Vaasa is the port for the shortest ferry crossing to Sweden. However, its operator went broke recently.
It could be noted that ferrys that do not pass Åland operates under common EU rules that does not allow tax-free booze sold, while ferrys that do pass Åland (Turku-Stockholm, Helsinki-Stockholm) gets to sell tax-free booze thanks to Ålands special status within Finland and the EU. A vote for PES is a vote for EPP! A vote for EPP is a vote for PES! Support the coalition, vote EPP-PES in 2009!
Specialty : not a tax haven, as in Liechtenstein or Jersey, but a booze haven. Paradis alcoolière in French, I suppose. It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II
During the Finnish war Russia chased the Swedish soldiers off of Åland. Then they went home, but left about 450 well trained soldiers behind in case the Swedes would come back. The soldiers started getting bossy and tried commanding the Ålanders around and make them harvest their grain for them. The Ålanders were not happy about that at all, so a few sneaked back to Sweden and said, "They want us to work for them, but we will stay faithful to the Swedish king. We are ready to do anything, but we need help!" The Swedes wanted to help, but could only effort to send a few soldiers and guns for the farmers. With their new weapons the Ålanders, all farmers who had no military training whatsoever, sneaked up on the Russian soldiers and surprised them. In fact the Ålanders were so vicious and good that the Russians thought they were up against an army of Swedish soldiers and decided to surrender. Across from the battlefield the Ålanders looked confused on as Russians started waving white flags. Because they had no military training they didn't understand the signal, and just kept shooting! The Russiand must have thought they were crazy. It didn't stop before some Swedish soldiers saw what was going on and told them to stop. Great was the Russians' humiliation when they realised they had surrenders to farmers! Only three people dired during the battle.
The Swedes wanted to help, but could only effort to send a few soldiers and guns for the farmers. With their new weapons the Ålanders, all farmers who had no military training whatsoever, sneaked up on the Russian soldiers and surprised them. In fact the Ålanders were so vicious and good that the Russians thought they were up against an army of Swedish soldiers and decided to surrender.
Across from the battlefield the Ålanders looked confused on as Russians started waving white flags. Because they had no military training they didn't understand the signal, and just kept shooting! The Russiand must have thought they were crazy.
It didn't stop before some Swedish soldiers saw what was going on and told them to stop. Great was the Russians' humiliation when they realised they had surrenders to farmers!
Only three people dired during the battle.
Actually, they are not a booze paradise as such - I think their booze is as heavily taxed as in Sweden or Finland - but they count as third country in relation to EU customs rules which means you can sell duty-free on the way to and from Åland. So they have excellent communications as long as you don't mind travelling with drunk people.
As for specialities they are a de-militarised zone since the Crimean war and the inhabitants are excempt from military duty. They have cultural self-government including language, which means that they are not dual-language, they are Swedish-only.
Also they have rules on real estate ownership that would violate EU rules if they did not have an exception. I believe you first have to become naturalised Ålänning before you can buy real estate, thus avoiding the islands becoming a collection of holiday homes. A vote for PES is a vote for EPP! A vote for EPP is a vote for PES! Support the coalition, vote EPP-PES in 2009!
Stockholm is the largest port for passengers in Sweden (p.12). Umeå-Vasa had in 2007 70 500 trips out of the about 9.5 million passengers a year between Sweden and Finland (p.11). In Stockholm is probably included Kapellskär-Nådendal, that does not pass Åland and is probably on the same scale as Umeå-Vasa.
Stockholm to or by way of Mariehamn (Åland), in effect the party boats, dwarfs everything. A vote for PES is a vote for EPP! A vote for EPP is a vote for PES! Support the coalition, vote EPP-PES in 2009!
