A sublime place

I was in the small harbour of Sandvik on the island of Kokar which itself is located at the eastern edge of the Aland Isles.  I’d happily changed my courtesy flag from the Finnish one to the one belonging to the Alands after leaving Borsto the day before.   Getting to Sandvik, if you recall, had been hard work.  Strong adverse winds and choppy seas made it a difficult and uncomfortable sail and I was glad to tie up after a long day.  I was taking the following day off since more bad weather was expected and I borrowed a bike from the harbour/camping office and went exploring.  The first place of interest I found was simply delightful. The local church with an ancient Franciscan Chapel alongside it, both perched on the end of the  island of Hamno which is connected to Kokar by a roadbridge (more of a trackbridge since as soon as I’d cycled over it the metalled surface ended and a dirt track began).  When I reached the church and Franciscan Chapel I was utterly enchanted. They sat on a promontory overlooking the sea and surrounding islands and I cannot find adequate words to describe the serenity and beauty of the place. It was a gnawing, haunting beauty that touches your soul.  There was no sign of life and, as I often find in the Baltic, the total silence was deafening.  I walked around the graveyard (always fascinating places for me), then the church and finally the Franciscan Chapel.  This was truly incredible, constructed of roughly hewn stones with a central pulpit and a kind of elevated walkway surrounding a large pit in the middle.  To think Franciscan monks had built this and worshipped here hundreds of years ago was phenomenal and I was truly transfixed by the place.

After taking my fill of this breathtaking beauty I moved on and found the tiniest harbour about 4 kilometres down the road.  A woman and small child were the only people I saw and again I was struck by the beauty of the place.  A few local boats were moored up to a rickety jetty and evidence of wooden boat repairs was scattered around.  On the ride back I passed a sign warning of moose.  If you recall one had swum across my path months beforehand when on my way east.  I hoped another would cross my pass now but sadly no.  They were doing something else that day.

All in all my visit to Sandvik and the island upon which it stands was memorable.  A sublime place indeed.