{"id":17538,"date":"2024-06-28T06:28:11","date_gmt":"2024-06-28T10:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aleta.life\/?p=17538"},"modified":"2024-06-28T14:10:12","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T18:10:12","slug":"desperately-seeking-chamonix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aleta.life\/index.php\/2024\/06\/28\/desperately-seeking-chamonix\/","title":{"rendered":"Desperately Seeking Chamonix"},"content":{"rendered":"
Position: 50\u00b059’05.4″N 11\u00b019’10.3″E<\/a><\/h6>\n

We are in pursuit of Chamonix! I use the term pursuit<\/em> lightly. Chamonix has not in fact moved. It is right where it was 1,000 years ago. However, after a lot of driving in the past week we are 2,400 kilometres closer to Chamonix, for it is there that Emma and Jarno\u2019s wedding celebration will take place on July 6th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n

But, let\u2019s wind the clock back two weeks and take things in order. We arrived in Gothenburg midday on Friday June 14, just in time for the weekend to start. That gave us a couple of days to sample the city\u2019s sights and various means of public transport, including pedal bikes and electric scooters. The bikes are standard communal rental fare. Big, clunky, with somewhat serviceable brakes and gears. The scooters have a host of learning opportunities all their own, but require only quick thumbs to move them: no beefy quadriceps necessary.<\/p>\n

Botany<\/h6>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Saturday morning we hired bikes and rode down to the botanical gardens<\/a>. Even in the gloomly drizzle, the gardens turned out prettier and more interesting than either of us expected. Laid out among rocky crags, sections are globally themed, with Asia taking a dominant role. The rhododendrons were past their flowering prime, but wildflowers and stands of bamboo made up for them.<\/p>\n

Feeling lazy after our exploration, we hired a couple of scooters; Carol\u2019s new favourite form of transportation. It took me a few minutes of nervous kangarooing for my thumb to smooth out the overly sensitive throttle. These were not, I was assured, like the ones Carol and Ginger had hired in Oslo. We rode up to the Haga, a restored district of old Gothenburg. There were a few interesting eateries and shops, but the area was fairly lifeless for mid-afternoon on a Saturday. Later, after a turn through the nicely presented Gothenburg City Museum<\/a>, we scootered home.<\/p>\n

Side note<\/strong>: All public transport in the Gothenburg area is cashless and managed by apps on your phone. Of course, nothing is integrated. Each mode has multiple companies, each with its own app and payment system. It\u2019s a bit like watching television these days. More choices and more administrative burden on the user. The term \u2018balkanized<\/a> services\u2019 comes to mind. Other than walk, I don\u2019t know what you do if you don\u2019t have a smartphone.<\/p>\n

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