In the last two editions of the Healey Motor News, I covered our European Healey Meet experience as well as our group tours through Norway and Denmark. If you missed them, the August and September editions are available online at www.austin-healey.org. In this Iinal article, I will look back on the great time we had in Sweden.
Departing Copenhagen, we almost immediately encountered one of the Tour highlights, The Oresund Bridge which connects Denmark to Malmo, Sweden. The “bridge” consists of a three-mile tunnel and a Iive-mile suspension structure that was completed in 2000, thereby rendering obsolete a lengthy ferry trip, but at a cost.
The bridge toll is $65! After a few hours of driving in rural Sweden, we arrived at our lunch stop, the historic Ahus Brewery where we enjoyed their house special “crackling pork” along with a couple of their locally brewed (non-alcoholic) beers. More than a few bought souvenir T-shirts.
From there it was on to scenic Kalmar, home of Kalmar Castle. A few of us enjoyed dinner in a medieval cellar/restaurant, and many took the late evening tour of the Castle, where a historic treaty was signed in 1397 uniting Norway, Denmark, and Sweden.
Glassworks is known for their art glass and high-end wine glasses. After a fascinating private tour where we saw 40- pound glass “trophies” being manufactured, we were off for our overnight in lovely, leafy Norrkoping.
The next morning, we were met by Nils-Fredrik and Nina Nyblaeus who guided us on a “Healey Backroads” tour of their local area. Nils-Fredrik is the President of the Swedish Austin Healey Club and volunteered to show us rural Sweden that we never could have found on our own. Great drive.
Along the way we stopped for (super abundant) Swedish pastries and coffee at Navehvarn where we met Jonna Bradhe, a well-known Swedish rally driver (fastest woman in Sweden) as well as her mother and grandmother, also former rally drivers. Grandma had fond memories of racing against Healey Legends, Pat Moss, and Ann Wisdom! Lunch was at the Bomans Hotel in seaside Trosa, run by a mother and daughter team that were once international fashion models. Finally, it was off for our afternoon drive to Stockholm, where we would spend three nights. Our entry into Stockholm was not uneventful. The city is made up of a myriad of islands, mostly connected by underground tunnels. Our hotel in Sodermalm was on the main street, but accessible via a tunnel that made a particularly difficult “Y” just a kilometer away. Taking the wrong arm of the Y resulted in long and confusing detours for many. And Garmin’s don’t work underground! Finally, we all arrived safely, and enjoyed three days of non-stop sightseeing and shopping in Stockholm. There is so much to see and do that everyone felt we could have used a few more days.
After departing Stockholm, we headed west, back towards Oslo with a stop in Karlstad. Along the way we visited Alfred Nobel’s home and laboratories in Bjorkborn where we enjoyed a fascinating private tour complete with a Nobel “re-enactor”. Our overnight at the riverside Elite Stadshotellet Karlstad provided the background for our best group photo, as seen below. The Bishop’s Arms pub adjacent to the hotel was a big hit.
Finally, after 27 days on the road, we headed back to Oslo to drop off our cars. After a bit of “reorganizing” (i.e., what stays in the car and what gets flown home), we boarded our chartered bus for a ride to the Radisson Blu Airport hotel. A Farewell Banquet provided lots of opportunities to recount unforgettable tales of our Tour. Truly, the TRIP OF A LIFETIME.