Tampere, Finnland

I arrived in Tampere, Finnland around noon on Saturday (29 July). I walked around for a bit before checking into the hostel. This hostel wasn't bad, but didn't compare to the hostel in Turku. (the community kitchen didn't have a sink!). After dumping some of my stuff (I just had a small bag for this side trip from Helsinki), I just walked around the town all afternoon and not really doing much of anything. Went by a stadium where they were having some kind of junior track meet. The kids actually looked really professional which surprised me. Then went to the small beach in one of the many parks and green areas in and around the city. Had lunch at the market by the water. Tampere is a nice town, but I liked the feel of Turku better. Tampere may have had nicer buildings though. I'm definitely glad I visited both towns though.

Sunday (30 July) I woke up and went straight to this small observation tower on the top of a small hill in one of the parks. This was the one thing I wanted to do for sure before I left. The city is on a narrow strip of land between two large lakes and there is a hill on this narrow strip of land. So I had a fantastic view of the city from the top of the tower. It was a nice way to end my visit to Tampere. Then I took a longer than expected walk (partially along railroad tracks) trying to find another park which I eventually did. It was a nice cool day and a pleasant end to my stay. Then I headed to the train station to catch a train to Helsinki.