Note: Javascript is disabled in your browser.
You need to enable Javascript if you want to see images and video.
Introducing Vaasa
Located at the slender waist of the Gulf of Bothnia and a bare 45 nautical miles from Sweden, it's no surprise that a cultural duality exists in Vaasa (Swedish: Vasa). A quarter of the population here speak Swedish as their first language, and the city has a feel all of its own. You'll hear conversations between friends and colleagues in restaurants and bars flitting between Finnish and Swedish, often in the same sentence, but, even after centuries, it still feels a little like a border town that is torn between two masters.
We're beyond the 63rd parallel here - in the Southern Hemisphere we'd have reached bits of Antarctica - and in the minds of many southern Finns, this is already 'The North'. Thus, although Vaasa isn't huge, it feels like a metropolis compared to the much smaller settlements around. It has a lively, bustling air, and is a popular family holiday destination in summer, thanks to its waterside location and adventure park. The surrounding countryside and nearby islands are easily accessible; in spring, nesting waterbirds crowd its shorelines, and you feel the wilderness is never that far away.
Advertisement
