Tampere is a very narrow city because of it's location between two lakes. On the north we have Näsijärvi (Näsi lake) and on the south we have Pyhäjärvi. (Holy lake) When you go just a little bit west from the city centre, there is an esker, a ridge that separates the two lakes from each other. In any other place of the ridge, if you want to go from the southern lake to the northern lake or vice versa, you have to climb on top of the ridge. But not here. You can take a shortcut straight through an old log flotation tunnel.
At the end of the post you find a link that has a bit of the history of the tunnel in English and a page that has Swedish and of course Finnish text too.
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On the northern side of Tampere, on the idyllic bank of Näsijärvi, just few kilometers from the city centre and the amusement park Särkänniemi, you can find a small cafeteria that is open at summer. The cafeteria of the log flotation tunnel.
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You can get there pretty easily by car if you come from the city centre direction. The city of Tampere is renovating the shoreline of Näsijärvi between the cafeteria and Särkänniemi amusement park, so in the future there will be a pretty lake scenery all the way, for those who choose to cycle or walk to the cafeteria, but now it's a mixture of work sites, future parks and detours. But there is a way, if you just continue beside the lake shore.
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The boat beside the cafeteria, Uppotukki (a snag), is a place for children to play. At least when naming this boat, the owner has realized the unquestionable facts. Not like if the owner would have named it Unsinkable II. So it's a good thing that this snag, Uppotukki is permanently out of the water.
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A good place to launch your boat. Or dip your feet to the lake and realize how cold the water is.
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The tunnel is 261 meters long and 2 meters high. Nowadays it is an easy access for pedestrians and cyclists to the other side of the ridge. This end of the tunnel on #steemitworldmap. !steemitworldmap 61.508649 lat 23.698042 long Log Flotation Tunnel Cafeteria d3scr
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So much empty space for graffiti artists. But then again... it's pretty cold in the middle of the tunnel. Even in the summer, so I think graffiti ideas may freeze after ten or twenty meters. Let's go check it out.
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Cafeteria open daily 11-19. Gates open daily something... 10-18:45 perhaps
South end of the tunnel. And don't worry. If you visit the tunnel on such time that the gates are locked before you manage to go back, and you for some crazy reason drove to the cafeteria by car and after seven o'clock in the evening you are on the wrong side of the gates, you can always climb any of the numerous stairs that are on both sides of the ridge. And it's not that many steps... It's good for you! :) But what is a bit of a challenge is to cross the road that goes by the cafeteria. There aren't that many pedestrian bridges or crossings over the busy road.
Some information about the log flotation tunnels.
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 www.pispalanmoreeni.fi - EN |
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Finally! The southern lake: Pyhäjärvi.
This time when I walked from Näsijärvi to Pyhäjärvi, it was 20°C (and something) warm. Check out my older post when it was -20°C (and something) cold and I did the same thing in the city centre. From lake to lake: https://steempeak.com/finland/@insaneworks/welcome-to-tampere-from-moonset-to-sunrise-to-sunset
