Rideau Canal Skateway

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…

Rideau Hall

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…

Le Corbusier in Bern

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…

MIT

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…

Kellies Castle

Located near the town of Ipoh in Malaysia, Kellie’s Castle is the unfinished home built by a Scottish settler which was later left to ruin. The property is mainly built in Victorian architectural style using darker materials with elements of Indian colonial building features. The owner, William Kellie Smith, died Read more…

WWII German Flak Tower

The Flakturm IV built by the Nazi Army all across the country were designed to be impenetrable concrete fortresses to shoot down allied bombers. The towers were feared by pilots during the war as they were terrifyingly efficient with elevators bringing ammunition from lower levels to upper levels and some Read more…

Elbe Tunnel

Built in 1907, the Elbe Tunnel was the first tunnel under the River Elbe in Hamburg and was considered an engineering masterpiece at its time for being 24 meters under water level;. Although it used to be the only way for carriages to get across the river without the use Read more…