July 28, 23:41

Announced by a lighthouse

and overtaken by a boat,

We reached the Åland islands around 11pm, the first and last stop on the way to Helsinki.

Funnily enough (or maybe not), the red light had moved from west to north, falling behind the harbor

where another Viking Line ship was anchored, empty.

We docked next to it,

and when turning around, a Silja Line ship was coming, “competition”. They are more expensive, and it seems with newer and shinier ships.

It tuuuurned

and parked close to us

so we could exchange waves with people aboard. I don’t know where this impulse of waving to unknown people you meet like this comes from, but it’s fun.

By the time Silja was anchored, we were already on our way,

drifting apart,

faster and faster, till you could barely see the ships.

Suddenly I saw how the light had stayed only on the left side of the sky, the other was pitchdark, quite clearly delimited.

Not long after that, we were out of the islands, and immersed, a small flicker of light, deep into the night.