Bonus Nachos

The Greek capital is a great blend of old world charm and modern day convenience. This was our second stay in Athens, almost exactly three years following our first. Because of the repeat visit, we skipped most of the main tourist sites and focused on spending time in the city parks hunting for birds, tortoises, and wildflowers. We did make exceptions for revisiting the two main art museums, which were still well worth it. And like our first trip, we also enjoyed walking around downtown looking for street art, window shopping in the plentiful antique stores, and greeting friendly cats. 

Thessaloniki is Greece’s second largest city and a major port along the northern coast. Like most of Greece, it’s filled with ancient ruins, graffiti, interesting history, and cats. While the city center is at sea level, rising behind it are hills with old fortresses and crumbling city walls to explore. These hills have many spots with great views of the metro area, the bay, and plenty of cats. When we weren’t climbing above the city, we spent a lot of time walking next to the bay. A long, wide promenade leads south from downtown hugging the coast. It’s a very popular place to walk, run, or cycle past the enterprising buskers, hobby fisherman, and canoodling couples. Combined with a few nice museums, a nearby national park, and mild weather, we felt Thessaloniki was a great place to spend a couple of winter months.

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There is always something interesting happening in London. With a plethora of museums, markets, parks, art events, music, and theater, it would be impossible to get bored. We never even came close during our four week stay. Quite the opposite, in fact. Normally our day-to-day life is pretty relaxed, but London kicked us into high gear and had us constantly on the move. We visited twelve museums and almost as many markets and parks. Even with a very active long stay, we were unable to check everything off of our wishlist. While it’s not a cheap destination, it is easy to get your money’s worth.

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We recently spent an entire year living in France, staying in 12 different cities and visiting 6 more via day trip. These stops were spread throughout the country, as we tried to soak in the flavor of the many distinct areas. In every region we found a plethora of amazing art and we did our best to see as much of it as possible. In total we went to 27 art museums. We also visited at least that many cathedrals, themselves filled with incredible art and architecture. We ate large quantities of the delicious bread and cheese that’s available everywhere. This long stay allowed us to learn a lot about the country, attitudes, and their way of life. And we even picked up a little French. 

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Nancy welcomed us with warm summer weather, parks of all sizes, and extensive Art Nouveau architecture. We fell in love with both the botanical garden and the art museum. Nancy has a canal, a river, a man-made beach, and plenty of hills around that offer area views. We also found some great street art, something that’s lacking in most French cities. It was an eclectic mix that melded together perfectly. We were both surprised by how much we enjoyed Nancy. 

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Lille is a French city without French roots. On the border with Belgium, it’s about as far north as one can go and still be in France. This gives Lille a different feel from other cities in France, especially when it comes to architecture. We found loads of interesting buildings, including government offices, cultural centers, apartments, and churches. A lot of our time was spent simply walking around and looking at these unique facades. We also took advantage of our summertime stay by frequenting several great parks and taking long walks beside the canal. A nice art museum rounded out our visit.

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Rouen is an attractive destination for lovers of history and churches. There are multiple impressive worship buildings, none more so than the Rouen Cathedral. Once the tallest building in the world, it was depicted in a series of famous paintings by Claude Monet. The Fine Arts Museum proudly displays several of these Monet masterpieces. Rouen’s proximity to Paris allowed us to take a day trip to see even more art. Our summer visit also included a World Music Day party, a professional baseball game, a bit of the Tour de France, and even an impromptu swim in the river. 

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Downtown Rennes feels as much like old Europe as anywhere we’ve been. It’s filled with half-timbered buildings that have settled and shifted over the many years since construction. The result is a number of structures that are leaning sideways, out into the street, or are out of plumb in some way. Instead of straightening or rebuilding, Rennes embraces these imperfections. Several of these structures even accentuate their flaws by highlighting the off-kilter sections with shingles or other materials. Closer inspection suggests that it’s (mostly) just the outer facades that are uneven and that the actual risk of the buildings falling over is minimal. But it sure looks like a stiff wind could knock an entire block over.

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Nantes may not have the name recognition of more popular French cities, but we really enjoyed our stay there. It has a large art museum, a lively downtown, and excellent thrift stores. But the nice parks throughout the city are what stole the show. We were pleasantly surprised with both the quality and quantity of these green spaces. Our spring visit coincided with a plethora of flowers and most days were spent exploring at least one of the various choices. Nantes strikes a great balance between natural and urban areas. 

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Bordeaux is the 9th largest city in France, but definitely ranks higher in fanciness. The downtown area is large and grand, filled with ornate buildings and extravagant fountains. There are several massive cathedrals and a nice art museum. Everywhere has an upscale feeling. Even the thrift stores are sophisticated. Bordeaux offsets its urbanity with access to multiple large parks and a popular riverwalk as well. But the city’s best feature is definitely its large downtown area. 

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