I arrived at the IKEA store around 10:15 AM and immediately found Anna and Lena. We walked through the store comparing the prices of things between Sweden and America. Some things were more expensive and some things were less. As we were leaving, I picked up a bag of Swedish Fish.
The three of us got in Anna’s car and began driving north. Lena handed me a tourism brochure which listed many of the places to visit and asked which I would be interested in seeing. After looking through the pages, I determined that the Aeroseum was first on my list.
When we arrived at the Aeroseum, Anna handed me a pass that they had purchased in advance that would get us into nearly every tourist site in Göteborg. They were so thoughtful!
Inside the underground museum, we were able to sit in the cockpit of a retired Saab Viggen jet and climb in the air intake, through the engine housing, and out the back of the aircraft.
After the Aeroseum, the three of us decided to eat at Burger King in downtown Göteborg. The burger was exactly like the American version. Following lunch, we walked down to the water and passed by the immigration building where many of the Swedish immigrants had boarded ships bound for the distant shores of America.
After the Aeroseum, we visited Maritiman which is an impressive floating museum of old ships including retired freighters, a naval destroyer and a submarine. We were able to walk through the vessels on a self-guided tour.
Not far from the Maritiman was the Götheborg, an authentic replica of an East Indian trade route ship that had originally been built in 1738. On September 12, 1745, the ship sank when it hit a submerged rock (known as the Hunnebådan) as she approached the Göteborg harbour. The replica was built using the same methods that were used in the 1700's. The Götheborg is scheduled to sail to New York in 2013.
Next, we took the Paddan Canal Boat Tour. I learned that when Göteborg was being built, the city’s founder hired Dutch engineers to help design the city because it was close to the water. The Dutch engineers designed and built a canal around the city. The Paddan Canal Boat tour is an open-topped boat, guided tour around the city by way of the canal. One interesting moment is when the tour guide asks everyone to get on the floor of the boat and to keep your head down. The boat passes under a bridge that nearly touches the top of the boat. This is called the “cheese slicer” because you are not able to sit in your seat and pass under the bridge.
Since most of our day had been walking the streets of Göteborg, I was needing a some serious energy. Anna and Lena told me that their brother Thomas had decided to join us for dinner. We agreed to meet him at the Hard Rock Café. Since Anna and Lena visit the Hard Rock Café quite often, they are able to get seated more quickly than most guests. Within a few minutes we had a table and I settled for a steak dinner. Our waiter was from Pennsylvania but had lived in Sweden for 4 years. During dinner, I learned that Thomas was in school studying Information Technology security and was planning to become a certified information security professional.
After dinner, Anna and Lena said “goodbye” and Thomas agreed to take me back to my car which was parked in the IKEA parking lot. Thomas drove a sporty, black Honda Civic which made it back to IKEA in no time at all.
It was an amazing day, thanks to my Larsson cousins, and I needed some serious rest. Tomorrow my Herbertsson uncles (Hans and Sten-Åke) are planning to take me fishing in the North Sea.
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