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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
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
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.
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.
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.
POLICE WORLD
Vol 61 No. 2, 2016
5
Article