Text: Peter Johansson
Editing: Christer Lundstedt
Photos: Christer Lundstedt, Peter Johansson
Videos: Christer Lundstedt
Provinces: Bohuslän, Västergötland, Halland
Municipalities: Sotenäs, Lysekil, Munkedal, Uddevalla, Lilla Edet, Kungälv, Ale, Lerum, Alingsås, Bollebygd, Härryda, Mark, Kungsbacka
Monday 12th of July
02.07 Someone who prefers to be awake now, just called my mobile phone and then quickly finished the call. I will soon go back to sleep here in our cramped room at Kungshamn Hostel.
08.21 We have woken up to a new week. It is still small and crowded in our room. It is at that level that one of us needs to go out for the other to be able to do something sensible in the room. At least we'll try to get things done as best we can. We're about to get out of here anyway.
09.22 There will be no breakfast here at the hostel. Sure, there is a kitchen and some tables to sit by outdoors but we choose instead to have breakfast at a café here in Kungshamn.
09.40 It's nice to get outside for a while and get a little more space. Now we will try to find a place for breakfast. Well, we did find one yesterday, but does everything work out as we planned? Something that goes well is to leave the car here in the parking lot for a few hours even though we already checked out. Thanks for that.
10.14 We have again walked along Dinglevägen/road 174 down to central Kungshamn. Today we treat ourselves to a breakfast at Hamnbageriet (http://www.hamnbageriet.se) and I really mean that we treat ourselves. Something went wrong at the order. The simple cheese and ham sandwiches are on the receipt two hot Panini for US$15 apiece. They are with cheese and ham but clearly more expensive. We have limited time here and can't argue about this. There are a lot of people here and it takes a while to get what you order. We sit outside at one of the few free tables. We thought it would be quiet here during this time of day but it was not so.
10.22 Something has gone wrong in the internal communication here at Hamnbageriet. One of the staff informed us that they had made Panini with chicken and basil instead of cheese and ham, would it be OK? We didn't think it was OK. New ones should be made. If we are going to pay US$15 each for a breakfast sandwich, we want at least the ones we ordered. Well, we didn't order Panini at all if the truth is to be told.
10.55 It was worth waiting for the expensive sandwiches. They were good but hardly worth the price. Now we have our feet on the floor and the butts on the thwart. Soon we will buy a ticket to Smögen with Zita V, one of the Zita boats (https://www.zitabatarna.com) which runs between Kungshamn and Smögen. They have been doing so since 1927. We've seen a number we'll Swish the ticket fee to.
13.05 It is beyond hot in the car. Now we´ll soon start yet another car journey. First, we'll air out some of the heat in the vehicle.
16.20 It feels good to for once in a while run on low gears and not have that much planned. We will remain here at the hostel and have a quiet evening before we go away to find a dinner restaurant later. In lack of things to do, we will now have coffee in the hostel's common room. We're behind in the coffee drinking.
20.09 Today's dinner will be eaten at the restaurant Oasen (https://restaurang-oasen.business.site) here in Brastad. The dinner is accompanied by the TV show "Lotta på Liseberg" shown on the restaurant's TV. Right now Lili and Sussie are performing. They had their best days as we were younger. How old have they become by now? When paying, too much was withdrawn from my card and I got banknotes back.
Tuesday 13th of July
Peter has checked out from Kungshamn Hostel.
Breakfast at Hamnbageriet.
Bäckevikstorget, Kungshamn.
On the Zita boat. Peter has a large arm muscle.
One of the passengers.
We met Pauline.
We are walking along Smögenbryggan.
Among the stores in Smögen.
Rock meets wood.
Christer in Smögen.
Beautiful wood buildings at Smögenbryggan.
The cliffs of Bohuslän in Smögen.
In central Smögen.
A place to sit in Smögen.
Christer on his way up on Smögen bridge.
A view towards Kungshamn.
Beautiful views of the sea.
A last view before we continue the trip.
We are making a short stop in Munkedal.
A mysterious creature in Munkedal.
Lots of space at Lysekil-Brastad Hostel.
Peter is testing the door code.
A short evening walk into Brastad.
Christer has found this evening´s dinner restaurant.
08.07 It feels like the nights are getting longer as we travel. Sure, technically, the sun is down longer or are we more rested? Well, what do I know? Today it is the 13th of July so it's probably good that we are rested and prepared. After all, this date has not brought luck with it over the years on our travels. Last year it went well when we travelled through Värmland on this date. Hope it goes just as well today.
08.54 This has been one of the best accommodations on this trip so far. We have had excellent comfort with plenty of space and we did not have to bring towels and bed linen nor clean. We have packed our belongings and will soon continue to get acquainted with the homeland. Next we will see the last of Bohuslän. 09.39 Christer has placed the car near Luna Café Winery and restaurant. We have travelled some kilometres west and started our walk towards Lysekil. We just passed some vines, probably connected to Luna. I sit on a bus stop bench and write this. We have chosen to walk into the city centre because it was a bit unclear where we could park and we also felt for a walk in the nice weather. 10.08 Lokus Hotel has its own flag. It's been downhill for a while now during our walk. Where we're going is getting closer. 10.19 I know we just rested but a bench break in the shade is never wrong, at least not in the summer time. We just passed Pizzeria Chaplin. How many pizzerias don't have that name? What is the connection between Charlie Chaplin and pizza? 10.24 We have reached Rosvikstorg and we must consider this as the town centre, or part of the centre. Next we will find a way up to the church. 10.49 I have just sat down to write this. We are on a hill behind the church in Lysekil. There is also a lookout tower that is unfortunately closed. Well, that's a good view anyway. Lysekil is beautifully located at Gullmarsfjorden here in Bohuslän. Here in town there is a population of 7,702 inhabitants.
Welcome to Lysekil.
We are getting closer to the centre of town.
Rosvikstorg, Lysekil.
A sailing boat outside Lysekil.
From this hill we have fantastic views of the church, town and sea.
Lysekil church.
11.04 We have climbed down from the hill and have passed the beautifully situated church. We walk through a beautiful park with a fountain. It's the City Park.
11.23 "I happened to wash your knife in the dishwasher" said a man inside the kitchen at Café Kungsgatan (http://www.cafekungsgatan.se) in Lysekil. It is a charming café with furniture from bygone times. We are here for coffee with various sweet accessories. Lysekil is a wonderful small town. Imagine how many small gems we discover in Sweden on our summer trips. 11.42 A yellow cupboard with painted flowers offers books from Lysekil's library. We have seen book lockers out on the town before. We saw such in Nässjö and Kristianstad last year for example. 12.12 We are soon back in the car. It was nice to walk but even more comfortable to rest a little. We take one last Lysekilian bench break. One moped hums past and now another. 12.32 Bye Lysekil! Now we leave the town for new more southern goals. On the radio Mikael Rickfors sings "Vingar". Thank you, I got what I wanted yesterday when I hoped for the right version of this particular song. 12.49 On the radio there is currently a report from Tjärnö marine laboratory. There is talk about species determination through water samples. From the water sample, you pick up DNA from creatures in the water. Previously, divers were sent down to find out what was under the waves. The expert talking is Marina Pavlova. It's obvious that a Marina should work with water. We ourselves will soon go out on the E6 for further transport south. 13.06 The car and we have slowed down at Torp shopping centre outside Uddevalla. It's some kind of road work and the E6 suddenly become single laned. 13.12 We are now crossing the majestic Uddevalla Bridge. The length of the bridge is 1712 meters and the span is 414 meters. It was inaugurated in 2000 and is Sweden's second longest motorway bridge after the Öresund Bridge and the sixth longest of all the bridges in Sweden.
Peter is writing down notes among the cliffs in Lysekil.
Well-trafficked waters outside Lysekil.
Stadsparken, Lysekil.
Kungsgatan, Lysekil.
A nice atmosphere at Café Kungsgatan.
Christer is focusing on the coffee.
13.27 The car is stationary in the parking lot at the supermarket Xtra in Ljungskile. It's time for more sightseeing. We will stay here for a little while and will also shop a little of each.
13.40 It's nice to just sit on a bench and watch what passes by. Behind us is the railway, in front of us square sale of clothes and on the right a brownish-rusty pyramid with a football at the top. Ljungskile is a small town in Uddevalla municipality with 4 046 inhabitants that probably most associated with football. The small team from here managed to play in the highest football league Allsvenskan both in 1997 and 2008. Nowadays they play in Division 1 South. 14.16 We have supplied some of each at the supermarket Xtra. Now we will soon continue. We will next leave Bohuslän for a few hours. 14.59 The car is placed next to and near other cars in a parking lot at Fuxerna school. We are in Little Edet and near the Göta Älv river. We are also in Västergötland province. 15.40 Since last we have seen traces from the past of Little Edet. We have walked along the river and seen Lilla Edet power plant, Sweden's first lock and a memorial of the soldiers who died, drowned in connection with the extinguishing of the city fire on the 25th of June, 1888. On the same day Umeå that we visited last year also burned and so did Sundsvall where Christer lives and this trip began. What about the name Little Edet? Well, ed is a passage, a waterfall in which boats must be carried or dragged. A similar thing existed at the waterfall in Trollhättan, which was also visited last year. It used to be called Stora Edet and where we are now lay little Edet. Today's Lilla Edet is an urban area with 3 884 inhabitants most associated with toilet paper manufacturing. Look in your grocery store if you see any rolls with the name Edet on. 16.12 On our walk towards a suitable eatery we saw a man who we also saw when we had dinner yesterday at the restaurant Oasen in Brastad. He was sitting on an outdoor terrace with some other local abilities. It is a small world. Now we have ordered food at the small nice restaurant Edet Thai kök.
We are driving across the Uddevalla bridge.
A football to remember Lungskile´s time at the top.
We are examining the surroundings in Ljungskile.
Christer by Göta älv (Göta river).
Lilla Edet.
Christer is having dinner at Edet Thai.
16.48 It was very tasty with Thai food. Soon it's time to leave this parking to continue towards another. Lilla Edet is a fairly typical Swedish locality. Here you can live and work and certainly have a good life but for us tourists there was not too much that attracts.
17.03 We have crossed over on the west side of the Göta Älv and now travel south on a smaller road than the E45 that goes on the other side of the river. 17.59 There was no easy way to the new car park and the new accommodation. Narrow and squiggly roads on the outskirts of Kungälv as well as a Google Maps Ruth in hefty unbalance increased the challenge. At first we had to go into the pit stop in a parking lot to check where we were but eventually it got right. At least now we are at the Nordic Folkhögskolan (https://nordiska.fhsk.se) in Kungälv. The key lies in an envelope marked with Christer's name. The envelope was collected in a coded box and we stay in house 14 and in Room 142. Nordiska Folkhögskolan was founded in 1947. The background was a time of war and closed borders in the Nordic countries and Europe. Now they wanted to create a Nordic school open to all young people in the Nordic region. 19.26 It's been hot today. We were in need of shower and drinks. After we have been showered and read, We are now ready to investigate a new town. It is perhaps time to check out how many we visited during these two summers in Sweden. Kungälv, known as Kongahälla at the time when Bohuslän was Norwegian, today has 19,890 inhabitants and is located about 20 kilometres north of Gothenburg. 19.51 We have started the evening by walking through a beech forest and heard summer birds singing. We are at a lookout point and look out towards Nordre älv, the town of Kungälv, the church and the Bohus fortress. A former visitor brought pizza here in a cardboard box from Melis Pizza, 0303-57 660, www.melis.se. they also offer kebabs and salad. Whoever brought the box here hasn't eaten it all. Neither will we. If we get hungry for pizza, we can afford our own. 20.03 We look down towards the hotel Fars Hatt. In there is one of Christer's teacher colleagues, Jan-Erik (Janne). He and his girlfriend are travelling here on the West Coast and use Kungälv as a base. We'll see if he's busy or if it's possible lure him out. I think we're pretty close to him as the crow flies. Here at the lookout point, Christer received a message on the phone that his Facebook friend is nearby.
An envelope waited for us.
We will stay in house 14 at Nordiska Folkhögskolan.
A beautiful forest near the viewing point in Kungälv.
We are looking out on Kungälv.
A view of Bohus fortress.
Bohus fortress from the 14th century.
20.20 Via walkway, staircase and small streets we have made our way down from the mountain. We have now sat down below the medieval Bohus fortress (https://bohusfastning.com). here are some important years in the history of the fortress. As early as 1308, the fortress began to be built to strengthen the defence of the then southern border of Norway. In 1658 it was the Treaty of Roskilde which made the fortress Swedish. In 1678 it was the last siege. 15,000 Danes and Norwegians subjected Swedes and Finns to a massive bombardment before the reinforcement came. The basically destroyed fortress was rebuilt under the leadership of Erik Dahlberg. Once again this man appears on our travels. Bohus fortress has never actually been taken.
20.51 It was not timely to explore Bohus fortress. The late hour was the reason that everything was closed for the day. We also did not manage to lure Janne out of Fars Hatt. An intense day in the heat had done its thing. There is a shortage of people here in central Kungälv. It is a bit boring that there aren't any more on the move. The Old Town is cozy and feels more German or Danish than Swedish. 21.17 We are slowly heading back to the mountain. It is now time for bench break at the upper Fontin school. It's on an uphill and we're glad it's not the lower Fontin school we're sitting at. 21.32 We have climbed uphill and are now at a lovely residential area close to nature. Fontinvägen has been changed to Olof Palme's väg. We pass a small cemetery at the edge of a forest and to the right of us we have the tennis courts at Kungälv Tennis Club. Speaking of sports, there are many sports profiles associated with the city. From here comes golfer Henrik Stenson, rower Maria Brandin, runner Lovisa Lindh, table tennis player Erik Lindh, football player Pontus Wernbloom and a long line of ice hockey players. 22.18 We are back in the room we barely had time to use. The news reports that there has been unrest in South Africa since last week. At least 45 people have died in the riots that began when former President Jacob Zuma was imprisoned. 23.15 It is another warm evening in Bohuslän, another evening of planning. Today it has been +27°C. We have replenished with both hot and cold fluids and are getting ready for the night.
Christer and a fortress.
Gamla torget (Old square), Kungälv.
Västra gatan in Kungälv.
Wednesday 14th of July
07.51 We have barely woken up and the day is still young but it is already over +20°C out there.
08.26 The time has come for us to go out. The breakfast is not in the same room or even in the same house as we are but in a completely different building. 09.19 The walk away to breakfast was rewarding. It was pick your own breakfast with all the essentials. Now we will gather power and possessions before the departure from Kungälv. 09.40 Christer is off to the reception in the main building to hand over the room key and money. I'll stay in the car and wait in the meantime. 10.03 It feels good to be on the road and in motion again. We're heading west towards the sea. 10.36 The car is now, after some kilometres of travel, parked in Badhålans parking lot in the outskirts of Marstrand. It was not easy to find a free parking space. The parking lot Danske Sten that we first went to was completely full. The heat is present and it will be warmer. 11.07 After having bought the round-trip ticket, we are now on board the Marstrand ferry. It is a so-called cable ferry called Lasse-Maja. 11.15 After probably the shortest ferry journey, about 2, max 3 minutes long, in our travel journal history we now sit on Marstrand's playground near Marstrand church. Nearby, a group of elderly people has gathered. There is some kind of guided tour. We'll be here for a while. Well, not on the playground of course but here in Marstrand.
We have parked the car outside Marstrand.
People waiting for the Marstrand ferry.
A cable ferry from Koön (Cow island) to Marstrand island.
Marstrand seen from the water.
Marstrand church.
Marstrand.
11.21 We walk around in the cozy Marstrand. There are a lot of people in motion and most are summer guests from outside. At Johans Krog, people with a Stockholm dialect have gathered to drink wine and play boule. The reason is that today is the National Day of France. Then you apparently should do French things. Marstrand has a fixed population of 379 people but right now it feels like it lives ten times as many here.
11.36 A walk took us up a hill and we got sweaty foreheads. A young guy just said "Come on there's a car coming". He, others and we are at Carlsten fortress at the top of the Marstrand island. A sign points to the entrance, summer café and a nature trail. The only thing we focus on is how thirsty each one is. On the open space before us was once one of Sweden's first outdoor tennis courts. One of the players who used to play here was king Oscar II. 12.01 We have dragged ourselves away, moved on up yet another hill. The fortress we are at was once one of the country's harshest prisons. Perhaps the most famous prisoner was Lasse-Maja. We paid attention to him last year when we visited Arboga. 12.09 We sit by a wall behind Carlsten fortress and look at the wonderful view of the island and the sea. We see that some flag with the French flag today. 12.18 We have walked down from the fortress and are now at a bust of King Oscar II. Behind us we have a magnificent building that today houses the restaurant Societetshuset. 13.13 It is lovely in Marstrand, a real summer paradise but we have more we have to catch up with today. We first thought to stop to visit a café but it was full everywhere. The ferry Nisse took us back to Koön instead. While we were eating ice cream, we went back to the car. The ice cream had to replace the coffee. Now with paid parking and new entered instructions in Google Maps, we will continue today's events. It's time to say thank you and goodbye to Bohuslän for this time. 13.42 We came back to Kungälv. A short time on the E6 has sent us out on a little snarled journey. We can't blame Ruth on the phone. It was I who did not pay attention and gave Christer questionable commands in a roundabout. This error navigation led to an unplanned trip on Kongahällavägen before we turned and drove right. 14.03 At Nol we swung off the E45 and have just passed Alafors. 14.30 We turned in on road 180 by Brobacka and pretty soon decided to stretch our legs. Out here it is +29°C. We are now in Västergötland province again.
Carlsten fortress, Marstrand.
Beautiful sea views from Carlsten fortress.
Peter behind the fortress.
Both French and Swedish flags in Marstrand.
Societetshuset, Marstrand.
We are heading back with Nisse.
14.42 The car with us in it has rolled into Alingsås. The rain came while we stood in a parking lot at Nolhaga Allé. We're still in the car waiting for a cease in the rain.
15.02 The rain moved on and we went to another of those cozy city parks that some cities have. This is called Plantaget. The rain combined with the 29-degree heat almost created a tropical feeling in terms of temperature and humidity. Alingsås in western Västergötland is sometimes called Potato town and also has a Potato festival. More on this later. Today there are 27,423 inhabitants here. 15.29 It's warm in the main square. Here is a bust of the city's son Jonas Alströmer. He himself claimed that he introduced the potato into Sweden. However, it existed even before Jonas was born in Uppsala Botanical Garden. It was taken there in 1655 by Olof Rudbeck The Elder under the name Peruvian nightshade. On his farm Nolhaga outside Alingsås, however, Alströmer began to grow potatoes in 1724. He planted potato, probably from England. In 1748 Eva de la Gardie showed that potatoes were excellent to make, among other things, alcoholic beverages, which also meant that she became the first female member of the Royal Academy of Sciences. 15.50 So, we have again found one of the country's many Espresso House. It's good with places that have what we want. Besides my triple espresso, it became a bagel with chicken and other good. Christer chose brewed coffee and a carrot cake. Behind us sits an elderly couple and wondering if there is an Espresso House at home in Vänersborg? Yeah, what do we know? We didn't find one there last year. 16.19 It is soon time to give Google Maps-Ruth directive for the next destinations. There will be no stop there but it is just as I said a sub-goal called Töllsjö. Once there we set a new goal, Källarbacken in Hällingsjö, before we then taps in the last post, Biskopsgatan, Kungsbacka. Now I need to change the pencil. 17.22 The time has come for the last (?) stop before arrival. We are in Hällingsjö in Härryda municipality. There are 25 kilometres left. 17.50 An electric wheelchair just appeared in the middle of the road. Not quite what we expected.
Nice apartments along Säveån, Alingsås.
Carl von Linné and Jonas Alströmer on display in the park Plantaget.
Stora Torget (Main square) in Alingsås.
Jonas Alströmer is looking out over the square.
Kungsgatan, Alingsås.
Our orders at Espresso House.
18.07 So we have arrived and stopped in Kungsbacka. Västergötland has been exchanged for northern Halland. We have parked in the parking lot of Västra Villastaden. It is now time for further action before the next move.
18.16 The stay, a short one, in Kungsbacka begins with a bench break near a bridge over a watercourse, Kungsbackaån. We are about to arrange check-in and food. 18.39 We are, after some trouble at Best Western-Hotell Halland, checked in by Linda. She is "new at her job" according to the name tag. However, her colleague helped. We're not going to stay here though, we're just going to check in. It's kind of like we did in Östersund. You check in at one hotel, but you stay at another. At the same time a man arrived and said that he had booked a room via mobile and not at a booking firm. Linda asked, as she could not find the man's reservation if it was possibly booked in a different name. Christer and I are now in the park Badhusparken near the hotel and the railway station. 19.08 We just saw Röda huset (Red house) on Norra Torggatan, the only surviving house after the city fire in August 1846. We are now at Kungsbacka Square and Kungsbacka church. Here is also the work of Art The Tree of life. Kungsbacka has a long history. The town of Koningsbakkae was in the Middle Ages a Danish border trading venue and for a period Denmark's smallest town. The first mention of the city dates from 1366. Today there are 23,830 inhabitants here. 19.24 It's finally time for dinner at the pizza chain I Love Pizza (https://ilovepizza.se). what should we order here? Pizza maybe? Before we went here we had to return to the car to extend the parking time. 20.04 It was a really good dinner. This applies to both Christer's delicious pizza and my dish, whatever it was? Since there was no tomato sauce and cheese, it is not officially a pizza. But at least it was fresh shrimp, something that feels right here on the West Coast. It also included chives and a lemon clove.
Kungsbacka river.
Badhusparken, Kungsbacka.
The red house in Kungsbacka, the oldest house in the city.
Kungsbacka torg.
Christer is waiting for his pizza.
Our dinner pizzas at I Love Pizza.
21.10 We have found our hotel, moved in and then taken an evening walk. Now COOP supermarket a bit away from our accommodation has helped us find tomorrow's breakfast. We stay in room 2, a common room number for us, at Hotel Nattmössan. (https://nattmossan.se) located next door to a bowling and squash hall. Nattmössan is translated to nightcap in English. I guess we won't have a nightcap before bed. Outside the hotel you can also play adventure golf. We have in addition to the room access to a minimal kitchen.
22.39 Right now we focus mostly on getting cool inside and outside. It has been really hot this day and it seems to continue so even tomorrow. In addition, we read a little about tomorrow's trip that will take us to Småland province. 22.45 Some news summary at the end of the day. It became a life time deportation for the man who performed the insane act with knife in Vetlanda; judgments have fallen for the criminals in the Vårby network, highest for the leader Chihab Lamouri, 17 years and 10 months. Furthermore, the EU has new climate laws in the pipeline. In addition to this, the president of Brazil has been hospitalized after hiccupping for 10 consecutive days, and the pope has been discharged after an operation for diverticulitis. It is, as well as everyone knows, inflammation of the intestinal pockets. 23.37 Our plans to sleep are disturbed by a bunch of teenagers who placed their quadricycles on our hotel parking. They seem to think it's a brilliant idea to be loud, run around, chase each other and flash with their lights. They have also sided with Christer's car. Hope it gets its well-deserved night rest. Tomorrow it will roll several kilometers.
You can see 107 photos from July 12 in this photoalbum.
You can see 130 photos from July 13 in this photoalbum.
You can see 123 photos from July 14 in this photoalbum.