Lemböte to Mariehamn, 23km
I stayed the night in Valentina’s Italian Villa in Lemböte, Lemland. Valentina was charming and the experience was authentically Italian because she was. She cooked me a ragu pasta with a side salad for dinner. Breakfast was at a lazy Mediterranean 8:30am, an hour when most Nordic people are already contemplating lunch. However the rain was falling outside so I was in no rush. Valentina said it wouldn’t rain today which I assumed was a translation error.
Breakfast was good and I made a cheese roll for lunch. I had the same dilemma as yesterday about the route but today I chose the cycle path over the lichen way for the first section owing to the persistent rain. Anyway, the trail soon joined the cycle path and led me to St Olav’s church at Jomala. Once again there was no pilgrim stamp inside the church but looking at my photos, I wonder if it was hidden in a little red box behind the 914km milestone.
The church contained several interesting artifacts, often donated by sailors over the centuries.
Mariehamn is the capital of Åland and has an extensive sea front with plenty of yachts and pleasure craft and a pedestrian shopping street which happily lacked any recognizable brand. The bustle of urban life came as a shock after a week out on the islands.
Pilgrimage 
How many babies have been baptised in that font over the past 800 years, I wonder?
I don’t know but I always try to imagine myself at the font. What a start to life!
Another interesting day…will you go back to look in the red box?
I’m afraid the contents of that red box must remain a mystery but I expect that’s where it was
Hello Tim,
You seem to be having an interesting walk. Will they let you into the next town if you haven’t got a stamp from the little red box? Great photos and blog. Enjoy the rest of your walk.
Suzi
Hi Suzi, it’s full of interest. I love Scandinavia. I’d be in trouble without any stamps if I was going all the way to Trondheim
Lovely photos. I like the idea of the flowers in the stump.
That was a good use for a stump, very photogenic
Are you all lichen-ed out yet Tim? 😆
Apart from birds & reptiles, any other or bigger wildlife? I’m assuming the size of some islands would limit it maybe?
I’m down with Influenza A…it’s rampant in Tassie this winter. 😷
I love the lichen, so much structure and so many colours especially when growing on the local red granite. There’s quite a few deer running around but the wolves went in the time when nobody worried about that sort of thing. Sorry to hear you’ve gone down with influenza A. I expect it’s on its way over here ready for our winter