Somerville, Mass – Ever since we got back from Finland, the twins have been crazy for the Moomins. These sweet but strange cartoon characters were created by Finnish author Tove Jansson back in the 1940s. She wrote endearing titles such…
Finnish Childcare
Kirkkonummi, Finland – This was one of the major stress factors leading up to our trip: what are we going to do with the twins in Finland? In the past, we have exercised various options for childcare while traveling. Our…
Quintessential Finland
Porkkala, Finland – We were looking for a mini-adventure with the twins – something close to home but still special. A neighbor had told us that this peninsula jutting into the Gulf of Finland is a beautiful place. We didn’t…
Busy Boats
Helsinki, Finland – From May to September, the Finns (my Finns) spend most of their time on the water, sailing from island to island in the Gulf of Finland and on the Archipelago Sea. Maybe that’s one reason why they were…
Nature Boys
Kirkkonummi, Finland – Have you been wondering what we have been up to? Daddio and I have been busy hanging out in archives, conducting interviews and treating people to expensive, tax-deductible meals. The twins have been attending an English-language daycare…
Maritime Museum of Finland
Kotka, Finland – You wouldn’t guess that this gritty, shipbuilding center would be our first “tourist” destination in Finland. But less than a week after our arrival, we made a beeline for the Maritime Center Vellamo, a massive wave-shaped building…
Jet Lag
Kirkkonummi, Finland – I completely forgot about time zones. Or, more importantly, jet lag. In all of our travels in recent years, we have only lost or gained an hour or two, which caused barely a blip in the twins’…
And we’re off!
Somerville, Massachusetts – You can’t imagine how much I love my house right now. My crowded, messy, falling-down-in-places, little pink house is pretty much my favorite place in the world. Despite the fact that our front porch is crumbling and…
An Alvar Aalto Tour of Finland
Anyone who has visited an Apple store has sat in a sleek `high stool’ created by Finnish designer Alvar Aalto in 1935. His curvaceous Savoy vase is still an icon of Finnish design, even 75 years after its creation. But…