The walk to work! (click here for more...)

It takes me about 40 minutes to walk to work here in Tampere.  This makes a total of about 5 miles per day just walking to and from TAMK.  These are some of the more interesting things that I see on a daily basis.

 

 This is the hallway in our apartment building.

 Here I am on the elevator.

 It took us almost 3 months to get our name on the door to the building.  Kate had to finally call up the property managment people.

 The view from our house is amazing.  This is the pedestrian bridge over the rapids that goes to the Ratina Stadium.

 Going north from our apartment building leads to the pedestrian section of Kuninkaankatu.

 There is a major construction project on the pedestrian walk being done by Skanska Construction.  There is a lot of construciton traffic a few feet away from pedestrians.  It can really get dicey.

 Under this rebar structure (where they will eventually pur concrete) is an excavation about 30 feet deep.

 In Finland, you don't use checks.  You have to go to the bank and use these kiosks to pay your bills.  It is relatively convenient since we live a couple of blocks away.

 More vendors on the pedestrian section of Kuninkaankatu.

 Walking towards TAMK takes me along the main street in Tampere, Hämeenkatu.

 This is the main bus station in the city center on Hämeenkatu.

 The Tampere Theater is on the main square.  They have been advertising the Three Penny Opera for several months now.  I think it finally plays next month.

 This is the bridge going across the rapids on Hämeenkatu.  The sculptor of these statues also made the statues in the Finnish Parliament meeting chamber (Where Marku Lämpi took me!)

 View of the rapids towards Findlayson.

 For some reason this guy is holding a dead animal.  Maybe Marku Lampi can explain?  I also thought Brian Finder could appreciate art that highlights dead animals.

The mailmen push carts from place to place in the center of town.

 Further along Hämeenkatu, about 10 minutes away from work.

 This Hesburger seems to give McDonalds a run for their money in Finland.  We have eaten here a couple of times and it's about as good as McDonalds but you have to wait for them to bring you your food.  Not very fast.  I think Americans wouldn't stand for it for very long.

 The main train station is on the way to work.

 I could take a bus like this to work.  It costs about 1.5 €.  Every time I plan to take the bus I wind up waiting for 20 minutes, get sick of waiting for the bus and then walk anyhow.  I am now in the habit of not bothering to wait for the bus anymore.

 One of several second-hand stores on Itsenäisyydenkatu.  Incidentally, Itsenäisyydenkatu is the longest word that I am able to pronounce in Finnish.

 This second-hand store should look familiar to Americans.

 I took this in case Connor ever looks at the blog.  This guy wasn't too happy I took his picture.

 As you leave the city center towards TAMK, you get into a lot more apartment buildings in the Kaleva neighborhood.

 Looking up the street towards TAMK.  At this point, I know I only have about 15 minutes left on the walk.

 Here is a lady waiting for the bus on Itsenäisyydenkatu.  This is the stupidest looking mascot for any company I have ever seen.  He is a cross between Gomer Pyle and Arnold Schwartwnegger.

 Here is an R-Kioski market.  You can get anything you really need there including food, bus passes, lottery tickets, SIM cards for phones, magazines, etc.  It is basically like a SuperAmerica gas station without any gas.

 So this is a small restaurant where you can get coffee and bakery items.  I have never eaten here, but there are always TONS of construction workers here in the morning buying bakery items for breakfast.  So I have my suspicions that it must be good.

 Like Sesame Street, Itsenäisyydenkatu also is sponsored by letters and numbers.  In this picture you can see that the street is brought to you by the number 118.

 This is a gang of school age students on their way to school.  In the background is an ABC gas station which is basically like a truck stop with a restaurant. By the time I get to TAMK, I walk by the highway that this ABC services.

 Very lucky for me, an office of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health is across the street from TAMK.  I have a meeting there next week to talk about our Construction Renovation project.

 Under the onramp to the highway.  Also what passes for graffiti in Tampere.

 The highway to Rauma is right next to TAMK.

 Lots of people ride their bikes to get from here to there.

 Just when I am only a few feet from TAMK, I always have to wait at this intersection for the onramp to the highway.  That's another reason I don't take the bus:  While I am waiting here (which can be an eternity) several buses may pass me by.

 AH, at the hallowed grounds of TAMK.

 To get to my office, I walk through the courtyard.  There is a massive bicycle parking lot here.

 So this is a common spectacle:  smokers in between classes.  When I told them UW-Stout is tobacco free they said 'That Sucks'.  Also they fear things are going that way in Finland also.  When I asked what they would do if TAMK ever became tobacco free, they said they would be forced to go across the street to smoke.

 Main entrance to TAMK.

 This young woman was nice enough to let me take her picture on the elevator on the way up to floor 4 of building B.

 View from the stairwell on my floor in building B.

 My hallway.  If you have been following these pictures inorder, you'll see that I am almost at my office.

 Here is my name on the door.  Carita and I share an office B4-14.

I finally made it into my office.