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Sweden 2003 - Gothenburg

From Worldtraveller

We arrived in Västerås on December 28th to find it cold and snowy, just as Sweden should be. We took a train from there to Gothenburg, managing to work out the ticket machines even though they were in Swedish and Finnish only. We had a great journey, sitting in the comfortable restaurant car as we chugged across the country. Our attempts to ask for things in Swedish so amused the attendent that he gave us free coffees.

Västerås train station

Moving rapidly towards Göteborg

Station somewhere in Sweden

At the end of the journey we found our way to the Slottskogen hostel in Gothenburg. In the short daylight hours the next day we had a look around Gothenburg. Frequent stops in cafes to keep warm were essential.

Late night view from hostel in Göteborg

Cafe on Linnégaten

Wintry street scene

We climbed the hill at Skansen Kronan, getting great views over the city but also extreme exposure to the elements.

Bleak scenery at Skansen Kronan

The fort at Skansen Kronan

Winter in Göteborg

Tourists in the snow

In central Gothenburg we had a look around the canal, which looked very picturesque in the snow.

A walk by the canal

Boat going nowhere

Not a day to sit outside for long

Then we walked over to the river banks as the day was drawing to a close.

Ice flows down the Göta river

Boats in the harbour

Chilly scene

The town looked attractive after night fell. We looked around a bit more, before heading out to explore the nightlife. Unfortunately, crazy Swedish licensing regulations mean that you need ID to get in almost anywhere, no matter how old you look. Dan did not take ID with him. We spent the evening in a rubbish bar.