Lyon Hotel de Ville, France

Lyon Hotel de Ville (City Hall), France

Ah Lyon, France’s second city. Most tourists flock to Paris or the French Riviera, but more people are starting to find their way to Lyon. Not really south, not really north, but not really the east either, Lyon sits on the banks of not one but two major rivers, the Saone and the Rhone, about 2/3 of the way to the Alps. Once the capital of Gaul during Roman times, Lyon has always played significance roles in French history. The city itself is a beautiful melange of Roman, medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, 20th century utilitarianism, and of course, the bizarreness of modern architecture. At its heart is the Presqu’ile, the place between the two rivers, home to many of the city’s most important buildings, including the Hotel de Ville, the French name for the City Hall. Where once the church was the centre of any French village, town or city, in secular France, this is now the town hall. Built alongside the nearby magnificent Place des Terraux (location of the Musée des Beaux Arts), the Hotel de Ville was constructed between 1645 and 1651 in full Baroque style. Sadly, a fire in 1674 led to further restorations after the Great Hall, chapel, belfry, attic and roof were engulfed. There was once a statue of King Louis XIV but during the chaos of the French Revolution, this was torn down. Some 50 or so years later, the missing statue was replaced with one of Henry IV. Inside, as outside, is in full a decadent and extravagant style – great chandeliers, marble floors, gilded walls, beautiful crown moulding, Lyonnaise silk, vaulted ceilings, huge stairwells, and great halls abound in this amazing building.

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Pro tip: Though not always open to the public, there are certain events during the year in which you can attend. You can also take guided tours of some of the rooms; more info here – note the visits are in French only.

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More To See in Lyon

• Tunnel de Croix Rousse
• Ile Barbe
• Les Confluences Modern Architecture
• Vieux Lyon
• Roman Lyon – Theatre of Fourviere
• Parc Lacroix Laval

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Inside the Hermitage, St Petersburg, Russia

Inside the Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia

Entering the Hermitage Museum in the heart of the majestic St Petersburg, prepare to be overcome with opulence, elegance, and riches that would put a golden-hoarding dragon to shame. Though there are six buildings comprising the Hermitage, it is the Winter Palace that gets the glory. Founded in 1764 by none other than Empress Catherine the Great, the Hermitage is the world’s 2nd-largest art museum (after the Louvre). Some 3 million artefacts form part of the Hermitage’s collection, though most of these aren’t on permanent display. But the real museum here for architect and history geeks like myself is the building itself. Once home to a string of opulent Russian rulers, the rooms of the Winter Palace are a wonder to behold. If the above photo is just the entrance hall, what other magnificence might the other rooms hold? The Hermitage (and St Petersburg itself) is one of those places that should be on any list of amazing places to go, particularly for anyone who loves art, museums, history, architecture, grandeur, or photography.

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Pro tip: Leave yourself plenty of time. This is a massive museum and given how difficult it is to get to Russia (particularly navigating getting visas), this might be your one chance to visit it. Don’t rush it – leave yourself the whole day to explore the Hermitage. If you finish earlier than that, then find yourself a nice place for a wee pivo (beer). 

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More Great Museums

• The Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao
• The Natural History Museum, London
• The Porsche Museum, Stuttgart
• Marsh’s Library, Dublin
• Wawel Castle, Krakow
• Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyon
• City of Arts and Sciences Museums, Valencia
• Pitt-Rivers Museum, Oxford

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*Please note that all photos posted since the start of the Pandemic travel restrictions are from the archives, or taken locally within a short distance of our home. 

Vienna Opera, Austria

 

Interior Statues of the Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera), Austria

Pure decadence, exorbitant elegance, genteel allure, stunning beauty. Welcome to the Staatsoper, Vienna’s State Opera House. The first of the extravagant buildings on Vienna‘s most famed street, the Ringstrasse (now a designated UNESCO site), the Staatsoper was opened to the genteel Austrian public in 1869. Built in the Neo-Renaissance style, the building was surprisingly unpopular with said genteel Viennese. (It somehow was not considered grand enough. You have to wonder about that genteel 19th century high society…). Then on the fateful night of March 12th, 1945, inferno rained down upon Vienna’s opera house, dropped by US bombers. Fire poured from the sky, bombs exploded in the streets, and flames ate their way through the Ringstrasse. Though the angry flames could not get into the walled-off foyer and fresco-filled stairways, the auditorium and 150,000 costumes for 120+ operas went up in smoke. When WWII was finally over, it was debated: shall we rebuild the originally unpopular building as per original design, or do we redesign it to modern tastes? Thank goodness the former option was chosen, and the Wiener Staatsoper was rebuilt in all its former glory (and happily, it is now beloved by Viennese and foreigners alike). Today, you can’t visit musical Vienna, home (at one point or another) to such musicians as Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Strauss, Chopin and Mahler, without visiting the opera. Loiter inside the foyer for a bit and if you have time, buy yourself a ticket to the opera or ballet. If you’re a budget traveller, queue in the ‘standing’ line in the afternoon to buy a €3 or €4 ‘standing’ ticket (arrive 3hrs prior to the show’s start; once you’ve got your ticket, tie a scarf to mark your spot and head out for a bite to eat). Be sure to dedicate plenty of time to explore the palatial building – frescos, statues, paintings, vast staircases and awe-inspiring architecture await!

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More to see in Austria

1. The Belvedere Palace – Vienna
2. Kreuzenstein Castle – Leobendorf
3. Hundrertwasser House – Vienna
4. Hohensalzburg – Salzburg
5. Downtown Linz – Linz
6. Streets of Innsbruck – Innsbruck

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Nimes Canals, France

The Canals of Nîmes, France

The Roman city of Nîmes has been a splendid city in the south of France for thousands of years. Known for its chic boutiques, terrific Roman ruins (including the amazing Roman Arena), and mild Mediterranean climate, Nîmes has long been regarded as one of France’s most beautiful cities – and best-kept secrets of France’s Languedoc-Roussillon/Midi-Pyrenees region. But not all of Nîmes is ancient. The Romans built a spring (the Spring of Nemo) and decorated it with a temple (now gone). But in the 1700s, the growing city needed a better source of safe drinking water, and therefore opted to construct a network of canals. Ulterior motives included powering Nîmes’ mills to sustain its’ top-ranking position in the textile industry as well as the indigo dying industry for a new product, serge de Nîmes, better known today as denim (from the French, ‘de’ or ‘from’ Nîmes; indeed, thank Nîmes for your jeans!). The project became a grand affair, and included a beautiful park laced with ornate statues, exotic gardens, and of course, the wide, boulevardesque canals. They were the first gardens in France created for the benefit of the public, not royalty. Today’s visitors to Nîmes who wander the park and the canals will still feel the glamour and elegance that exudes off these complex and orate 18th century creations, so important to the Nîmois. 

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Pro tip: Not far above the canals is the wonderful Jardin de al Fontaine topped with the Tour de Magne. Visit the region for a place for a lovely stroll through lush gardens and delightful sculptures and panoramic views. 

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More Beautiful Canals in Europe

1. Bruges, Belgium
2. Ghent, Belgium
3. Annecy, France
4. Strasbourg, France
5. Copenhagen, Denmark
6. Amsterdam, Netherlands
7. Bath, England

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The Belvedere Palace in Vienna, Austria

The Belvedere Palace in Vienna, Austria

Few places can supersede Vienna for splendour or elegance, and one of reasons for this comes in the shape of the splendid Belvedere Palace. Baroque to the core, the massive estate comprises of the Upper and Lower buildings, the Orangery, the Old Stables, the beautiful jardins francais modelled on Versailles and many intertwining paths amongst the flower beds, marble sculptures, tree-lined paths. In a way, we can thank the Ottoman Empire for this marble monument: the Belvedere was built during a period of renewed construction by the Hapsburg family after the successful end to the encroachment of the Ottoman Empire into Central Europe. Much like the Belevedere, the city of Vienna itself isa work of marble and art: from the soaring grey towers of St Stephen’s Cathedral to the massive Staatsoper opera house, from the seat of power at the Hofburg Palace to the many marble and bronze statues scattered around the broad avenues and finally to the many cafes that have made this city famous. Walking Vienna’s avenues and boulevards and gardens is like visiting a living museum, one dedicated to Baroque and Art Nouveau and Gothic styles. From the historic extravagance of the cafes to the vast grandeur of the palaces, Vienna will make you feel like royalty in another era.

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Other Underrated Beautiful European Palaces

1. Royal Palace, Warsaw, Poland
2. Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, England
3. Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austria
4. Neue Schloss, Stuttgart, Germany
5. Sforza Castle Palace, Milan, Italy
6. Palaces of Piazza de Vittore Veneto, Torino, Italy

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