Story
The issue with train travel
One run we enjoy quite a bit is the EcoTrail Stockholm. June in Sweden means, of course, quite nice weather (usually), so it's a good opportunity to travel north, enjoy the city and go for a little trail run in Stockholm's Norra Djurgården.
As much as we prefer train travel over taking the car or the airplane, it takes more clever preparation to get a reasonably priced ticket for the night train. So, instead we opted for the short-haul flight from Berlin Willy Brandt to Stockholm Arlanda.
We enjoyed staying in Hotel Giò, conveniently situated along the bus route from the airport to the city as well as being right next to Hagaparken before. While the corridors still look as inviting as at the time of the original use of the building - city government - it is a convenient and comfortable place to stay. Nicely connected to other city districts of Stockholm, for example Sundbyberg, home of the Omnipollo church of craft beer...
Exploring Gamla Stan
It's quite touristy, but for a reason - Stockholm's old town. Strolling down it's narrow streets, one is sure to find a variety of city scenes. Turn a corner and you're by the water, looking at a proud sailing ship, if you're lucky. Find another craft beer bar and enjoy a nice cold beer to quench the thirst.
Running. Or not?
The reason for this trip was the EcoTrail which can be conveniently combined with the parkrun in Hagaparken, but as (bad) luck would have it, I injured my knee two months earlier in the Gdynia half marathon and so was limited to cheering on. Both at the Haga parkrun and later at the EcoTrail.
We ran the EcoTrail in 2023 as well and it really is a lovely course. Cleverly using the landscape of rolling hills, rocky outcrops, forests and shoreline, the 16km course is made as a figure of eight, making the best of the astonishingly small area. Not that you would know it, one always feels miles away from the capital of Sweden. Highly recommended!
