Saturday, 9 July (continued)
After what seemed quite a long day (with visiting the cathedral in Linköping in the morning, before checking out from the hotel; and then four stops along the way) we arrived in Karlstad some time in the late afternoon. There we stopped at one of the big shopping centres on the outskirts to buy some groceries, before driving on to where my brother lives - a quiet side-street within walking distance from the city centre.
As it was a nice evening, we decided to go for a short walk in that direction a bit later. However, as we approached the City Hotel and main square (a block behind), it became obvious that there was some event with very loud music going on in town, and also lots of people about.
There were also big old cars from the previous century driving around, competing with the background noise from the square. A 'powerful' reminder that I was back in the province of Värmland, where this subculture was and still seems to be more dominant than where I live now... We call them raggare - and conveniently, if you click that link, that will take you to a Wikipedia article in English which explains that phenomenon further. For those of you who just want a short summary, I'll just quote one sentence: "While the raggare movement has its roots in late 1950s youth
counterculture, today it is associated mainly with middle-aged men who
enjoy meeting and showing off their retro American cars."
As this was not our idea of relaxation after a long day of driving, we turned around, and steered our walk in the opposite direction instead - along an old street along the river Klarälven, with some nice old wooden houses preserved. Going that way, we soon left the noise of the city behind us.
A modern mural had also found its way in among the old houses, though:
We crossed the river on a bridge quite a bit further on, and walked back on the other side. With Klarälven being a much wider river than the one running through Borås (where I live), the bridges crossing it are also farther apart... Which is something one has to remember to take into consideration when going for a walk! I was really tired when we got back, but I did enjoy the walk, as it brought back a lot of memories. (I lived in K-d myself for ten years back in my youth; but now many years had passed since my last visit. So walking and driving around the city now was a constant mix of old memories and taking in changes!)
15 comments:
first let me say I LOVE all those old wooden houses, colors, houses, wood and the archtecture! beautiful river. raggare is alive and well in USA for sure, its every where. hubby and I love those car shows, but are to old to visit them now. beside they have all the car shows in the evening and we don't go out at night. men and their toys are common here
Beautiful houses and river. I wonder why the siding is lapped vertically rather than horizontally as it is in most of the USA.
Sandra, as I'm rarely out in the evening in my own town either, I really haven't got a clue what goes on here unless it's reported in the local newspaper... I know sometimes we've had old car shows in the square on summer evenings too - I've even been to look at some in the past - but they've been more organized events.
Barbara, I'd ask that question the other way round, as vertical is the norm here and I think I've rarely seen the horizontal variety - except with really old log buildings, like the one I showed the other day (Kullängsstugan). Got curious, did a web search and found one possible answer: "The wind, snow, and rain hit vertical siding different than horizontal siding. The arrangement of vertical panels can make it more difficult for wind and rain to penetrate the cracks between the panels" So I suppose it may have something to do with the climate.
PS. On second look at the yellow house with a tower above (third from the bottom) - that one seems to actually have a combination of horizontal and vertical. Whether from practical or only aesthetic reasons, I can't say.
Beautiful weather for such an enjoyable walk.
The very first time we came to Sweden, the wife of my husband's "opposite number" took me for a day out in Karlstad - or as she referred to it - the "Big" city!
Well CG, it is the Big City of that area - and has kept growing! ;-)
Nice looking hotel and restaurant! I wish I could know what the mural represents , but even as just a decoration it is quite attractive.
The houses are beautiful, and I love the mural! A walk along a river is always good.
I love car shows! And this is a lovely large yellow building. It is really right on the water! I wonder if they ever flood? Is there a meaning to the pretty mural?
I'm not sure what the mural 'represents' but we have a similar one in my town (but in another colour scheme), painted by an artist who goes by the name of Etile. I think this one must be by him(?) as well.
Meike, I like walking along a river as well (except for the fact mentioned above, that it takes some planning if the bridges across it are far apart...)
Ginny, I can't recall hearing of any serious flooding there. As for the mural, see my reply to Duta.
You always show beautiful buildings and I've come to the mental conclusion that the whole of Sweden is covered in such buildings. I love old cars but not really American ones. I was wondering how you were feeling in yourself as you looked round a city where you'd lived before. I get a bit freaked out when I see parts of Liverpool where I spent the first few decades of my life.
Graham - "I wish"... My camera tends to be more attracted to beautiful and unusual buildings than plain boring ones, though! :-) There were mixed feelings involved for me on this visit. The first couple of decades after I moved away I used to revisit quite frequently; but this time it has been an unbelievable 17(!) years since my last visit. (I still have difficulties grasping that.) The city has grown considerably since I lived there, but most of the changes are on the outskirts. On foot in the central parts of the city I didn't feel too lost, though!
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