Some more pictures powerful waterfall and a beautiful stone bridge over the river Kynne Älv. I’ve tried to find a name for the waterfall in Sundshult Bullaren, but I can’t find one. One suggestion is ‘Brudfallet’ but I can’t get that confirmed. It was a challenge to get any good pictures as the beaches are steep and slippery rock or overgrown with dense bush and trees.
Don’t get swept away, ha de Gött!
I have kept it from you. The mighty Älgafall with its 46 meter drop. After a few weeks with storm and rain there was quite the water flow. Luckily I was there early to get the first rays from the sun over hill hitting the ice formations from the night frost.
Even the hardest ice melts in the sun, ha de Gött!
Näcken is a humanoid shape shifting water spirit in Scandinavian folklore. He appears in all Germanic peoples folklore and the English name is Nicor. Näcken sits in the stream or a lake and tries to lure innocent people, mostly young women and children to drown. He does this by playing the Violin, the Devils instrument. There is also female Näcken that lures young men to the same fate.
Näck translated to English means, nude. Yes, it’s true we Scandinavians living in the country side love to do some nude swimming, specially after the Sauna bath. After all, there is usually not very many around to see you.
One dress makes us all equal, ha de Gött!
Today I went back to Älgafallet on the border between Sweden and Norway now when the Covid restrictions are gone. After a cold night and lots of water in the waterfall there was some great pictures. The early morning sun also wanted to play along.
See also a short video here. Sound on!
Imagine there’s no borders, ha de Gött!
Seagull flying past a navigation mark. In Swedish this type of navigation mark is called ‘Kummel’ and I struggled to find the English translation. Cairn is the closest I came up with. On the chart the mark is named ‘Vakupp’ that translates to, wake up or stay alert! Makes perfect sense, as you enter a dangerous area to navigate in. Due south is the lighthouse, one of my favorite motives, ‘Väcker’. With the same perfect logic this translates to, awakens!
Stay sharp, ha de Gött!
The strait between the islands Hällsö and Kalvö.
Navigate with caution, ha de Gött!
Rusty ball-bearing in dire need of some lubrication.
Leonardo Da Vinci is by some named the inventor of the ball bearing but the already the Romans used wooden ball bearings. The first modern ball bearing was patented by Philip Vaughan, a Welsh inventor, in 1794.
Sven Wingquist, a Swedish inventor invented a self-aligning ball bearing in 1907. This revolutionary invention became the foundation for one of Sweden’s most successful international companies, SKF. SKF stands for Svenska Kullager Fabriken, simply Swedish Ball Bearing Factory.
My first two and half years I lived across the street from the huge factory with its fasade of red clay bricks. Now a trip to Gamlestaden in Göteborg must be planned for some photos.
Aim for a smooth ride, ha de Gött!
No, I have not been to Mars and found water. It is the red granite rock typical for Bohuslän in Sweden. Sun was about to go down and created this special light effect. Wind and water keep working hard, like a carpenter on overtime, to get the rock smooth.
Rock hard, ha de Gött!
Ship sailing down the river, Göta Älv, with the new high-raises in the background. In the middle far back is ‘Skansen Kronan’ as a reminder of the history.
River flows, let it flow, ha de Gött!
Göteborg has a nickname, Little London. This stems from the era with large shipyards and industrialization during the 1800. The trade over the North Sea has always been intense and many British businessmen and craftsmen saw opportunities in Göteborg. English was as common as Swedish in the streets. Chalmers University of Technology is one of the institutions founded by a British businessman.
The picture is taken at Lindholmen where Chalmers has one of its campus. The water in the picture is the dry dock (not so dry now) from the shipyard. Like Docklands in London the area is transformed to a modern business area with skyscrapers, hotels and smart dressed business people. Chalmers Campus creates a hightech hub and you will find many well known international companies here. Just note the white autonomous drive cars parked to left in the picture.
The tower being built in the background is the Karla Tower. When it’s ready in 2024 it will be 245 meters high, highest building in Sweden. The building tempo adds one floor per week.
Try to rise above, ha de Gött!
UlleHaddock 