Mariehamn, Aland Islands - who knew???

Having now spent our first night on the ship, we awake to find we are docked in Mariehamn, the capital of the Aland Islands, an archipelago spanning approximately 6,700 islands, which sit halfway between Finland and Sweden. I can confess I had not previously, consciously, heard of the Aland Islands, let alone Mariehamn, but here we are and we're about to be educated!

As seems to be the case with many areas in Scandinavia, ownership has changed many times over the course of history, but currently (and presumably for the foreseeable future) the Aland Islands are an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty, so theoretically, we are in Finland. This is quite exciting as, ignorantly, I had no idea we were going to Finland on this trip.

Approximately 30,000 people live in the 30 or so inhabited islands which had, until the early 1800's been part of Sweden, and to this day they both speak Swedish and identify culturally with Sweden. They have their own Government of 30 elected representatives and also have one seat in the Finnish Parliament. That's a scary amount of politicians for a relatively small population!!

Mariehamn itself has a total population of around 15,000 and is a very pretty town that sits between two harbours and attracts over 2 million visitors each year. It seems like this tiny part of the world is punching well above its weight in terms of both politician and tourist to resident ratios.

Our chosen activities for the day are a guided tour of the city and nearby areas in the morning, followed by a nature hike in the afternoon. The hike has been classed as 'demanding' with a duration of 5 hours, including the 1.5 hours return bus ride and coffee and pancakes at the end. As yet we don't really have a grasp of the fitness level of our fellow passengers but, all indications to date would point to the fact there won't be too many people on the tour with us. However, as we head off, the bus is full of eager nature lovers.

Sadly it transpired that many, despite all communication to the contrary, had taken the title 'nature hike' to mean a small walk through nature whilst the guide explained the history of the rock formations and the various moss and lichens, and the level of activity may have come as a bit of a shock. Ultimately only about half the group completed the entire hike with, sadly many struggling, requiring the guide to hang back whilst the rest of us forged ahead, some virtually running, presumably to ensure they didn't miss out on the pancakes.

It was bitterly cold but amazing to be out in the fresh air in Finland of all places!!

Back on the ship we enjoy a few drinks, dinner and a nightcap in the bar listening to Mark, the resident guitarist/vocalist generally feeling like life is good!

Tomorrow is a sea day as we sail south on the Baltic Sea to our next port (or so we think) of Gdansk, Poland.