Time to move on…Gothenburg beckons, and I am reliably informed that anything goes in Gothenburg.

Gothenburg is beautiful

The people in Gothenburg are beautiful

nice bit of canal anyone?

Anything goes in Gothenburg

let’s find out…

The Poseidon Adventure

Seemingly my hypothesis is true – this ‘Little London’ cosmopolitan metropolis (compared to sleepy Malmo), would appear to be a veritable den of vibrant celebration, an explosion of cultures and differneces; a celebration of every shape, size and shade of humanity – or is that just the about vodka and bag of nuts that I have had……?

Anything goes in Gothenburg

No it was not just the nuts – this is a crazy place; at least it is so in August, a couple of days here and you will be ready for a rest….

Plenty to watch

Sweden’s second largest city is a busy bustling one, the harbour and the ocean from the backdrop for a multitude of nautical activity, and there is plenty going on on land as well!

A city made of ships

Let’s start with a boat tour – all the guidebooks suggest this is the best way to find your sea-legs, however they don’t tell you go out in a tee-shirt, just as a major weather front is moving in; here is to the first soaking of the trip.

Posh houses along the central canal, from the boat trip

Everyone looks down on you as the low boat passes under the even lower bridges – health and safety look away.

Our guide was very good – she also had a big coat (unlike us) which came n handy once the rain started.

Or was it Hull Docks from 1974?

Gothenburg boat trip

Gothenburg boat trip

The sensible people bought a poncho….

Hiding under some very low bridges to keep out of the rain…

That rain certainly caught us out!

wet wet wet

Time to move on – August is the month of a major cultural festival seemingly all over Sweden

It’s quite easy to buy that little something for the party season!

So it’s time to dress up as a giant crayfish again Gothenburg is not going to miss out!

In August every year there are over 1,200 activities with free admission for all tastes and ages. Streets and squares turning into party places where you can indulge in a rich variety of culture – opera, art, music, carnival, street theater, crafts, theater, literature and film. 

The Culture Festival intermingled various cuisines along with international artists and local bands – we got caught up in two events that will stay in the mind for a while….

THE MISSION

Gothenburg Culture Festival will sacrifice an annual party That Contribute to a warmer, more human and fun community. The event’s force attention and strengthens the rich cultural offerings and Helps to Gothenburg and the Västra Götaland region Becomes even more attractive to live and work in and to business. It is the City of Gothenburg and the Västra Götaland behind Gothenburg Culture Festival, along with a range of partners in the municipal, business and other organizations. Project Göteborg & Co.

Firstly we stopped by at the Gothenburg Concert Hall, or to give it the correct title; the Konsthall.

Johan Zetterquist, was in residence – cue some crazy modern art.

born 13 April 1968 in Arvika , ^[ 1 ] Zetterquist is a Swedish artist . He works in Gothenburg and studied at Hovedskou Art School 1988-1989 and at Valand at the University of Gothenburg 1989-1994 ^[ 2 ] .

Kill the Poor Eat the Rich

This is Sweden’s first bank-robber, a hero seemingly?

Zetterquist creates among other projects to public works, often in the form of gigantic monuments. The visions are both utopian and dystopian but also irony and humor. Proposals portrayed with great concreteness and precision in a variety of techniques, not least as sculptures and installations. He appears in the joint between the design and installation. ^[ 3 ]

This was an interesting exhibition – Kill the Poor Eat the Rich cerainly hits a cord with me!

poor man’s wall – looks like our back garden

He likes his crosses the other way up…

H

He debuted in 1994 at Galleri Rotor in Gothenburg. Since then Zetterqvist had exhibitions both in Sweden and internationally, including at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco , the Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin , Witte de With in Rotterdam , Galerie Rudiger Schöttle in Munich , Julia Friedman Gallery in Chicago , Suite 106 in New York . Along with Staffan Boije of Gennäs curatade he Nordic Darkness on Kristinehamn Art Museum in 2011 ^[ 4 ] 

Great work from Göteborgs Konsthall this solo exhibition from Zetterquist is certainly worth a trip!

Next it’s Carnival time!

Some amazing dancing, music and parading through the streets next as the Sunday afternoon carnival gets underway.

OK I got a bit trigger happy with the Kiriaka Drum band – but they were amazing!

Anything goes in Gothenburg

What a fantastic place – music, happy people, international food fairs, and a couple of great meals out – Heaven 23 and the French Bistro around the corner – as below

The whole cast from the Poseidon adventure are here….

View from Heaven 23 restraunt – easy to jump when the bill comes

All in all, a lovely town, you can walk safely everywhere, lots of nice bars and things to do.

Haga is also a lovely district to have some lunch and when it’s all too much, just sit back and soak up the multicultural vibe….

Light lunch in Haga

Goodbye Gothenburg.

I will be coming back  -if they allow me after reading this drivel.