Jarmo and I visited the Leppävaara area fortifications, inspired by Tony Hagerlund's excellent blogs about them. There's plenty of trenches and also bunkers! These are World War I era fortifications built in a circle around Helsinki. We also found a small natural cave under a boulder!
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April 2019, Bunkkeritunneli 1, Vallikallio, Leppävaara, Espoo, Finland; Bunkkeritunneli 2, Vallikallio, Leppävaara, Espoo, Finland; Romahtanut bunkkeri, Vallikallio, Leppävaara, Espoo, Finland; Bunkkeri 1, Laturinkallio, Leppävaara, Espoo, Finland; Bunkkeri 2, Laturinkallio, Leppävaara, Espoo, Finland; Siirtolohkareen luola, Laturinkallio, Leppävaara, Espoo, Finland; Bunkkeri 3, Laturinkallio, Leppävaara, Espoo, Finland; Romahtanut bunkkeri 4, Laturinkallio, Leppävaara, Espoo, Finland; Iso bunkkeri, Laturinkallio, Leppävaara, Espoo, Finland; Tykkiasema 1, Nupukivenkallio, Leppävaara, Espoo, Finland; Tykkiasema 2, Nupukivenkallio, Leppävaara, Espoo, Finland; Tykkiasema 3, Nupukivenkallio, Leppävaara, Espoo, Finland
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers); Caving (Man-Made)
On our search for thermal baths in Iceland lead us to Hjalteyri on the northern shores of Iceland, north of Akureyri. We found an abandoned fish factory with storage tanks for fish oil and herring. It was fun to explore, luckily there was no rotten fish smell left :-)
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March 2019, Hjalteyri, Iceland
Urban-Exploration (Industrial, Silos, Smokestacks)
A bunker. A ventilation shaft. R2-D2 mod. What's not to like?
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(TGR version)
March 2019, R2-D2, Folimanka Park, Prague, Czech Republic
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers); Caving (Man-Made)
Lets say that the tour guide was not a big fan of communism.
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(TGR version)
March 2019, Parukarka Park bunker, Prague, Czech Republic
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers); Caving (Man-Made)
I took the train route to the Helsinki-Vantaa airport this morning, wanting to both see the deep underground station and to test the route should my 27-year old car some day not work :-)
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February 2019, Helsinki-Vantaa, Vantaa, Finland
Urban-Exploration (Tunnels, Railways)
Janne and I visited the cathedral of Milan, Duomo di Milano. This magnificent piece of art, construction, and religion was a wonder to visit, particularly from the upper floors and roof. The cathedral took a whopping 600 years to complete, and is the fourth largest church building in the world.
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January 2019, Duomo di Milano, Milan, Italy
History; Urban-Exploration (Ruins)
Given that I like underground places, it was surprising that it took me a year to visit Länsimetro, the new subway towards west from Helsinki. The new stations are spectacular and modern.
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December 2018, Tapiola, Espoo, Finland; Iso-Omena, Matinkylä, Espoo, Finland
Urban-Exploration (Railways)
I recently blogged about a possible new cave in Laajalahti. But I didn't go there to look for a cave, I wanted to see the fortifications from before World War I, built by the Russians. I found many, including many small bunkers that one can easily visit.
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December 2018, Laajalahden bunkkeri 1, Espoo, Finland; Laajalahden bunkkeri 2, Espoo, Finland; Laajalahden bunkkeri 3, Espoo, Finland; Laajalahden bunkkeri 4, Espoo, Finland; Laajalahden bunkkeri 5, Espoo, Finland; Laajalahden bunkkeri 6, Espoo, Finland
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers); Caving (Man-Made)
Walked through the Kunsträdgården underground station again today. While the "greek findings" in the station are fake, they are nice!
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November 2018, Kungsträdgården subway station, Stockholm, Sweden
Urban-Exploration (Tunnels)
I've heard stories about the logging tunnel through Pispala, but today I finally got an opportunity to go see it myself.
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(TGR version)
November 2018, Pispalan uittotunneli, Tampere, Finland; Pispalan ensimmäinen uittotunneli, Tampere, Finland
Urban-Exploration (Tunnels); Caving (Man-Made)
This week I'm working in Stockholm, and did not manage to get my usual cheap hotel near the office. Staying at the city center, I noticed a tunnel that I had not seen before: Brunkebergstunneln. A nice walkway from 1880s, 231 meters long.
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November 2018, Brunkebergstunneln, Stockholm, Sweden
Urban-Exploration (Tunnels); Caving (Man-Made)
I'm in Paris for a meeting, and on the way to the airport we visited the abandoned underground railroad line. What did we find? An art show and sculptures deep inside the tunnels! And also wonderful graffiti!
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(TGR version)
(Suomenkielinen versio)
November 2018, Old Charonne Station, Paris, France
Urban-Exploration (Tunnels); Caving (Man-Made)
What a wonderful metro station in Stockholm. Even if these are fake, they are nice...
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October 2018, Rådhuset metro station, Stockholm, Sweden
Urban-Exploration (Tunnels)
Today I went to Mustavuori to get a small hike and too see the tunnels and canyons.
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October 2018, Linnoitustunneli 1, Mustavuori, Helsinki, Finland; Linnoitustunneli 2, Mustavuori, Helsinki, Finland
Caving (Man-Made); Urban-Exploration (Bunkers, Tunnels)
There's a big contrast between warm summer evening in the countryside, and what you find a few meters under your feet: a massive, blown up Soviet-era bunker. Damp darkness, rebar that is difficult to crawl through. And we're here to practice photography!
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(TGR version)
September 2018, Inkoon jättibunkkeri, Inkoo, Finland
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers); Caving (Man-Made)
Saw something in the darkness on the walk back... is it a bouncy castle or a space station? Nah, turned to be just another data center. #Kista
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September 2018, Kista Space Station, Kista, Stockholm, Sweden
Urban-Exploration (Industrial)