Our favorite way to see the countryside is to drive ourselves around; and our preferred way to view a city is to walk. These are the modes of transportation that cause us often to lose our way but sometimes find what we would miss if we sped by in faster modes of transportation planned by experts.
On the way from Lake Vattern in Central Sweden to Stockholm on the east coast, for example, we spent nearly five hours wandering Swedish backroads along the Gota Canal, a distance a tour bus might cover in about fifty minutes. The construction and continuing operation of this canal is a fascinating and humbling story.
Once in Stockholm, and consciously grateful that we are able to do so, we walked many miles multiple times each day for three days, encountering sights and smells that no guide book describes. And wearing off enough calories to eat and drink to our hearts content. Almost.
Our accidental tourism caused us to encounter a motorcycle rally in the environs of Sweden’s central lakes, boat shows in three different harbor towns along Sweden’s west coast and a national triathlon competition in a fourth idyllic seacoast village. None of this was on our agenda, but all of it made memories.
Purposeful travel can improve the human condition, and we admire such efforts and respect the learning experiences they provide. And there’s no doubt we take some wrong turns and waste some time as we wander around. But sometimes getting lost is the point of travel.
JER
ALL OVER THE MAP 