Aland Islands in Finland, over 6500 islets to see in summer and winter, here's how to get there, what to see and what to eat.
If you are a lover like me of great North and above all of its large spaces and its wild silences you must absolutely insert the Aland islands on your once in a lifetime travel list. We cannot simply speak of some islets but of well 6500 islets which go to form the Aland archipelago.
Although it is an autonomous region and even has a small parliamentary, we are in Finland. The majority of the spoken language is Swedish but it is important to know that bilingualism here, especially in the western part of this country, is an everyday thing.
How to get there? Well, it's not that difficult also because you have to know that especially in summer these islands are besieged by both Finns and Swedes who built their second homes here, strictly in wood.
You can take the ferry from Helsinki, today's capital of Finland, or from Turku, on the western shore of this country, a city that was the ancient capital when Finland was still part of the Grand Duchy of Sweden. The small capital of the Aland Islands is Mariehamn and the connection with the mainland is guaranteed by large ferries of the Viking Line or Silja Line companies.
If to some the Finnish capital Helsinki, with almost 500 inhabitants, in winter it appears sad and empty, so what will you say once you arrive in the Aland which has just 20 inhabitants in all? I was lucky enough to visit them in both seasons. In winter we cannot speak of sadness, but of an environment that is totally whitened by snow it only brings joy.
Who is not happy to see the snow? Okay, the cold is bitter at times but you will be forced to walk along the promenade or cross the small bridges that connect one part of the city and the other. Of course, even during the winter season you can have fun skiing, renting a sled or skating on the frozen sea. Yes, at certain times of the year when the layer of ice reaches a meter thick in some places, you can not only skate but even drive us with the car. Turku.
In summer clearly you can better enjoy the unspoiled nature of these places and approach activities much more suited to the summer climate such as kayak or the bicycle. Here the Finns and Swedes do not give up on sport. But if you want to relax you will not fail to find many bars with terraces where you can rest while sipping a long coffee. Do you know that Finns are the largest coffee consumers in Europe?
What see? Relax, of the 6500 islands only about sixty are inhabited so even today if you are looking for your desert island there you can surely find one. Among the things that can be visited, first of all the sailing ship Pommern, a large four-mast in the western part of the harbor.
Then there is the Castle of Kastelhoms which has hosted many Swedish kings and today is home to various art collections open from May to September. Then there is theHavsividden hotel, in reality we are talking about 33 very luxurious wooden houses inside which are privately owned, but in the absence of the legitimate owners they are available to tourists. There is no shortage of golf courses.
For some years the Finns have discovered that they are great enthusiasts of this outdoor activity which, in my opinion, is a deadly bore but finds great enthusiasts in the Finns.
On purpose I did not tell you about the eat given that when we tackle the topic of food in the great north, sometimes we don't go beyond the commonplace of salmon, as if only this existed. In reality, the specialties of this country are all to be discovered and tasted, even the most curious ones such as baked bread with a fish inside.
Do not miss the fruits of the woods, butter, dill, potatoes and beetroot but it is useless to list what you can find. Go there!
