Tuesday 11 August 2015

One more discovery: Seglinge

Still in Lappo we started checking what could possibly be our next destination. And since that was a summer of getting to know the Turku archipelago better and discover new places, we picked one we knew nothing about: Seglinge
Sailing was great, weather was perfect, it was a very enjoyable leg of about 30 nautical miles. On the way I was really impressed by the little open sailing boat, that had no cabins or interior at all, and came to the archipelago all the way from Denmark... I wish I was that brave! :)


When approaching our destination I took someone's private summer cottage for harbour and was wandering why the pier is so small and where are the other boats :D 


At first glimps the place did not seem anything special to me. But the best was yet to come! It became one of the best places we saw last year. After paying the harbour fee and talking to the harbour keepers we went to the shop to fill up our grocery storage.


Again Seglinge was one of those places where carrying two bikes on board for the whole summer vacation pays off :) Grocery visit was done much faster by biking there and after that we were ready for the island discovery. 


We were told by the harbour keepers about the old windmill, inner lake and swimming area. So off we went! Must confess though that we never reached the lake. We were already very close, but the path to see it lies through a very green and moist area, so the amount of biting mosquitos made the walk unbearable and at the very last moment both of us lost patience and rushed back to the bigger road where the bicycles were left, leaving clouds of attacking vampires behind.


So there is still a part of this place for us to discover next time, lets put it this way :) The views on the island were really great! You could see the harbour from the main road, sea was glittering in the sun... summer was at its best.



 

By the time we were back to the harbour, there were no more places left. And also it was time for the local market to begin! Local inhabitants had a great idea of keeping the market on Mondays, so we were at the right place at the right time, without even knowing aobut it :)


You could buy there all kind of stuff: home made jams, juices, ciders, buiscuits, pancakes, archipelago black bread, smoked fish, herbs, handicraft items... list can be continued :)





 
This, by the way, was the only place where we got to eat smocked perch. It was delicios and was sold out in no time! By the time I had a round for taking pictures that was all what was left! 


This young seller attracted us for two reasons: the first one was the real fresh pancake from Åland. I have heard of them earlier, but never got to to try one! It was high time :) Home made apple jam gave a delicios touch to it :) And the second reason to shop at this desk was to support the dreams of this young lady: with the earned money she was hoping to buy either a rabbit or a new mobile phone :)



I think we should go visiting there again, maybe we will get to meet the rabbit ;)






Thursday 6 August 2015

Lappo


After a couple of month of break, back to blog :) It's been a while since the last post... and still this one, as well as couple of the posts to come, are from the summer 2014. 

The next stop for us was Lappo's harbor. The weather was perfect, we sailed for the most part of the trip. And when approaching the pier wind was important to consider, since inner side of the harbour is well covered and protected from the waves, but the outer side is open to the wind from certain directions and thus is open to the waves as well. We were lucky to arrive early enough and to ensure 
ourselves a place on the inner side :) 


On arrival we went exploring the place. Apart from the harbor facilities, it offers services of a grocery store and a restaurant. Of course, whenever possible, we were happy to have a dinner out and reserved a table for the evening. Though, I must say, the food did not impress us at all, maybe our expectation were a bit too high ;)


The facilities building is not very new, it is in ok condition, but I must say that I found the women's shower rather small and with bad ventilation, there was steam all over the place and it was almost impossible to get yourself dry and get dressed. Though the sign in the WC made me smile, there is a picture of it below :)



Anyway, after the meal and when the heat decreased (what a luxury was the weather last summer! :D), we headed for an evening walk. On the way we saw a soccer field, where village kids of all ages were plaing together in the sunset light. It was a heartwarming view and a pleasure to see how much fun they had despite the age or sex difference. 



By the end of the day the harbor was full. We had a relaxing rest of the evening on the deck, enjoying the warm evening with a glass of sparkling and some snacks. Tomorrow is a new day and a there will be a new place to explore.