Walking Tour of Tampere . . . and Munkkis

Hello, blog readers!  Today was a wonderful and relaxing day in Tampere.  We started with a guided walking tour with a very knowledgable tour guide. She explained the history of Tampere and how it became a worker town in the 1800s.  There is one factory still working and produces cardboard.  There were also textile and steel factories.  The factories were built by the rapids which helped run the electricity in the city.  The rapids connects the large lake with the small lake.  The most well known factory in Tampere is Finlayson which was the textile company.

Unlike many cities in the United States, the city of Tampere decided to keep most of their factory buildings for historical purposes.  These buildings were re-purposed as apartments, offices, or shopping areas.  Really, simply amazing.

The tour ended with us taking a hike up a LARGE hill to the Pynikki Tower where the best Munkkis are made.  Contrary to what I explained in an earlier blog, a Munkki is a type of donut covered in sugar.  The ones we tried just came out of the oven and were nice and warm.  The best way to explain the munkki is denser than a yeast donut but not as dense as a cake donut.  Again, amazing.

After that, we parted ways and explored the city.  The group I was in went to the European Market which was located in a park that's approximately 1km long.  We saw shops from France, Italy, Spain, and I think Germany.  There was a shop that makes yarn from lamb's wool.  There were two pastry places and a french bakery with fresh bagettes.  Yummy.

I split off from the group and continued to explore on my own.  I stopped at a place that offered several different types of hard ciders.  I tried blueberry cider.  Again, very good.  I then went to an area close to the Finlayson factory that was the stables for the factory horses.  This area is now shops and a cafe.  Unfortunately, I arrived after the stores closed.  :(  Next to the stables is the Finlayson church.  I saw the end of a wedding!  The bride and groom came out of the church and walked through a wall of bubbles.  I then watched them get into one of the smallest cars ever!

At the end of the day, I looked at my pedometer . . . I walked 9.5 miles!