Streets of the World

July 16, 2025: Gothenburg

written by

Brenda

Gustavo II, the King of Sweden, had a seven-meter wall built to surround the city. He hired he Dutch as urban planners to build and make canals on the swampy land.

Gustavo II also had a moat built around the city. This is what we are riding on today on our boat tour. The dirt that accumulated on the outside made an island that soon became a park.

Every type of tree that grows in Sweden is planted on the island. It is referred to as a Tree Library.

Boats that deliver workers from the mainland to the island are called “quickies” which has a different meaning in the USA.

Gothenburg has a lot of trams because it was always too muddy for submerged subways. Today they now have the technology to build a subway, but it is still a long way off.

Ship building was one of the main industries in Gothenburg. However, the shipyards are gone. Building ships can be done cheaper and faster in Poland and Asia.

Today Gothenburg is a significant technology hub. It is sometimes called the Silicon Valley of Northern Europe, particularly for its strengths in sustainability, mobility, and automotive innovation.

Elisabeth had not been on a canal tour before so we decided to all ride the train into Gothenburg. Look at the beautiful flowers.
This bridge is called The Cheese Slicer because if one doesn’t duck, it might slice your head off. In fact, if you look closer, a cheese slicer has been installed on the ceiling.
It’s a dirty job but someone has to do it!!
This was the site of the outdoor fresh fish market. Then a building was erected for the same purpose, but it looks more like a church. The only requirement to have a stall here is belief in “cod”. Haha!
This building is called The Lipstick.
Not to be outdone, this building is The Zipper.
These four posts raise up the road so that the tall ships can pass through.

Rob and I said goodbye to Elisabeth who went back to Lerum, and we went to the World of Volvo. Volvo was the first manufacturer in Gothenburg. Volvo is known as the safest car.

Volvo is about people who are in cars rather than cars who carry people. Everything they design caters to people, especially safety.

Safety engineer Nils Bohlin designed the three-point safety belt that:

  • Restrains both the lower and upper body
  • Is easy to buckle up single-handed
  • Holds the body where it’s the strongest
  • Stays in position in a crash

Since Volvo recognized the importance of the innovation, they released the patent and today you can say there is a little bit of Volvo in all vehicles – so far having saved over a million lives and counting.

The impact of speed

We humans can have a hard time understanding the impact of speed. We are better at judging height.

  • Imagine climbing up on a dining chair and letting yourself fall headlong onto the floor. That gives about the same impact as a passenger in a car crash at 9 mph if you are unrestrained.
  • And if you are traveling at 12 mph, the severity of the crash is more like falling from four stacked chairs.
  • To visualize the impact of being unbuckled in a crash at 19 mph – just imagine falling from a stack of eight chairs.
  • So please make sure everyone buckles up. Always. (Even in airplanes!!)
This 1933 convertible is one of the few Volvo cars built by Norrmalm who only created two cars on Volvo 655 chassis. The car is the only preserved example. This cabriolet has been called the world’s most beautiful Volvo.
This exhibit said that we are all different and our bodies are, too. I’m on the left and Rob’s on the right. Can you see the likeness?

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