Tampere for Easter: Just the Solo Escape I Needed

I woke up at my hostel in Tampere on Saturday with a mind open to the possibilities of the day, and what I got was a fantastic weekend that left me recharged and content.

Pyynikki Observation Tower

Bus number 25 took me to Pynnikki Park, where I wandered through the forest and climbed to the top of a surprisingly not very tall observation tower that sits atop the world's largest esker (a rather useless geology fact for all of you). Despite its size, the view from the top was spectacular with the city of Tampere nestled between two lakes framed by the rich green of the forest. Every European destination almost seems incomplete without climbing some stairs for a great view (the Vatican, the Duomo in Florence, the Eiffel Tower, St. John's fortress in Montenegro, the list goes on...), so in that way this is quite a nice piece to my quilt of Finnish experiences. Plus it was just beautiful!

At the cafe in the base of the tower I enjoyed what is known throughout Finland as the country's best doughnuts. Ask Rachel, I even texted her telling her that I would marry my doughnut if I could.

Tampere from above

Next, it was back to the city center for the adorable Easter Market at the Tallipiha Stable Yards. Back when Tampere was a major textile milling city, these stable yards belonged to the Finlayson factory's owner. They have been restored for use in little markets like this one.

The story gets a bit more interesting at my next stop: the Aussie Bar for lunch, which was recommended by the hostel. I popped my head into the almost empty bar, and I was greeted by a cheery Belgian guy with a fake Australian accent. I got to chatting with him and the other customer there, a guy from Seattle working on his Master's at the University of Tampere. At least two hours passed. I saw no more of the city but instead saw it from the inside, looking through the eyes of locals of the international community. Maddie, the bartender, invited me to come back for the bar's party that night. He even put my name on "The List" so I could bypass the line and get in for free. It's pretty hard to say no to that, especially as a solo traveler with not much else in the way of Saturday night plans.

I did have something planned for the first part of the night though. The Tampere Cappella, the city's professional chamber choir, performed Arvo Pärt's Passio, a work by a modern Estonian composer. It was beautiful, especially to a choir nerd like me. How funny, I thought, that here I was offering poised applause for a choir when I was about to go to a party at an Australian bar. Oh well, it's good to have a well-rounded experience, right?

The exhilaration of saying, "I'm on the list," to get into Aussie was quite fun, as was being greeted by Maddie with a hug followed by a spritz in the face with the soda water. I set off to make some friends for the night, which proved to be rather terrifying but extremely fun and rewarding. There's a stereotype that Finns are extremely quiet and reserved during the day, but once you get them out drinking they become lively and outgoing. It seemed pretty true to me that night, as out of anyone I could have talked to in that bar (Australian bar = English speaking = big international crowd), I ended up talking to only Finnish people! One guy went through a list of Finnish things I should try, and was very impressed when I said yes to all of them. He said I must really be a Finnish girl because I've eaten mämmi more than he has, which is this traditional rye porridge dessert that Finns love to hate. Mini victory for me! Finland has only made me feel welcomed, and Saturday night Tampere was no exception. To build on this "I'm on the list" thing, how exhilarating it was to put myself out there and reap the rewards. Something tells me that my comfort zone will be a bit larger when I get back to the US.

Easter Sunday was a poignant day for me, as of course I missed my parents and siblings, but thankfully I found a Catholic church and an Easter egg hidden in the hostel to make the special day sweeter. The Easter Mass was wonderful. Where else could I celebrate Christ's resurrection with a Polish priest surrounded by people from literally every corner of the globe? The celebration of the Mass brought tears to my eyes, for it truly felt like a celebration. After Mass, I talked with young people from Finland, Germany, South Africa, and Pakistan about keeping our faith alive no matter where in the world we are.

I then took one last look at the Tammerkoski rapids in the city center and had one thought: as you travel alone, being total dependent on only yourself, it is inevitable that you will discover just how capable you are.