...and Helsinki but my photos are only from Tampere.
I got to do one of my favourite things, stalk people, with my camera.
The streets aren't that crowded now, as it's weekday in the middle of the afternoon and those who aren't at work or hung over after previous evenings game where Finland won USA 4-1, are just thinking about going to the arena as the days first game begins at 16:20.
Although it was Monday yesterday, there were quite few people celebrating the wiping of the arena ice with the USA. I'm not much of a hockey fan but it sure does feel pretty good to hear Finland win in hockey or in anything.
I'm just gonna stalk people and admire the city of Tampere which has never been this clean. I hope that artificial grass doesn't stay though. There's almost nothing so disgusting as fake nature. But I understand this though. They want the city to look pretty.
Tampere Arena, which is actually called Nokia Arena because Nokia is sponsoring it, is really close to the railway station. Just few steps from the actual station and you can't miss it, because if you heard to the right direction, it's on top of the railway.
There's also couple high-rises there. Offices and apartments. The Arena is not yet even one year old since it was finished December 2021. It's actually a really genius thing to built it on top of the railway because you really can't miss it and it is within a short walking distance. And there are quite few hotels also quite near.
But what is really annoying is that although I do love it that whenever there is something happening in the Arena, few blocks around it are closed from cars, but as people usually still want to come to the city centre with their car and as the busses also are in alternative routes, the streets everywhere else are pretty crowded. Drivers with their cars creating traffic jams.
But if I don't have to go anywhere, if I don't have to try to find out where are the alternative route bus stops, I just stalk people and enjoy the madness.
Which of course now, about two to three o'clock in the afternoon, wasn't actually bad at all. But I had something else to do at the perfect fourish to six o'clock traffic jam so you won't get any juicy traffic jam photos now.
So I just stalked people.
Fingers fiddling the hair person was a great find.
And these three people!
Me taking a photo of people taking a photo. I think this scenery is the most photographed place in Tampere. The bridge takes you over the Tammerkoski (Tammer rapids) so over that direction where they are photographing, there's also the rapids in the background.
Happy people. It was sunny and cold, windy and perhaps only 10°C so my fingers were really cold but these people seem happy.
There's the Nokia Arena again.
People guarding the closed street.
Church of the Alexander Nevsky and the Saint Nicholas.
Rising bollards: "You shall not pass here!"
Traffic controller: "You shall not pass here!"
I bet they asked where the Arena is.
"There. You can see it from here. Just few steps. You can make it. Do you have enough liquid energy with you? Oh, you are covered."
Finland id good in providing beer to people.
I wanted to scream: "The road is closed! So you are obligated to use the road that usually is filled with cars! Do not walk there, go crazy and stand in the middle of the road like I do!"
I hope she gets to paint many faces.
There's the official game street on the background that is closed from cars. And two Vois in the front. Voi voi. That is Finnish and means: "Oh dear", "oh no."
FINLAND!
Dudes.
More dudes.
I hope she also gets to paint many faces.
See, no traffic jam. Such a pity. I was prepared for one but perhaps some other day.
This is actually the closest I could get to the Arena as I have professional camera and that's not allowed and also I have no ticket. But I'll circle the Arena around some other day and take lots of photos of it and perhaps show them to you too.
I was pretty disappointed that they didn't have any theme song in the checking point that would repeat sentences like: "Hands up" or "head, shoulders, knees, toes" or something like that. And also I was disappointed that no-one tried to run through the check point and would have been tackled to the ground and police would have had to come and the person would have just screamed that they are extremely ticklish and and and... oh well, perhaps next time.
I really like this photo. The lines and the expressions and everything.
Obligatory puddle and reflection photo.
I think this couple was going to the Arena too because they walked so fast.
Anyway, one last photo that has nothing to do with hockey.
Except that it's part of the official game street.
More to come later. Wednesday evening there will be Finland - Sweden game so I expect crowds everywhere. Those who do not have a ticket to the Arena but don't want to watch the game home, will come to the bars and restaurants that have a TV or a screen and watch the game there. So lots of people and perhaps some anxiety too amongst people because Sweden will be tough. Really tough. Not like USA was.
