The Volvo Experience

After months of planning, "Travel Day" is finally here! We packed every conceivable layer to get us through most weather combinations, from light early autumn snow to dog day summer, into three Osprey carry-ons, dropped the cats off at Aunt Denise's house, took our customary #PDXCarpet shoe-fie, and embarked on our next European adventure. Next Stop: Scandinavia!

Our itinerary took us to Gothenberg via San Francisco and Copenhagen on United/SAS. Our flights were uneventful and we arrived 18 hours later to bright blue skies and fluffy clouds. We headed to the Hertz counter to pick up our rental car where we were upgraded to a Volvo V70 Diesel wagon which was a bit disappointing since we were looking forward to driving a version of the car we actually ordered. There was a V60 parked next to our assigned car so Chad decided to head back to the counter to ask if we could be downgraded to that car and was denied. Absolutely the epitome of a #firstworldproblem. Oh well! At least the dashboards and systems of the two vehicles were the same so we can at least get used to using this newfangled technology. We punched the address of the Clarion Hotel Post into Madame GPS and were off on the highway towards central Gothenberg. 

Once we got to city center, we were reminded of why we generally don't like driving whilst in Europe. Cobblestone pedestrian walkways mixed in with cobblestone driveable streets, streetcar tracks criss-crossing the landscape, and the added confusion and fatigue from a long travel day made things a bit hairy. How hairy? How does ending up ON the streetcar track-side of the street stuck between two streetcars in the front and rear with Madame GPS telling you to turn right into a mall (not an outdoor pedestrian mall - an actual building mall) sound? Yep, that happened. I knew there was a reason Hertz Sweden put huge stickers on the windows screaming, "I am a rental car!" You know, to warn others of the stupid tourists inside. 

After extricating ourselves from the streetcar tracks, we finally got to the hotel and checked in just in time to find surprise situation #2 - our first assigned room was in shambles. Bed unmade, wet towels on the floor, eyeglasses and books on the nightstand. It looked like someone was already staying in the room and had to make a quick getaway. I did poke around a little when Chad went back to reception to sort things out; however, I didn't find a body. Even more bizarre was the fact that Volvo's welcome gift (addressed to us!?!) of snacks, water, and a Swedish memento plus the rollaway we requested for Nathan was setup nicely in the room. 

The hotel sorted things out quickly and got us set up in another room where we freshened up a bit and had a chance to take a little walk through Gothenberg before our dinner reservations. 

The OSD package included dinner at Norda, the collaboration between Clarion and Marcus Samuelsson. Yes, that Marcus..we're just touring his restaurants this year mmmm'kay. It was here that we met the "Halv Special". What is a halv special, you ask? A hot dog topped with shrimp salad and caramelized onions. And you thought only the Japanese held the market on strange hot dogs. Chad said the sandwich was delicious but it's got to be drunk food for Marcus.

Next morning dawned and we started off with a nice breakfast at the hotel. Have I mentioned how much I love European breakfast buffets? They're huge with great selection, that both Chad and Nathan explored throughout our two weeks, but I have a set favorite: soft-boiled egg, slice of whole grain volkornbrot with salted butter, some smoked salmon and pickled herring, cucumbers, beet pickles where they had it, and coffee. That's it. I did have the odd Swedish pancake or Norwegian waffle at some places but hardly ever deviated from my standard. After breakfast, we had another chance to walk around and explore the Haga Nygata, or Old Town, and harbor areas before checking out of the hotel and making a quick trip to IKEA (where else can we find a cooler and picnic supplies on the cheap?). 

We were due for lunch at Volvo's Factory Delivery Center at 11:30 and made it there in plenty of time where we enjoyed a lunch of Swedish meatballs with potatoes and lingonberries and got a chance to meet some of our fellow OSDers, many of whom were from Oregon too. After lunch, we boarded a tram for the factory tour. Boy things have changed since the time I toured Ford, Honda and a few automotive sub-suppliers for a college manufacturing engineering class a long time ago (*cough*20years*cough*). The level of automation is amazing. From automated RFID order tracking to sophisticated specialized robots doing deliveries and assembly. It really highlighted how upskilling the workforce is critical to survival in today's economy. 

Once we were finished at FDC, we swung by a supermarket for snacks and lunch fixings then hopped on the E6 towards Oslo. We stopped for a sightseeing break in Tanumshede, a UNESCO World Heritage site of beautifully preserved Bronze Age rock carvings and to switch drivers. 

We crossed the border into Norway shortly after and bypassed Oslo to our first stop in Kongsberg, merely a waystation on our way to the western fjords. We checked into Kongsberg Vandrerhjem, had pizza and local craft brews at Jonas B. Gundersen, and turned in for the night.

Next Post: Natural Norway