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Such a great morning!
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I’m writing this with rain on the roof again and also some
thunder, it is extremely hot and muggy!!! But its not all grim, as thankfully woke
to a fine morning with some sun coming through at times. Had found out quite a
bit online about the history of this place, the first locks were completed in
1800 which allowed vessels to travel from Lake Vanern in central Sweden to the
North Sea, bypassing the falls that were stopping the journey. In 1844 another
lock system was built to allow more and larger ships to use the canal and
finally in 1916 the locks that are now in use were completed with a height difference
of 32 metres. Now cargo ships as well as leisure boats use these locks.
But interestingly, early in July we cycled the
end section of the Gota Canal which connects Lake Vanern to the Baltic, which
allows boats to travel the whole way through Sweden.
After breakfast we put our shoes on, took our walking poles and went exploring. Our
first stop was the excellent museum which had a lot of information in English
and it gave us a clearer understanding as we browsed through the multitude of
models and pictures. Then it was off for
a walk down the “new” canal system, and watched 4 yachts and a cruising boat go
through. There is certainly a huge lift in the water. It was fascinating
especially seeing where the original canals were built. It was very pleasant
walking along the Gota River, until we felt a few spits which got a bit heavier
and we rushed back up the hill to the van. All afternoon the rain has been
threatening, but decided to go for a walk with my camera through what was the
original farm owned by the Nils Ericson, the designer of the 1844 locks, a
really beautiful area with so many old oak trees.
I scurried home just as the rain started, looks like we will
be hunkered down in the van again all evening but the forecast predicts this
clearing tomorrow. Fingers crossed. Sorry about the history lesson, but found
it quite fascinating.
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Thoroughly enjoyed this museum.
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One of the original locks.
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Ian was working out all the logistics of how this works.
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One of the second set of locks.
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Waiting for the water to lower.
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Out of the last Loch and
off to the North Sea
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Meandering with my camera
this afternoon through the
old farm.
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Comments
x Jen