I had breakfast in Kaffe Kid because lovely Fredrik suggested yesterday I’d like to try his breakfast buffet, and I felt strangely compelled to comply.
I had a hearty breakfast washed down with a suitably sturdy African coffee which set me up nicely for the rest of morning. He suggested I might like to visit the Slottsskogen park around the Göteborgs Naturhistoriska Museum rather than the museum itself, having mutually concluded that looking at “a lot of stuffed animals” was probably not high on the list of things I fancied seeing today. Nonetheless, there was the promise of the possibility of seeing penguins or “mooses” wandering around the park (I think he was lying, or my expectation were too high) so I dutifully added it to my list of things to do.
My tourist activity started with a visit to the Skansen Kronan or Crown Sconce (I learned a new word today), an 18th-century defensive tower perched atop the Risåsberget hill. Under normal conditions there are probably magnificent views from the top but the weather was slightly gloomy today and as a result I was only really able to see various bits of Gothenburg’s skyline. That’s not an unpleasant thing to see, though, and I was happy I’d found my way there, especially after the tower fiasco of Lourdes. The tower itself was closed so it wasn’t possible to climb up to the point, but that wasn’t the point, really.
The wind at the top of Risåsberget was bitter, which limited the time I was prepared to spend walking around a closed tower, but hardened my resolve to buy some windproof gloves. And possibly to go somewhere warmer next time.
My tower ascent ended at a time which will coincide nicely with my train departure tomorrow, so I bought another 24-hour ticket and spent some time tram-hopping before I made my way to the Slottsskogen park for a moose hunt. I didn’t see any moose, and the closest I got to penguins was a group of over-friendly yet fickle ducks who quickly determined I was not a source of food and promptly turned their backs on me. I thought this was rude. I did find the zoo (closed) and the Ponnyridning enclosure (also closed).
In the end, I abandoned nature and determined that even more tram-hopping was required (the older trams are lovely). The number one tram I was on had some sort of loud wheel-related incident and we all had to alight in the middle of nowhere, but I made it back to the hotel (just) in time for a little work to do in the early afternoon to pay for the extra night.
I then set out again for some more afternoon tram-hopping and tat procurement. This was hungry work, so I headed over to the central station and let myself into the SJ lounge where, Noodles be praised, the buffet lunch was still out.
Sitting myself near a window overlooking the platforms, I chose an imminent departure for which I would suddenly have to rush in the event that the staff recognised me from previous buffet lunches (16:45 to Trollhättan from platform 8) but it looked as if people were congregating in the lounge for a fika moment and I was left to consume my ill-gotten lunch in peace relative peace.
The lemon donuts were particularly fine.
Following my early-morning wind incident, I had a mitten epiphany in the Intersport near the station and am now the proud owner of a pair of windproof and water-resistant mittens that were on sale and cost me only 13€. That’s three pairs of handwear I’m now carrying around with me; one will have to go. From Intersport I could see a big boat which piqued my interest and I had a stroll through the drizzle to the Gullbergskajen Pier to have a look at it. It turns out it’s a restored vessel from 1907 which is now a hotel, on the Gothenburg opposite the opera house.
So make a mental note for next time.
I packed my bags in the evening then went out for a final little walk accompanied by a pint of Guinness (which turned into multiple pints), first at The Irish Embassy in Järntorget which I should really have avoided. The pint was a rushed single-pour which was very disappointing stupid expensive; I refused the first I was offered because I watched the barman remove some of the head with a spatula before wiping the glass – this should’ve been warning enough in itself, really.
On Wednesday I’d been to the sister pub “downtown” and while the Guinness was cheaper, it had been adulterated by a machine that printed some random text onto the top of what was an otherwise acceptable pint served to me by someone who had no fucks to give.
The second was in a generic Ölstugan Tullen pub I stumbled upon by chance. This was nicer in every way but I was slightly offended by band playing Proclaimers covers, but then much more content when they had a stab at some Cher but without the auto-tune.
My just right Goldilocks pint was served to me in The Old Beefeater Inn by a lovely young lady who acquiesced to my “pint of Guinness and a silly hat please” request where everything was just perfect.
I had a couple there and also a pint of obscenely nice Death by Coconut (“Irish-style porter brewed with coconut and chocolate”) before staggering back to the Falafel House, which was closed. It’s not a good night out without some dirty fast food, so far from sated after my greasy veggie hotdog from a kiosk I found by chance, I wandered back to Järntorget for a reasonbly-priced halloumi something at Burger King. Because I am that classy and also I needed to use the toilet. But they didn’t have any.
Back at the hostel I tried to repack my bag with two silly hats, some trídhathach sweat bands, and some sparkly Magners novelty specs. I jettisoned the specs in the hotel kitchen, just in case someone else fancied them.
Göteborg is lovely. I have enjoyed it tremendously, even though I’ve done nothing. It feels familiar, it’s easy to get around on public transport and it’s pretty. It’s not too big and it’s not too small.
It’s just right.
