Gothenburg!
AKA Göteborg!
I've been there now! To the city of... well I really don't know much about what this city is about. I haven't read up on its history at all, but I know it's a seaside city, of historical stature, with a big port and stone buildings, that I roamed around for a day yesterday.
It seemed to be a nice place.
Most restaurants had a lunch alternative with fish fresh off the market too, which Stockholm does not! I tried Bror & Bord (Brother & Table - though in meaning it's more like 'good friend and place to sit'), and would recommend it warmly. Affordable yet great food, generous servings, fresh salad, bread, butter and coffee. Chocolate too. And the cleanest bathrooms I've maybe ever seen in a restaurant! Plus hospitable staff.
One thing you commonly hear here about Gothenburg is how kind and courteous the people there are - to the point they've had issues with crime and violence, since they've welcomed in basically anyone, and it's true!
The welcoming part, I mean.
You might run into some pretty tough-looking guys on the streets, and so many redheads I'm wondering if this particular port is where most of our Viking descendants assimilated, yet if you happen to interact with them you get all but the cold and callous call-outs you'd expect. They're nice. Don't judge manners by the banners, as they say.
Though I assume I also fortunately didn't run into the wrong people.
I get the impression Stockholm's still way worse, but what do I know after but a day here. People did seem to be staring at their cellphones unusually much though, walking around without looking up at all, that surprised... considering how social they seem to be otherwise even with strangers.
The sidewalks were different too. Almost all were in cobblestone, with lines of larger, smoother rock in the middle. Oldskool, yet with a flare for the ergonomic, modern and more easily walkable.
I bought home some locally brewed Två Feta Grisar (Two Fat Pigs) beer as a souvenir (for my parents - I'm not a fan of bitter brews), made good use of the free WiFi on the VR trains - first time traveling with them too, and had a good five and a half hours to eat and explore the city.
Here's a glimpse: