Göteborg (Gothenburg) and Enhanced Driving Skills

Here's Sweden in orange.  Göteborg is on the bottom-left near the tip of Sweden.  It's an important port.

Göteborg

We arrived in Göteborg on a sunny day.  Gudrun’s parents were there to greet us as we stepped off the ship.  For a day or two I felt a little dizzy, as though I were still on the rolling sea.  I just learned this is called MDdS syndrome (mal de débarquement syndrome).

The family consisted of Gunnar, Gudrun’s father that we called Papa-lilla.(little daddy) - a term of endearment; Greta, Gudrun’s mother and Lars, her little brother. I remember the story of Greta and Gunnar’s romance.  Greta was somewhat of a party girl.  She wasn’t settling down with her studies and her parents were worried.  They decided to send her away to stay with an Aunt who lived in lapland in the northern most reaches of Sweden.  Up there she would have no distractions and could devote herself to her studies.  As it turned out the only eligible young man for miles around was Gunnar who was in residency in a small hospital in the wilderness.  Of course Gunnar was entranced with the pretty Greta and they became engaged. They were a happy couple but quite mismatched.  Greta enjoyed society while Gunnar buried himself in his research.

Another view of Göteborg

The Jungners lived outside of town.  Their large, comfortable house was perched on a hill above the sea. The first floor contained a living and dining room as well as a large kitchen.  Upstairs were four bedrooms and a bath.  During Gudrun’s absence, her parents had turned her bedroom into a sitting room with sofa and chairs.  A spiral staircase led up to the remodeled attic. There were two bedrooms with a bath in between.  My room was decorated in deep, royal blue and gold. The bed was built-in and surrounded by book shelves. Blue wall-to-wall carpeting covered the floor. Under the window was a desk and chair. It looked out on a road that wound down through fields to some woods and several summer cottages.  Beyond was the rocky coastline and the sea. I loved the view and that cozy little room. 

After a week or so, Gunnar came home with a new car. He presented me with the keys.  Before leaving the States I had obtained an International Driver’s License.  The legal driving age in Sweden at that time was 20 and Gudrun couldn’t drive yet. Greta had never learned and Lars was too young.  So I became the designated driver/chauffeur.  I will never forget the first day. I headed out on the road in fits and starts.  I had never driven stick-shift and I had never driven on the left side of the road.  Gudrun, Greta and Lars were all in the car and giving advice.  It was a hair-raising experience.

Maybe the car I drove was a little Saab like this.