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The medieval castle Lacko Slott is a dramatic sight at the south end of Lake Vanern, Sweden. Construction of the castle began in the 13th century as a bishop’s fort and it became a royal castle under King Gustav Vasa in the 16th century. The fortification was expanded and renovated over the next four centuries…

Twelve days after we’d entered at Mem, we exited the Gota Canal at Sjotorp. We likely would have spent a few more days along the canal at a slightly slower pace, but the following day the canal switches from the high season, where locks are individually manned and boaters can pass through on their own…

It’s getting increasingly difficult for the general public to see the details behind large commercial ships and even harder to tour chemical and oil tankers. Partly the crews are busy at work and partly there are safety and security concerns, but the net result is limited ability to see the details behind how these advanced…

The section of the Gota Canal that runs through Lake Viken is among the most scenic, through several narrow one-way channels, and open areas dotted with islets. It also the highest point along the canal, at 301.2 ft (91.8 m) above sea level. On our 11th day along the Gota Canal, we passed through eleven…

Karlsborg Fortress stands on the western shore of Lake Vattern in inland Sweden and was one of the largest fortresses in Europe at 250-acres (100 hectares). The idea was concentrate the Swedish forces in a central location and allow the enemy to move across the land, be tired out by small-scale skirmishes and eventually be…

Vadstena Castle was built as a fortress in 1545, but soon converted into a palace, and is a notable example of Swedish Renaissance architecture. The city also is known for being the site where Saint Bridget of Sweden founded the first monastery of her Bridgettine Order in 1350. Vadstena is a few miles south of…

On our sixth day in the Gota Canal, James turned 60. That day, we passed through 13 bridges and 7 locks, including the 5-flight Borenshult Locks, and rose 51.2 ft (15.6m) to reach Motala at 290 ft (88.4m) above sea level where we stopped for two nights. We celebrated James’ 50th in Hong Kong during…

We enjoyed the peacful jetty in Ljungsbro so much that we decide to stay an extra night and explore the area by bicycle. We pedalled to Berg to visit the canal museum and lock door display, then cycled west to tour the Ljungsbro area. Below are trip highlights from August 7th, 2019. Click any image…

The locks we’ve been through in Dirona have ranged from “full-service”, such as the Saimaa Canal in Finland, where you tie the boat off to a floating pontoon or mooring point and the lock is operated hydraulically by the lock keepers, to “full-manual”, such as the Crinan Canal in Scotland, where boaters operate the locks…

Linkoping, Sweden was founded in the 12th century, when it became the religious center for the region, and is known for its spectacular 13th-century cathedral. The city is a short distance off the main route of the Gota Canal, and an easy visit by tender via the Kinda Canal. On our third day in the…