Turku, Finland – The star attraction of Turku is the 1280 Turun Linna, or Turku Castle. It’s a fantastic medieval fortress (the largest in Finland), with dungeons, banquet halls and plenty of nooks and crannies.
Mariehamn Maritime Quarter
Mariehamn, Finland – The capital of Åland, Mariehamn is a seafarer’s paradise. The waterside Mariehamn Maritime Quarter has long been a center of boat building. Nowadays, the atmospheric quay has ship-building workshops alongside art galleries, cafes and local boutiques. You…
Kastelholm & Bomarsund
Åland, Finland – We had an amazing day with our “Finnish cousins”, taking in all the Åland highlights, including Kastelholm & Bomarsund. Our first stop was the 14th-century Kastelholm castle. The second stop on Åland was the picturesque Jan Karlsgården…
Maritime Museum of Finland
Kotka, Finland – Some of the few artifacts excavated from the Vrouw Maria shipwreck (subject of our next book!). These are on display at Vellamo Maritime Center. This is our second visit to the Maritime Museum of Finland — and…
Langinkoski Lodge
Kotka, Finland – Langinkoski Lodge was once the imperial fishing lodge of Tsar Alexander III. Very modest, by tsarist standards, but I’d take it.
Kids in Moscow
Moscow, Russia – While in Moscow, we have had a wonderful babysitter who has taken the twins on adventures all over the city. Sometimes I wonder if those kids haven’t seen more of the city than I have on this…
Moscow Kremlin & Armory
Moscow, Russia – Daddio has been waiting a long time to take the twins to the Armory in the Moscow Kremlin. Seven years, to be exact. So here we finally are, on a fabulous sunny day in June, introducing the…
Keva Planks
Boston, Mass – This year, we are missing our annual trip to Florida. We have a whole week off and it’s cold out. We hardly know what to do with ourselves. So we ventured to the Boston Children’s Museum. Along…
Maya at the MFA
Boston, Massachusetts – After our trip to Tulum, Mexico, we went went in search of the Maya at the MFA. Success: we discovered these evocative ceramics depicting various gods and monsters. Nearby, an interactive screen allowed the twins to examine the…
A Day at the Henry Ford
Detroit, Michigan – We have the luxury of spending a whole week with the grandparents in Michigan during Thanksgiving week. Sounds nice, right? It also means we have the burden of entertaining two rambunctious six-year-olds for a whole week – with no school or…