5th – 6th September
Getting to the startline
We were nearing the end of our 3,000 km overland journey from La Coste to Stockholm, due to arrive in the early afternoon, meeting up with Chris after midnight. The day before, in Copenhagen, we had made sure we could take an earlier train than the one on our ticket to Malmö to ensure we made our connection to Stockholm. What could go wrong?
The regional train to Malmö goes across the Öresund Fixed Link, known as “The Bridge”, from Denmark to Sweden. It combines a 4 km tunnel with a 8 km long bridge, for rail and road traffic across the entrance to the Baltic Sea. The Danish-side tunnel emerges onto the artificial island of Peberholm, made out of the earth and rocks excavated in the construction of both tunnel and the bridge.
The stretch of rail traversing Peberholm with the waters of the Öresund on both sides is impressive, but not so much the bridge itself from the inside of a train. You don’t see the superstructure or the height above the water.
We had time for breakfast in Malmö before climbing aboard the train bound for Stockholm. We were in the quiet carriage in booked seats facing backwards without a full window. Lynne moved around to try and get some views of the Swedish countryside, but blinds and passengers with seat reservations kept impeding her. She was able to confirm Peter’s frequently uttered statement, that Sweden is a country where the people are vastly outnumbered by pine trees!
After our Deutsche Bahn experience, we were anxious about the timeliness of SJ (Statens Järnväg), as Peter had read much about chronic problems with Swedish railways, due to massive underinvestment over the years. We considered ourselves fortunate that our train only had one problem – a door that would not lock safely during movement. It took nearly 25 minutes to fix, but the train caught up, arriving in Stockholm on time.
Our walk to our hotel took a roundabout route as Stockholm’s Centralen station had changed dramatically since the time Peter last lived in the city, 37 odd years ago. Hotel Gamla Stan, is on the eastern waterfront of the “Old Town” – Gamla Stan. This is the medieval city centre, with narrow cobbled lanes, gorgeous buildings and mostly lovely little shops (but some of the tourist variety), art galleries, restaurants, bakeries and bars.
Hotel Gamla Stan, very much a boutique hotel despite operating under the Best Western brand, consists of three converted medieval buildings, with a most random room layout. We think we were awarded one of the finest rooms, with an astounding view over the Eastern Sound, leading to the archipelago, Baltic Sea and Finland.
Fine, the hotel was, with the view, a chandelier and rich wallpaper, but sadly lacking in other departments, such as anywhere to place clothes and the smallest of en-suites. However, this was compensated for by free coffee, tea and biscuits in the lobby, and lovely, helpful and friendly staff.
After a fika (coffee and biscuits) in the hotel reception, we made our way to the Stockholm Half Marathon Village to collect our race bibs. The expo of wares and services that always come with the race was disappointing, but never mind…
The weather, for September, was astounding. Normally miserable with occasional nice days into the autumn, it felt like high summer: 25C, blazing sun, t-shirts, shorts, ice-cream and sun cream. Everybody relaxed and happy.
The dampener for us, was that Chris’ flight from London to Stockholm was going to be late. Bad news, as it had a late arrival, even if on time. Now we were worried about whether he would be on time to catch the last train in the middle of the night from Arlanda Airport. That worry went away by the announcement that British Airways had cancelled the flight altogether – while he was waiting to board, at the gate.
A spate of fast WhatsApp messages resulted in booking a new flight departure, in the afternoon of the following day. So, home Chris went after all the wait at the airport, a colossal waste of time.
The next morning saw Lynne having an on-line gym session, with Jon evaluating the damage after the Paris fall, and figuring out how to prepare for the next day race. It was not going to be a cake-walk!
We walked to the Stromma Waterway company to change our pre-booked Royal Canal boat tour, as Chris would not make it. In our running clothes, we made our way up Strandvagen, for a ‘warm-up’ run before the race. It was lovely, with the moored boats bobbing and sunlight glinting in the sea. Loads of runners doing the same warming-up runs!
Strandvagen is a really affluent road with eye wateringly beautiful and expensive buildings and hotels, with a Riviera feel. It has a lovely tree-lined central section, where we could run in the cooler shade. Lynne was not ok to run far, but we were content, considering everything. On the way back we passed Järntorget, bustling with outdoor cafés and restaurants, sharing a ‘Skagen macka’ (prawn, egg and mayonnaise on bread), smoothie and coffee.
We were relieved when Chris let us know he was seated on his ‘plane, and even more so seeing that it departed early. On arrival, Chris managed to exit the plane, get through passport control and onto the Arlanda Express train super fast (boding well for the race, the day after).
Peter met Chris at the Centralen railway station, grabbing a taxi to Stortorget, nearby the Kryp-In restaurant, where Lynne was waiting for us to arrive. It was a relief – we were not too late, we had a splendid meal. Lynne had venison, while Chris and Peter tucked into the traditionally Swedish “köttbullar” – meatballs with mashed potato and lingonberries. The owner, named Chris, made sure of no garlic nor fennel for Lynne.
Kryp-In Köttbullar
Let’s hope that nothing else interferes with the enjoyment of our sunny weekend in Stockholm.
