Police World 2 2016

Article

Gothenburg Visit By Michael Murfin In November 2015, nine members of 11 Region, UK visited colleagues in Gothenburg, Sweden. A strong friendship already exists between our two Regions and members visit each other fairly frequently. T he Gothenburg Committee organised a full programme for the visit, lasting from Thursday to Monday. Those of us who The evening was presented by a local wine merchant, who explained the history of the five wines we tasted, the ingredients, and the best foods to accompany each one – all done in perfect English.

Our Saturday evening meal was taken in an Italian restaurant, after first sampling Shepherd Neame Spitfire ale in a nearby ‘English pub’. On Sunday, some of our party joined our Swedish friends in Church and in the afternoon we visited an old restaurant for ‘Julbord’, a traditional Christmas Lunch. It consisted of individual herrings, which had each been marinated in a different marinade, giving a wide variety of flavours. We sampled boar pate, various cold meats, including reindeer and elk, and an assortment of hot food. The City Transport system is impressive. A three- day ticket costing £13.50 gave us unlimited travel on trams, buses and the ferry for 72hrs. Travelling around the city and its environs is so easy and overall we didn’t find Gothenburg too expensive. We look forward to seeing our Swedish friends again in Belfast during the NCM and the IPA National Golf Competition in June.

were able to go on Thursday enjoyed an evening meal of famous Swedish meatballs. Friday gave an opportunity to explore parts of the city and a rather wet and windy ferry trip around the archipelago, whilst waiting for the rest of the UK members to arrive. On Friday evening we all visited Liseberg, the site of a fun fair in the city which, approaching Christmas, is transformed into Christmas scenes including Christmas Markets, Christmas shows, etc.. We were taken to an old ‘cottage’ within the complex for an evening of ‘Mulled Wine Tasting’. Selection of Gothenburg photos in images folder

On Saturday, we were treated to a guided tour of the city, led by May-Britt Ronaldo and Britt Hermansson, our hosts. It was indeed a very comprehensive tour. The city was designed by a Dutch architect, which explains why it resembles Amsterdam with its canals and bridges. We visited the oldest coffee shop in Gothenburg to enjoy traditional coffee and cake, to mingle with the locals and to sample their culture.

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POLICE WORLD Vol 61 No. 2, 2016