Last weekend I was invited by my friend Robin and her ”swede-heart” to visit them in Gothenburg. I was a little bit worried about doing the drive as it was snowing where I live, and the thought of driving for 4 hours in snowy conditions was a bit intimidating, so I checked with a couple of people who live en route, and they convinced me that it wasn’t that bad further north!
I had a very pleasant drive, with no problems at all. In fact the only place it snowed was the first 15 minutes from my house to the motorway. I was however surprised to see when crossing the bridge from Denmark to Sweden that there was ice all the way across Øresund (the Sound). Ok it was broken up in places, but it was still there, and now I believe the stories about the Swedish Vikings invading Denmark in the winter time across the ice. The Sound at that point is approx 12 km across.
Also on the way up to Gothenburg where the motorway is close to the coast there seemed to be ice as far as the eye could see. I also noticed a large amount of birds of prey, either circling in the air or sitting on posts or in trees close to the road. At one point too there were loads of geese (not sure what type) that flew across my path in big v-formations – I’m talking hundreds of birds! I’ve never seen that many before and just wished I’d had a place to stop and get my camera out. Grrrr I hate missing photo opportunities!
I got to my hotel in Lerum, just outside Gothenburg, checked in and then went to meet Robin and Jan and had a very nice evening with them and their families – great food and great company! I managed to combine this trip with work, which saved me from having to drive four hours back the same day (and allowed me to have a glass of wine or two)! So the following morning I set off to Stenungsund which is about 50km+ north of Gothenburg. Unfortunately the TomTom navigator I had borrowed sent me up a very steep hill on a very small road that was just sheer ice! I got about three quarters of the way up and realised my tyres were spinning, so decided not to push it and let the car roll back down the hill, until I could get some grip and turn around. Sometimes I should trust my inner navigator, as I found the way back to the motorway without messing around on any more ice rinks! So much for winter tyres….!
About 45 minutes later I arrived at Stenungsund. This is a lovely area with lots of nice Swedish summer houses around the coastline and lots of rock everywhere. It is pretty picturesque, but I think it’s weird to think that there is a rather large petrochemical refinery hidden in one of the bays which I guess is the largest employer for the town. The company I was visiting took me out for lunch and offered to take me to a view point to get a photo of the famous Tjörnbron (bridge). It is famous because there was another bridge in its place in 1980 which was hit by rather a large ship in bad weather and fog causing the original bridge to collapse, and the authorities were unable to close the bridge quick enough before 7 people in cars plunged to their deaths. Tjörnbron was built within a year of the disaster, which is a pretty amazing feat! And with the snow around, has made for quite a nice picture.
I had one more meeting after lunch in Gothenburg and finally headed home at around 15:45. By this time it was beginning to snow slightly, but fortunately didn’t settle. I made good time as I decided to take the ferry back between Helsingborg and Helsingør and was lucky as I drove straight on to the ship and after me they shut the doors and it sailed the 20 minutes back across Øresund. So I made it home in 3½ hours.
I’ve got to say I am beginning to be very sceptical about global warming, I think we’re actually in the beginnings of a new ice age. We have had snow in Denmark now for 2 months, and up in Gothenburg everyone was saying it is the worst winter for 20 years. I hear the same thing coming from friends and family in England…hmmmmm….time to invest in some new ski clothes maybe?
I had a very pleasant drive, with no problems at all. In fact the only place it snowed was the first 15 minutes from my house to the motorway. I was however surprised to see when crossing the bridge from Denmark to Sweden that there was ice all the way across Øresund (the Sound). Ok it was broken up in places, but it was still there, and now I believe the stories about the Swedish Vikings invading Denmark in the winter time across the ice. The Sound at that point is approx 12 km across.
Also on the way up to Gothenburg where the motorway is close to the coast there seemed to be ice as far as the eye could see. I also noticed a large amount of birds of prey, either circling in the air or sitting on posts or in trees close to the road. At one point too there were loads of geese (not sure what type) that flew across my path in big v-formations – I’m talking hundreds of birds! I’ve never seen that many before and just wished I’d had a place to stop and get my camera out. Grrrr I hate missing photo opportunities!
I got to my hotel in Lerum, just outside Gothenburg, checked in and then went to meet Robin and Jan and had a very nice evening with them and their families – great food and great company! I managed to combine this trip with work, which saved me from having to drive four hours back the same day (and allowed me to have a glass of wine or two)! So the following morning I set off to Stenungsund which is about 50km+ north of Gothenburg. Unfortunately the TomTom navigator I had borrowed sent me up a very steep hill on a very small road that was just sheer ice! I got about three quarters of the way up and realised my tyres were spinning, so decided not to push it and let the car roll back down the hill, until I could get some grip and turn around. Sometimes I should trust my inner navigator, as I found the way back to the motorway without messing around on any more ice rinks! So much for winter tyres….!
About 45 minutes later I arrived at Stenungsund. This is a lovely area with lots of nice Swedish summer houses around the coastline and lots of rock everywhere. It is pretty picturesque, but I think it’s weird to think that there is a rather large petrochemical refinery hidden in one of the bays which I guess is the largest employer for the town. The company I was visiting took me out for lunch and offered to take me to a view point to get a photo of the famous Tjörnbron (bridge). It is famous because there was another bridge in its place in 1980 which was hit by rather a large ship in bad weather and fog causing the original bridge to collapse, and the authorities were unable to close the bridge quick enough before 7 people in cars plunged to their deaths. Tjörnbron was built within a year of the disaster, which is a pretty amazing feat! And with the snow around, has made for quite a nice picture.
I had one more meeting after lunch in Gothenburg and finally headed home at around 15:45. By this time it was beginning to snow slightly, but fortunately didn’t settle. I made good time as I decided to take the ferry back between Helsingborg and Helsingør and was lucky as I drove straight on to the ship and after me they shut the doors and it sailed the 20 minutes back across Øresund. So I made it home in 3½ hours.
I’ve got to say I am beginning to be very sceptical about global warming, I think we’re actually in the beginnings of a new ice age. We have had snow in Denmark now for 2 months, and up in Gothenburg everyone was saying it is the worst winter for 20 years. I hear the same thing coming from friends and family in England…hmmmmm….time to invest in some new ski clothes maybe?
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