Gothenburg is not a romantic city. It lacks the charm of Paris and the novelty
of Budapest. Unlike Stockholm it can’t
rely on the cachet of being a capital and it doesn’t have a medieval quarter. On the other hand, as second cities go (think
Birmingham!) it has plenty to recommend it.
Like Melbourne, another second fiddle city, it is characterised by its
inhabitants as “liveable”, meaning that while it doesn’t have anything unmissable
to lure tourists, it is a pleasant, if unremarkable, place to pass one’s life. And it punches above its weight: there’s a
fine art gallery and an excellent opera house, for example, even though opera itself
make only an occasional appearance, the bulk of the offering being somewhat
more middlebrow.
But what really gets this city’s inhabitants excited is the
sea. Were it not for their equal passion
for landbased outdoor activities of almost any kind, you’d swear they have
webbed feet. Harmless amusement is
guaranteed by murmuring thoughtfully in the vicinity of any Gothenburger, “You
know, on balance I think the Stockholm archipelago just has the edge over the
west coast” then standing back to enjoy the apoplexy. Compared
to the UK, where boat ownership is confined to the wealthy, Swedish statistics
are extraordinary: one survey suggests that the ratio is 1.7 boats to every
adult Swede and this is borne out by my anecdotal encounters. Swedes are obsessed by boats: ordinary people
who teach high school or sell white goods for a living build their own craft or
decide to abandon a comfortable apartment to live in their sailing boat with
barely more space than a garden shed.
Speaking of which, summerhouse ownership is similarly widespread and the
fact that many are indeed little more than large sheds underlines their purpose
for use and relaxation, not as status symbols.
Maybe its their appreciation of the outdoors which makes
Swedes so environmentally alert. Car
drivers are not permitted to idle their engines while stationary and supermarkets
offer deposits on plastic drinks bottles. Sophisticated machines by the
checkouts where you can see your empty offerings whizzing through the sorting
mechanism are a novel and educational amusement for small children.
© David Thompson 2013