We were up a bit earlier than usual and were at the ferry terminal gate at 9am. The ferry duly arrived and we were aboard just after 9.30 for departure at 10. All very straightforward. The boat was quite busy but by no means full. We settled ourselves in a comfortable bar area next to a window and ate sandwiches and coffee that we'd taken with us. This ferry is used by many for day trips as I think the duty free shop is an attraction. What the Swedes also seem to like is bingo. A man with a microphone announced it and a large number of passengers went over to queue for bingo cards. When he started the calling, we "made our excuses and left".
We spent the rest of the two hour voyage on a top deck in the open. The weather was breezy but otherwise perfect and we enjoyed looking out at various rocky islets.
We disembarked at Storby and went straight to Käringsunds, a little resort and camp site a couple of miles up the coast. We parked by an inlet lined with wooden fishermen's sheds. Our Lonely Planet mentioned the Bodega Gastropub here. We saw the menu and, it being around 1pm, resolved to have lunch out, only to find that, in September, it opens only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Instead, we made do with our breakfast cereals that we hadn't had time for earlier and the rest of the sandwiches. Oh well.
When we met Paul and Sheila Langford the week before last, Paul mentioned a good camp site on Eckerö, Söderhagen Camping, near the hamlet of Torp. We arrived at reception and found that the owner, Sven Eklund, was in the car following us so he welcomed us immediately. Name dropping Paul and Sheila obviously made a difference. He told us to go and find a pitch we liked and he would be along later. That was at about 3pm and we've seen nothing of him since. Maybe he'll be around in the morning.
We were the only occupants on the site. It is quite lovely, on raised ground overlooking a wide inlet which splits in two the lower part of Eckerö. Walking down to the water's edge, we found a number of rowing boats (Sven offered the use of one at no extra charge), a wooden jetty stretching for about fifty yards into the inlet and also a sauna in a wooden shed - all very Scandinavian. The whole scene was idyllic.
Later this afternoon, a German lad on a motor bike turned up - Stefan from Paderborn. We chatted for a while and shared the site kitchen with him before he went off to get the sauna going. As he is camping, the sauna might warm him up as it is going to be quite a cold night. Autumn has set in rather quickly.
Our original plan had been to take the ferry from Sweden directly to Turku on the coast of Finland. We had never heard of Åland. It is an autonomous part of Finland, has its own stamps and tax regime and is very much a foodie paradise. The main town is Mariehamn, which we shall probably visit the day after tomorrow. Our plans, such as they were, have been thrown up in the air, and we may spend a few days exploring the various habitable islands in the archipelago.
Amanda
So now we are in Finland - at least I think we
are. I'm not sure that Ålanders actually consider themselves Finnish.
They have their own Parliament, their own flag, their own stamps and
a special arrangement, apparently, with the EU which means that the
whole of Åland has duty free status. Hence the ferries and day
trips. The ferry was an interesting experience. There was a large
proportion of foot passengers, and at 350SEK, less than £3.50,
for the crossing without a vehicle it's hardly surprising. Lockers
were provided so that people could shop in the duty free shop and
stow it away for the duration of the journey. The ferry was not full
by any means, fortunately, and was comfortable enough for a two hour
crossing, but basic. We were sitting in the bar area, where we had a
good view out. Then we realised that people were queuing up
for ...... bingo cards! By then the sun was shining, so we spent the
rest of the crossing up on deck in the sunshine and exhilarating
wind, as the ferry made its way through the outlying islands, some of
them no bigger than a large rock, to the small port of Storby on the
island of Eckerö. Two kilometres up the coast is the little resort of
Käringsunds. We were very taken with the menu of a little restaurant
there called Bodegans (everything here is little!) So much so that
we thought we would lunch there .... but it is very much end of
season here and it was closed. The season definitely ends
mid-August, and we fear that we are going to find most of the tourist
places, museums and suchlike, closed. However, the whole area does
seem to be a bit of a foodie heaven, so we are hopeful of finding
some culinary delights somewhere. We then headed for this campsite,
Söderhagen, not far south of Storby, recommended by Paul and Sheila
who we met back at Falun and Färnebofjärden. It is a family run
business, very rustic feeling, and a file in the kitchen gives the
history of how it has been built up slowly over 20 years. Sven, the
owner, met us when we arrived, but we haven't yet seen him again to
pay. There is a sauna at the waterside, and boats which we could use
if we wanted. We think we shall stay here for a couple of nights at
least. We thought that we would have the whole place to ourselves,
but a personable German student, Stefan, on a motorbike, has turned
up. We spent an enjoyable time chatting with him as we all cooked and
ate in the kitchen. We have supplied him with candles so that he can
go and have a sauna. They are of the insect repelling variety, so I
hope he survives OK! It was nice and warm in the kitchen, but pretty
chilly outside. A blast of heater in the Campervan was needed, and
neither of us feels like venturing out again for a shower! Maybe
Stefan had the right idea.
No comments:
Post a Comment