish summer nights are very nearly endless, the light usually not fading until about eleven, but tonight is different. It is still light enough to see by but there is a darkness to the sky that makes it feel as if light is fading from the world altogether. Dark, brooding rain clouds mingle with a thick, light grey soup that blocks out the sun, tinged purple by nonexistent sunset and orange from pointless street lights below. Rain falls heavily on the ground, creating streams and pools on the paths beneath my window. The world is lifeless and empty except for … Read the rest
The bus is far less crowded than expected, only one or two people are standing up, despite this being one of the smaller busses on this line. Outside the air is crisp, bordering on chilly with a cold sun illuminating the world – what most would consider fresh spring weather. In the bus though, it’s hot and stuffy. There is a definite stale note to the air, an almost tangible, sickly sweet smell, and a feeling of second-hand body heat and recycled oxygen that engulfs you as you step inside. Strangely, almost everyone is sitting there calmly clad in jackets, … Read the rest
Here I go with the sunset images again, but it seems to be the only beauty in an otherwise grey existence. As I cross the river it is not a conventionally beautiful naturescape that serves as a background for the multicoloured sky, but the industrial outline of an old harbour city. A few old-time ships, permanently docked along the riverbank serve as a spice to the area’s main ingredients of old factories, warehouses and newly built office complexes. Above it all rises the big cranes of the wharfs and dry docks as black silhouetts against the blazing orange of the … Read the rest
I’m lying curled up in a little ball on the cold, hard bathroom floor. This position seems to be the only way to keep the nausea at bay; the toilet bowl is only inches away, just in case I need to throw up, all I have to do is raise my head. This is the worst hangover I had since, well I can’t remember the last time I felt this bad, it was probably some time in the beginning of the year so at least six months ago. Here, in a fetal position on the floor, I remember exactly what … Read the rest