Saturday we had great plans as we found out that Ålands pride and joy, besides its butter and cheese, was a potato chip factory located smack dab in the middle of the island. This was perfect, as we could loop by on our drive out to the eastern-most part. If you have been following along, you would now know we have collected already the western and northern point badges. We probably got a little carried away there, but after such a healthy breakfast, we had to challenge ourselves to feel just a bit sick before the day was over.

What we also found was an old Russian fortress: Bomarsund. This massive fort (unfinished despite over 20 years of building, with only 2 of 12 towers completed) was sieged by English-French armies in 1854 and quickly overtaken. It was the only battle here, and led to a swift demilitarization of the island. Apparently, the designers of the fort didn’t think ships could fit through the narrow passage way that would essentially allow it to be attacked from all sides … oops. They were wrong! If only they could have first tested using synthetic data... :)

Eric McDermott

Their journey might have ended there – but ours surely did not. After a quick prance in a sunflower field, and with the most eastern point still to come, we took two small cable ferries and drove until we couldn’t drive anymore. Then, we pulled out our two come-everywhere-with-us bright orange “do epic things” towels, and had a picnic on the rocks while we, and they, were battered by wind and water, to create a truly Byronic ambiance. On the way back, we stopped to take some photos here and there of the island landscape, but we had planned a great feast tonight! And a great feast we did have! 

Eric McDermott