Eckerö

Eckerö is the westernmost parish of Åland, the point where the islands face Sweden across the Åland Sea and the ferry from Grisslehamn comes in. Its landmark is the Post and Customs House, a grand building designed by Carl Ludvig Engel for the tsar's mail route, far bigger than the village ever needed, because it was meant to impress the Swedes across the water. The old mail boat crossing is remembered in a small museum inside it. Käringsund harbour is ringed with red boathouses, the Hunting and Fishing Museum stands beside it, and the sand beach at Degersand faces west for the evening sun.