We sailed — navigated might be a better description — across Sweden on a canal boat that took us on a strange but interesting journey.

The brochure from Göta Kanal described the trip as “A sea journey by land through the heart of Sweden.” Better yet, a journey “on two seas, one river, three canals, eight lakes and 66 locks.”

To me, it was more like walking a boat across the country during a gloriously sunny summer on a very slow and ancient boat on the Göta Canal. We saw a charming slice of rural life. We penetrated forests and passed castles, old mill towns and tiny clapboard villages, all seemingly frozen in time.

Our four-day cruise took us from one side of Sweden to the other — from the gleaming, sophisticated capital, Stockholm, on the east coast to its industrial counterpoint, Göteborg, on the west. It went from fresh water to salt water, back to fresh water and finally, once again to, salt water.

To achieve all this, we traveled around islands, across lakes and through locks of all sizes. After the last lock, at Trollhattan, we shared the river with ocean-going vessels.

We enjoyed crossing the country — largely out of sight of roads and other evidence of civilization — in practical comfort, with savory dining, and a feeling of camraderie and participation.

We boarded the M/S Juno at its pier in Stockholm’s Gamla Stan — the old city — near the Royal Palace. We passed through our first lock and sailed by Stockholm’s town hall, center of the annual Nobel prize banquet in December. The tower is worth the climb for the 360-degree view above the city’s gilded spires.

We made our way through a group of islands, Stockholm’s suburbs — the city is built on 14 islands linked by bridges, and there are many others nearby. In 30 minutes, we were in the countryside, wetlands teeming with bird life and a sense that no one else was around.

So we got to know the ones who were — our fellow cruisers. About half of the 50-some passengers were Swedish, a quarter German and another quarter Americans. One was from New Zealand. Most spoke English and were seasoned world travelers.

Our first lock, and the largest, was at the town of Södertälje. Here we left the fresh water of Lake Malaren and entered into the Baltic Sea. We relaxed in deck chairs, just enjoying the scenery as we wended our way through the St. Anna and Sodermanland archipelagos.

At midafternoon we joined boaters and vacationers at Trosa, a small charming town from the 17th century on the coast. We walked into town and were led around the red clapboard village and its Lutheran church, little changed in 200 years.

Sometime after dinner and after we had retired, Capt. Bjorn Erikson and his crew gently prodded our ship forward to arrive at the lock at the village of Mem by sunrise. This is the first lock of the Göta Canal proper, and it took us on our first step above sea level. The canal is quite narrow — about 23 feet — and the Juno was built to fit it with less than a foot to spare.

Three hours after passing the town of Söderköping near Mem, we entered Lake Asplasngen. On the lake’s far side, we cut a path between the birch and pines to the town of Norsholm at the top of Lake Roxen. Here we were near Linköping, where Saab — the aircraft company that also builds autos — manufactures Swedish fighter aircraft in its underground factory.

Across Lake Roxen at Berg, we entered a spectacular series of locks, seven in a staircase, 15 in all over a two-mile stretch, and we found great photo opportunities as our ship climbed 59 feet up through the locks. As each lock must be operated in sequence, it is very easy for passengers to get off and hike up the hill, arriving at the top before the ship does. We asked if we could borrow the ship’s two bicycles, and after watching a lock sequence pedaled ahead to take photos of the ship’s laborious climb.

Capt. Erikson directed the ship’s passage through the locks casually with an ice cream cone in his hand. On shore, spectators were just as relaxed as they participated in a favorite pastime: watching and photographing the canal boats navigating the locks. Often the watchers dangled fishing poles in the canal as we passed.

On our small ship, the savory aromas of the galley were inescapable. They fed our appetite for the next meal. The cooking was European, and by popular demand, we got the chef to prepare delicious “Swedish” meatballs like those my grandmother made for me. Wines were available.

As we sailed on, castles, churches, cottages, country manors and other points of interest were announced on the ship’s speaker system. While our ship was the oldest in the Göta Kanal fleet — it was built in 1874 — we passed a sister ship, the relatively new M/S Diana built in 1931. It was crossing Sweden in the opposite direction. The company’s third ship, M/S Wilhelm Tham, was built in 1912. All are being rennovated this year to return them to their original look and style.

As we worked our way across Sweden, more than once the canal crossed above highways. It was an odd sensation to see automobiles drive under our ship. Where electric railways crossed over the canal, the bridges, with their sagging wires, made a surreal scene. Many of us fantasized that a train might not stop at a raised bridge and would plunge into the canal as we passed.

On one stretch of the canal, deep in the forest with no one else in sight, we grounded in midstream. The water level, which is usually at least 10 feet, was too low. Capt. Erikson coached us passengers to shift our collective weight and coaxed his engines to work us off the bottom.

On day three, we entered Lake Boren, but not before the captain sounded a blast on the ship’s horn and a fiddler in his 90s popped out of his house and followed us along the canal for a bit, serenading us on his violin. According to Capt. Erikson, he plays for each canal boat as it passes.

At the city of Motala we passed the shipyard where the Juno and the Wilhelm Tham were built, then entered large Lake Vättern and began crossing it.

On day four we arrived at the manually operated lock at Forsvik, an old industrial community on the banks of Vättern. We were met by a large choir that sang evangelical Christian hymns and gave us flowers.

We alighted and entered the town. Today, it is a living museum of an industrial age before electricity, when machines were operated by water power. In one shed of the former works, artisans were building a new canal boat following old plans. Forsvik and its small lake Viken, are at the canal’s highest level, slightly over 300 feet.

We crossed huge Lake Vanern, and by daybreak we were approaching Vänersborg. Since we were now sailing downhill through the locks, I took one of the bicycles and coasted down among the golden fields. The only sounds were of the birds.

On day four, we negotiated the huge Trollhattan locks, huge because larger ships sail up to Lake Vanern. We let down on our last lock into the Göta River. Before passing Göteborg’s industrial might, we stopped at Lodose, founded in the 11th century, and walked to its beautiful and educational Viking museum.

All too soon we passed under Göta alv Bridge and entered Göteborg in sight of its new opera house. Reluctantly, we gathered our bags and said farewell to the friends we had made while sailing over Sweden’s longest park.

Dennis Cavagnaro is a retired Marine who now lives in the States.

If you go ...

Göta Kanal conducts two-, four- and six-day cruises. The four-day cruises begin May 15 and continue through Sept. 13. The six-day cruises begin about two weeks later, while the two-day cruises operate in July and August only.

The canal boats have three classes. To get fare information, write for a brochure at bookings@gotacanal.se.

For more information on the company and its cruises, see www.gotacanal.se.

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