Lyon, France – I took myself on a tour of the traboules of Vieux Lyon. They are “secret” covered passageways that connect streets, buildings and courtyards, often on different levels. I read they were built as far back as the…
Venice Architecture Biennale – 2
Venice, Italy – Day two of the Venice Architecture Biennale. Our first visit was fun, but not fun enough that the twins wanted to come back. But I insisted. After all, we started with the less prominent of the two…
Venice Architecture Biennale – 1
Venice, Italy – Since it’s the last week of the Venice Architecture Biennale, we figured we better get on it. And in case you thought that an architectural exhibit is not fun for kids, you’re wrong! This was the offering from Iceland…
World Landmarks Project
Somerville, Mass – V’s class is doing a world landmarks project. Each kid chose a landmark building or geographical feature to learn about and create a model of. For some reason, V decided he might choose Machu Picchu for his…
Ravintola Savoy
Helsinki, Finland – View from the rooftop terrace at the Ravintola Savoy in Helsinki, where we are celebrating our last day in Finland. Kippis! This restaurant is another Alvar Aalto masterpiece and it’s a beaut. Most impressively, we brought our…
Sammallahdenmäki
Rauma, Finland – Did you get the title of this post? Sammallahdenmäki. Easy, right? It is a Bronze Age burial site in the midst of the Finnish forest. And if you’re not sure when the Bronze Age is… oh, it’s…
Villa Mairea
Pori, Finland – Alvar and Aino Aalto designed the spectacular Villa Mairea for Harry and Marie Gullichsen, of the industrialist philanthropist Ahlström family. (This should definitely be part of the Alvar Aalto Tour of Finland, if one had unlimited time.)…
Vanha Rauma
Rauma, Finland – Vanha Rauma, or Rauma Old Town, is a sweet collection of wooden houses clustered around an old town square. There are actually more than 600 wooden structures here, dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, earning this…
Aalto Center
Seinäjoki, Finland – Aalto keskus means Aalto center. In Seinäjoki, it refers to the cluster of civic buildings — town hall, library, theater, church — all designed by Alvar Aalto. (This definitely a candidate for inclusion on the Alvar Aalto…
Fairytale Kingdom
Tallinn, Estonia – According to the official Tallinn tourism website, “Tallinn is a fairytale kingdom for kids of all ages, full of fun filled activities sure to give the whole family a blast!” After that explosive introduction, it goes on…