I’ve been here for only two days, and I’m already convinced that Aland is fabulous. Rachel and I flew in from Helsinki on Sunday night. We had no trouble finding our hotel, and we’ve been easily walking and busing our way around the main island ever since. Aland is very friendly to foot and bike traffic. The roads and foot/bike paths run side-by side and, in some cases, the road creates a bridge over a walking and biking path. If you do need to cross a street, the cars stop for pedestrian and bike traffic immediately. I love the safe, small-town feel of everything! A few highlights of Mariehamn, the main city on Aland, and the surrounding area:

 

 

 

 

At this point, I also want to give a shout out to the Aland tour brochure we picked up at the airport and the Finland Lonely Planet guide – both have been essential in making navigation simple! Tomorrow, Rach and I will try out the biking paths of Aland, and then we’ll catch an overnight ferry back to Helsinki for our final two days in this part of the world. It’s been lovely so far!