Sweden & Finland: Autumn in the Gulf of Bothnia (Southbound)

Stockholm is a city in the flush of its second youth. Since the mid-1990s, Sweden's capital has emerged from its cold, Nordic shadow to take the stage as a truly international city. What started with entry into the European Union in 1995 gained pace with the extraordinary IT boom of the late 1990s, strengthened with the Skype-led IT second wave of 2003, and solidified with the hedge-fund invasion that is still happening today as Stockholm gains even more global confidence. And despite more recent economic turmoil, Stockholm's 1 million or so inhabitants have, almost as one, realized that their city is one to rival Paris, London, New York, or any other great metropolis.With this realization comes change. Stockholm has become a city of design, fashion, innovation, technology, and world-class food, pairing homegrown talent with an international outlook. The streets are flowing with a young and confident population keen to drink in everything the city has to offer. The glittering feeling of optimism, success, and living in the here and now is rampant in Stockholm.Stockholm also has plenty of history. Positioned where the waters of Lake Mälaren rush into the Baltic, it’s been an important trading site and a wealthy international city for centuries. Built on 14 islands joined by bridges crossing open bays and narrow channels, Stockholm boasts the story of its history in its glorious medieval old town, grand palaces, ancient churches, sturdy edifices, public parks, and 19th-century museums—its history is soaked into the very fabric of its airy boulevards, built as a public display of trading glory.

Mariehamn is the capital of the fractured Åland Islands, an autonomous region of Finland, which encompasses some 6,700 islands and skerries, which spray out across the Gulf of Bothnia towards Sweden. There's ample opportunity to stretch your legs here, with every outdoor activity imaginable available, and you can breathe in the freshest sea air you’ve ever tasted, as you kayak between islands, stroll flower-speckled fields, and sizzle in outdoor hot tubs. Known for being one of the Baltic’s sunniest destinations, you’ll also find a healthy supply of charming beaches, where you can lap up the rays. The region serves as a gateway to the Gulf, and has been a key witness to countless struggles and tussles over the years. It has a proud maritime heritage, and you can take a voyage through the exhibitions of the Aland Maritime Museum to learn more. See the genuine pirate flag on display - which is one of only three known to still be in existence. Its ominous skull and crossbones are sure to shiver your timbers. You can also experience life aboard an ocean-faring ship from Mariehamn's past, as you climb aboard the mighty, four-masted Pommern windjammer ship, which was donated to the museum once World War II had concluded.

Known for the Kiel Canal and Kiel Week, the city boasts an important maritime history. Kiel is also a great place to sight-see, do some shopping and take part in one of the many festivals taking place there.