Last Friday was supposed to mark the end of our official 14-day quarantine, after our nightmare exodus out of coronavirus-stricken Norway. While Matthew and I have displayed none of the typical symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough), we have just learned that the exhaustion and intestinal troubles we endured later during our trip and at home ..read more

I can’t leave the topic of Midsummer in Finland without briefly describing our breakneck tour of Helsinki.  And that a head’s up for my readers; this post is all about architecture and design, baby!  As the photo above suggests, Finland’s capital feels like a big city masquerading as a small town.  The immense sky dwarfs ..read more

Happy Midsummer, everyone!  Although we’ve waved bye-bye to the official longest day of the year, in northern climes the celebration can last a full week.  The sun is still hanging out near its highpoint for hours, and Scandi types use the extra daylight wisely to party like there’s no tomorrow.  Which there kinda isn’t, since ..read more