The route from Gothenburg changed from rather rocky to rather flat the closer we got to Skara. Farms and rich agricultural land dominated the landscape for most of the drive. The red barns and farmhouses looked just like barns and farmhouses we had seen in Wisconsin and other rural areas in the US. Many Scandinavian immigrants to the US, beginning around the 1840s, brought their living styles and farming techniques with them when they came.

In 1745, the 18th century Svenska Ostindiska Companiet (Swedish East India Company) shipping vessel “Gothenburg,” was returning from her third voyage, a two-year journey to China, and wrecked on a reef near the mouth of the city of Gothenburg’s harbor, and over the next two years, one-third of the cargo was salvaged. It wasn’t until 1984 that divers relocated the remains of the ship, and decided that it would be fitting to rebuild the ship.

We departed Oslo, Norway by train. The snow was only beginning to melt and the temperatures were still pretty cold. It would have been nice to stay longer. Spring was at hand and would be fully involved within the next week or two, but it was time to head south to meet our friends, Niels and Jette, who were driving up from Denmark to join us.