International Siggy Swap - Johanna "Joke" Faber

This lovely moose comes from Johanna Faber of Sweden. These siggies are very educational! I learned that Sweden calls itself Sverige, and that Söderhamn is on the Gulf of Bothnia, which is the gulf off of the Baltic Sea between Finland and Sweden, or should I say, between Suomi and Sverige. It looks lovely, if this site is any indication. Söderhamn is on the coast of southern Hälsingland, which is a province of Sweden. It would be lovely to visit there someday, but in June, not March!
























I was looking up Söderhamn , when I discovered that there are islands between Finland and Sweden (who knew?). They are tiny little Baltic bits called Åland (pronounced o-land) and have a very interesting history. They speak Swedish, but have been an autonomous part of Finland since 1921. The most interesting thing I read was this: "The islanders enjoyed safety at sea during WWII as their merchant fleet sailed for both the allied countries and the Germans. Consequently Åland shipping was not generally attacked as each side rarely knew what cargo was being carried for whom." Fascinating; and I didn't even know they were there.