Tuesday 24th

Our flight back took a little longer due to the volcano on Iceland.  They had to adjust their normal flight path to avoid the ash cloud so that added about an hour flight time.  It was very interesting watching the progress on the screens on the seat backs!

Diverting from volcanic ash cloud on Iceland

Lake Michigan - coming into Chicago

We had gotten up on Tuesday at 5:30am in Goteborg Sweden & (25 hours later & adjusting for the time difference), we were back in San Luis Obispo at 8:30pm, also on Tuesday!

What an adventure!

Monday 23rd

Our last day of our very memorable trip and the day we take our car back to the Volvo factory to start it’s own journey home.

Before we went back to the factory, we were able to find another Harley dealer to visit & got another t-shirt for Devin.  Of course, something for us too!  When we mentioned to the lady helping us that we were going to try & find the fire station near by to trade a patch, she said we should go to the main station.  She then got on the phone and called a friend of hers who is a firefighter at the main station.  Found out he was going on duty at 4pm that day and we arranged to meet him later.  Then we were off to the factory where we said goodbye to our baby.  It was all pretty dirty & dusty but they said not to worry – they will get it all cleaned up for its trip.  We put just over 3,400 miles on it in 3 weeks!

We are able to track its travels and according to the latest “voyage details”, it could be in Port Hueneme on the 29^th of June!  Originally the paperwork said estimated departure was June 20^th & arrival at dealer was Aug 3^rd.  But looks like it made an earlier ship!  Yipee!  It will seem like getting a new car all over again!

When we were all done at the factory, Volvo took us back to our hotel.  They had also arranged to pick us up the next morning to take us to the airport for our flight home.

We then walked over to the fire station to meet with Henrik and hopefully trade patches.  This is such a good example of the dedicated bike & walkways they have throughout Europe, completely separated from the road traffic! Now that’s a way to encourage alternate transportation!

At the fire station we noticed that the parking lot at the station is a paid lot and found out that even the firefighters have to pay when they come to work!  Didn’t get many photos of the station, engines or even Henrik.

Then our last dinner turned out to be the best; we considered it our anniversary dinner!  We walked to Swedish Taste, a restaurant just across from the Goteborg wheel, recommended by the lady at the Harley shop.  Not much from the outside, but inside everything was great!

Swedish Taste Restaurant

Started off with something the chef created, can’t remember what it was exactly, but fish & rice (not on the menu).  Then for our starter we chose Malare Perch with Egg Yolk Confit (scallops smoked with juniper twigs, puree of Jerusalem artichoke & green strawberries)

 

Malare Perch .....

Fresh bread, rolls & flatbread/crispbread were served with a fresh butter from Olan, an island off the Swedish coast.  When the server was trying to describe where the island was, I told him I knew about it as my friend had learned that her ancestors were from that island!  So we’ve named the butter “Debbie’s butter”.

Butter from Olan - "Debbie's butter"

Then we were served something to cleanse the palate – a sorbet of some kind of edible grass.  Not bad!

And for dinner, Bob had the Lemon Baked Brill (covered with scallops, luke warm Falkenberg spring vegetables & capers).  I had the Scottish Field Lamb (walnut braised beetroots with ramson, mixed goats cheese & corn cream).  What an experience!

Lemon Baked Brill

Scottish Field Lamb

Then dessert for Bob was Petit Fours (with spun sugar) & I had Dark Chocolate & Cloudberries (coffee flavored crème caramel, farm milk froth & mizo).  Had never known about cloudberries before & quite hard to explain the taste.  Almost like trying to describe the taste of a strawberry – it’s just that, cloudberries!  Maybe I can try and find some here??

Bob's

Cathy's

The descriptions in parenthesis is from the menu that we had taken a photo of – knew we’d have a hard time remembering!

So that was our last evening in Sweden & Europe.  Walked back to our hotel/ship to get packing for our morning flight.

Sunday 22nd

Arrived in Goteborg about 9am and had plenty of time to find the hotel we were going to stay at for the next 2 nights.  For our 25^th anniversary, we reserved a cabin on the Barken Viking, an old sailing ship that was first renovated into a school for sailors (1957) then renovated & transformed into a hotel, restaurant & conference center (1995).  Everything is still quite authentic!  The last time it sailed was about 1948.

 And our cabin:

Also this day we explored Maritiman, Gothenburg's "Maritime Adventure Center" on the Göta River, almost right next to the Barken Viking.  There are 19 vessels there.  We made it onto the submarine (of course!), the destroyer and the lightship.  The harbour ferry formed the entrance where we bought the tickets & got a cup of coffee.  Then we accessed the vessels from the pontoon.  Again, not enough time!

Still able to make it down the hatch!

view of submarine Nordkaparen from destroyer

Destroyer HMS Småland

I could even make it through a hatch!

Destroyer, sub, fireboat - view from pontoon

Gothenburg's famous wheel - 60 meters high

Bob was a little interested in going on the Ferris wheel but no way would I do that!  It's also right there close to the waterfront.  Their "wheel" is also used as a landmark - so many times people use it for direction!

The Barken Viking restaurant was not open for dinner so we had to find someplace else.  There were many places within walking distance and good thing because the streets were a bit confusing!  We did manage to find a pretty good restaurant, Jensen's Bofhus, so had a good evening.

 

Saturday 21st

When we left Arnstadt, we stopped in Erfurt (which was just 20 minutes away) at a Harley Davidson shop.  We had seen quite a few motorcycles along our trip & many Harleys so figured we’d look for a shop to get a t-shirt.  (Needed to find something for Devin!)  This shop even had a little stagecoach!

Then off again, heading for Kiel.  On the way we saw quite a few castles but didn’t have time to stop & visit.  Maybe next time?!

 

One common thing we noticed in all the countries we visited was there were many, many people using bicycles for transportation.  Not on the highway but in the cities & towns.  And not just young people.  There were many elderly on bikes too!  Most of the countries did have paved bicycle paths & walkways that were separate from the main traffic.  That’s another thing we here in the US could sure learn to do more!  Thought this billboard was quite interesting, especially with the other sign in the background!

"Encouraging bicycle is still beautiful" (loose translation)

On the way to the ferry we passed by a little cafe restaurant that we thought was interesting.  Had seen it when we first arrived in Kiel too.  Sister-in-law Linda would sure love this!  We didn't have time to stop but again - next time!

Made it onto the Stena Germanica in Kiel by late Sat afternoon.  Got some photos of the ship before we drove on board.  It’s quite a large ferry - even the large semi trucks travel by this ferry!

waiting to board

about to drive onto ship

Our hostess Linda chatting with Bob

Surprise entertainment by the Herzgeräusche (Heart Murmurs)

The weather was quite a bit warmer this time than when we left Goteborg on the ferry but not as clear, a bit more hazy.

We had the same type of cabin as we did on the first journey.  And we also got the same hostess, Linda.  This time she was also going to sing during the dinner break.  She said she has wanted to be a professional singer & has even composed her own songs.  Dinner was very enjoyable that night!

And here she is in front of a large coffee machine - one I've never seen before!  She said it's one that's advertised by George Clooney - Nespresso.  It does make pretty good coffee!

Friday, 20th

We checked out of Alpen Club Schliersee a day early.  In my original travel plans, mapped out on Google maps, I figured we could leave Schliersee on Sat, 21^st, and drive half way back to Goteborg, stopping around Berlin or so.  Well, the itinerary mentioned a ferry and originally I didn’t realize what that all involves!  But after taking the ferry from Sweden to Germany, I realized that it would be more than just waiting for the next ferry across the water!  We were planning on leaving Germany from a different route but then found the timing to make the ferry across the smaller part of the channel would not work in order for us to get to Goteborg by Sunday.  So we reserved the Stena Line ferry again from Kiel for Sat night and took a different route back to Kiel.

When we left Schliersee we stopped at KZ-Gedenkstätte Dachau, the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site.  You can see more about it here:  http://kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/index.html  What an emotional visit!  And kind of scary seeing quite a few similarities in the propaganda to today’s times.

Jourhouse - main entrance & exit

"Work brings freedom"

Jourhouse from the inside

View from warehouse to Barracks B

Roll call yard - view from Barracks B

Never Again

very powerful memorial sculpture

 

After we left Dachau, we travelled to Arnstadt, our stopover on the way to Kiel.  It was over a 3 hr drive so we were able to get reset emotionally.

Bob had found a hotel that was part of an old brewery in this area of Germany known as Thuringia.  We didn’t know it but this central area in Germany was the home of Johann Sebastian Bach!  Also, Franz Liszt and Friedrich Schiller were from this area too!  Devin would have loved it here!  And what a very interesting hotel in another beautiful area.  When I made the reservation, I mentioned it was our 25^th anniversary and asked for the best location possible.  We got the only room with a full balcony!  And just another place we need to return and visit!

Our balcony above the Hotel sign

Watching Bob from the balcony