travelogue: aland, finland

for my birthday getaway, we went to aland, in finland's archipelago.  aland is spacious and quiet.  visiting outside of peak season, it felt like we had the island to ourselves.  it's truly a wonderland.


mariehamm

mariehamm is the main town in aland.  we didn't spend time there but did stop by the harbour to stretch our legs after the ninety minute car ride to the ferry and another two hour ferry ride.  we were eager to get to our cottage in the woods.

basto hotel

due to the time of year, there weren't many accommodation options available as things begin to close around mid october.  in the end we were happy with our choice.  basto hotel is a lovely authentic experience with the friendliest couple operating things.  

we were lucky enough to spend time with yolanda and her husband.  we shared after dinner drinks one night listening to their stories as new hotel managers and their passion to transform the hotel into a great one with major renovations in the works and offering more personal service.  one morning we breakfasted together and when they learned it was my birthday they opened up a bottle of procesco (!) to celebrate and they gifted me the most delicious cocoa covered almonds.  they are a delightful and fun-loving couple.  yolanda, if you are reading this, thank you for a beautiful few days.

sauna

nothing is more finnish than a sauna and apparently it's good for you too.  so, we saunaed!  you warm up nicely so stepping outside isn't really that cold.  what's cold is the dip in the lake, it takes your breath away and some choice words may escape your lips.  but the post-dip feeling is truly blissful and so you talk yourself into doing it again!  

getabergen hike

i also wanted to hike and we found ourselves a lovely one.  getabergen, on the northern end of aland, offers a magnificent vantage point 107 meters above the sea level.  it was a wonderland experience, especially coming upon the sea of rock piles.  it was a pretty amazing sight. of course, we built our own too!   the trail leads to the geta caves (a refuge for the local population during the war of the early 1700s), rock formations, and to the harbour. 

eating well

smakbyn - translates to taste village - is a gorgeous space with with equally gorgeous food.  at the time, we didn't know it but michael bjorklund is finland's award-winning chef.  he is super friendly, greeting his guests, and passionately talking about his food.  he wants to celebrate aland's culinary traditions.  we learned that the delicious black bread - even better when slathered with aland's most creamy butter - is a recipe from his mother-in-law.  the chef jokes to stay away from the butter as he points to his belly :)  he says aland is famous for its apples, 70% of finland's apples come from aland, and we can taste why.  smakbyn also incorporates a lovely farm shop, cooking classes, and distillery of spirit.

aland's microbrewery and pub, stallhagen, was another gem.  had we not known about it we would never crossed paths with it as it is hidden away down a long side road in a lovely old wooden building overlooking the woods.  they incorporate a 'slow beer' mentality, focusing on quality rather then quantity.  stefan loved their beer and brought back several bottles.  he was especially interested in the 170 year old beer - found in a wreck in the aland islands a few years ago - stallhagen recreated.  the pub focuses on locally produced ingredients with a daily changing menu, which results in a delicious meal.

read more about smakbyn and stallhagen in this article. 

havsvidden is a luxury hotel that i had looked into for our stay but it was ridiculously expensive.  its meant to have a very good restaurant so i thought we'd stop by for fika but when it turned out to be closed for the season we walked around the grounds and peeked into the cottages.  wow!  so stunning with its rocky cliffs and own harbour.  the scenery is amazing.  if you have the monies, stay here!

bombersund fortress

 

on our last day, before boarding the ferry, we walked around the bombersund fortress, a russian military structure that was bombarded heavily from the sea in the 1800s during the crimean war.  the ruins stretch for 4km and it makes for a most atmospheric sight.  kai, especially, had a great time playing make believe with his dad and running and climbing along the ruins.

country roads

it was a sweet little getaway.  driving along aland's roads we came across a row of boathouses, an 18th century castle sitting prettily on an inlet, meandering sheep, yellow trees with floating leaves and cute red houses.  all making for a very scenic few days in the country.