Vaasa has the odd distinction of being a city that moved. In 1852 a great fire destroyed the old town, and instead of rebuilding on the same spot, the authorities decided to start again a few kilometres to the north-west on the coast, with a grid of wide streets, a grand esplanade and a new harbour. The old site is now called Korsholm, and you can still find the ruins of the medieval parish church and the old wooden buildings. The newer city is an orderly, airy place, with a long park down the middle, and the sea at its edge.
Vaasa is on Finland's west coast, in Ostrobothnia, where a large Swedish-speaking minority lives alongside Finnish speakers, so signs are in two languages and the town is Vasa as well as Vaasa. The name goes back to the Vasa dynasty of Swedish kings. The city is known for its energy industry, with engine makers and wind-power companies, and for a lively student culture. The harbour area has a seafront promenade, and in summer the terraces fill with people eating ice cream and drinking beer.
The land here is flat. The Ostrobothnian plain is a vast agricultural area with large farms, red wooden barns and long straight roads, and the coast is made of shallow bays and low islands because the land is rising out of the sea after the last ice age. The riding is straight and easy, with little traffic, and it has a calm, almost meditative quality. Enforcement of speed limits is strict in Finland, with fines linked to income, so keep within the limits. Between May and September the days are very long, and in June the sun barely sets. Winter riding is out of the question, with ice and snow from November to March.
Fuel stations are numerous in a city of nearly sixty thousand, with Korsholm next door providing more. Finns drink a great deal of coffee, and a cup with a cinnamon bun is the standard break. The famous local delicacy is the Baltic herring, fried or smoked, and the markets sell it in summer. In the evening, a walk along the shore, with a smell of salt and seaweed, is a fine way to end the day. The islands of the Kvarken, to the west, are a short ride away and worth a visit.