Dear Commons Community,

The last stop on our tour was Gothenburg on Sweden’s west coast.  While founded in 1621 by King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, the city has lots of Dutch and Scottish influences.

The largest employer in the city is Volvo (the car division is now owned by Ford) and when you leave the ship the first thing you see is a huge Volvo manufacturing and office complex.  There is even a Volvo Museum.   Our guide mentioned that Gothenburg was one of the largest shipbuilding centers in Europe until about the 1970s when the entire industry suffered a major collapse.  The shipbuilding companies all closed and never reopened.  Volvo has replaced shipbuilding as the economic engine of this city.

Today the city is a combination of old and new, large and small.  Wide boulevards, street cars, quant side streets, canals, small boats and big boats can be seen in the main parts of the city.  Parks, a botanical garden and branches of Gothenburg University are also very visible as one walks through the city.

This is the last leg of our trip and tonight we begin our journey back to London for the flight home to New York.

Tony