TODAY is the day that readers all over Finland finally get their long-awaited copies of The Tsarina’s Lost Treasure. Knowing the Finns, there are probably stampedes at the libraries and brawls in the bookstores. The book has a different publisher…
Tsarina’s Lost Treasure in Publisher’s Weekly
Somerville, Mass – What? Why yes, that is Publisher’s Weekly calling our book a “meticulously researched history” and an “intriguing portrait of an art world mystery.” (It doesn’t really rhyme in the review. That was my unintentional poetic flare.) Read…
The Tsarina’s Lost Treasure
Somerville, Mass – Way back in 2013, I wrote about embarking on a new project with Daddio. We had this crazy idea to write a book together–not a guidebook, not an academic book, but a narrative nonfiction book. About a…
Lonely Planet Finland
Somerville, Mass – Check out the new Lonely Planet Finland guide! Whenever people ask me my favorite place to travel, I tend to name my most recent place of travel. That’s the place that is freshest in my brain. It’s…
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.)…
Adventure Island
Naantali, Finland – The adventure continues… on Adventure Island. Väski is a destination of zip lines, obstacle courses, rock climbing, archery and more.
Bonk Museum
Uusikaupunki, Finland – Bonk Museum is clever, but definitely one of the oddest museums I have been to. It details the history of the fictitious Finnish company, Bonk Inc, from its early days producing the hallucinogen Garum from anchovy relish,…
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…