Stories
WHAT A TIME TO VISIT SWEDEN
Looking in the paper one evening something caught the eye of my husband,
Bill,
A bungalow for rent - 10 miles out into the North Sea, on one of a group
of Islands off the coast of Sweden.
Shall we? – Be different! - - Booked! – Set sail.
We took along a young friend for company for our daughter, Penny.
Smorgasbord – Never tried that before!
Travelled up to Stromstad from Goteborg, not much English spoken (a 16
year old girl in the bank the only one) We managed to find our way.
Signpost to Oddo and Dafto - we loved those names. Driving from Island
to Island over causeways, quite an adventure, at last we arrive.
The bungalow so lovely, greeted by the family who lived downstairs in a
replica of rooms, all pinewood; a stainless steel fitted kitchen, a big
sitting room and the bedrooms quite large. These places built by the
Swedish Government for fishermen's families. They live down below and
when the tourists have gone back they move into their home. A very good
idea.
We had one problem, no grill. How to make toast? Ah, the frying pan
worked, made toast on top of the stove. One evening a knock at the door,
our host with a large bowl of prawns, they were so lovely and fresh.
We explored the area, found the beaches, the sea cold. The Swedes are
tough and swim all year long.
At this time we were restricted on how much we could spend on gifts.
Cannot remember why, the year about 1965. Found a gift shop, the owner’s
daughter lived in Surrey and was able to understand us. Helping to find
cheap gifts.
A visit to Trollhattan, oh how wonderful. The visit so entertaining,
first thing a large sea going ship across the main road. Unbelievable!
Find a parking place and then on foot to witness, with wonderment, large
sea going ships come down a mountainside, lock by lock. At the bottom
they joined the Gota Canal and sailed away. It was breathtaking. A visit
to Ursands, cannot find this on the map. Felt like Hawaii, golden sands
fringed by palm trees, with a warm shallow sea.. A most wonderful day
out.
Visit to Norway on our list of must do. Oslo, we drove up and joined a
roundabout the wrong way, much honking of horns. Parked up for the rest
of the visit. On foot, we go into a hotel for a coffee, we in our
Swedish clogs and shorts. Find elegant ladies, so well dressed. Yes, we
were trippers!
Have a look around, join a trip to an island where the Kon-tiki was on
display. Quite a thrill to see such an old and interesting means of
transport. This is all from memory. It was so well done, all kinds of
houses with a lady to show us around each one. We now have come to the
end of our day out and must drive back to our holiday home, we talked on
our way back - if we had a caravan we could have gone on and on. (when
we got back to England the first thing, buy a caravan - a Sprite).
Holiday over, pack up and get ready to go back to Goteborg, stay at a
hotel overnight, join ferry in morning. Great consternation, much
running about, the family, by signs, tell the telephone for us. Call
from the girl at the bank, please go home, the roads will be for public
transport only when we change over driving on the left to the right. Oh
yes, we know about this, we are setting off today.
Arrive at the hotel and go to the cinema at night. A Cowboy film, so
difficult in the cinema, Swedes reading sub titles, drinking and
talking. We couldn't hear the dialogue. When we came out oh what a shock
we had, all the road signs had been taken down, we find the car and Bill
drives and drives. Penny says: ‘Daddy you have passed that ship three
times.’ At last we find the hotel and join the ferry next morning,
Little did we know what was in store for us. 26 hours of a Force 9 gale.
The night hours were awful, the howling winds, clanking of chains on the
lifeboats, our young friend so sick. Bill made his way over to the other
side of the ship to find a giant of a steward helping the girls. Sleep
impossible, bunks have a hardwood surround which hurts when you are
thrown about. Morning arrives, no one about ,told even the crew have
been sick. The ship stank, every toilet and wash basin out of use - it
was awful. What a way to finish a holiday, how thankful we were to the
crew who have brought us home safe and sound. Just another experience of
the things life throws at you.
We did take another holiday in Sweden ,this time all around the coast.
Another story.
By Jean Whitehead Wilde