When I plan to visit a new place, it always makes me feel wonderful. When I heard that we were going to visit Tampere in our Tourism and Culture course, it made me excited because I wanted to go to Tampere since I arrived in Finland. So, this was like a gift for me.
The day we went to Tampere it welcomed us with snow. However, the cold wind and snow are not obstacles for us to explore and enjoy the culture, nature, and beauty of Tampere.
The Beauty of Pispala
We started our journey in Tampere from Pispala. Pispala is one of the most beautiful areas in Tampere. If someone wants to relax and enjoy nature this is the best place to visit Tampere.
While it was snowing, walking along a small street surrounded by colorful wooden houses was like walking through a chapter of a storybook. The top-of-view point of Pispala is breathtaking. From there we could see the shining water lakes called Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi. There were small islands full of trees in the middle of the lake. In other sights, we could see colorful small wooden houses. The whole view was like a piece of art.
Adorable moments at the art museum
After we said goodbye to Pispala, we went to the Tampere Art Museum through the snow. This is the first time I have been to that kind of art museum. It was a fresh experience for all my friends. On the ground floor, there were dark rooms with small floating lightning words everywhere. Before I went there, I read about this place, and it said it was like a space trip, and of course it was.
Upstairs, there were lots of awesome and adorable pieces of art representing Tuula Lehtinen’s long and diverse career. The themes of her art were colorful flower paintings, landscapes, decorative porcelain objects, curtains, lace, and queens of world histories. Their color combination is wonderful and elegant. I don’t have a deep vision of art to give a deep interpretation about them, but as a person I fell in love with those arts and I enjoyed her works.
Steps towards Kauppahalli Market Hall
Before we went to Kauppahalli Market Hall we did some group work about this place at the classroom, therefore I had a clear imagination about this place and it was the same as I thought.
There are so many fresh vegetables and fruit stalls, restaurants from different countries such as Spain, France, Italy, etc. full of delicious foods, and a nice atmosphere. As well as there was a small wine bar and coffee shops. If we are food lovers and want to enjoy different kinds of food this is the best place to experience various kinds of tasty foods in one place in Tampere.
Labor Museum
In our journey we are lucky enough to visit the Finnish Labor Museum Werstas. It is a place anyone must not miss while visiting Tampere. It’s not just a museum, it’s all about the story of how Finnish society builds wealth and prosperity. As a student, the things I learned about finishing history will help me to understand Finnish culture and society more deeply.
Life lessons
Our visit to Tampere was not only an educational visit to me but also, I experienced and learned wonderful and valuable things in this journey. The things I learned from this visit will add more colors to my life journey. The moments I spent there will be remembered forever.
One day is not enough to learn about wonderful Tampere and I hope to be there again. So in the evening when it was again while snowing, we said goodbye to Tampere with a promise that I would come soon again.
Text and pictures: Chathuri Warnakulasuriya Patabandige, first year student of International Tourism Management