On Friday, we got a ton of work done and were able to call it a day early. A perfect opportunity to finally do some sightseeing around Boras.

Boras has its roots in textile, so it is reflected in much of the city.

We first headed to the market which was celebrating the start of the weekend with a festival. The roads were closed and the street was packed with people. The vendors were selling everything from souvenirs to clothes to flowers and food.

I met up with a lovely Greek couple there too. I was able to speak some Greek to them and learn about his recent arrival in Sweden from Greece and their baby on the way. We had such a good time talking I lost track of time and had to catch up with the team.

After the market tour, we walked some more and saw the famed Pinocchio statue. Its purpose or meaning in Boras is quite unclear but it is quite a sight. Several restaurants around town bear its name as well and it has become quite the attraction despite its unknown origin.

After that, we headed for another short walk (Boras is a very walking town) and found a wonderful Thai restaurant for dinner. More on that with the food post to come.

Stefan drove me to check if my bags had arrived on Day 2 and on the drive back to the office, the subject of sports came up. A large bus passed in front of the plastered with Aphotos of the local hockey team. We talked about hockey and sports in general and I found out he was a huge fan of the local soccer team, Elfsborg. Jay had already instructed me that I had to come back with some soccer souvenirs for Thane as the team had one the championship not too long ago.

Turned out, that same football team had a big match that very night. We decided a few of us would go to the game, braving both the cold and the rain. I went and bought a new Elfsborg scarf to cheer on the team (and it was a futurAAe purpose, too, black and yellow for the Steelers and ‘Dores).

There were 14,200 people in the stadium. It took us awhile just to get to our seats. We were way under the canopy so we were protected from the rain and cold. When we made it to the top, we had to climb across this beam to get to our seats. Notice the hand rails.

The game was action packed. Final score was 3-2 and we won! It was a good thing, because Stefan looked rather anxious when the score was not in favor of Elfsborg!

The team did great and the pace was fast. Stefan told us that most of the exceptional players get picked up pretty quickly by the higher paying leagues. They continued to do well most of the game but at one point Elfsborg had a shot at an empty net, the whole stadium was on its feet, and he missed. Ugh.

The rain was really coming down but we were nice and protected in our upper level seats.

This was the winning goal.

During half time, we went to the main area and I got Thane a T-Shirt. It says, “When I grow up, I want to play for Elfsborg.”

After dinner we went to Burger King, because at that time of night the options were McDonald’s or Burger King. I am not sure how much things cost but I did notice some differences to the menu…mainly doughnuts and beer.

At work the next day, I wore my Elfsborg scarf all day, in the office. I got many compliments and lots of people saying they had also been at the game. When I went to the H&M store later that day and checked out with some goodies for Mara, the same cashier who on Tuesday had greeted me with a very English “hello” started telling me how much my purchase was in Swedish. I am a local already!