Conference turris::scandia

278.0. "Sweden's 'slow boat' on the G�ta" by TLE::SAVAGE (Neil, @Spit Brook) Fri Jul 01 1988 14:04

    One of the premier tourist experiences in Scandinavia is cruising the
    G�ta Canal route that runs for about 347 miles between Stockholm and
    Gothenburg (G�teborg). My mother has taken this delightful trip, and so
    recently has John Edward Young, staff writer of the Christian Science
    Monitor. It was reading his account in the May 13th issue that inspired
    me to put in this note. 

    The route consists of about 60 miles of man-made cuts connecting a
    series of rivers and lakes, including (in the west) the G�ta �lv
    (River) itself and Sweden's largest lake - V�nern. Fifty miles of the
    route is on the open Baltic Sea. 

    In the early 60s, I stayed with a couple of Swedish families (the
    Hallqvists and the Malmbergs) at a farmstead called "Stora Torpa"
    situated on the banks of the G�ta �lv on the outskirts of the town of
    V�nersborg. From there it was an easy walk to the nearest of the some
    65 locks on the Canal route, which lift the boats a total of 300 feet
    above sea level and down again. [When my mother went through, the young
    people of the farmstead were on hand to wave to her.] 

    To ply the route, the G�ta Canal Steamship Company maintains three
    boats, originally build to haul cargo and modernized to accommodate up
    to 60 passengers and a crew of 15. The keel of the oldest in the fleet,
    Juno, was laid 112 years ago! You can choose either a 4 or a 5-day
    cruise. Summer 1988 rates start at $592 per person, double occupancy,
    for cabins, meals, and sightseeing. 

    Edward Young states that to call the food on board "gourmet" is almost
    an understatement. Here are some excerpts from his account: 

    "The G�ta Canal slices through some of the most beautiful country in
    Sweden. And you move at a pace no faster than a trot. Joggers and
    bikers, in fact, passed us all along the way. Moving through the
    canals, you could literally reach out and touch birch trees. While
    stopping to go through the locks, many of us jumped ship and gathered
    wildflowers for our tables..." 

    "We moved from open sea, to lakes, up and down locks, past villages,
    through farm pastures, and into charming small towns." 

    "We made several stops on our 3�-day trip to explore castles and
    churches along the way. In Nyk�ping, we were served a medieval dinner
    in a castle, while being entertained by music, a storyteller, and a
    court jester. We supped extravagantly on rare roast lamb grilled over
    an open spit." 

    If interested, you may be able to get a travel brochure from the
    Scandinavian Tourist Offices, see Note 2. The article by Young lists
    the US agent as: 

	Bergen Line, Inc.
	505 Fifth Ave
	New York, NY 10017	tel. (212) 986-2711 or (800) 3BERGEN

>< Note 278.0 by TLE::SAVAGE "Neil, @Spit Brook" >
>                     -< Sweden's 'slow boat' on the G�ta >-
>
>    One of the premier tourist experiences in Scandinavia is cruising the
>    G�ta Canal route that runs for about 347 miles between Stockholm and
>    Gothenburg (G�teborg). My mother has taken this delightful trip, and so
>    recently has John Edward Young, staff writer of the Christian Science
>    Monitor. It was reading his account in the May 13th issue that inspired
>    me to put in this note. 

 
  The Sunday Sun (Lowell Sun) for July 3 had an article about this too.
  Probably a reprint from the Christian Science Monitor.

	CHad