I decided to sleep in a little. I had gotten in kind of late the night before. I actually did not leave my room until 8 a.m.

Breakfast was the typical fair and boy was it sure busy. Toast, eggs, bacon – it was all there. Plus that little bitty cup that they give you for orange juice and apple juice. I guess they’re expecting you not to get up as much as I did in order to quench my thirst for breakfast. The orange juice had a bit extra pulp in it so I decided to get apple juice instead.

I’m in a bit of a conundrum. The nearest tram stop to my hotel takes about as much walking as it does to get to the tourist center in Gothenburg. So I walked. And I found that the tourist center did not open until 10 a.m. I had been hoping to get my Gothenburg card so that I could use it as free admission to other museums and tours.

I wandered around Gothenburg for a little while getting my feel of the city. I found that Gothenburg has much less souvenir stands than other cities. I only have seen two.

Coming back to the Gothenburg tourist center I found it swamp to the people. There was a take a number machine and I was number 5 on the list period when my name was called the girl who helped me was very responsive to my needs. I had done my homework beforehand so I guess it made it a little bit easier on her.

Unfortunately the Fortress which I had planned on visiting was closed this weekend therefore it gave me a bit more time to visit museums around Gothenburg. I found out that the Volvo Museum required that a bus be called ahead because they do not run those buses on weekends. So I decided to get the Gothenburg card and the 3 day bus ticket. I figured the Volvo Museum would be a good starting point since special arrangements had to be made for the bus.

I rode the tram to the appropriate destination got out. Uphill was a bus station. Quite a few others were waiting around for the bus. the bus was a much smaller sized vehicle than a regular large size bus. It was more of a church van type. An Indian family, some old ladies, and a couple got in. There wasn’t enough room for everyone to sit so I chose to stand.

We made it to Volvo Factory where the older ladies got off. I asked another Rider if she thought he was going to continue on and she said yes. We did arrive at the Volvo Factory. the driver dropped us off about a block away. I had wondered why he had to do this when everybody on the van was going to the Volvo Museum. And he drove by us as he was driving out of the area. I guess the rules state that he must stop at the bus stop.

at the ticket desk I made special arrangements to know when the return bus was going to be coming back to pick up me. I had about an hour to get through the museum which was plenty of time.

The Volvo Museum had plenty of cars some from the 30s 40s and 50s. many of which I had never seen before because Volvo actually did not get imported into the us until later on in the modern times. I believe full of us started importing in the 1970s or 80s.

Many of the cars in the 1950s were rounded compared to those of the 1980s which were very boxy. I don’t think I ever buy a Volvo because I like other car brands better but I do have a certain degree of respect for Volvo for being very safe.

Several different prototype cars were on display. I found these to be intriguing. It was very similar to cars I had seen before but slightly different.

On the bottom floor they showed other Volvo vehicles including fire trucks, semi trucks, and an airplane with a Volvo engine.

he was all very intriguing but it’s one of those one-and-done type things. after you’ve seen the Volvo Museum you don’t necessarily have to go back.

Also on display was how Volvo sponsors around the world boat race every year. Sailboats sail from the Northeastern United States to Cape Town then to New Zealand. Other times the race is modified to where it goes through Europe and Asia. It sounds pretty grueling with the racers not eating much food except for rations and exercising all day. It is no wonder the crew has a tendency to lose weight while racing.

after the museum I saw a Camaro in the parking lot which is very unusual in Europe to see. Also probably very unusual for it to be in the Volvo parking lot since the rest of the cars appear to be Volvo’s.

I almost didn’t see the bus waiting to pick me up and take me back to the tram station. The bus is pulled in but the bus stop was actually behind a building. I was the only one on the bus and I told the driver beforehand where I wanted to go. He skipped all the stops and drove directly to my stop.

I went back to the Gothenburg tourist center to ask some questions about whether or not I should validate my card each and every time I ride the tram and bus. As it turns out I don’t have to. I also found out where the paddan boat tour was. Apparently this boats word leaves every 30 minutes. I decided to get some lunch.

I had my eye on Pizza Hut ever since I had that list of desirable Pepe’s Pizza in Oslo. Apparently Pepe doesn’t know how to put on tomato sauce.

By contrast Pizza Hut, usually gets it right with just enough cheese and tomato sauce. I got the personal pan deep dish pizza and unlimited refills of Fanta. as you’ve heard me talk before on this blog, free refills in Europe are very rare. I am convinced that Europeans are basically camels without having a place to pee without paying and not getting enough to drink because of no free refills. Honestly I don’t know how they do it.

I came back for the padden boat tour. I had to wait about 15 minutes before another boat showed up. I grabbed a seat on the side so that I could take some good pictures. Our boat was completely full. I had imagined what would have happened if the boat had sank and wondered if that had ever happened before. There were the required life jackets underneath their seats but did any of us know really how to use them? Or would there be mass panic should the boat tip over? Luckily I did not have to experience this first hand as the boat was completely safe.

We had a humorous to our God who spoke in Swedish and English. He told jokes along the way.

We found out that Gothenburg had constructed the canal we were touring for protection. Gothenburg is basically built on swampland which causes some of the buildings to tilt. Gothenburg is unable to build any subway system since the ground underneath the buildings would cause them to cave in.

There are several ships docked in the harbor for the ship Museum including an old battleship. There is also a very old ship which was refurbish parked near the lipstick building. The building is nicknamed the lipstick because it looks like a roll of lipstick. There is an option to go to the top of the building to take a nice view of Gothenburg but unfortunately it is closed on weekends. Therefore I did not have a chance to go.

I also found out that Gotham used to be one of the main shipyards in Europe. Ships came from all over to be repaired. However due to competition from Asia all three ship companies have closed down. the first to close down in the 1970s and the most recent one closed down in around 2014. Our tour guide said that the cranes remain from the ship building area so as to be a reminder of Gothenburg ship buildings past. I however see these cranes as eventually rusting and needing to be taken down. One could see it as somewhat of an eye sore since they don’t do anything.

After the tour it seems to be sprinkling rain ever so often and I felt that it would be best to find an indoor museum where I could wait out the rain storm. The rainstorm never did come but I did find my way to the Gothenburg City Museum.

I ended up doing the Gothenburg City Museum backwards because I entered into the wrong door. So I saw the most recent exhibitions from the 1800s first and work my way back to Middle Ages and before.

It’s almost as if these museums are running so much together. This Museum to had a Viking ship but it wasn’t as in good of shape as the Norwegian Viking ship I saw yesterday. The museum had some good exhibits which I probably would have stayed just a tad bit longer but only had an hour before they closed.

I walked around the Old Town taking pictures. I had dinner at KFC. I ordered the popcorn chicken which came in a much smaller size than what I was expecting. I was expecting a size similar to Sonic Drive-In but this one was probably about a third the size of it. Still I was happy to get some food my stomach before shopping for souvenirs.

As stated before they were two souvenir stands in Gothenburg that I saw. I had been told before that sometimes shopkeepers won’t bother asking if you need help and less you tell them you need help. This was the case with the first souvenir stand who the shopkeeper basically ignored me until I asked a question about a shirt size. He was very helpful after that. I probably spent too much at the store but I am on vacation and I wouldn’t be able to get these any other place.

At the second store I bought a Swedish flag. I’ve been collecting large-sized Flags since Portugal a few years ago.

Now I’m back at my hotel room relaxing as I will probably have a big day tomorrow trying to cram all the sites I did not see yesterday and getting to the train station by 6: 55 pm. since my hotel is a bit out of the way I’m a go ahead and take my luggage down to the train station and get a locker.

Looking forward to a good day tomorrow.