Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25038
ONE HOUR RADIUS FISH FOR URBAN SALMON Head for the large wooden pike which marks Lundgrens (12 Storkyrkdbrinken in Gamla Stan, the historic old town) for fishing gear and live bait, then walk to any 1 of the city's numerous bridges and drop your line in the water. A good spot is on the bridge between the Royal Opera House and the Royal Palace. Ignore the rush-hour zoom of Volvos and Saabs at your back while you reel in a salmon that's safe to eat for dinner-the waters of Lake Miilaren and the Baltic are that clean. Later wander down to the Krokodil bar (7 Osterlanggatan) where you can brag about all the fish you let go. SCUBA DIVE SUBMERGED STOCKHOLM All around Stockholm are shipwrecks waiting to be explored. Before you dive, go to Dykhuset (Kungsgatan 73, +08-651-22-33, mail@dykhuset.se) for certifica tion, guides and all you need to scour underwater Stockholm. (In winter, Dykhuset dive masters can take you ice diving as well.) For inspiration check out the Vasamuseet (Galiirvarvsviigen 14, Djurgarden, +08-666-4800L built around Sweden's most famous mistake, the Vasa, a giant warship built in 1628. She sank in Stockholm's harbor on her maiden voyage. The ship was hauled up in 1961 . Her acorn and alien qualities must be seen to be believed. Visit the National Maritime Museum (Djurgardsbrunnsviigen 24, +08-666-4900, http://www.sshm.se. bus 69 from the Central Station) for special exhibitions and boat-building events throughout 1998, Stockholm's Cultural Capital of Europe year (www.stockholm98.se.). GET LOST IN ECOPARK You might be here for days. Walk, run and romp through the vast National City Park (also called EcoparkL the first urban park of its kind in the world. Opened in 1995, the park is a sprawling expanse of walking, running and cycling paths, open and wooded areas, and historic sites. It covers Djurgarden island and large patches of northern Stockholm. On a map the large green spaces take up a third of the grid. Cyclists follow the " Parkleden pa cykel" signs for small roads with few cars. Rent bikes from Skepp O'Hoj (Galiirvarvsviigen 10, +08-660-5757). Cykelfriimjandet, a cycling association, has a cycling guide in English (+08-321 -680). Start the day with a visit to the newly reopened Moderna Museet (Skeppsholmen, bus 65, subway Kungstriidgarden, +08-51 95-5200). The building alone, by Spanish architect Rafael Moneo, is worth the trip. Then hop over to Skansen (Djurgardssliitten 49-51 , +08-442-8000, buses 44, 47), the world's only open-air museum, before disappearing into Ecopark. THREE HOUR RADIUS SKERRIE HOP Jump on a ferry outside the Grand Hotel and venture out to the Swedish Archipelago, a chain of 24,000-plus islands east of Stockholm. The islands (skerries) come in all shapes and sizes, some wooded, some just flat slabs of rock. Buy tickets on board the ferries or from the Waxholmsbolaget office. The islands are a popular summer destination for Swedes, but with a little work you can find your own to explore. Get an Interskerries Card (Batluffarkort) for 16 days unlimited passage on Waxholmbolaget lines. Here are contacts for the activity of your choice. Sailing: 3 Batiigarskolan, +08-718-2560. Windsurfing: Flatenbadet, +08-773-0919. Water-skiing: Siagsta Marina, +08-531-777 88. Canoeing: in Stockholm, Kanotbryggan Adventure Sport, +08-83 82 90; in the archipelago, Stavsudda Kajakdepa, +08-571-65078. General canoeing info: Christer Soderlund at the Stockholm Canoe Association (Stockholms KanotforbundL +08-680-7274. Sea kayaking and rock camping trips: Scandinavian Adventures, +08-654-1 155. Horseback riding: Roo Gard, Gregersboda, +08-543-533-78. Sweden has a special "camp rough" policy known as Everyman's Right (Allemansriitten) which allows camping on private property as long as basic rules are followed. For info contact Stockholm Information Service, +08- 789-2400 or info@stoinfo.se, or www.stoinfo.se. FIVE HOUR RADIUS NAVIGATE IN THE 0 RINGEN Push your body and map-reading skills in the a Ringen, a five-day orienteering race held in July in and around Gothenburg, a three- to five-hour train ride from Stockholm, depending on whether you take the regu lar train or the X2000, the new high speed train. For information on how to reg- ister, contact www.orienteering.se. 5 SAIL IN THE GOTLAND RUNT Sweden holds Batkultur (Boat Culture) '98 with seecial sailing activities through the summer. Sail on a Laser right in :::itockholm or race around Gotland, a large island south of Stockholm, in the Gotland Runt (it's not a dance or a dog) held in July. Contact Batiigarskolan (Swedish Boat School, +08-718- 2560, www.batagarskolan.com). Also try www.stockholm98.se for more mar itime events. SURVIVE GRUNDKURS Grundkurs is a two-week survival course in Friinsta, a village in the Medelped region five hours north of Stockholm. Prior wilderness survival experience sug gested. Plan for next year-Grundkurs ran 27 June to 11 July. The last four days are the toughest: no food or sleeping bags allowed. If you survive, you automatically qualify for the winter version (popular with Swedish police and mili tary officers), which takes place 7-14 February 1999 outside Kiruna, 17 hours north in the Arctic Circle. Eat well before you go-your only sustenenance will be lichens. Price: summer, 2350 krona (about $3501, winter 1250 krona. Contact Stefan Kiillman at the Swedish Survival Guild (+08-629-6378, stefan@civil.se). PHOTO: CHRISTER LUNDIN