Day 21, Vadstena - Norrköping, 112 km

After an excellent breakfast at Arne's, I leave Luckerstad Guesthouse heading northeast. After a few kilometers, I take a short first break to enjoy the view of Vadstena Castle again.

First, I head to the Gota Canal, which I specifically added to the route. We had already seen it in 2004 and 2014 in other places. Together with two other canals, it forms a continuous waterway of 390 km from the west coast to the east coast.

I follow the canal for about 15 km to its mouth in Lake Roxen.

By now, it is very sunny and a pleasant 23 degrees for cycling.

By 5 pm, I reach Norrköping feeling tired. I hadn't researched the city beforehand, so I had no expectations. The hotel recommended me to visit the historic industrial buildings. International groups of architects would travel here specifically for that.

With about 135,000 inhabitants, Norrköping is one of Sweden's ten largest cities. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the city was the national center of the textile industry. Many buildings from this time are unusually well-preserved, making Norrköping's industrial landscape an exceptional sight. Fortunately, the buildings were not demolished after the decline of the textile industry in the early 1970s.

The Motala Ström river flows through the city, forming several waterfalls within the district to overcome a height difference of 20 m.