TRAVEL / December
View of the Old
Town (Gamla Stan)
The Nordic Museum
is behind the Djurgården
bridge, which connects
mainland Östermalm
to Djurgården Island.
Kungsholmen Island in central Stockholm
BODILY BALANCE
Despite its comprehensive underground metro
(called the Tunnelbana), Stockholm is best explored
on foot, which can mean walking, jogging, or
running. Whichever you choose, don’t overdo it.
One of the wisest lessons lagom teaches is to not
set unachievable goals, a habit many fall into when
exploring a new city. For your trip to Stockholm,
banish the list of top-ten sights and instead set
out to do one or two things per day, giving yourself
plenty of room to go off-piste or change your plans
altogether. When you arrive, take a slow walk in
the area around your hotel, taking in the sights and
sounds and getting your bearings. It might be that
the perfect restaurant or museum for you is right
around the corner.
If you want to make your trip an active one,
Stockholm is perfect for running and swimming.
Swedes swear by the al fresco swim or morgondopp
(‘morning dip’), an invigorating and cleansing way
to start the day and a proven method of boosting
Vitamin D intake in the sun-starved north. Water is
nature’s gift to Stockholm and is there to be enjoyed,
free of charge. You can swim at Långholmen Island,
82
/ airBaltic.com
a beautiful spot just a 15-minute walk from the
city centre that even includes showers for bathers.
Alternatively, head to the lakeside sauna at the pretty
Hellasgården. First walk a circuit around the lake,
then treat yourself to a stint in the sauna as a reward
(not forgetting the therapeutic cold-water swim,
through a hole in the ice during winter). The process
is mildly addictive. Another warning: there are sepa-
rate saunas for men and women, and swimwear is
strictly forbidden.
Much of lagom is linked to the environment, to
the idea that the great deal of what we need as
humans is provided by nature and that nature itself
reminds us of our needs and limitations. Patches of
Stockholm can make you feel a million miles from
a major city. This is partly due to geology: the town
straddles 14 islands, and its archipelago includes over
30,000 islands. One of the former is the residential
Kungsholmen, whose ten-kilometre circumference
is perfect for a jog or walk (best kept to the daylight
hours given the lack of lighting). If that sounds like
a bit much, try the secret gardens, allotments, and
kooky wooden cottages of Tantolunden Park. To have
an island all to yourself, sail out into the archipelago
and take your pick. According to Sweden’s Allman-
strätten rule (‘rights of all men’), it’s perfectly legal to
camp on the islands overnight, but be sure to observe
the principle of ‘first come, first served’.
Slightly more accessible is the leafy waterside
park at Djurgården Island, where you can avoid the
excesses of Swedish restaurant and café prices by
taking a packed lunch with you and picnicking on
the grass. For those who agree that the best things in
life are free, take your picnic up to the Monteliusvä-
gen cliff path, from where you can watch the sun set
over Lake Mälaran or explore the Mälarstrand trail,
which offers beautiful views over the dreamy spires
of Stockholm’s Old Town, or Gamla Stan.