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Hauts-de-France (formerly Picardie & Nord-Pas-de-Calais
boulogne

3 Fortified Medieval French Cities that will Fascinate You

Fortified Medieval French cities bring out my inner child. Whether it is climbing a tower or a wall, nothing compares to surveying a town or village from that height. Wandering along a city wall/rampart in the evening, while everyone else heads home or to a local café means I'm left to my imagination, to wonderful views ...

cirque jules vernes

More Than 10 Reasons Why I Love Amiens

Read my story in French » I love Amiens and I can give at least 10 reasons to visit Amiens in addition the  magnificent Cathedral ! With four days to explore in Amiens,  I loved every minute of my visit. There should be no doubt from the two earlier posts that I love the Cathedral here. But there are an abundance of ...

Boulogne's Notre-Dame Basilica

Boulogne’s Notre-Dame Basilica and Crypt are Fascinating

Boulogne’s Notre-Dame Basilica certainly evokes memories of my prior visits to Invalides and the Panthéon in Paris as well as Saint Peter’s in Rome and Saint Paul’s in London! All of those gave inspiration to its builder here in Boulogne. I spent one whole afternoon exploring Boulogne's Notre-Dame Basilica and ...

boulogne

Beautiful Boulogne Absolutely Stole my Heart

Read my story in French » Boulogne,  also known as Boulogne-sur-Mer, is one of several walled or fortified cities in France. Unlike Saint-Malo and Guérande, Boulogne-sur-Mer is quite hilly. Arriving at the Tintelleries train station meant I was about half way between the walled old-town and the coastal attractions. Walk ...

notre-dame d'amiens saints

Notre-Dame d’Amiens – Exploring the Exterior Details

Notre-Dame d'Amiens is a magnificent cathedral. It is the largest cathedral in France and although definitely 13th century Gothic in style, a place of worship has rested on this site since the fifth century. When you consider the timeline of wars that took place in France since the present-day Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens ...

amiens cathedral labyrinth

Amiens Cathedral – Exploring the Wonders of the Interior

Amiens’ cathedral, Notre Dame, soared above the horizon as I walked toward her along Port d’Amont. I’m not sure why this surprised me as she is considered the largest church in France. In fact, Amiens’ cathedral exceeds in size Notre Dame of Paris. The Roman style cathedral which stood here before the Notre Dame of ...

senlis france

Senlis France Day Tripping from Paris to Get Lost for the Day

Read my story in French » Even in our sleep deprived condition from the overseas flight it was so easy to get to Senlis France from Charles de Gaulle Airport. We rented a car and in less than 30 minutes we were in the Picardy Region literally halfway between Chantilly and Senlis. Half-way is really walking distance as it ...