AACHEN / AIX-LA-CHAPELLE, GERMANY, The Capital of Charlemagne

Aachen or Aix-La-Chapelle for the French was once the capital of Charlemagne and boasts a magnificent cathedral and a charming old centre - the venue for the annual Christmas market. Charlemagne came to spend his first Christmas in Aachen in the year of his coronation (768 AD) and liked it so much that he based himself there. When he died, he was buried in the Palatine chapel he built, which is now incorporated in the Imperial cathedral, the oldest cathedral in Northern Europe, where the Kings of Germany were once consecrated.  

Charlemagne, looking a bit bewildered amidst the Christmas partying

 

BRUGES, BELGIUM, a Chocolate-box Town

Bruges is a picturesque oldie worldly town, its Golden age being 12^th – 15^thcentury, it was sometimes referred to (along with Amsterdam) as the Venice of the North. Bruges is now experiencing a revival. Its main reason d’être these days is to cater to bus-loads of British tourists who probably outnumber the locals and to feed them chocolate, judging by the number of chocolate shops in town.

 

 

LONDON

London has changed considerably since the time we lived there. The weather remains the same however and probably it’s better to see the great city in the rain. The panorama from the London Eye is superb and the best way to appreciate the modern urban landscape. The Christmas Market is always a cheerful sight on a cold and wet winter’s day so we were pleased to find it there, along the Thames.

LA DEFENSE, PARIS, FRANCE

ART

 

 

The Carrousel and the Red Spider

 

 

Every time when I pass by this unlikely duo I am struck not only by the oddity of such a coupling, but also by the incongruity of its very presence in the centre of the business district of Paris. Marrying La Belle Époque with Calder’s abstract art is quite surreal anyway, but placing it in the middle of La Defense, that seems a step too far.  Yet it grows on you in the end.  The bright colours, reflecting in the glass surfaces of the surrounding buildings, alleviate and warm the severe atmosphere that reigns around.

With La Grande Arche in all its glory, towering in the background, there are moments, especially at twilight, when the entire space becomes a stage and the crowds are the extras. The Carrousel and the Red Spider on one side and another equally bizarre and phantasmagoric couple by Miro on the other side of the square, are the stars of the show.

It makes you think. Perhaps there is symbolism here - the huge metal monster about to swallow the tiny merry-go-round; the She-spider who would devour her lover once he has fulfilled his mission. We could see the Spider, as modernity, about to consume the Carrousel, the relics of the past, to make this brave new world.  Does this mean we are going to do away with our heritage or are we going to incorporate it in our contemporary surroundings?

 

 La Defense de Paris



 

In fact old and new co-habit here from the very beginning. The business district has acquired its name from a 19^th century allegorical sculpture by Barrias, commemorating the defence of Paris during the Franco-Prussian war. Gradually the business district has become a vast open-air museum but the works of the contemporary sculptors that we see here are mostly avant-garde as the Red Spider. We are in the third millennium after all. Only Barrias’ masterpiece “La Defense de Paris” reminds us that nearly 150 years ago the French battalions were making their last stand here. Today this is a place where business people from all over the world meet to discuss ways of better cooperation.

TURIN / TORINO - the capital of Piedmont, Italy

Most people will think about the Turin Shroud, the Headquarters of Fiat or even Michael Caine’s Italian Job, but there is more to Turin than that - a metropolis rich in culture, with history that spans back millennia and a great place to get out and about.

BRIANÇON (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France), the fortified city of Vauban

It was Vauban (17^th century), who in leaving his mark here as wherever he applied his genius, put his fortifications on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list. But despite the austere exterior, designed to withstand sieges rather than to welcome tourists, once past the city’s drawbridge and gate, the visitor discovers a lively, picturesque alpine town with its steep streets, the severe façades of its Italianate houses, decorated in the washed out ochre and peach tones of Provence, featuring  ancient water fountains, sundials, two unique open water canals...

With its altitude of 1326 m, Briançon is the highest city in Europe. Located on the crossroads of five valleys at the Franco-Italian border, its strategic position was highly appreciated since antiquity. In Roman times it was known as Brigantium.

Le Pays Basque - The Basque Country

San Sebastián - Donostia
view from the citadel -
just a few kilometres from the French border, this attractive city known for its sandy beaches and a once mighty citadel is founded in ancient times on the mouth of the Urumea River

San Sebastián - Donostia
Don Quixote and Sancho Panza

San Sebastián - Donostia
View from the beach towards the Citadel



St Jean Pied de Port
A picturesque little town in the foothills of the Pyrenees, important stage on the route to Saint Jacques de Compostelle

St Jean Pied de Port

St Jean de Luz
Now a charming seaside resort, the town's chequered history spans centuries back, its Golden age - the 17th century, the time when the Sun King came here to get married and stayed in this house

St Jean de Luz
The port where the fishermen pull in large catches of sardines, anchovies and tuna - a remainder of an eventful past - the place was mainly associated with fishing and piracy.
The big house to the right is where the Spanish Infanta Maria Teresa stayed at the time of her marriage to Louis XIV.

St Jean de Luz
The church where Louis XIV got married

Espelette
The capital of piment (paprika)

STARA ZAGORA, BULGARIA, the City of Linden Trees

The Road to Nowhere

This is a section of the major thoroughfare (Decumanus Maximus), which used to connect the east and west gates of the ancient Roman city of Augusta Trajana.  Now it cuts through what is left of the Roman Forum and links the Antique Amphitheatre with the Historical museum, just a few hundred metres away; it is flanked on one side by the turn of the (20^th) century theatre and, on another, by the late 20th century Opera House. For me, this architectural ensemble, now peaceful and quiet, encapsulates the frustration many feel these days – this city with a glorious past is (or has) become a backwater, which the young are eager to leave, after benefiting from an excellent education, that the local institutions are able to provide for them. But the job opportunities are few and far between and the bright young things are looking for more exciting and challenging lives...in Sofia or abroad.

The Antique Amphitheatre

Fenced off to the side of the Law Courts, it looks rather forlorn, waiting for better times to come – maybe to be again the venue for some of the lively spectacles, the local people are so proud of.

The Regional Museum of History

This 21st century building in the shape of a futuristic hour glass, preserves more of the Roman ruins and what was the main shopping street, (Cardo Maximus).  This museum faces the Antique Roman Forum, which was - and still is - the heart of the city, and thus represents a bridge between past and future.

MILAN, Capital of Fashion

Let's leave fashion to the experts and see what else the city has to offer!


A word of advice: If you want to see "The Last Supper", book well in advance!

Duomo by night

Duomo - the rooftop terrace

Castello Sforzesco

The Roman City, Mediolanum

The fashion district



                                                             

COAST - Monaco

Monaco/Monte Carlo - Port

« Et pour pas payer d'impôts il faut naître à Monaco! »
And if you don’t want to pay taxes, you have to be born in Monaco, as the popular song says...
But the tiny principality on the French Riviera has a lot more to show for than just being a tax haven. Spectacular setting, great climate, fascinating history (one ruling family, the Grimaldi since the 13th century), and all sorts of attractions: Casino, Rally Monte Carlo, Oceanographic Museum, yachting, theatres, to name just a few. No surprise that it has become such a playground for the rich and the famous.

Monaco/Monte Carlo - Port

Monte Carlo - Casino

Monaco/Monte Carlo - Sainte-Dévote Chapel

COAST - Villefranche-sur-Mer, France

A charming little fishing town, just a few kilometres east of Nice featuring a magnificent bay, best seen from the train, which runs along the coast, offering breathtaking views on its way to Monaco.

Vilefranche - La Gare Maritime

Villefranche - La Rue Obscure

Nellcote villa – getting a facelift after years of slumber; it’s difficult to imagine that in this otherwise peaceful environment “Exile on Main Street” was recorded some 40 years ago. But Keith, Mick and co have now left the building for good.



Villefranche-sur-Mer

COAST - Nice, France

Nissa La Bella – unquestionably the Queen of the French Riviera, the city boasts a magnificent setting between the sea and the mountains. It benefited from the patronage of the British upper classes in the end of the 18th century. The famous Promenade des Anglais was conceived in that period, the result of ingenious entrepreneurial/philanthropic thinking. Fed-up with the pestering of the numerous beggars, who had descended on the city during a particularly cold winter, the rich English decided to involve them in this project which was to the benefit of them all. Such a project would be unthinkable now! To this day “La Prom”, one of the most beautiful seaside boulevards in the world, remains the main drag, the beach being regularly rebuilt using river pebbles.

Nice - Old Port

Nice - Old Town

Nice - Promenade des Anglais

Nice - Cimiez, the ruins of the Roman city