Trip Report: The Nation Few Have Heard Of

A Swedish-speaking country with defense and Customs provided by Finland, the Åland Islands are the nation few Americans have ever heard of and it's even generally unknown even among Europeans.

 

Arriving yesterday in the capitol city of Mariehamn on cruise ferry MV Viking Glory. The nation uses the Euro for currency but has its own flag and issues its own postage stamps. It's autonomous for nearly all matters.

The capitol is a cute little town located on just one of over 6000 islands and skerries that make up Åland. The town is full of shops, restaurants, coffee shops, offices and banks.

But outside of a couple larger towns, the islands are generally rural. While a member of the European Union, a special tax exemption allow ships traveling between the islands and Finland and Sweden to continue to offer tax free sales on board so they all stop here for 15 minutes or so. Now you know about this tiny, unknown Scandinavian nation that few have ever heard of!