Åland by Bike-2008

Over the course of 4 days, my friend Serge Moussay and I decided to hop on our bikes with camping gear in tow and travel to the islands of Åland. It is located midway between Sweden and Finland. 

About Åland: It is an interesting island because it is a Swedish speaking part of Finland. Åland has its own flag and has been a self-governing society since 1922. There are more than 6500 islands with 27000 inhabitants, most of which lives in the only city, Mariahamn. People came to Åland around 6000 years ago to catch seal, fish and birds. It is easy to guess why they stayed with more sunshine in the summer than any of its neighboring Nordic countries. Mainland Åland is quite small at 45 km from n-s and 50 km from e-w. Åland has 16 parishes which are the equivalent of counties. Whether asphalt or dirt, all roads are red in color from the granite rock that is unique to the province. 

Serge and I decided to travel here in the off-season not by design, but because it was a spontaneous decision. Given our experience with the Nordic countries "allemansrätt" which means the right of public access, we assumed it was not much different in Åland as well. This made our initial planning easier. With this ease came no reason or excuse for us not to venture down the roads of the mainland. Off we went.