Frightful Flight to Gothic Towers
I’m currently in Sweden, enjoying a break in Göteborg. I’m staying at Gothia Towers. It’s a fantastic hotel, with really REALLY modern everything. So much so, in fact, that it’s a very trendy night-time attraction for local twenty-somethings. Drinks in the bars cost roughly twice what they might in the trendiest places in Britain (outside London) and the hotel restaurant is incredibly expensive, but has amazing food.
I flew here in a light aircraft from Cambridge. The trip took about eight hours in total, 90% of which was spent in the air. We had to refuel in The Netherlands, both the plane and ourselves. There was one very scary moment over a large expanse of sea just beneath Sweden when the engine stopped. In a one-engined plane, this triggers adrenaline flow. We immediately banked toward an island, although I doubt we’d have made it had we not realised that the left fuel tank had run out. We switched to the other tank and continued on our merry way. There was little chance of a nap after that for some hours…
Due to the long day and the tiring flight, my memory of the wine and food at dinner is sketchy, but here’s a brief idea. There were about five courses in total, with lots of fish. A gazpacho was too salty for me but was offset sensibly with a South African savignon blanc which was sharp and acidic. The main course was baked halibut, with potatoes and cod. Another white for this, a French Chablis, more full-bodied and more buttery. The wine with dessert (which was a complicated tiramisu) was close to madeira but was made with a Pinot-something grape which I’ve never heard of before. It was a good, strong finish to the meal and it finished me off, too. Total cost: 1150 Krona(!).