It’s been dubbed ‘the Manchester of Finland’ but Tampere has a unique charm which makes it vastly different from any British city.
Just as it is said that you never forget your first love, it is surely true that you never forget the first place you went to on a foreign holiday.
Tampere (pronounced ‘Tamparay’ as if to rhyme the name with Tampa Bay), a city in southern Finland, is the first foreign place I ever visited and it has held a special place in my heart ever since.
I was just nine when I visited there in August 1980, at a time when the Moscow Olympics was in full swing. My first impression of the Finnish was formed at Tampere airport when I saw a group of people crowded around a TV set in the arrivals lounge watching the men’s 10,000m final. I had been told that the Finns were very reserved people but when they get excited they really let their hair down – the people watching were cheering loudly enough to drown out the sound of aeroplanes on the runway! (I later learned that a Finnish athlete called Kaarlo Maaninka had won a silver medal in the race – hence the excitement.)
Tampere airport has become familiar to me over the years as I have returned to the city many times. Here are five of the best reasons I can think of to visit this fantastic Finnish place.
1. The lakes near Tampere
Just a short drive away from Tampere, past beautiful trees bearing bullet marks dating back to Finland’s winter war with the Russians, you will find some beautiful lakes. These lakes are encircled with pine trees and summer houses – many richer Finns own an apartment in Tampere and a summer house in the countryside. These summer houses often have saunas attached to them. There is nothing quite like having a sauna before diving into a lily-covered lake!
2. The Lenin Museum
Lenin lived in Tampere from August 1905 to November 1907. It was a fateful stay as it was at a Bolshevik conference held in the city that he first met Stalin. The Lenin Museum houses many artefacts dating back to the time Lenin was in the city. Visiting it will inspire you to find out more about the fascinating history of the tense relationship between Finland and Russia. The Finns certainly offered up stern resistance each time Russia invaded the country – it is a wonder that they weren’t one of the countries to boycott the Moscow Olympics!
3. The food
The name Tampere is thought to originate from a Swedish word meaning ‘thick-bellied’ or ‘swollen-bellied’. However, this fact shouldn’t lead you to believe that the average Tampere resident is over-weight; in my experience Tampere people are admirably slim. How they remain so is a mystery to me as the Finnish food to be found in the city is temptingly succulent. Salty reindeer meat should appeal to visiting meat eaters while ‘carrot box’ (a local delicacy involving carrot and swede) will delight vegetarian taste buds.
4. Dancing at Viikinsaari Island
Viikinsaari Island, which is owned by the city of Tampere, is located on Lake Pyhajarvi. Visitors to Tampere just need to take a delightful ferry ride to reach it and find out why it is such a popular nature resort and outdoor recreation area. My favourite part of the island is the wooden dance pavilion. The first time I visited it I was greatly amused by the sight of two old Finnish ladies dancing with each other as jaunty accordion music played.
5. Finnish villages
Away from the hubbub of Tampere’s bustling fish markets, you can seek solitude in the streets of the villages in the quietest parts of the region. These villages still have traditional pretty painted wooden houses with shutters and flower-boxes.
Tampere has acquired the nickname ‘the Manchester of Finland’ because, like Manchester, it has a rich industrial past. But Manchester doesn’t have folksy villages near it like Tampere has! Factor in the lakes, forests, dancing pavilions, saunas and delicious cuisine to be found there and you can see why I’m so glad it was the first foreign place I ever visited!
If you’re flying to Tampere direct from Stansted Airport then why not book airport parking near Stansted with travel service company FHR. Visit http://www.fhr-net.co.uk/ to find out more details.