About 45 minutes away from the centre of Berlin by regional train RE4, Elstal is an unassuming train station in the outskirts of Berlin. It’s East German “charm,” if you can call it that, radiates from a lonely phallic water tower and graffitied facilities. The nearby outlet village is the Read more
Every winter from about January to March, the world’s largest skating rink opens to the public in Ottawa. Access is free, but parking is scarce. Using public transport is advised as nearby streets have limited parking while downtown parking lots cost more than a rose on Valentine’s Day. It’s usually Read more
You can’t miss it, there’s a big lighthouse, followed by a big steam engine before you get to the museum building. If you go the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum on the same day, you can use a whole day parking ticket for both Ottawa museums so you don’t have Read more
The Laurentians are a low range of mountains in southern Quebec that resemble the shape of pre-alpine Bavaria. The lightly powdered peaks and gently curving roads meandering around a hundred lakes remind me of the scenery around Schloß Neuschwanstein – better known as the Disney castle. The long valley below Read more
The Canadian Air and Space Museum is Canada’s answer to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the American National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. Located on the edge of Rockcliffe, an auxiliary airport on the eastern end of Ottawa. The museum is really more air than space. The Read more
The official residence of the Queen’s representative in Canada, the Governor General, is Rideau Hall in Ottawa. The grounds of the residence are free to visit most days of the year except when special events or state matters prohibit public access. The residence of the Prime Minister is just across Read more
Chaudière Island and Victoria Island are two of the more well-known islands on the Ottawa River. They are undergoing heavy construction in 2020 so they don’t make the best picnic destinations. Fortunately, locations such as Bate Island, Lemieux Island, and Petrie Island are all great green locations. Located on a Read more
Well known for building the Unité d’Habitation in several cities like Marseille and Berlin, co-designing the UN building in New York City, and inspiring the concept of the Radiant City, Le Corbusier also had an impact in his home country of Switzerland. Born in La Chaux-de-Fonds near the French border, Read more
There’s no shortage of venerated academic institutions in Massachusetts. There’s Harvard, Northeastern, Berklee, and MIT. One of the first things I noticed when I arrived at the Boston MIT campus was the name of their bus stop: 1 Harvard Square. I wonder if Harvard has a building located on 1 Read more
I visited the National Air Force Museum of Canada in Trenton, Ontario on the week of Remembrance Day. The museum is operated by lovely elderly gentlemen who are former members of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Ottawa is home to the Canadian War Museum that has exhibits on more than Read more