Ship Funnel

Our vast white ferry cruised gracefully in to Gothenburg port. We peered out of the salt washed windows with an air of excitement and expectancy as we slowly came to a stop. We made our way to deck 5 to reunite with Vin the motorhome and two very excited dogs, Mac n Tosh. We departed the ferry pretty quickly but the customs clearance was rather slow. When it came to our clearance the customs officer was extremely friendly but very thorough. An experience we are not used to as normally customs smile and wave you through. Needless to say it made us a little nervous. She asked for our passport and tickets then asked Craig to do a breathalyser test. Wow.

Then she turned to the dogs. First the passport, checking all their vaccinations were up to date and then one by one she checked each dog. Eventually, we gave us the all clear and waved us on our way. Phew. You know you have nothing to hide but you always worry the laws change or you’ve forgot to do something. With heart rate back to normal we tootled off in to Sweden!

Bicycles have a law all unto themselves in Sweden

At 3.30 am we were fully alert and cruising Vin around Gothenburg. What a great time to view Sweden’s second largest city, it was quiet and we had front row seats to all the spotlit attractions. We zoomed around in no time!

The city car parks were all reasonably priced (£1 per hour during peak period) but we decided to head just to the outskirts. We figured it would be quieter and we also knew a place we could get LPG. Within 5 minutes we were shutting shop and snuggling down just in time for sunrise…once Craig had another fiddle with the fridge (still struggling to light) and this time he found a loose connection. He reconnected it and everything seemed OK…bed time!

We woke mid morning with Vin feeling like a hot, sticky Swedish sauna. It was roasting hot outside. We wobbled around feeling a little punchy from the late night and lack of sleep. We had a few coffees and the morning passed in a blurry haze.

A Statue of Two Chaps Fighting

By lunch we were reasonably tanked up on caffeine and ready to explore. We debated the best way to visit the city and settled on taking the motorbike…no city centre congestion fees. As we drove through the crowded streets our senses were on overload, an unfamiliar mixture of excitement, exhaustion and intense observation. Everything seemed ‘slightly’ different, which gave a feeling of being somewhere very different and very new. The language, the money, the road signs, the number plates, the hazard bollards, the food, the parks, the people. Everything was new, our tired brains refused to function and we bumbled around Gothenburg in a hazy state of bewilderment. Thankfully, we’d fixed the go pro video to the motorbike and filmed our tour around the city. A good short film for a rainy day?

Gothenburg is the maritime metropolis of Sweden and once the only way of connecting with the west. It might be the second largest city in Sweden but feels very relaxed with little hustle and bustle. The city appears to have more gardens, parks, river walks and open spaces than any other city we have visited, which makes a refreshing change. First we made our way to the quayside to stretch our legs along the Gota Alv river with museum ships at anchor and ferry liners shuttling back and forth. To our right the new red building aptly named the ‘lipstick’ then the East India Company building and right in front the Opera House. Then back on back on the bike for another scoot round with a short stop at the Cathedral, a park with a fountain and Oscar Fredrik Church before heading back to Vin.

The car park was a good stop for our first stop after the ferry but tonight, we wanted a new sleepy spot. With that we filled up with LPG…yeah, we found some LPG (none in Denmark) and then headed north down the E61. Alongside the road large industrial and retail units. All very low key and single story, which very much reminded us of Austria.

Not long and we arrived at our stop the little village of Kunglav. We pulled up against the river next to the rowing club and parked up. A simple and peaceful location, perfect. A quick bite to eat and then lights out for us! See you tomorrow folks.

Our sleep spot tonight, a nice quiet ex aire located on at the side of the river in Kunglav.

Kunglav parking spot

GPS position N057.863723 E011.999850

Route: Gothenburg to Kungalv

Weather, low 15 high 30. Arrive in Sweden in the middle of a heatwave and what do we do? Go for a motorbike ride in a city and sweat our spuds off in thick coats and helmets