The Åland Islands, or simply Åland, is a Finnish archipelago of around 6,700 islands and skerries situated at the entrance to the magnificent Gulf of Bothnia – a long channel in the Baltic Sea stretching between north-eastern Sweden and Finland.
90% of the population lives on the island of Fasta Åland, which is only 38 kilometres from the coast of Sweden. (The entire population is 30,000, as of 2019.) It took us only an hour and a half to sail on the Viking Line ferry (booked through Direct Ferries) from Kapellskär at Norrtälje on the Swedish east coast to Mariehamn, the tranquil little “capital” of the archipelago, where the time was an hour ahead of CET. 
Today Åland is autonomous, with its own parliament, and is the smallest, and only Swedish-speaking region in Finland. Its colourful history is depicted in several excellent museums, both in Mariehamn and dotted around the islands (eg. Sagalund museum and Pargas local history museum.)
The archipelago began to emerge from the Baltic Sea around 8,000 BC, and 3,000 years later the first hunters and fishermen came from the east and began settling there. They were joined by immigrants from the west soon after, and together they began a primitive agriculture, planting crops and raising cattle.
During the 10th century trade began between Åland’s neighbours – Reval (now Tallinn) in Estonia, and Sweden. Christianity was introduced a little later, evidenced by the little old stone churches scattered over the islands, most dating from the 13th century.
Sunds Church
The most popular tourist destination is Kastelholm Castle, which has survived many historical storms since its construction in around 1380. The great Renaissance Swedish King, Gustav Vasa (1496-1560), enjoyed it as a hunting lodge, regularly dining on fresh venison, and this was where his son Erik XIV was imprisoned.
Åland was ruled by the King’s fief-holders and bailiffs from this castle. Today it is a carefully restored ruin, its beams protected from nesting birds by swathes of wire netting. Guided tours takes place regularly, led by damsels in medieval costume.
The early 16th century was fraught with wars between Sweden and Denmark, most notably Gustav Vasa’s War of Liberation. Further trauma was visited on the local population by the Russians in 1638, the so-called Great Wrath, during which most of the inhabitants fled to Sweden. During the early 18th century their descendants returned, only to find their islands occupied by Russian troops during the Lesser Wrath in 1742-43
The Russians conquered Åland in 1809, and Sweden lost Finland and Åland to Russia at the Peace of Fredrikshamn in September that year.
The Bomarsund Fortress was captured by British and French naval forces during the Crimean War in 1854, and at peace negotiations in 1856 after the War, the Åland Islands were declared a demilitarized zone. Freedom of trade was introduced, resulting in a vigorous development of peasant seafaring, and the town of Mariehamn was founded in 1861.
With the outbreak of the Russian Revolution in 1918, the Ålanders requested reunion with Sweden, but Finland proclaimed its independence on 6 December that year, and was awarded sovereignty over the Åland Islands.
In 1954 Åland acquired its own flag, and in 1995, together with Finland, joined the EU. In 2002 the Finnish Mark was replaced by the Euro as the currency in Åland.
Mariehamn has much to offer tourists, the jewel of which is the Maritime Museum. The beautifully-preserved Pommern ship is moored in the harbour in front of the Museum, and has a fascinating history.
A four-masted, iron-hulled sailing ship, she was built in Glasgow in 1903 at the J. Reid & Co shipyard. The name Pommern derives from the German word for Pomerania, a historical region on the southern Baltic shore, today shared between Germany and Poland.
Originally one of the famous Flying P-Liners of the German company F. Laeisz, she was later acquired by Gustaf Erikson in Mariehamn, who used her to carry grain from the Spencer Gulf area in Australia to harbours in England and Ireland until the World War II. Thereafter she was donated to the Museum. Photographs showing dramatic pictures of life on a sailing ship rounding Cape Horn, taken by one of the sailors in 1933, can be found in the Maritime Museum in Greenwich.
Pommern has the reputation of being a “lucky ship” because she survived both World Wars unscathed, lost only four crew members at sea on her voyages, and won the Great Grain Races twice, in 1930 and in 1937. She is one of the most popular landmarks in Åland, and is visited by thousands of visitors annually.
The ship can be boarded, and an excellent audio-guide in several languages enables visitors to listen to the stories of the sailors who once lived and worked on her – their daily trials – such as arguments about the food, quarrels, and even a near-mutiny are retold in a lively manner.
The Museum brochure describes the exhibits perfectly: Living on an island surrounded by the mighty and unpredictable sea has a defining effect on people. The sea is omnipresent: it gives and takes, enchants and terrifies, soothes and distresses. The sea is the road to the world outside but also the border against it. At the Åland Museum you get to know Åland and its people as well as the influence the sea has on Åland society at large. Experience a world-class collection that tells living stories about real people – those who left and those who stayed at home. Stories of grief and longing, curiosity and friendship, monotony and drama on the even seas and back home on the island.
The Museum also has an archive containing letters, log books, charts and drawings, all available for further research on request.
The Åland Cultural History Museum and the Åland Islands Art Museum are two museums under one roof in Mariehamn. The Cultural History Museum traces the history of the islands from prehistoric times until the present day, and has displays representing the cultures of both Finland and Sweden. Many of the displays are representative of the local music, festivals, seafaring and wildlife. One of the exhibitions displays treasures found in the summer of 2010, from a shipwreck that happened in the Baltic Sea during the 19th century, and include the world’s oldest champagne & beer bottles! Particularly interesting are the recreated apothecary and interior tableaux.
The Art Museum houses a permanent collection of local art as well as interesting temporary exhibitions.
Tove Jansson: “Källskärstavlan” (1960)
Sigrid Granfelt: “Fox with Snowgrouse” (1895)
In the centre of Mariehamn, at the crossroads of two magnificent tree-lined avenues, stands St. Göran’s (George’s) Church.
The parish of Mariehamn was founded in 1905, with the services then held in the town primary school. But this church, designed by the architect Lars Sonck of Finstrom, and completed in 1927, was the result of a generous donation from a maritime councilor and his wife.
And if you’d like to relax with a massage or other treatment, I can recommend the lady at Decorus hudcenter (skin care centre) at Kopmansgatan 14, Tel. 040 720 4483. 
There are many gourmet restaurants and cozy cafes in and around Mariehamn. An excellent café for lunch or coffee and cake, also recommended by our Finnish friend Soili, is Bagarstugan, down a little side street called Ekonomiegatan, off the main picturesque but limited shopping street, Torggatan (above). Here we savoured delicious quiche and sandwiches with our friends from Stockholm.
The old Post and Toll House is located on Eckerö Island, which can be reached via a bridge from the main island. 
This imposing building became the westernmost outpost of the Russian Empire – hence its disproportionate grandeur for this isolated spot. Today the upper floor is used as an exhibition space, and I marveled at the exquisite fine arts and crafts displayed there.
Nearby is a Hunting and Fishing Museum, which tells the story of the tenacious fishermen who ensured that the post from Sweden was delivered safely every day whatever the weather. 
Near to Kastelholm Castle is the outdoor museum Jan Karlsgården where, on Wednesday mornings, there is a lively market where local arts and crafts are demonstrated and sold. These include handcrafts such as lace-making, spinning, rag rug-making, embroidery and quilting, and useful skills such as churning butter and brush-making.
Then there were the other “manly” tasks: rope-making, wooden roof tile-making, black-smithing and mending fishing nets,
and activities for the children. 
Founded in the 1930’s, the old Falun-red-painted buildings were brought to the museum from different parts of the Åland islands. The idea is to show visitors a traditional 19th century working farm, and includes a lovely dwelling house, a summer cottage, a granary on posts, a yard for the animals with stables, sheds, and storage buildings.
It was all most interesting and realistic, and a young chap entertained the visitors with merry folk melodies on his accordion.
Across the road from Jan Karlsgarden is the large restaurant Smakbyn, which serves both à la carte items and a buffet lunch.
This was where we tried the signature Åland pan cake (recipe at the end of this article.) This delicious dish actually contains porridge (usually semolina, though some islanders use pudding rice) and is served with a hearty dash of whipped cream and spicy stewed prunes. Delicious as a desert, popular with both locals and tourists alike, it is also an ideal snack for the cyclists swarming the islands during the summer months, searching for a carbo-load during a stop at one of the numerous cafés.
There are many forms of accommodation on the islands, from hotels to b&b’s, home rentals and camping. Friends of ours stayed at the Pommern Hotel in Mariehamn, and enjoyed it just as much the second time as they had the first a few years ago.
We always prefer to rent a stuga (cottage), and self-cater according to our own timetable and dietary preferences. This we found at Rundbergs Stugor, where Mina Rundberg welcomed us warmly and regaled us with tips about the local sights. A cleaning service and linen can be provided for extra fees.
I had chosen our stuga, 11 km from Mariehamn, for its location by a quiet little vik (cove) at Kungsö. This was the view from our front porch.
There are 4 other cottages on the property, varying in size and the number of people they accommodate, as well as a bastu (sauna cottage) and an iron barbecue.
Our cottage had everything we needed, although I always like to take my own sharp kitchen knives and linen wherever we stay. The weather turned chilly soon after our arrival, but there was more than enough hot water, and excellent heating throughout the cottage. The place was peaceful and quiet, with a beautiful view over our own little vik, with minimal noise from the neighbours. Definitely “eco-friendly accommodation close to nature”, booked through booking.com here .
Apart from the historical sights, museums and galleries, we enjoyed simply driving around the main islands in search of places recommended by Soili, such as Stallhagen, just outside the village of Godby in Finström. 
Here there is a pub and restaurant in an old red wooden building steeped in tradition. Inside is also a shop selling fine foods made from the local products, and beers brewed in the neighbouring Stallhagen brewery. Peter especially enjoyed the beers brewed with dark honey.
Although we drove around most of the time, we also saw many cyclists pedaling along designated pathways, also admiring the beautiful scenery. Indeed, like Gotland and Öland off Sweden’s southeast coast, these islands are a cyclist’s paradise.
The landscape is very similar to that of the Swedish countryside, with pine-scented forests, steel-grey granite outcrops, marshes, lakes, and groves of silver birch. This is reflected in the simple arts and crafts of the area, the interior decorations and souvenir items.
A lake just outside Mariehamn is populated with a vast flock of swans, which we henceforth named “Swan Lake”. The swan is the national bird of Finland.
There are lots of beautiful places to walk on the islands. One of our walks took us along the coast by the Sjokvarteret (Maritime Quarter) in Mariehamn, where there are craft stalls – especially the Salt chain for beautiful Åland arts and crafts – and restaurants. 
We had excellent pizzas at Pub Niska, with light crisp bases.
There’s also a large sailing-boat harbour at the Quarter, a small beach, and a delightful little park with peacocks and a summer gazebo.
There is much farmland on the islands, the fields of potatoes deceptive with their lavender-hued blossoms, 
wheat, and corn, orchards with laden apple trees, and meadows with brown-and-white cows.
We also enjoyed coming upon several “hidden gems”, such as a dairy selling delicious home-made yogurt.
Another gem was what appeared to be a summer “pop-up” café, where the bustling home-owner welcomed visitors into her pretty little garden for coffee and a piece of fresh-out-of-the-oven Åland pan cake.
The flowers were profuse at this time of year, especially the magnificent tall foxgloves, bright cerise “fire-weed” and fields of daisies and wildflowers. The brambles were laden with berries just beginning to ripen, and in autumn mushrooming is a popular pastime.
The archipelago’s cultural and natural landscapes – both above and below the sea – are some of the most diverse in Finland – the area has been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1994. Scientists work closely with the local communities, entrepreneurs, researchers and various organisations, to develop sustainable models of living and working in the archipelago. Their goals are positive development and a clean sea. This is much needed in the Baltic region, where Russia and several other states are responsible for polluting the water.
The Archipelago National Park has many nature paths, camping places and mooring jetties, with camping and fire-lighting only allowed at certain designated sites. Landing is not permitted on some islands during the bird-nesting season.
Åland is a paradise for birds, especially in spring, and they, in turn, are excellent natural fertilisers, responsible for the flowers that cover the rocky skerries. Other wild life includes sea eagles, grey seals, foxes, hares, roe deer, mink, pine martens and raccoon dogs. We were warned about the dangers too: the viper – distinguishable by the black zigzag pattern on its back and which is poisonous, and ticks, which cause Lyme disease and TBE. Be sure to tuck your trousers into your socks when walking through high grass!
We were also struck by the many splendid gardens in the towns and villages, some cluttered with endearing metal and plastic ornamental objects such as gnomes, reindeer, sundials and old cartwheels. Many home-owners still have an underground cold-storage room in their gardens, built into a small hillock. 
Many interesting events take place on Åland throughout the year, such as “Trotting races”, a “mail-rowing contest”, the “Grottloppet” (a run from the caves at Getabergen), a salmon-trolling contest, a “tractor cavalcade” and of course Midsummer Eve on the 21st June. I had seen a number of the particular Åland midsummer Maypoles, their fresh leaves now wilted, still standing in open plots. There is a special tradition behind these poles, with no two alike in the different villages. 
They carry symbols representative of different aspects of Åland life: the weather, shipping, farming, or other decorative paraphernalia born simply of a desire to create a more splendid pole that those of the neighbouring villages.
A Harvest Festival takes place in the autumn, and Christmas markets at Kastelholm in December. I was sorry that we had missed an Organ Festival and summer theatre earlier in June, and a Chamber Music Festival, Culture Night and Honey Festival, the following month, in August. Many of the concerts take place in the beautiful old medieval churches. Jazz and Blues performances also take place in August, as well as a Nordic folk song event and open-air pop concerts. A Viking Fair takes place at the end of July, and “Sea Days” – a programme focusing on maritime activities such as kayaking, sailing ship cruises, bark boat carving, and market stalls with street food and all kinds of beverages. Just like in Sweden, there are singalong gatherings in the parks all through the summer, where traditional folk songs are sung and a picnic supper enjoyed under the still high shining sun.
There are numerous outdoor activities, from fishing (for a fee or with a permit), boating, kayaking, hiking, golf and mini-golf to boule, bowling, curling and go-cart racing. Visitors can swim at the beaches, or in the large indoor pool in Mariehamn. They can also take boats to the other islands, and enjoy island-hopping the “pearls of the archipelago”: Själö, Utö, Jurmo, Örö and Högsåra, or take ferries to Turku, Hanko and other destinations on the Finnish mainland. There are the sign-posted Archipelago Trail (100+250 km) and the Coastal Route (200 km with 35 km at sea) for those who want to explore and experience the nature at their own pace.
To quote Terese Flöjt, chairperson of Visit Åland: Åland is safe and welcoming, whether visiting or moving in, you’ll always feel welcome. And, I guarantee that you’ll soon be adopting a whole new philosophy: island time!
Åland pan cake (serves 4)
Ingredients
100 ml semolina or white rice, or 150 ml farina
100 ml flour
1 litre milk
3 eggs
1 tsp salt
100 ml sugar
50 g butter
2 tsp cardamom – the “secret” ingredient
Method
Place the semolina in the milk, and warm until a porridge consistency forms. Allow to cool.
Mix the sugar, eggs, salt and cardamom separately, and then stir this, with the flour, into the semolina.
Spread the mixture into a greased baking pan and dot with butter.
Bake for about an hour at 200 C, or until the top is golden brown.
Serve hot or at room temperature with stewed spiced prunes, jam or rhubarb.
This pan cake can be frozen – if there is any left over! 
