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…
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Gota Canal Day 6 & 7: Motala
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…
Gota Canal Day 5: Ljungsbro
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…
Gota Canal Day 4: Berg
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…
Gota Canal Day 3: Linkoping
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…
Gota Canal Day 2: Lake Asplangen
On our second day in the Gota Canal, we travelled further into idyllic rural Sweden, passing alongside many farms and parks and through ten locks and four bridges. Unlike yesterday, we weren’t alone in the locks, and passed through with a smaller boat in front. Cruising through the canal, with its maximum speed limit of…
Gota Canal Day 1: Soderkoping
The Gota Canal (pronounced “Yota” to rhyme with “Yoda”) was named the Swedish Construction of the Millennium. Completed in 1832, the 120-mile (190km) long canal took 22 years to build using 58,000 workers, has 58 locks and 48 bridges, and rises 301ft (91.8m) above sea level. It is a sister canal to the Caledonian Canal…
Lake Malaren
Lake Malaren is the third largest in Sweden, stretching 64 nm west from Stockholm. The lake is accessible from the Baltic via locks at Sodertalje, where we toured the Scania manufacturing plant, and at Stockholm. The path through Lake Malaren via these two locks provided a scenic and convenient shortcut for our 100-mile trip from…
Stockholm
From late June to early August, we spent a fabulous five weeks at Wasahamnen marina in downtown Stockholm. Wasahamnen is centrally located with great views to the Stockholm islands, convenient access to ferry and transit services, and is close to many restaurants and local attractions. It was definitely one of the more busy marinas we’d…
Two Weeks in Seattle
In mid-July, we made our annual summer trip to Seattle for James to participate in a multi-week AWS business review. It’s a busy time, with lots of meetings, plus we picked up about 300 pounds (136kg) of spares and supplies to bring back with us. We also found time to have some fun, including attending…
