Göteborg, Sweden, March 28-31

Sweden (Sverige) is Scandinavia's largest country, and home to many large companies likeH&M (Hennes & Mauritz), Ikea, Volvo, Saab, and many others. Gothenburg (Göteborg, pronounced YO-teh-bor-ee) is Sweden's second largest city, with a population of 600,000.

Central Göteborg is located in the southern bank of the Göta River, and the city is intersected by the Kungsportsavenyn (aka Avenyn, which means "the avenue").

I embarked on my journey on Friday March 28, flying for the first time with Ryanair. Having had relatively pleasant experiences on Easyjet so far, I made the mistake to assume that Ryanair, a competitor of Easyjet, would be just as smooth. It started off well because I had checked in online, which gives you priority boarding status (who DOESN'T check in online anymore?). That was nice because I got to cut in front of a lot of people. I did not bother to check in my backpack, because I have never had to and it fits in every overhead compartment that I have taken it on. That's where the headache started. They pulled out the tall metal hand-baggage official measurement device, and it didn't fit. So the lady told me I would have to go back out through security, go to the counter, pay a fee, check in my bags, and then come back. No way! I would never make the flight if I did that. So I put my bag on the floor and laid out my coat, and began stuffing clothes into my coat, made a knapsack, and then closed up my bag and made sure it fit into the baggage rack. The lady gave me an ugly look, and I just walked onto the plane.

On the plane I re-organized my clothes into my backpack, which fit just fine into the overhead compartment! I began talking to a Swedish girl (whose name I never got by the way) on the plane that ended up letting me follow her to the bus station, then took me to the tram, which led me, after a brief walk, to the hotel.
Frank had left me a key at the front desk. I was so excited when I ran into Jose in the lobby and looked upstairs and saw everyone milling arond getting ready for the first night of the Scandinavian Salsa Congress.

I went up to the room to change and saw that the room was evidently a single, but we managed with some extra blankets to make me a bed on the floor.
I hurried downstairs and watch the shows and find Frank at the DJ booth. I was lucky enough to have a great seat all 3 nights of the congress right at the DJ booth so I didn't have to stand up during the shows. After the shows were completed, the social dancing began. That's where things got interesting. One after another, sweaty old men approached me for dances. Why did I attract them I kept asking myself. So song after song, I got yanked around, sweated on, stepped on, got my hair caught in the button of my partner's sleeve, all the while trying to maintain my fake smile, which by the end of the night wasn't so great. I was actually glad the night was over! This is the first time I have ever experienced that feeling at a salsa congress. Every night after that was the same. My favorite part of the evening was when the dancing finished (I know, I can't believe I am even saying this!), and we all headed to Café Tintin, the 24-hour joint that had good breakfast food and hot chocolate.

The next day I woke up and went to explore the city, and since the guide books call it the second largest city in Sweden, it had to be promising. Wrong again! I walked down the "glitzy Avenyn" and found boring shop after shop after shop after shop with the worst fashion I have ever seen. I mean, you all know how much I love to shop, and let me tell you, I found NOTHING TO BUY!! Actually, maybe I should move to Sweden rather than join Shopaholics Anonymous!
Even the H&M had nothing but "frumpy" clothes. I was so disheartened. I hadn't planned on going all the way downtown to the Nordstan (the largest indoor shopping mall in Scandinavia) until Monday, but before I knew it, I found myself right smack in front of it. What the heck, I'll go in and see if I have more luck in the mall. Wrong again! Hahahahaha! I think the best image I can give you of Swedish fashion is this one...take a large brown potato sack, turn it upside down, cut out holes for your head and for your arms, and put it on. To dress it up, you can add a belt and some accessories, and flat shoes, because those are evidently sexy here. Hey what the heck, you could even buy one in every color!

Maybe Swedish food will be better than the fashion, but unfortunately I can't seem to find any! The local fare here is McDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, 7-Eleven, and mom and pop restaurants that sell either kebabs, tacos, or pizza. There is no Swedish food in sight. I actually don't even know what Swedish food is exactly. The girl on the plane told me they eat a lot of fish (herring) and cheeses, but come to think of it maybe she meant the fish in the fish tacos or the Filet of Fish Sandwiches from McDonald's, and the mozzarella cheese on the pizzas!

I think after being in Spain and even the little time I spent in Italy has spoiled me and given me false expectations for Europe in general. I am very lucky to be living in Spain because it is so rich in culture and tradition. They have preserved everything and are very proud of it. They seem to be so proud of who they are. I am not saying Swedes aren't, but I don't even know what it means to be Swedish (aside from being born in the country where Ikea is from).

I can honestly say that I probably won't visit Sweden again, but am very grateful for having had the opportunity to experience it. If not, I may not have appreciated the country I am living in now and the countries I will be visiting in the future as much. I mean, my next stop is Marrakech, Morocco, where culture and tradition is oozing out of every crevice of the city! I am so excited for that trip.

Until then, enjoy the few pics I took of Göteborg, Sweden. Some funny ones too. Hey, we had to make the most of it! :)