Tampere views by night and day

I spent a weekend in Tampere (about 160km away) as I took my dollhouse to the Finnish Dollhouse Association's 25th anniversary exhibition. You can read more about that on my dollhouse blog :)

I have family in Tampere and have been there plenty of times.

And I have, nearly always been there just to visit family. Or to go to the amusement park.

As I took a look at the downtown area, it dawned on me that I had never been downtown. Never looked around. Never truly visited the city.

It took all of Friday to set up the dollhouse, and all I had energy for was a visit to a café with my god daughter and dinner with my friends. This was a little get-away weekend for myself with friends. I was very lucky with the view from my hotel room.

I spent some time with my nose glued to the window.

On Saturday I took time in the afternoon go walk around town. The weather wasn't what you could call lovely, but it didn't matter. I walked up one street and down another with absolutely no plans. I found ice sculptures and pretty houses.

This is an old industrial city and the Tammerkoski rapids go through the downtown area.

And yes, that is a lock bridge up there.

There is a very strong feel of the city's textile industry roots everywhere. I love all that red brick.

I happened to walk by The Finnish Labour Museum Werstas and I went in to take a break from the sleet.

I was the only person in the textile industry wing. I found it all fascinating.

Back out to the sleet I wandered about for another hour.

Then it was time to head back to the hotel for dinner with my friends. 

I need to come back in the summer. Hopefully there will be less sleet :D

It's less than a two hour drive away!

Denmark calling, final day

So the breakfast room at the hotel had a huge text of "I can resist everything except temptation" and served danishes... ha.

Our last day started out rainy, which suited us fine, we were heading out to do some shopping.

We walked to Fisketorvet, a mall in the area that used to be the fish market.

They had the coolest fish art around the place.

Going back to the hotel we took a different route as we went hunting for a specific micro brew place Saara wanted to visit.

We found Mikkeller. Saara and Mika enjoyed a beer.

I enjoyed the seat.. my feet were killing me.

Last of the ice cream signs. Technically a frozen yoghurt sign, but I'll take it.

After a good meal and a game of chess, we picked up our suitcases and headed for the railway station.

The rain was torrential for a while.

Nice and pretty above the clouds though.

It was a great trip, I will have to go back.

So much still left unseen.

Denmark calling, day three

July 24th started off cloudy and we had some plans to walk around town.

We walked down one of the shopping streets.

Alternative models... but why do they need belts on their underwear??

I bet their menu is a hoot.

That's the royal library called The Black Diamond.

We were walking to Christianshavn.

Specifically to Vor Frelsels Kirke.

Up until the octagonal bit there we climbed inside.

 

 Great views from there.

Have you watched the Danish/Swedish series The Bridge? 

There it is.

Oh, and if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.

The rest of the way up was outside the tower.

 Spiraling, getting narrower on every step. On the last step you can barely get your feet side by side.

I'm not too good with heights in open air. Let's just say that I was hugging that copper wall.

And very happy to get back to street level.

Ice cream shop sign!

Nice and big, you can't make a mistake.

Next stop the free city of Christiania.

A place of amazing street art, a lot of illegal business and that very distinctive smell in the air.

Grown freely here next to the geraniums.

It is worth strolling through here.

Back from the land of Puff the Magic Dragon, taking in the local flora.

 Nyhavn.

Filled with restaurants, bars and loads of tourists.

So beautiful.

Do visit the Vaffelbageren.

They make their own waffle cones in the shop, the smell is divine.

And the ice cream is not bad either.

 We stopped for a little lunch time silliness.

Yes. 1681.

Cool department store escalators.

Saara went out with some friends she made while we were in Legoland the day before. 

We hung out at the lobby for a bit, board games, apples...

...and some famous Danish Eggs.

 We ate at Guru, Indian food.

Next door to the hotel.

We still had plans for the evening.

The bikes should have tipped us off that over 30 000 Copenhageners had the same plan...

 Tivoli.

Niina and I went to look around.

Saara and Mika wanted to see the main event.

On summer Fridays you get a concert with the entrance ticket.

 They were all there to see Snoop Dogg.

Nope.

No way. No how.

I loved the lights.

We found Rasmus and Pingo :)

 He finally took the stage.

We listened to two songs and headed back to the hotel. We could still hear the beat there.

The two others came back an hour later.

Amusement parks really are best after dark.