We were reliably informed by a member of the IKEA staff that it’s been the nicest summer for 230 years! Wow!
We’ve travelled through Sweden twice. The first time up the west coast from Helsingborg to Oslo in Norway. The coastal route got better and better the further north we went. Wild camping was easy as was finding fresh drinking water and getting rid of waste. I love the Swedish ‘right to roam’ policy.
The second time through Sweden we were heading South from Roveniemi in Finland to Stockholm. There only seem to be 2 roads to travel down and both are quite boring. Trees, trees and more trees. Speaking to the locals even they agreed there was nothing much to see. It wasn’t impossible to find fresh water and places to dump your waste but it wasn’t easy either. If we did it again we’d research more campsites. Stockholm, however, is definitely the jewel in Sweden’s crown. We loved it and it’s our favourite city so far. The fuel prices were similar to the U.K. and the choice of fresh fruit and vegetables beat Norway hands down. If we came again I think we’d explore more of Southern Sweden and definitely revisit the Capital.
We spent 5 nights on the campsite in Stockholm, three days exploring the city and 1 day chilling out. The last morning we got a phone call from the people at Iveco saying the mirror had arrived. You know, the one that the over excitable Norwegian guy tried to knock off đŸ˜³ They fitted it for us and even gave us a tour of the workshop!
We were on our way again heading to the Ă…land Islands. There’s a 2 hour ferry crossing from Grisslehamn on the East coast of Sweden (not far from Stockholm). They sail 3 times a day and you can just turn up. It cost us €48 (Aug 2018) for a one way ticket to Eckero on the main Island. From there you can visit some of the other islands by ferry and the crossings are free for foot passengers. Our plan, well we had no plan, we just thought we’d explore for a couple of days and then catch another ferry at the other end to Finland.
We found a great little spot on the marina in the main town Mariehamn. It was free of charge complete with fresh water taps, a latrine for your waste, and if you needed it, electric hook up (payable by making a phone call).
The town itself was lovely with a very ‘up market’ feel. It was founded in 1861 and as part of Finland, it belonged to the Russian empire. Mariehamn was named after Tzar Alexander II spouse Maria. There’s a lovely statue of her in a crinoline dress in the centre.
The main shopping street was pedestrianised and there was a very posh crazy golf 5 minutes away. We spent a great couple of hours playing with a coffee break half way through. I was winning at the 9th hole but Andy beat me hands down by the 18th.
If you like cycling then I bet it’s a great place to explore as it seems very cycle friendly. I’ve read that it’s wonderful to see the 100s of islands and islets by kayak, but we decided to stick to wandering around on foot. There’s no shortage of restaurants if you fancied something to eat and I think Andy found the best coffee shop as it had free refills. They accept both Swedish Kronor and Euros and everyone speaks perfect English. What’s not to love.
After reading this on the website ‘Culture Trip’, we left Mariehamn the next morning and headed for Sund ... Kastelholm in Sund is one of Finland’s most beautiful and best restored medieval castles, dating back to the period of Swedish rule. The castle goes all the way to the 14th century and was once the administrative center for all of Ă…land, as well as a residence for Swedish royalty traveling between Finland and Sweden. Eerily, it is also where the Swedish king Gustav Vasa once imprisoned his own brother ... We’d visited the Vasa Museum and learnt about Gustav in Stockholm so it really peaked our interest. What a great castle and well worth the €6 entrance fee with free audio guide.
Next to it is the Jan Karlsgarden which is a free open air museum and shows how an Ă…land farm looked in the 18th century.
We learnt about Midsummer Poles and visited the prison. Luckily it’s only a museum now!! €1 each to get in, or out lol depending how you look at it.
We’re never in the right place at the right time usually but tonight was different. The locals were celebrating the end of summer called the Ancient Bonfires Night. We joined them for a BBQ and later on we went to watch them light a bonfire on a raft in the sea. There was a band playing, hot sausages and potato salad for sale and as the man on the boat lit the bonfire, everyone clapped.
We’re still not sure of the significance of the fire. The locals we asked weren’t sure either but apparently it dates back to the old times. I think it’s just a great excuse for a get together. Can’t fault them.
Some of the islands in Ă…land are connected by free chain ferries which you just drive on and off the other side like a moving road, some are connected by bridges and others by ferry boats. As our ultimate goal on this leg of the journey was Helsinki we called in to the tourist office in Mariehamn to find the best way to get there. We were told of a couple of routes, either island hopping to Brando and on again to the mainland (2 boats totaling 3 hours) or a 10 hour boat trip to Turku in Finland. As I really don’t like sailing we plumped for island hopping. I'm so glad we did. The boat was only small and we were able to stay in Harriet the whole journey. It was like our own little private cruise in the sunshine. We passed hundreds of little Islands stopping off at a couple to take on a passenger or two. Very civilized.
