In the AUdhem Centrum, beside the AUdhem stua® campus, the Krogen is inordinately popular: a pub, its a minute walk from the train station, or take bus #1, #2 or #61. In town, Villan on Storgatan, near the church, has a disco that's free Jgse card, and the Mucky Duck, on Vasaplan, is another busy spot. (oufjst nights and events with the university (switchboard «09016 50 00) or tne office, which has an unusually good idea of what's going on. Leaving Umei Ferriee» Intercity buses leave from the Omnibusstation in Jarnvagstorget г y Vaasa in Finland depart all year from UmeS harbour; the bus mariceo leaves from the Omnibusstation for the harbour an hour before departure. In winter, the crossing costs 124kr, rising to 163kr from the end of June to August. Rail pass and youth card holders qualify for a fifty percent discount on the standard price. Get tickets and more information from Vasabdtama at Renmarkstorget 7. Skelleftei "In the centre of the plain was Skelleftei church, the largest and most beautiful building in the entire north of Sweden, rising like a Palmyra's temple out of the tbe nineteenthcentury traveller Leopold von Buch, for there Jjto a real religious fervour about SKELLEFTEA. In 1324 an edict in the Magnus Eriksson invited "all those who believed in Jesus Christ or tM to turn to Him" to settle between the rivers of Skelleftea and Ule. Many e e ri f parishes mushroomed on the banks of the river Skelleftei. "numrnt ? eighteenth century, a devout township was centred around the wide r chwch, which stood out in stark contrast to the surrounding plains '"«rist offi™" ays, more material occupations support the town, and the the chuh® modern Skelleftei's gold and silver refineries. But 'nsbeSLr® attracts the attention, especially as it's next door to the After ttparish village. "Wej tot CathoUc Church in 1527, the Swedish clergy were were m' parishioners Ле Lutheran fundamentals. Church иаае compulsory, but in the north of the country where the 500SlVfDfV; THE В OTH N I AN COAST population was spread over considerable distances this presented problems. In 1681, the clergy and the parishes agreed a formula: those living within lOkm of a church had to attend every Sunday, those between 10km and 20km away made the trip every fortnight and those between 20km and 30km travelled every third week. The compromise worked and within a decade Vasterbotten and Norrbotten were dotted with "parish villages", consisting of rows of simple wooden shacks occupied on high days and holidays, for church services and market days alike. SkellefteS's church and parish village are within easy striking distance of the centre: head west along Nygatan and keep going for about fifteen minutes. Once you're there, you'll find the kyrka (daily 10am4pm; midJune to Aug daily lOani 6pm), a proud Neoclassical building protecting an outstanding series of medieval sculptures; look out, too, for the 800yearold "Virgin of Skelleftea", a walnut carving near the altar: it's one of the few remaining Romanesque images of the Virgin.