A Scandinavian Odyssey

 Beautiful sunrise at about 6:30 EET. We cycle off, over bridges and the cable ferry and have a whizz round the ruins at Bomersand, an old Russian fortress bombarded by British and French during the Crimean war. Aland used to be under Russian control. Also a visit to the 15thC church of St Matthias with its suspended boat. Lunch at Smakbyn. For 12 euros we get salads, Swedish Lax pudding and coffee. Delicious. We also have an Aland craft beer and to follow an Aland pancake. We talk to some friendly Swedes on the next table. He was born on Aland. His aunt is 90 and has a house on Kökar island. They point to it on my map and laugh at my pronunciation. There’s an almighty downpour as we have lunch.  We cycle past Kastelholm Slott castle on our return but are not tempted inside. 36 miles in total. We see the white tailed sea eagle circling around as we sit outside in the sun. The evening is spent inside the van with heavy rain drumming on the roof!

 It was definitely colder last night. The heat wave seems to be over. We pack up and head north out of Mariehamn stopping at Jamala church: oldest in Finland from 1260. Closed but immaculate graveyard! Then further into the wilds crossing bridges and then a ferry to one of the eastern islands of the archipelago Vårdö. Our campsite at Sandosunds is rustic and idyllic. Olaf shows us to a lovely pitch sheltered from the rather strong northerly winds and we set up camp by the water’s edge. We cycle off over several other islands and a ferry. We are the only passengers. Really beautiful wild countryside in the sunshine. The sea seems much clearer here. We retrace our steps back to base before our sauna. We see a majestic white tailed sea eagle soaring in the thermals as we drink our tea. A floating wood fired sauna this time! Then supper at the camp restaurant. Rather an ad hoc affair as Olaf was multitasking somewhat but still enjoyed a nice salad followed by perch with a bottle of hou...

 Thunder in the night and lots rain and it’s a soggy grey early start at 6 am when the alarm sounds. We manage to miss-locate the Silja lines ferry terminal and have to double back to eventually find it. The lady at check in pronounces Aland as “Ooland”. It’s part of Finland but Swedish speaking with its own flag and parliament. Alcohol and  gambling seem to be an important part of the boat! We buy some Kahu beer for half the mainland price. Confusingly time on board is Swedish; an hour behind. A helpful clock with two hour hands and national flags on them makes it clear though   We pass an never ending series of pine clad low lying islands. As we approach Mariehamn the weather improves and we arrive 5 hours later in sunshine though it feels chilly with strong northerly wind.  We get to Grindr Uden  campsite and head off on the bikes into town. I have a haircut at a place where everyone seems to be having worryingly short cuts! A sweet Swedish speaking lady take...

 It’s still warm and sunny but the forecast is changeable so after breakfast outside we do some campsite booking and then catch the bus into Turku where we sit by the river at Cafe Art and watch the world go by. Helped along by a delicious Flat white coffee made in flourishing style by the artistic baristas. We potter and visit Stockmann’s department store where I buy a striped Marimekki T-shirt designed in Finland. Lunch by the river: salmon salad for Simon and Halloumi and Avocado for me. Back at the campsite again we sit on the beach for a while reading before the clouds gather and black skies loom. We get back to the van just in time as the heavens open. It doesn’t last long though. We’re heading back for another sauna overlooking the beach this evening. We have an early start tomorrow to catch the ferry to the Aland archipelago.  

 We wake to the sound of a fog horn but the forecast is good so we plan to explore by bike. We head off along Ruissalon island and over the bridge into Turku. We cross the Aura Ferry on a small ferry and continue across several other islands Hirvensalo, Sataba and make a circuit of Kakskerta.  We are on marked cycle tracks all the way and it’s very quiet. We cross bridges with glimpses of inlets and estuaries and see lots of trees and the occasional log cabin in a variety of colours. We eat our picnic and it’s quite sunny so we have a quick dip to cool off. It still feels like swimming in a large river.  We stop at Taidekappeli, St Henry’s Ecumenical Art Chapel which looks like the bow of a ship clad in copper. The timber framed interior and light effects are very impressive. Back to Turku and a detour into the centre following the river which is now humming with life. We have a delicious coffee and cake at the Art Cafe beside the river before heading back to base. 47 mil...

 Our Estonian neighbours must be having a lie in because they are not off early in their little fishing boat.  We pack up and stop at the local S Market and buy provisions for the next three days including some German white wine.  Then we are off on the 80km/ hour speed limit roads which feels so sedate but very relaxing. The speed limit is enforced by lots of speed cameras and it feels very calming.  Needless to say the roads are pretty empty. Lots of pine and birch trees. Warnings of elk at times. Undulating terrain with characteristic dark terracotta and white farmsteads.  We get to the island is Ruissalon just after one set up camp and then head off on the number 8 bus into Turku. We visit Turku cathedral, some abstract art and tapestries at Aboa j Vetus and then have the most expensive craft beer yet at a nice bar by the river. We walk around town for a bit. The Finns are so law abiding that they wait for the pedestrian crossing lights to go green even when...

 We’re pleased to awake to a sunny forecast and enjoy breakfast outside and I do a bit of yoga on the pontoon while we do a wash in the launderette area. We cycle into Ekenas which looks more attractive in the sunshine and have a coffee in the square. The supermarket is well stocked and we get a few transportable supplies before cycling a short way to a nearby small island on the archipelago where we read, sunbathe and swim. The water is incredibly warm in fact although it does feel more like swimming in an estuary than the sea. A further bit of exploring brings us fine views before returning to our campsite for a sauna in the beach. This is our first DIY sauna and Simon has to light the fire of birch logs and we wait for the temperature to rise. It gets up to 95 degC and we sweat and relax interspersed with cold showers and dips in the sea. A beer in the sun on the jetty before Simon cooks local salmon al fresco which we eat with bean salad, tomato and cucumber. Delicious.