Tournai

With Milan just over an hour away from Turin, it was worth a visit. I’ve been before but there were a few great sites that I had not had the chance to see (or hadn’t known about). First up the church of Santa Maria presso San Satiro. Looks beautiful inside, like so many others I…

The Museum of Carnavalet is an excellent museum in the Marais detailing the history of Paris. Even more remarkable as a city run museum its permanent collections are free to visit. Just down the street is the parish church of St Paul and St Louis As well as the Church of Saint Gervais It’s just…

Two different galleries – both for shopping rather than art. Starting with Gallerie Vivienne a covered set of shops dating back to 1826. Next up, Galleries Lafayette, probably the largest department store known outside France. I took a guided tour that allowed access an hour before the store opened to learn all about the history…

A former railway, turned into park, two and a half stories above ground. Just across the river near the Gare D’Austrelitz is this interesting building. Though the clouds were rolling in, there was still some time in the afternoon to get a few external shots of the Louvre and the Tuileries Gardens.

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…

Invalides is a complex which includes an army museum, the Cathedral of St Louis and the Domes des Invalides, containing tombs of significant French figures. It has also maintained its longstanding function as a retirement home for former soldiers. Its gold dome is visible from many parts of the city. It is most notably, the…