Writer: Anna Nilsson Spets
It was time for this year's secret grandmother's trip with a very tired grandmother who arrived from Belgium with a delayed plane and had not slept many hours before it was time to get in the car and go west ... towards Gothenburg. Hours of delay in Brussels, sweltering heat and this miserable terminal ...
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Alice and Elsa, aged 5 and 7, were packed and excited, with cuddly toys, plates and a packed lunch in their bags. You'd have thought it was for a week's holiday... Or two.
After short stops on the way, we took a longer break at Lake Borasjön, a detour from the E20, approximately at Finnerödja.
At the parish house's café there was plenty to choose from, freshly baked waffles and fresh prawn sandwiches were delicious.
Beautiful place, so heavenly Swedish, Sweden at its best. Of course we had to swim between the water lilies. It was not hot, but very refreshing.
Once in Gothenburg, we check into the Comfort City Hotel, a family room with four beds. The hotel is located right next to the avenue, parking spaces in the nearby car park.
We throw in our stuff and head out on the town. Elsa wants to ride the Toad so we do, under all 17 bridges and past the lipstick and iron, typical landmarks in Gothenburg.
There is a fresh wind in the open water and we get splashed with salt, as befits the west coast.
Falling asleep early and unawakened.
The breakfast at the hotel was an average hotel breakfast, many options and something for every taste. Alice and I toast with a smoothie.
The weather doesn't look good ... We bring extra clothes and rainwear and head off towards Slottsskogen. Slottsskogen is the green lung of Gothenburg, a huge area to walk, cycle and chill in. The weather for the day did not invite so much chill ...
We started by visiting the animals in the children's zoo, playing with the kittens, scratching goats and counting chickens.
Continue through the zoo, which consists exclusively of Swedish farm animal breeds, you can see the Bohus-Dal black hen, cuddle with Gotland russets and mimic the bleating of the good sheep.
The moose weren't exactly on the prowl today, but the seals and penguins were. Penguins must have been there for ages, I remember them from my youth.
If you do not have your own picnic basket with you, there is a nice restaurant in Art Deco style, a lush and green terrace that unfortunately had to do without us, it rained. Extremely good coffee and friendly staff.
In Gothenburg, of course, you have to travel by TRAM. There is no such thing in Enköping.
The clock is ticking ... soon one and then Liseberg opens, join us there in the next post.
more inspiration for travelling with grandchildren
Here you can read about more trips that Grandma Anna made with her grandchildren Alice and Elsa:
- Astrid Lindgren's World in Vimmerby - Grandma Anna's secret journey in 2024
- Efteling theme park in the Netherlands - Grandma Anna crosses the line
- Junibacken in Stockholm - Aunt Anna goes to childhood
- Kolmården - Aunt Anna travelling around the world
- Kungsbyn in Västerås - with Grandma Anna and the grandchildren
- National Museum of Natural History in Stockholm - Grandma Anna's secret winter journey
- Tom Tits in Södertälje - Grandma Anna experiments
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BP says:
Hahaha! Wonder who had the most fun during that visit to the West Coast;-) The girls don't look too happy. Almost understand them considering the weather. But it's not better on the East Coast either I can tell you.
Maybe it's more fun to go to exotic places in Africa - if you want sun and heat that is; -)
15 July 2025 - 20:23
Anna Nilsson Spets says:
hello
oh yes, it was freezing cold....
16 July 2025 - 7:26