Åland Island - Part I

A few of the islands in the Åland Archipelago

Our ferry ride from Turku to Mariehamm on Åland Island was uneventful until we left the ship. It is a beautiful ride on a bright sunny day through the Åland Archipelago. It’s impossible not to be impressed with the beauty of this part of the world.

Early morning and quite a few are enjoying a beer with the view

We left Turku at 8:45, right on time. Even before we left as I toured the ship, the bar was open and people were downing their first beers of the voyage. Probably several more to come over the next five hours. Ships plying international waters tend to have decent prices for booze, but this route, in particular, thrives on cheap prices.

We had read about travelers from Sweden and Finland who take advantage of this rather short trip to stock up on their liquor supply, but we took that with a grain of salt until we actually arrived at Mariehamm. People were leaving the ship with travel handtrucks loaded with cases of beer. Others had brought their largest suitcases to fill up. I saw one young man with wine bottles in his rear jeans pockets.

The larger crowd in back is headed back to Finland.
The six walking my way are getting off here.
There were about 20 of us altogether.
Some did stay on continuing to Stockholm.

Even with that, the biggest surprise was as we left the ship. We tied up at Mariehamm at the same moment as the ship traveling from Stockholm to Turku. As we left the ship, the sign read Turku pointing right and Mariehamm pointing right. Almost everyone turned left. They were immediately returning to Turku. Meanwhile the crowd from the Stockholm ship was moving to board our ship which was continuing on to Stockholm. I’m sure the next part of each voyage was much more interesting for all concerned.

Åland has its own flag

As we entered the actual terminal, we met the car rental agent who had John fill out the paperwork right there. No waiting in line or looking for an office. Turning in the car will be even easier as we drop off the car in its parking spot next to the terminal, walk 100 feet or so to check in while dropping the keys in the drop box. It will never get any easier than this. This would have been fine if John had remembered to actually drop the key in the box on our way through the terminal. Fortunately we were early enough that he could leave the boat to get the key where it needed to be.

The Cikada Hotel

Not everything is up to date. This is a real rotary phone.

The Swedish Consulate across from the Cikada

Our hotel is about three blocks from the terminal with another easy check in. The Cikada is an older hotel where Cherie’s aunt stayed on her visit here 50 years ago. It has a nice pool and restaurant for dinner and breakfast. The gin and tonic after we settled in eased us into the evening.

Cherie had researched Åland and suggested eating at the airport which is supposed to have very good food. We drove out there and learned that it has very limited hours timed to the arrival and departure times of the airlines. Today, dinner hours were 4-5 pm, too early for us. We were there at 5:20.

The brewery had several sculptures on the property

Our second choice turned out to be an excellent one. Stallhagen brewpub is a bit of a drive out of town, but worth the 15 minutes it took to get there. This night they were having a special BBQ dinner with a variety of salads and meats. Together with their excellent beers, we had a nice dinner inside their dining room. All the outdoor seats had been reserved, but with today’s heat we were just as happy to be inside. I had a honey beer to start which was light, but flavorful and very refreshing. Just the right touch for a hot summer afternoon. Following that I tried their IPA which tasted just like home. John had a red ale that he liked.

The main church in Mariehamm, Åland's capital and largest city.

Early the next morning I wandered around town a bit before we met Carita for our special tour of the island as we looked for Cherie's ancestral home. You may notice that most of the houses lack doors facing the street. I never did learn why.