Ålands Idrottscenter, Godby - Friday, 9 September

Geoff
Quite a full day today. First on our agenda was to visit Jankarlsgården. This is an open air museum of typical rural buildings of Åland. It was established in 1931 and is named after a local farmer, Jan Karls, whose farmhouse is the main exhibit. There is also a summer cottage and numerous barns, stables, four windmills of different kinds and even a smoke sauna, used as an ordinary sauna but also for smoking meats, all of which have been brought from their original locations in the islands and reconstructed. Admission to the museum was free but would have been worth paying for.

Within the museum site, there is also a small prison building called Vita Björn (white bear). It is stone built and was actually in use in its present location from the 1800s until 1975. One half of it comprises four prison cells, each representing particular periods, showing how a prisoner would have lived at various times. The other half of the building would have been occupied by the warder and his family and was in 1930s style.

Leaving here, we went to investigate some buildings over the road with a cafe/restaurant sign (crossed knife and fork) and the name Smakbyn. There were tables and chairs outside but nothing else to indicate what it was. On going inside, we found a shop display of crafts and wines for sale. It also appeared to be a restaurant with some lovely aromas of cooking. We ordered coffee and one each of a local speciality we had read about, Åland pancakes (Ålandspannkaka). This is a rice puddingy base with cardamom-marinated prunes, topped with whipped cream. Further south, the base is made with semolina so we shall have to track that down. One word for it - yum! It was only this evening that I read Lonely Planet about the place -
"The brainchild of award-winning chef Michael 'Micke' Björklund, this 'taste village' incorporates a farm shop, cookery courses (with/without drinks €90/120), distillery making spirits like Ålvados (Åland-apple calvados; tours and tastings available), bar, and an airy open-kitchen restaurant using seasonal organic produce in dishes like parsnip cheesecake with air-dried ham and pickled chanterelles, and butter-fried perch in shellfish sauce with crayfish compote."
Tempting to go back there! However, he also has a place in Mariehamn which we shall have to find.

Just a short distance down the road was Kastelholms slott, a castle dating back to the 1300s and originally built as a fortified stronghold. It was added to over the years. The Swedish 16th century king, Gustav Vasa, who we have come across a number of times during this trip, spent time here and one of his sons was imprisoned here. We followed a numbered trail around the castle building with boards at various points giving information and history, going up and down stairs and along raised walkways. It was really well done. I was persuaded to try on a rather heavy suit of chain mail and a helmet.

After this, we drove to Godby, vaguely looking for somewhere to spend the night. Godby is a nothing sort of place. We called in at the sports centre, where we knew they had hostel accommodation. Amanda worked well on this and we have ended up being able to park in their car park right next to the hostel, for which we have a key and access to their kitchen, loos and shower. It is all very good and we were charged €15. There is also wifi. We keep landing on our feet but I have warned that there may come a day when we spend a night parked in a lay-by somewhere.

We called in at a large supermarket just down the road. I was aware that Godby has a micro brewery, Stallhagen, and the supermarket stocked its beers. We bought a couple of bottles. We then actually drove to the brewery. There was a restaurant and bar but it was easier to have bought the beers where we did.

Amanda thought she had picked up a few ticks on her feet. I don't know what they were but they weren't ticks. I then found what definitely a tick just below my left kneecap. Fortunately, I had brought a tick remover with me. A nasty little blood sucking beast.

We have spent the evening in the hostel kitchen cooking, eating and taking showers as well as FaceTiming children and grandchildren. We chatted to a Swedish man who was over here to buy a sizeable quantity of a particular kind of paint which he will resell in Sweden. He told us of his hobby of collecting 1970s push button telephones. He has twenty five in different colours. He also told of the summer house that he and his parents/grandparents have rented since 1920 on a lake about two hours from Stockholm which sounded idyllic. He gave us each a plum from his garden.

We are going to the islands' main town of Mariehamn tomorrow to make enquiries about ferries to the mainland. There is lots to see and do there. The campsite there is now closed for the season so we haven't any idea yet where we shall be tomorrow night - it may be a lay-by!

Amanda

Every day has been special, but today has been particularly full and enjoyable. We started with the open air museum of fascinating 19th century buildings this morning, a real insight into the life of the Åland farming communities of the time. The buildings had been brought to the site from various different islands. Also on the site, having been there and in use for centuries, was the old prison building. The three cells had each been furnished differently to show how they would have been from 1800 to 1975 when it was last used as a jail. With several exhibits of chains, and other daunting stuff, and the jail master's family quarters furnished as they would have been at around the turn of the century, it was very interesting, and made more so by having a personal guide in our young lady from last night, who was on duty there today. We had the whole place to ourselves for nearly all the time we were there. In fact we only saw two other groups of people there and in the castle later, one with a Russian numberplate.

We had thought to have coffee in the museum cafe, but it wasn't open. However, as we went down the hill to the castle we realised that the large smart building we passed was possibly a restaurant, and seemed to be open, so we went to investigate. It was in fact an extremely smart restaurant and conference centre, Smakbyn, with a gift shop full of lovely things! So here we enjoyed coffee and our first taste of Åland pancakes. Scrummy.

Next stop, the castle. Too much to describe everything here, but again full of interest and historical information  and restored lovingly. Loads of stairways to go up and down to walk off the pancakes! With encouragement from the young man on duty, I persuaded Geoff to try on the chain mail and helmet in the dressing up corner, and have the photo to prove it!

We wanted to go to Godby, which is right in the middle of Åland, to investigate a micro-brewery. But first we needed to establish a place to stay for the night. Over our leisurely coffee break we had spent some time on the internet researching various options for travelling to Turku, on the Finnish mainland, and had also established that nearly all the campsites are now closed!  In Godby we found the  Åland Idrottcenter, which is a sports centre, swimming pool, Tourist Information Centre and large modern Youth Hostel. Once again, we explained that we were looking for somewhere to stop for the night. The man on duty said we could stay in their car park (the fact that we are only little seems to help) We negotiated a stay in their car park, with use of the Youth Hostel facilities for 15 euros. Kitchen/lounge, with a freezer to freeze ice packs, loos, showers and wifi! We feel very fortunate, but are fully aware that we are not always going to fall on our feet!

Godby is not actually a town - it seems Mariehamn, our next stop, is the only proper town on Åland - but seems to consist of just some houses, this Centre, and what resembles a small out of town shopping precinct. At the supermarket there we found two more treats, Geoff bought some beer from the microbrewery, to make sure we got some, and I found two slices of Princess Tort just waiting to be tried. Two very wicked treats in one day.

A quick trip to the brewery established that its main attraction was a bistro, which looked great but was not for us today. So back to our spot in the Idrottcenter car park for tea and Princess Tort.  It was delicious, very light and fluffy, and mostly cream. I won't feel the need to have it again though.

My feet have been suffering from itchy insect bites for the last two days - walking through grass in sandals was not a good idea - and this afternoon I was convinced I had picked up ticks. Geoff investigated but assured me that the little black spots he removed from the tops of my feet were not ticks. Ironically, he later discovered a real, actual tick embedded just below his knee!! It has now been removed using his nifty Tick Removing Gadget.

We have spent the evening in the Youth Hostel, where we have seen only three people, one of them a member of staff. Having cooked and eaten supper, enjoyed one of the bottles of beer, showered, caught up with the children and all the grandchildren on FaceTime, and now finished the blog ready to post in the morning, it is time for bed. Has all that really happened in one day?