Varberg

Our site when in West Sweden was Varberg. It was a great location (albeit the pitch was a little small and quite a challenge to get the van into). Still our neighbours relocated their vehicles which was helpful (or maybe it was damage control).

The only high ground was occupied by a large fort.
Also with some great reflective views.

As we wandered round to the harbour we came across a series of Ericsson sponsored boats. Further on there was a stage and presentations were underway with one of the winners coming from New Zealand. (Australia were represented but…). Helen succumbed to one of the vendors who helpfully lightened her purse in return for a small handbag in Elk.

Rather than drive South and around to Denmark’s Jutland we decided to take the ferry. We left Sweden on a perfect sunny morning which rather underscored how we felt about the country.

Our arrival back in Denmark warranted a celebration and we cracked open a bottle of Billy cart Salmon which Jo had brought with her. Along with some salmon and the meal rounded out with a Drambuie it really underscored how tough caravanning is.

The following day we took a trip into Denmark’s second largest city Arhus. It is attractive, modern and of course centred on a canal system. What really grabbed us here was the extent of bikes – thousands. It was interesting to note that we did not find one locked up which is a quite reflection on Danish society. (Mind you the design of many has not changed much from those seen in 1940 movies.)

Gotenberg

A day trip to Gotenberg was part of the plan and we started off at the fishmarket. This building is relatively new and was as a result of the sellers complaining of the constant cold of holding a market outside. Our lunch included smoked salmon, marinated salmon and salmon pate. They get a lot of salmon here. There was also a large range of wet fish. The city has a range of interesting ideas from timber sculptures

to an interestingly designed floating car park.

As had occurred elsewhere a quick appreciation of the city was best gained by taking a canal trip.

The planning of some of the bridges was a contrast to the Dansark canal. Here the road definitely takes priority with passengers having to sit on the floor for the “potato peeler”. On the return leg there was the “hair cutter”.

There is a large maritime museum which includes 19 different ships which apparently is the most of any museum. In the background is one of the later developments now nicknamed the “Lipstick”.

Also in the river is a large floating dry dock.

And the inevitable opera house.

Out in the main river the previously large canal boat was dwarfed by sea going vessels which was a little intimidating. This was similar to the one we would be travelling to Denmark on the following day. We enjoyed our visit and look forward to visiting Gontenberg again one day.

Dalsand Canal

During the re-planning of our return leg Jo spotted a “must do” in the guide book. Scandinavia is full of lakes and fiords and many have been joined with an extensive canal system. We decided to take a ride on the Dalsand canal. It is 254 km long and links up with the Gottenburg – Stockholm canal system. There are two ships that run one way each day and you can return on an historic train. We started at the North end in Bengtsfors and boarded the Dalsandia. The trip involved 16 locks. Although most were electric there were some that were manual but at least they had a bit more of a mechanism to opening the gates than Telemark.

The day was overcast but windless which resulted in many reflective water views.

I was invited onto the bridge and had several long discussions with the captain who was an interesting character. He ran the business and we were often interrupted by his mobile while he took another booking. Occasionally the caller had to wait while the locks (with about 50 cms clearance) were negotiated. The lock keeper on this lock was 60+ and got married two years ago to a 19 year old. He was quite forgetful and often forgot to open the locks until prompted. Apparently, sometime after the marriage the captain broached the subject and enquired as to the wife’s name only to be told he could not remember.

Part way through the trip a coach load of retirees got on. One was obviously caring for a slightly bemused friend.

This was a one way trip and we met up with the second trip boat travelling North. The M/S Storholmen is over 100 years old.

We also were given a great lunch which included Helen’s favourite – roast pork.

Most of the road and rail crossings used lift bridges. Boats take quite a high priority here.

There appears to be little industry apart from the obvious paper mill.

Although the navigable parts were quite calm the river was a different affair.

Great if you are into white water rafting – well the idea caused amusement.

The Southern end of the trip was Haverhud. It includes some quite deep locks and acute angles so as to negotiate an aqueduct and maneuver around a waterfall and the railway track.

At the end of the trip we called into the museum and came across the SS “Alex Halling”. Apparently they owned the local mill. Might need to do some homework on this to see if there is any hidden inheritance.

We returned via a heritage two coach train.

Some in the carriages tended to mis-behave while others who were well behaved were allowed to sit with the driver.

Not a student this time but a qualified driver. Not a bad summer job – great views.

There was also some 50kms of track beyond Bengtsfors which could be explored by a railway tricycle. I thought this would be a great idea and I suspect some good speeds could be generated. However, others were only prepared to pose.

We finished the day at a small museum. Although we arrived by car it was possible to take this old steamship. At this end of the route the boat had to be restocked with a little timber…

Before setting off to the West.

Oslo

Our next site was a rural setting 50Kms South of Oslo. It was a very peaceful small site where we overlooked a barley field and from inside the van could not see any other campers. The site owners ran Elk safaris which we thought would be a bit of fun but at 10:00 on our first evening two elk walked through this field less than 100 m away. As this was the best siting that those who had been on the safari had witnessed we decided to pass on the safari.
The next day we travelled to Oslo. First port of call (apart from the usual hunt for a toalett) was the Royal palace. King Karl Johan who built the palace stands on guard outside.

The more lively guards have a large tassel on their head gear rather than a Busby and even when marching, if they see a camera, smile.

They are quite happy to pose with Jo public. This ones tassel kept blowing across his face and he repeatedly gave his head a little effeminate flick to get it out of the way. Clearly the main focus of being a guard here is to be a poser.

Walking down Karl’s gate there are a range of interesting buildings, restaurants and cafes. This is the National theatre built in 1899.

Further down there was a trio including a Balalaika player – one of the easiest instruments to listen too – as a result even the accordion sounded OK.

Oslo has also gone the way of Sydney and built an opera house – the design is relies on sharp angles and requires sunglasses. It is great to be able to walk all over the structure and see it from different angles. The downside is that the finish was not great – many of the sharp lines were not straight a workmanship was not as expected. The view over the water was also of waste land and some construction activity - there is some way to go before this becomes an integrated attractive area.

We then made our way back through the old town stopping to have lunch in the original bank square.

Nearby there were interesting new sculptures that contrasted with the existing buildings.

One in particular really caught the eye. Until we were close up it was unclear whether this was protruding or recessed. It was also remarkable for the way it always appeared to be looking at you no matter what the angle.

The old town is built around the Akerhus Slot (fort) which was started in 1299. It bears the scars of many a battle and most walls show a variety of different materials as funds/repairs were undertaken.

The following day we headed back to Sweden and Denmark. Our thoughts on Norway is that it has natural beauty that we would like to see by boat and travel up the West coast or have a great deal of time (and money) and do the trip by road. We also found the Norwegians rather unfriendly and not particularly open to visitors. We were amazed that many restaurants were closed due to summer holidays and disappointed that key attractions (like the gardens of the palace) had an abundance of litter.