Switzerland: Gruyere to Lauterbrunnen

Along the Way to Lauterbrunnen

Changing Trains

We hiked back up to our hotel in Guryere, checked out, then hiked back down the hill with our luggage to the train station in Prigny. It was to be an afternoon of trains across the foothills of the Alps. We passed town after scenic town along the tracks. Changed trains along the way, and headed up the beautiful Saane River valley. Climbed up through Gstaad (I always remember Gstaad from the Pink Panther movie, and now I've seen it) where they already had the city skating rink up and iced. Chalet style homes on the hillsides were the norm, and the fields still held the browsing Swiss cows.

We had another one of our travel lunches as we watched the rivers and mountains pass. We were well prepared, with a fresh loaf from a local bakery in Gruyere, Gruyere cheese of course (and several others, including some of our precious Vasterbsttensost), bars of Swiss chocolate, and bags of pistachios and toasted almonds. We ate well.

Typical Lunch on Travel Days

Ann Watches the Scenery

Near Interlaken

As evening approached, we descended into Spiez and turned along the indescribable shores of Lake Thun as we made our way towards Interlaken. The views from the train across the lake in the soft evening light were fantastic, with low golden mountains in the distance, blue skies above, small cities nestled against the shoreline, boats reflected out on the water amidst pastel shades of mountain and cool shades of sky.

A Swiss Lumber Mill - Man these Folks are Neat

I had the pleasure of seeing a Swiss lumber mill along the tracks. Always interested in infrastructure, I was again taken by the general neatness of industry here, especially in the German section of Switzerland. So little debris, such neatly stacked product, everything in its place, painted and maintained. Along railway tracks where you see in most countries the industrial underbelly. Hardly that in here.

Interlaken is wonderfully situated on the waterway at the junction of Lake Thun and Lake Briez. I would love some day to explore Interlaken, but this trip we're headed away to the high Alps. We made our last train change of the day Interlaken, and headed from the lakes up the Lutschine River towards Lauterbrunnen.

Swiss Town at Dusk

From Interlaken towards the mountains is a broad plane. Night was imminent now, and in the towns the lights were coming on. Car headlights flashed by on the evening commute. The sunset outlined the shadowed peaks behind the fields as we approached. By the time we reached Lauterbrunnen, it was full dark.

Heading up the Valley to Lauterbrunnen

Here we had our one and only public transit snafu in Switzerland. At Lauterbrunnen you enter a long, fertile canyon. We were to take a cable car  from the train station at Lauterbrunnen out of the glacial canyon to the sloping hillsides above where we would catch another train along the rim to Murren, a resort community where we would spend the night.

Leaving the Cable Station at Gimmelwald

But it was early November, the off-season between summer hikers and winter skiers, and they'd closed the lift while the upper train was in for repairs. But our trusty guide Kim quickly got us on a postal bus up the valley to another cable car to Gimmelwald, with a transfer there to a cable to Murren. We missed the spectacular valley in the dark, rode the cable cars up the sheer faces in the dark, then walked the empty streets of Murren under the streetlights to our guest house at the other end of town. Arriving cushioned in darkness would make the views next morning all the more unexpected and spectacular.

Switzerland: The Gruyere Countryside

Morning in Gruyere

Footpath from the Chateau to Town

 The next morning Kim and I woke before dawn (we're both early risers), and went for a walk around old Gruyere. It was fun to see the tinting sky still with stars, the streetlights, and the deserted alleys. Many of the tourists on Sunday had gone home, having spent Saturday night, and we had our run of the place.

We headed back for a breakfast at the hotel with Ann who was up and ready for the day. The hotel had a fantastic breakfast setup, the best while we were in Europe. Fresh bread, great cheeses (of course), fruit, super coffee, juices, muslix, yogurts. Why don't we find such good breakfasts in the US, even at swanky establishments? We could have stayed all morning eating, but we had plans - to hike down from our hill-top castle and into the surrounding hills that day to see the rural Swiss countryside. It was going to be another great day, and the sun was full out now, with few of the clouds that capped the peaks yesterday.

We hiked back down our hillside foot path into Pringy, and were almost run over by a pair of mountain bikers whirring by in full kit. I had noticed a few the day before on the cobbles of Chateau de Gruyeres and was intrigued. It appeared that at least in this part of Switzerland, mountain biking is a touring sport of footpaths and dirt roads, not ride centers. With scenery like this, I can see why. The mountain biking routes are clearly marked with their own signs. This is good, since many of the foot paths we used were unsuitable for biking, and it would be a bummer as a biker to keep getting off onto unridable trails.

Cows along the Regional Rail Line

We followed the wonderful trail signs out of town  on a small paved road along the regional rail tracks. The narrowing valley was scattered with small dairy farms - cows resting along the tracks and road. We turned off an a small dirt track through another farm towards a beckoning tree covered ridge and mounted a narrow road climbing the flank of the hillside and entered a deep woods. It was a steep climb through the trees. It was odd as we climbed the forest to smell the fall manure spreading wafting amongst the pines on an up-slope breeze, not the pines. Not used to agriculture cheek-and-jowl with northern forest I guess. And November must be manure season here as well as in Sweden.

The Well Marked Trails of Gruyere

At the next trail sign we intersected a steep footpath that climbed left the road and climbed the hill more aggressively. We followed that up switchbacks to the top of the ridge where we emerged into the morning sun, blinking, to find a narrow paved road winding through a pastoral paradise as it climbed the ever-rising ridge. Very narrow, perfectly paved roads were to become a theme for us in the Swiss uplands. They seemed hardly wider than many urban bike paths, single lane unless you pulled off into the grassy shoulder, and there wasn't much of that either. And very little traffic. We only saw 2 cars in over an hour. It would be the most incredible road biking route! No wonder biking is so big in Europe.

Kim and Ann Climb the Upper Road

We wouldn't be able to hike all the way to the top of the ridge in the time we had, we had to be back in the afternoon for our train to Lauterbrunen, so we just hiked higher and higher, taking in the beautiful fall sunshine and the scenery.

A Friendlier Kind of Cow

The only denizens of the region we encountered were the skittish dairy cows. Kim pointed out the two traditional bells they wore. One was smaller, cast and machined and bell shaped. The other was often much larger and seemed made of stamped sheet bronze. It had a distinctive and often lower tone. I wish I knew more about the bell traditions here.

Nearing our Turn Around Point

Though one cow in particular was quite friendly, and followed us along the fence, eventually sticking its broad, wet red nose through the barbed wire in greeting. Sorry bub, no treats today.

It would have been great to keep going all day, but we had to check out and catch a train, so we turned around at the next segment of forested road, and headed back with the broad valley spread out before us.

On the way Back Down

The Chateau de Gruyeres from Above.

Of special interest was seeing the Chateau from above. Its hilltop redoubt rose above the surrounding farms, the Chateau walls, towers, and church clearly visible against the surrounding villages. You could almost imagine the old social structures of lord and peasant village here, and the insecurity that drove the rulers to build on the hilltops.

What a great piece of Swiss countryside. A day at the Chateau was about right, but I would have loved to spend more time exploring the region around the Chateau. Opportunities for hiking and biking abound. Hilly, but not so extreme as the high Alps, so more accessible. Some day....

Switzerland: Chateau de Gruyeres

Old Gruyere from Our Hotel

We threw our bags on the beds, and decided that we would spend the rest of the day exploring the old city. We joined the other tourist in the street and headed uphill towards the Chateau gate.

Just inside the inner wall we found several very creepy modern sculptures. They looked like they were from the sci-fi movie Alien. Sure enough, right there, inside a 11th century castle, was a museum dedicated to the Swiss artist, H.R. Gieger, who was the artistic inspiration for the film. I guess where the tourists are, that's where the museums go, historical logic or no. We declined to pay the admission, but did get to peek into a bar across the street who's interior was fully "alienized", ribbed ceiling, vertebral bar chairs, and all. Wouldn't want to get too soused in a setting like that - you'd wig out.

The chateau was the home of the Gruyeres from the 11th to the 16th century. The last Gruyere went bankrupt, and his creditors, the neighboring fiefdoms, split the properties. The representatives of the Fribourgs then lived in the castle for 200 years, when it was sold to a wealth family as a summer residence. They and their artist friends restored it. In 1938 it was sold back to Fribourg and made into a tourist attraction. It is now run and preserved by a foundation.

Chateau Gruyere Kitchen Fireplace

Because of its long history and extensive remodeling in the mid 1800's, you can see quite a variety of styles within the chateau - from gargantuan medieval walk through fireplaces and guard rooms, to highly painted 19th centry dining and bedrooms.

Chateau Gruyere Dining Room

 Inside the chateau walls, but outside the residence, are several courtyards, a chapel, and a substantial church and manse, accompanied by several grave yards. Interestingly, many of the headstones in the graveyards were quite recent. I've heard you only have a certain amount of time in some European cemeteries where space is at a premium before they move you out to make way for the more recently dead. Maybe that was true here?

Church Yard Beside Chateau

Courtyard in Chateau

The views from the chateau were spectacular, from the low surrounding mountains to the broad farming valley below. Very cool.

Evening Falls  in a Gruyere Alley

View from Chateau Gruyere

Church at Chateau Gruyere

 We spent all afternoon touring the Chateau and the surrounding town, looking out over the valley and surrounding mountains, exploring back streets, the other gates to the city, ending with a visit to the church and a walk through the dusky lanes as the street lights blossomed. We were starving.

Kim and Ann Share the Mandatory Fondue

And in Gruyere, how you could you visit and not have fondue? Is not Gruyere the premier fondue cheese? There were lots of fondue joints. We chose one that was bright and cheery, with warm wood walls, and plopped down for a meal of cheese and bread. The fondue was quite good as fondue goes (I am not a natural fan), and the bread was perfect. Ann ordered the pickled onions and baby cucumbers to dip, but I didn't care for that tradition. But good bread dipped in a wine-cheese sauce with a crisp glass of white wine hit the spot. Full and tired, we waddled across the street to our hotel, climbed the stairs to our room, and rolled into bed. Tomorrow, the countryside.

Switzerland: Geneva to Gruyere

Swiss Inter-city Rail

Swiss Regional Rail

Getting to Gruyere was going to be a beautiful exercise in public transit. Kim has no need of a car, and doesn't own one. And the Swiss transit system is famous for its extent and punctuality. Schedules in hand, she walked us the half kilometer to her bus stop and caught the bus to the train station in downtown Geneva. From there we caught a main line. Again, not high speed rail, but very fast and smooth.

We were treated to scenic views of Lake Geneva in the hazy morning light, to outlying cities, to vineyard covered hills (yes, a Swiss wine industry). We arrived at a small, outlying station where we would transfer to regional rail. Kim says, "Ok, 5 minute layover here". Wait, that sounds awfully tight. But we arrive on time, de-train and there's the regional train waiting. We climb on it leaves promptly.

This happened time after time in Switzerland - close transit schedules met perfectly again and again. No delays, no missed connections. It's super efficient, super convenient, and pretty affordable. I love it. And electric trains everywhere, even on small rural routes where in other countries you might expect buses. A train fan's heaven.

Leaving Gruyere Train Station

The regional train wound up into the foothills of the Alps. We crossed field and forest covered hills and farm covered lowlands. There were no soaring, snow capped peaks here, just pretty farms, quaint towns, and beautiful fall color.

We crossed a broad, flat farming valley and pulled into Pingy. This was the town below the Chateay de Gruyeres, along the rail line and the river. Next to the tourist office across from the train station was the cheese vault where the Gruyere cheese from the region is aged. Surrounding the end of the valley were low mountains and between them at the edge of town is a hill capped by the Chateau de Gruyere. Once a fortified castle and home, with a town built against it inner wall, its defensibility is clear from below - it commands the entire region from its redoubt.

The Famous Gruyere Cheese Aging

A steep winding road crisscrosses the hillside, a steeper footpath leads more directly to the old city. We hiked up the footpath in beautiful 50 F fall weather. Cows grazed the hillside wearing the traditional bells. After touring decidedly non-tourist parts of Sweden, it was clear that this was an area focused on tourists. Early November was definitely the off-season, but on this warm, sunny Sunday, there were plenty of folks about. Most spoke French, and being a weekend, we figured they were Swiss out for a nice fall outing after the international tourists had gone home.

Entering Hilltop Old Gruyere

Near the top of the hill our path joined the road and passed through a gate in the outer city wall. The entire old city was within this outer wall. Stepping through the gate was like stepping back into time and at the same time into a resort. All the wonderfully preserved buildings, the gorgeous cobble streets. All the well dressed tourists, restaurants, shops, and boutique hotels. It was a careful balance of preservation and re-purposing generally succeeded.

Kim had found us a sweet upstairs room for three in a hotel in the center of old town (and on pretty short notice - yay, Off Season). She not only was our tour guide, but also our personal discount banker, not only handling check-in here, but all the bills on the Swiss leg of our trip, charging us a straight conversion with no fees at the end, to be paid into her US dollar account. Thanks, cuz.

Stairs to our Room in Gruyere

We climbed the narrow stairs from the lobby, down the narrow hall, and into our cozy room. It was nicely updated while retaining a historic feel. We swung open the windows and gazed over the main street across a flower box of blooming geraniums, listened to the crowd below, and planned the rest of our day.

Switzerland: Umea to Geneva

Kim's 3rd Floor Home

The trip from Umea to Geneva was to be an all day affair, since we needed to return to Goteborg via Stockholm to continue our cheap transatlantic ticket through Frankfurt to our destination in Geneva. What with layovers and multiple flights, it took all day.

We were meeting Jeff's cousin Kim there. She's great fun, and was taking most of the week off to guide us through some of Switzerland she had not seen since moving there 3 years ago, and some of her favorite parts that she wanted to share. What a great way to see a country - joining a local guide with a good command of the local language (French in this part of Switzerland - she can and does walk to France from her condo to grocery shop), who is also good friend and family member.

Our plan was to travel to Gruyere and Murren with Kim at the beginning of the week, then return and tour Geneva the last two days of the week when Kim had to be back for meetings.

Our Home-Away-From-Home at Kim's

We left Umea at dawn as the rain was ending and the clouds lifting, and were rewarded with lovely sunlit views  of the Gulf of Bothnia and Finland from the air. We could see the ships plying the sea, shafts of light piercing the clouds, the fine lacework of waves below. After a beautiful approach over the many islands of Stockholm (we have to get back to Sweden some day to visit there), and some confusion as we missed the Swedish instructions to leave the plane, then re-board, we landed again in Goteborg where our connecting flight to Geneva departed. Five hours layover in Frankfurt (what is this, the O'hare of Europe?) after a wonderful aerial view of the industrial heartland of Germany, and we finally landed in Geneva at 10:30 pm to a madhouse. Everyone must have been returning on the red eye that Saturday night.

Bison Graze Outside Geneva.

But my cousin Kim found us quickly at the baggage claim and expertly guided us through the terminal (she, an inveterate traveler for the WHO in Geneva), avoiding the worst crowds, to the bus terminal and the proper transfer downtown to her condo. Tired and happy to see her again after several years, we climbed the stairs to her home, and dropped into bed.

In the morning we were greeted with a fine breakfast of musli, fruit, cheese, and tea (man, those 240 volt European electric tea pots heat fast. No one seems to use microwaves to heat water over here - the tea pot is faster), and a lovely view of the surrounding farms on the outskirts of Geneva. Wait, are those North American bison grazing the foothills of the Alps? Sure enough. Exotic meat sells well everywhere, I guess, and this Swiss farmer has found a higher margin product I bet.

Without dilly dallying, Kim gets her cats set for our absence, we grab our bags again, and we're off on another leg of our adventure.

Sweden: Umea

Cow Barn and Silo near Umea

A Typical Northern Swedish Farm House

My cell phone had died, and as official family photographer, I had borrowed Ann's. Then of course I set it down on the seat (black on black in the dark). When we left the car at the airport, I check my pockets, and of course had my phone, wallet, passport, etc. And of course Ann assumed I still had hers, as she should have. Well maybe 10 minutes before boarding, she went to use her phone. Uh Oh. Luckily it's a fairly small airport, so Roland and I bolted for the exit, and luckily for me, the car had not yet been moved or cleaned. We were able to retrieve ithe phone from the back seat, get through security (with a funny look from the security check folks when they recognized us from 30 minutes earlier), and back to the gate before boarding began. Phew.

We arrived in Umea (at 63 latitude the northernmost major city in Sweden) well after dark.  But the next morning, we got to explore the rural neighborhood around Roland's home. He lives right next to a substantial dairy farm. He noted that the new steel silo, and many other newer ones in the area, were imported from America - Harvestore, just like I see all over Ohio and Michigan. Funny the specialization of industry.

Beef, Beets, and Potatoes

The farmers were busy with manure spreading this season - the smell reminded me of visiting my grandparent's farm in southern Ohio as a child. Yet here it was surrounded by boreal forest. The rich, broad, flat valleys and clay soils are farmed extensively, even this far north, but the rocky ridges are covered in birches and spruce. Familiar and yet dissonant for me as it seemed a mashup of my childhood in Ohio and my adult life on Lake Superior.

It was raining on and off now, as it would throughout our stay in Umea, so we got to see yet another face of Sweden - cold, wet, and grey. We walked up the muddy lane marveling at the nearly identical red wood farmhouses with white trim. Almost every rural house around Umea seemed to follow this model, with only the rare exception of mustard yellow. Amazing.

Roland took us to a local country restaurant nearby, and we enjoyed a warm, cozy setting and Swedish comfort food on a rainy day. Beef stew, pickled beets, and boiled potatoes. Yum.

Grocery Shopping in Umea

It was great being again in an area not frequented by tourists, and with a local guide. We got to go grocery shopping in town. Not at all unfamiliar, with even many products the same as home. But not the tube food. It makes sense for many foods with a pasty consistency, and the Swedes are crazy for the toothpaste tube for everything. Racks of it. Ann had to try the Kalles Kaviar - a mix of fish eggs, salt, and starch. Very strong, salty-fishy. Commonly eat on crackers, we found that a good squeeze of lemon went a long way in making it good.

And milk products. We noticed this at the breakfast bar in Trollhattan, and again here. Yogurt in infinite variety - thin, thick, sour, varying fats. Curdled milk, almost cheese. In fact, straight milk seems mostly used in coffee. For breakfast, with musli, it's always yogurt or the like. I liked that, though I did in the end find myself missing something wetter on my breakfast. And soy milk like I use at home was less common than cow milk.

Umea's Main Square and Town Hall

Downtown Umea

Cheese. Lots of cheese. For breakfast with bread, in cooking, straight. And good cheese, none of the insipid string cheese or American slices you often face in the US. Didn't see any cheddar - not even the good stuff. Must be a British/American thing? But that didn't matter. We were introduced to Vasterbottensost. New love. Instantly one of our favorite cheeses. Made only in the region around Umea (Vasterbotten), it struck me as a cross between a really good cheddar and a super Parmesan. Swedish demand alone keeps prices up and exports down. Roland made us a wonderful Swedish cheese pie (quiche) with it. Fabulous.  And he's so sweet, he even sent us home with a kilo of it - sadly gone now. We'd been trading regional ingredients already, us introducing him to thimbleberry jam on his visit to Houghton two summers ago. Now we owe him again. Next: Nissu? Pasties?

The next day we returned to town after a long walk in the country visiting the sheep, the forests, seeing the cloud berry bushes and mosses under the forest canopy. We wanted to see more of town, and do some Christmas shopping. The rain made for a special experience - the streets reflecting lights, the shops all the warmer, and the cafes all the cozier. We found a wonderful craft shop where Ann picked out a hand woven scarf for herself, and several other gifts.

Ann Takes Her Tea Warm

Then to the local tea house. Upstairs from a decadent pastry shop, we were told that much of the political business of Umea takes place here over tea. It was very comfortable. We felt very at home in Umea. A city of 115,000, it is home to Umea University. Established in the 1960s, the university is largely responsible for the doubling of Umea's population since, making Umea the intellectual and cultural center of northern Sweden. The streets shops are prosperous, the streets clean and very pedestrian and bike friendly. It's sometimes called the City of Birches, after the streets were planted with silver birches after a particularly devastating fire in 1888 to prevent future spread.

Swedish Ski Museum 

Oldest Ski in the World

Next, Jeff went shopping. As soon as we had arrived in Sweden, I'd noticed that all the workers had very cool work pants with built in tool belts and many pockets. Not your usual Dickies or Carharts like in the States. I had to have some. Well, Rolland knew the store for me. On the outskirts was a place entirely devoted to work wear. It was quite large, and the selection was impressive. I was like a kid in a candy store. I tried on several and finally selected a totally cool pair with nylon knees and seat, lots of pockets, and grey-on-grey plaid fabric. Too stylish almost to work in, but very tough and practical. And expensive. Between the Swedish penchant for quality and the strength of the SEK (Swedish Crown), way more than I normally spend on pants, even for dress. But I bought them anyway. Every time I'll wear them, I'll remember the trip.

We also went to the municipal museum where the Swedish Ski Museum is located. Here we saw the oldest ski in the world (5,000 years), found in a peat bog near Umea. And the skis of the Olympic cross country ski champion, Per Elofsson, who was born and lives in Umea, and a remarkable collection of practical, historic, and decorated skis. An afternoon well spent.

Jannson's Temptation

That night we had a fine dinner at home with Roland, his wife Eva, and her American friend and colleague, Jean. Eva and Jean had just returned from a conference, and we had a wonderful time talking about their work and all manner of things with them. We even got to sample another traditional Swedish dish, similar to scalloped potatoes here, but with potato fingers and anchovies. Not like the nasty ones that come on American pizzas, but larger, and flavored with a hint of cloves. It's called Jannson's frestelse (Jannson's Temptation). Often a Christmas dish, we rushed the season a bit ourselves so we could try it. The cloves and anchovies were a surprise sensation.

What a great time in Umea. We were sad to leave after only 2 days, but Switzerland beckoned. We'll have to go back some day to ski or bike and pick cloud berries.

Sweden: Trollhattan to Umea

Ann's Lecture

Saab Museum in Trollhattan

The next morning I had the honor of attending Ann's second lecture. She had been invited to speak at the annual conference of Swedish university information technologists. Sweden has 30 universities, and the conference rotates between the schools. This was University West in Trollhattan's turn. It was fascinating to listen to the host tooling along in Swedish to the audience, then pow, English - introducing Ann West to talk on federations. Ann then proceeded for with her talk and question/answer session in English, and pop, back to Swedish. She did a great job. And I can see why she had Tuesday off - she did not speak that day, so the entire proceedings would have been in Swedish - not much use to her.


The academic Swedes are especially good with English, and were fine hosts. They took us both out to lunch afterward at a beautiful small restaurant in an old house on the hill above the river, where we enjoyed superb local ingredients, fine service, and a great coffee and desert. We had a fine time with Walter and Roland.

The Very First Saab - Prototype 1, 1947

In the afternoon, Ann continued on with the conference while I walked down to the Saab museum near where we rented our bike the day before.

Historic Locks  below Trollhattan

Saab automotive was established in the late 1940's as an outgrowth of the Saab aerospace company. This was a pretty modern museum ensconced in a remodeled industrial building. It was nicely done, and I had it to myself. Definitely the off-season. It was interesting to walk through the physical timeline of production cars for a smaller manufacturer. In more detail than I often cared to know, you could follow their model development. There was even an engine timeline.

It was especially poignant to be doing this as Saab automobile was at that moment closed and awaiting yet another possible sale (later to fall through) and facing bankruptcy. Another of victim of the consolidation of auto worldwide auto manufacturing. Volvo is apparently still doing well, but you do have to wonder about a country of 9.5 million having two auto manufacturers.

I then hiked further down the canal to the locks. Here shipping leaves the river and traverses 8 locks to rise above Trollhattan falls and the hydroelectric plant there. There are actually 3 sets of locks here, two historic, each superseding the last as ships grew larger and traffic increased. The older locks are still preserved in a park surrounding the working lock zone. Folks used to come down form Trollhattan to picnic, marvel at the technology, and watch to see what the folks travelling up from the big city of Goteborg were wearing. They in turn watched their country cousins to see how they lived. How little has changed.

Downtown Trollhattan

That evening we went to an English pub in downtown Trollhattan with Roland (not be be confused with the Irish pub nearby, nor the 2 Thai and 1 Indian restaurants we'd eaten at on our stay). Most expensive burger and brew I've ever had, nearly 30 USD. But it was trivia night and they were packed. A live MC brought out a mic, handed out answer sheets, and began regaling the crowd with questions, with Roland providing a running translation for us. We did pretty good since a lot of the trivia was about the US and popular culture. There were a few that he could not reliably translate as they relied on plays-on-words in Swedish and Swedish cultural trivia. It was fascinating seeing both the penetration of American culture and history into a far European pub, as well as the cultural specificity of trivia when it was about what was for us a nearly unknown culture.

Freeway to Goteborg 

The next day, we left for Roland's home town of Umea, in far north eastern Sweden. This time instead of train and bus, we rode with him in his rental car directly to the Goteborg airport. It was fun to see another transportation mode in Sweden. Their freeways look remarkably like ours, located as they are away from the historic downtowns and cultural centers. The weather had turned, it was grey, and it began to drizzle, just as it had been when we first arrived. We had hit a beautiful, sunny break in the weather perfectly at Trollhattan.