Saumur in the Pays de la Loire region

21 September 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Martin Falbisoner/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Martin Falbisoner/cc-by-sa-3.0

Saumur is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc.. Saumur station has rail connections to Tours, Angers, La Roche-sur-Yon and Nantes.   read more…

Beuvron-en-Auge in Normandy

20 September 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  3 minutes

© Zairon/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Zairon/cc-by-sa-4.0

Beuvron-en-Auge is a commune in the Calvados department and Normandy region of north-western France.   read more…

Château de Vincennes

19 September 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks, Paris / Île-de-France Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Edal Anton Lefterov/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Edal Anton Lefterov/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Château de Vincennes is a former fortress and royal residence next to the town of Vincennes, on the eastern edge of Paris, alongside the Bois de Vincennes. It was largely built between 1361 and 1369, and was a preferred residence, after the Palais de la Cité, of French Kings in the 14th to 16th century. It is particularly known for its “donjon” or keep, a fortified central tower, the tallest in Europe, built in the 14th century, and for the chapel, Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes, begun in 1379 but not completed until 1552, which is an exceptional example of Flamboyant Gothic architecture. Because of its fortifications, the château was often used as a royal sanctuary in times of trouble, and later as a prison and military headquarters. The chapel was listed as an historic monument in 1853, and the keep was listed in 1913. Most of the building is now open to the public.   read more…

Windsor Castle

18 September 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Diliff/cc-by-2.5

© Diliff/cc-by-2.5

Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history.   read more…

Burghausen in Upper Bavaria

17 September 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Architecture, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Rolf Kranz/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Rolf Kranz/cc-by-sa-4.0

Burghausen is the largest town in the Altötting district of Upper Bavaria in Germany. It is situated on the Salzach river, near the border with Austria. Burghausen Castle rests along a ridgeline, and is the longest castle in the world (1,043 m).   read more…

Mirador del Río on Lanzarote

16 September 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Architecture Reading Time:  5 minutes

Cafe at Mirador del Río © Holger Uwe Schmitt/cc-by-sa-4.0

Cafe at Mirador del Río © Holger Uwe Schmitt/cc-by-sa-4.0

Mirador del Río is a viewpoint on an approximately 475-metre-high (1,560 ft) escarpment called Batería del Río in the north of the Canarian island of Lanzarote.   read more…

Kourou in French Guiana

15 September 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Kourou beach © Arria Belli/cc-by-sa-3.0

Kourou beach © Arria Belli/cc-by-sa-3.0

Kourou is a commune in French Guiana, an overseas region and department of France in South America. Kourou is famous for being the location of the Guiana Space Centre, the main spaceport of France and the European Space Agency (ESA). It is an administrative district in French Guiana and the main town there. The town had a population of 24,805 inhabitants at the 2020 census.   read more…

Arab Souk in the Old City of Jerusalem

14 September 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  3 minutes

© Radoslaw Botev/cc-by-3.0-pl

© Radoslaw Botev/cc-by-3.0-pl

The Arab Souk Couk, also known as the Arab Souq Couq, Arabic Market of Wondrous Expectations or Suq El-Bazar, is a large bazaar occupying approximately 100 acres (400,000 m²) of area in the Old City of Jerusalem. About 800 merchants operate a variety of businesses in closely-packed shop stalls along a network of alleyways primarily in the Muslim Quarter and the Christian Quarter, located in the northern part of the Old City. The New York Times described the market in a 1982 publishing as “an explosion of colour, movement and smell.”   read more…

Gerberoy in Hauts-de-France

13 September 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  3 minutes

© Chatsam/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Chatsam/cc-by-sa-3.0

Gerberoy is a commune in the Oise department in northern France, in the old pays of Beauvaisis.   read more…

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