OCEANS AWAY

A day in snowy Gothenburg

Filed under Sweden

One of the best parts about my semester abroad in Sweden was of course to actually get to know a new country; learn the language, meet the people, see the landscape. I lived in a small village and the university city, too, was even smaller than Maastricht. And so traveling to some of Sweden’s biggest cities was quite naturally on my agenda from the very beginning. Yet, it took me until December to finally make it to Gothenburg – the country’s second largest city, located on the West coast.

My friend Wendy from the Czech Republic, some of her friends and I traveled to Gothenburg by Swebus, one of the best and most affordable ways to do long-distance trips in Sweden. The city is known mostly for trade and its huge industrial harbor – and shopping. Nordstan, which proudly calls itself “the largest and most diverse shopping center in Sweden”, is located right next to the main station, so it was our first stop. It was incredibly crowded but we managed to grab some early lunch in preparation for a long and cold day! After, we ventured on – deeper into the heart of the city – and were greeted by: beautiful old buildings, blue trams sharing the narrow streets with expensive cars, frozen canals, and the sparkle of Christmas decorations everywhere.

We visited a small, traditional Christmas market in a quieter part of town and stopped in small candy stores and second-hand shops and designer outlets on our way. We tried to find excuses to go inside because it was -13°C outside and windy. But it was perfect: I loved the red cheeks and noses, feet so cold it hurts, warm breath in the air, forgetting what heat feels like — and then the magical, golden McDonald’s arch in the distance for a quick snack.

The main purpose of our trip was to visit “Jul på Liseberg”, a huge Christmas market a little outside the city center that attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists each year. The area is an amusement park in spring and summer that is transformed into a winter wonderland for the holiday season, and it is perfect. I can’t even tell you. It was dark by the time we jumped out of the tram, snow was coming down heavy, lights and people everywhere-

I could have screamed and jumped from sheer happiness. I think I did; a little. There was old Christmas music, a fairytale performance on ice, super adorable reindeer, good food, fires to warm one’s hands, bridges over icy lakes, Santas, souvenir shops, and every single tree was covered in lights. It was just right; not over-the-top, not too kitschy.

After a whole day in the cold, the two and a half hour bus ride back home through the dark and empty Swedish countryside lulled us to sleep just fine… Gothenburg is definitely worth a visit and if you can manage to stop by for Christmas and bring a group of friends from all over the world, all eager to see and enjoy, I say: go for it!

Take a look at Gothenburg’s website, or check out “Jul på Liseberg” online!