Uphill and Downhill

 

Yesterday, for the first time since the corona outbreak, I had reason to visit the hospital. Thankfully nothing serious; just a routine breast screening (to which all women of a certain age span get summoned every 2 years or so). However, as two previous invitations back in the early summer had been withdrawn and rescheduled, and noticing that this one was scheduled for Friday the 13th, I half expected a last-minute cancellation once again... (Superstitious? Me?? Nooo...)  ;)

But when my phone pinged a text message the day before, it was only to remind me of the appointment, though. The time was 10:10, and the invitation said - a bit unusual, and obviously corona-related:  Wear a face mask, and do not be more than 10 minutes early...

Usually, I'm one of those people who prefer being half an hour early rather than risk being five minutes late... Which in this case means I had been planning on taking a bus that would have arrived at the hospital half an hour early.

However, as I'm also a rather obedient person, I found a compromise: Walk to to the station/travel centre (15 min) and then take a bus from there that would arrive at the hospital ~9:55, giving me 5 minutes to get to the right waiting room inside, just on time...

That worked out perfectly, and left no time for unnecessary loitering about in eerily empty-looking hospital foyers and corridors. I'd hardly sat down in the waiting room before I was called in; and the routine procedure was soon over as well. 

Already at 10:16 (according to my mobile camera), I was back outside, snapping the above photo of the main hospital building. Built in 1930; and since then, innumerable extensions have been added, and extra separate buildings at the back as well. The main entrance and reception area is nowadays on the ground floor of the modern wing sticking up to the right in the photo. However, just now they seem to be referring most patients to proceed directly to their respective clinic, instead of registering at the main desk.

Back around the more recent turn of century, I used to work at this hospital, as secretary. After work, I often used to walk downhill to the city centre; from where I would then usually take the bus the last bit home. 'Home' back then was on top of another hill...

I decided to walk downhill on this occasion too, and snap some photos with my phone, to try and give you an idea of how hilly Borås really is. (You don't normally get to see all that much of all the "ups and downs" here on my blog, as nowadays I live in the flat central parts of it, and my favourite walks are along the river...) 

My preferred walk downtown from the hospital was/is through an older part of town which I think is also usually considered kind of "posh" - a quiet area with well-maintained old houses and gardens, and also little parks here and there in between.

Having come this far, I decided to make a little detour - instead of just crossing the street here and continue downwards, I turned right for another block or two, to pay a visit to the old water tower (built1900). The tower is situated on top of an extra hill, surrounded by a park of its own, and rather resembling a little castle or fort.

 

Walking down the stairs from the water tower; and then looking back up...

Continuing downtown, and snapping photos of various buildings.

 

Turning round and looking back toward the water tower, now far behind me uphill...

Sideways, we're now at the same level as the big church from the early 1900s, and behind that the Culture Centre with library and art museum (recently visited in other posts). Not yet "downtown" though...

Passing an old school building.

 Another building that caught my eye. We're still going downwards...

Another set of stairs, and we're just one more slightly sloping block away from the main square and flat ground, though. The red building with the tower is the old court house, seen from the back.