Gothenburg-er

Have just spent some time in Gothenburg with my parents and already want to go back. It seems like we did so much in just a few days! They came to sleepy old Boras for a day too and that was really good because we went to Ramnaparken to see the Boras Open Air Museum. So on the 10th September they arrived and we went for a walk once they'd checked into their hotel. We went to the Gothenburg Tradgardsforeningen, a small botanical garden alongside the river in the centre of town; there is a rosarium (basically a rose garden) and a palm house modelled around Crystal Palace, built in 1878. I guess it seems a bit strange to come all the way from London to look at a replica of Crystal Palace. It was somewhat annoying that you have to pay 20kr entrance even if you are just using the park to walk through to the other side towards Avenyn, but you soon realise that nothing in Sweden is cheap and certainly nothing is free! Plus the entrance fee is technically voluntary but it's the same as everywhere that claims to be voluntary, you are better off to just pay than to look mean. Then we had a lovely meal of butter baked fish and roasted root vegetables and made our way back to their hotel. On the way to the hotel we passed the famous Skanskaskrapan, more commonly known to locals as the 'lipstick building', designed by Ralph Erskine (who also designed the Sydney Opera House) in cooperation with 'White Architects' in the late 1980s. This is in the Lilla Bonmen district close to the floating hotel they were staying on. After a couple Swedish 'Mariestad' beers we ambled down the ship yard next to the hotel where there are ships from all different countries and times being repaired and exhibited. There is a lovely smell of linseed oil in the air from the paints and coatings they are using for repairs. When we reached the end of the ship yard we saw a huge hare, a surprise to me as I have never seen one apart from in cartoons and this one is as big as a dog. The other day I identified the 'Gothenburg Hare' in the Natural History Museum but more on that later.