Fortress and Byzantine Culture

The Haussmann architecture and mansard roofs…feels great to be back in Paris. Though certainly moving from the summer heat of Rome to the fall temperatures of Ile-de-France. Still plenty of work happening post fire at Notre Dame. Starting the day with rain and cold…but I had tickets to the Galerie Dior. Christian Dior is iconic…

While Lille isn’t the biggest of cities, it sits within the larger European Metropolis of Lille with a regional population between 1.5-2 million. While I explored most of the historical centre there is lots more to come back one day and explore across the region. And the usual steep and traditional winding French staircase to…

A short half hour train ride away is the small city of Asti. It may be familiar as a wine growing region -both their red wines including Barbera D’Asti as well as their sparkling wines like Asti Spumante. After reading a bit about it, it seemed like an interesting place to visit and pretty easy…

I’ve heard about both Saint-Germain-des-Pres and Jardins Luxembourg for a long time so it was great to have a chance to visit both. The equally large and beautiful Saint Sulpice. Dropping by Montparnasse cemetery to see the graves of famous philosophers Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. and Concorde Metro station where the Declaration…

I am finding my own suburb, Boulogne-Billancourt to be incredible charming. The majority of buildings seem to be from the 1920s and 30s so there is a strong art deco feel. Across the Seine, heading towards Paris is the area of Javel and the Andre Citroen Park. A beautiful park sitting next to the sleek…

The Jardin D’Accilmatation sits between the Arc de Triomphe and La Defense and just above the large wooded Bois de Boulogne. It’s a lovely park, and I hadn’t realized also an amusement park. Getting ready for the day of the dead Sitting on the edge of the park is Foundation Louis Vuitton, a modern art…