Spain and Scandinavia: Short stop in Sweden

Saturday, August 22, 2026

Well we made it on the ferry for the almost 4 hr ride across the water to Sweden. We hit the campground about 4am, and the bus arrived for our tour at 9 am! Our poor tour guide had to deal with a lot of people with their eyes closed!

Gothenburg is the second largest city in Sweden. A signature building (nicknamed the zipper building) towers over the city. It has 74 floors and is mostly made up of apartments!

King Agustus Aldophus founded the city in the 1600’s and is commemorated by a statue of in the town square.

The city was a center for trading and was a network of canals. Although some of the canals have been filled in, some remain. This one is adjacent to the town square.

We visited the Feskekörka "Fish Church", a fish market in an old building that resembles a church. It was very busy and full of good looking stuff!

The Alvsborg bridge connects the city to the island.

There is a lot of water around the city--there's something peaceful about a boat on the water (as long as it's not a late-night ferry.)

Another interesting attraction in the middle of the city is an amusement park! It was so odd to see roller coasters in the city skyline! They say 1.2 million people visit each year.

My favorite part of the city was the Haga district. It was an area with cobblestone streets, lined with cozy cafes, unique shops and small houses. Unfortunately we didn't get time to shop!

The area is known for Haga rolls--huge cinnamon rolls that looked yummy!

Volvo is headquartered in Gothenburg and employs 30,000 people in the city! They have a fabulous "experience center" built in Scandinavian style. It is a beautiful facility built from timber from the area.

The World of Volvo houses a museum, interactive exhibits, dining areas, meeting places, and tells the impact of Volvo in the community and the world, especially in the area of safety. Did you know that Volvo means "I roll" in Latin. The first Volvo was actually a ball bearing crafted by a company that became Volvo.

The museum highlighted developments over the years, including 3 point seatbelt, electric vehicles, safety, comfort, racing, boats, emergency vehicles, buses, etc.