Located on the southwest coast of Sweden, Gothenburg is a major industrial port that is nonetheless very picturesque. Although not as large and well-known as its cosmopolitan east coast rival, Stockholm, do not think for a minute that there isn't a great deal of civic pride in this city, home to Volvo, Hasselblad, the Liseberg amusement park and the huge Nordstan shopping mall. This is, after all, Scandanavia's largest port.

The main commercial avenue, the Kungsportsavenyn (known as the Avenyn, or Avenue), runs from the modern Poseidon fountain that oversees the cultural square, across the Rosenlunds Canal to Nordstan, Sweden's largest indoor shopping mall. Along the Avenue you will encounter electric trains busily clacking back and forth.

Santa in Gothenburg

This is where Kelli makes her "home away from home," when she is assigned out of NPI. Her lodgings put her at the cultural end of the Avenyn, and she is "discovered" by Bill in one of the numerous department stores in Nortstan, after she walks to the other end.

Gothenburg in Springtime

If you like your climate on the cool side, with lots of sunshine (though perhaps not too much solar warmth), Gothenburg is the place to be.

Gothenburg Port
Image courtesy of the Port of Gothenburg
www.portgot.se

At the end of April, the city takes part (along with all Sweden) in Valborg, the annual "Welcome to Spring" Festival. This traditionally begins with a parade of floats designed by the local university students, and is not to be missed. (Some of the floats may seem quite ribald to more conservative folks, but the residents don't mind.)

After the parade, which takes place in the early evening, comes the carousing. Swedes let go on this day with as much abandon as Mardi Gras revelers. Just walking (or elbowing your way) down the street through all the partiers can be challenge enough! Forget what you may have been led to believe about the "reserved Swede" -- none of those are in sight this liquor-laden night!

But by the next day, it's all cleaned up and back to business as usual -- though with a lot fewer people around.

Scandanavian Sunshine

If you visit in the late spring or summer, be prepared for lots and lots of daylight. Gothenburg is about 1500 miles from the Arctic Circle, and if in the New World that sounds like a long ways, it actually places the city on a rough parallel with the southern tip of the Hudson Bay. During late spring / summer, expect the sun to hang around well into the night and to wake you up early -- say 3am.

Of course, in the winter it's--ahem!--a different story...

Follow That Sleigh!

Here are some links of interest in the Gothenburg area: