Feel a sense of Avignon’s character and personality through Michael Smith’s series of short video-postcards below. Join him in the ‘art of getting lost’ as he hops off a Eurostar into sunny Provence and sets off to discover the city walls of a distant past.

He describes the quality and clarity of light as being perfect for making this city a work of art in itself. Added to this, is centuries of history and plenty of Catholic culture to admire and learn from. See more of Michael Smith’s video-postcards from Paris, Lyon & Amsterdam.

Photo: ‘Avignon‘ by hsivonen

Follow Michael Smith as he explores various parts of Amsterdam in this playlist of 6 video-postcards. Click play on the player below to view each video one after the other and join Michael Smith in discovering Amsterdam’s eccentricities such as the history of a famous bar called ‘In the Monkeys’.

Other places visited in this series of video-postards are the brown cafés of the city, a cross between a bar and a café which attract a range of people who enjoy meeting others, chatting and ‘chilling out’ with others.

If you liked this series of video-postcards you can find another set for Paris and another for Lyon too, enjoy!

Photo: ‘Three bikes on the canal bridge in Amsterdam‘ by joiseyshowaa

If Boris Johnson wants help in implementing a city cycling scheme which is effective he could do far worse than looking to Amsterdam. Sure, most of the locals’ bikes cost less than the £45 Boris is charging for a year; but this is also brilliant for tourists as the bike shops (which are everywhere) rent bikes out very, very cheaply.

And it’s well known that Holland is flat. Very, very flat. So flat that Amsterdam is filled with a whole network of canals because it was so easy to build them. And all of this makes for brilliant cycling conditions: the city (as different from London) is home to countless cycle paths and the traffic is very safe – 2007 saw 18 traffic deaths in Amsterdam (including car crashes etc.) compared with 26 murders. Amsterdam is a city set up for cycling and yet, if you’re still bothered about the dangers of cycle paths, many of the canals have paths by the side which make for a picturesque ride.

But more importantly, the abundance of cycle paths makes it possible to visit almost any site in Amsterdam by bike – there are places to lock bikes all over the city.

The Rijksmuseum the city’s main art gallery (found on Hobbemastraat) is the sort of place where one can while away an entire day with its collections including works by Rembrandt and Vermeer. If you want more art the Van Gogh museum is just round the corner on Paulus Potterstraat. But if boredom strikes, one can hop on the bike elsewhere – to the floating flower market on the Singel Canal or the Amsterdam Historical Museum on Kalverstraat which, despite the odd name, showcases fascinating exhibits like the city plan of 16^th century Amsterdam. Or NEMO, the fantastically anarchic science centre located by the Oosterdok with so many hands-on exhibitions that it will be a definite hit with the kids.

The point is, Amsterdam is very much a medium-sized capital city – much smaller than London or Paris. Because of this it’s really easy to get around by bike and the work done by the city council has made it even easier. The cycling is healthy and it is the best way to take in the calm of Amsterdam city centre as well as the extraordinary beauty of the surrounding roads. It truly is the only way to see Amsterdam properly.

Photo: ‘Bikes‘ by loop_oh

Although Bordeaux is known for its wines, the city has lots more to offer than simply an abundance of vineyards. Watching Champions League football for years, I could never work out why Uefa were always so insistent on calling the football team of the city, Girondins de Bordeaux. But after visiting Bordeaux, I appreciate why the Girondins deserve appreciation from football fans and tourists alike.

The Girondins were a group of Legislative Assembly deputies of whom 22 were executed during the French revolution for alleged counter-revolutionary activities. They were led by Pierre Vergniaud and Armand Gensonné who believed that though they (the Girondins) had been the most radical in supporting the revolution,  when the new Parliamentary chamber was established (the National Convention) they became the conservatives amongst the membership as they wanted to bring order to France.

Alas, the reason they are such heroes is that although they were simply trying to defend the ordinary people, they ended up guillotined by Robespiere – all 22 of them – because he was worried about the consequences of keeping them alive.

As they all came from Bordeaux or the surrounding region, they are memorialised in the city: the most prominent feature of Esplanade des Quinconces, a large square that was built in 1820, is the fountain monument to the Girondins. The monument was completed in 1902 but was destroyed by the Nazis because they wanted the Bronze; however, the Bordeaux locals felt so strongly about the Girondins that they had the fountain replaced.

The fountain is quirky insofar as the horses’ nostrils squirt water. But the square and the fountain are interesting not so much for this, as to remember people of integrity whom history could easily forget. Sure, visit Bordeaux and drink the fabulous wine on offer. But raise a glass to the Girondins all the same.

Photo: ‘Lens-Bordeaux 2008: droit en L2‘ by RG1033

As well as showcasing Tottenham’s failures in the Europa League, Channel Five brought British audiences of the 1990′s the delights of Fort Boyard – a  television programme similar to crystal maze with various challenges and games, all set in a Napoleonic fort off the coast of La Rochelle.

La Rochelle has a fascinating history as the area where all the Huguenots were concentrated during the French Wars of Religion but the reality is, that for anybody who has watched Fort Boyard, the highlight of a trip to La Rochelle will be a visit to the fort.

From the old harbour it is possible to take boats throughout the day to the Ile d’Aix and the boats will happily take you on the Fort Boyard if you ask.

The fort is located in the Pertuis d’Antioche straits and is 61 metres long, 31 metres wide and 20 metres high. Napoleon ordered its construction in 1801 and it was completed in 1857 with room enough for a garrison of 250 men. Unfortunately, by the time it was completed the range of canons had hugely increased making the fort obsolete. It slowly crumbled away before it was restored in the 1980s in preparation for the TV programme.

Aficionados of the programme will probably want to visit the tower where the professor lived, the cages where the tigers were kept and maybe to pretend they have to attempt some of the challenges. La Rochelle is certainly an interesting place to visit – but there is nowhere more fun in the surrounding area than Fort Boyard.

Photo: ‘Fort Boyard‘ by Armel

Nice is arguably the capital of the French Riviera and for this reason it has a great many things to do – more relaxed than Cannes and more fun-loving than St Tropez (and without the price-tags of Monte Carlo) it really is the place to visit on the Cote d’Azur.

One particular highlight of Nice is walking around the old town called Vieux Nice. This area is full of narrow, winding, cobblestone streets and can be found behind the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. Many of the streets here have looked the same since the 1700s – several houses have signs showing that they were built over 300 years ago – and the area is full of character.

In this area is the arcade-lined Place Garibaldi built during the late 18t century and full of wonderful places for a little shopping. It is named after Guiseppe Garibaldi one of the heroes of the Italian unification who gives his name to a fine biscuit. He was originally from Nice and although the politics of the city has recently taken a turn for the worse – in the 90s the Far Right won over 25% of the citywide vote in most elections – many older citizens still revere him as one of the great inhabitants of Nice.

Vieux Nice also has several remarkable churches. The baroque Cathédrale Sainte Réparate was built around 1650 when France was recovering from the ravages of the Wars of Religion and represents an important part of how the country tried to unite once more. At Place du Gésu (next to Rue Rosetti) there is the striking Église Saint Jacques le Majeur which is coloured a vivid yellow. If you’ve had your fill of churches, round the corner on Rue Benoit Bunico is the home of the old Jewish ghetto.

But really what makes Vieux Nice is not any of the individual sites; its about being able to walk in a maze of old streets and alleys, admiring picturesque houses and, if hunger calls, stopping off at the daily fruit and flower market of Cours Saleya for a snack. That, is the true beauty of Vieux Nice.

Photo: ‘Vieux Nice‘ by dbaron

Paris is often billed as the city of romance in the same way that New York is portrayed as the city that never sleeps. But to get away from the romance, there is no better place to go than the Musée des Égouts de Paris, or the Paris Sewer Museum.

Indeed, Paris’ reputation as the city of romance probably has a lot to do with the fact it has had such good sewage works for so long – when young couples were out on a date, they were faced with the smell of perfume, not of waste, a situation radically different to almost any other city in the world in the 19^th century.

The museum, located on the Place de la Resistance, is truly fascinating.  The great success of the Sewers is born out by the museum itself – it does not smell. Rather, one can admire fascinating exhibits detailing how the sewers date back to 1370.

No city has a sewer network like Paris, where the sewers house drinking and non-drinking water areas, as well as many cables to keep the electricity system working. But really, this is all down to one man: Baron Haussman. He was a city planner who came up with the plan for the sewers in the 1850s which elevated Paris to becoming a truly modern city.  His work to build a sewer system over 600km long was truly a feat of engineering.

The Musée des Égouts may not seem an obvious attraction to visit. But what with the role the Parisian sewers play in Les Miserables, as well as the extraordinary history of what is in effect, an entire underground city, it really is worth a visit, for its quirkiness if nothing else.

Photo: ‘Les Egouts, Sewer Museum Underneath Paris‘ by Bogdan Migulski

For all Basil Fawlty repeatedly screamed “don’t mention the war”, no visit to Germany can overlook its extraordinary 20^th century history and a visit to Cologne is no exception in this regard. Cologne was the first place Jews settled in Germany (in Roman times) and it has a huge amount of Jewish history. All six synagogues were destroyed during World War Two but a visit to the Roonstrasse Synagogue – rebuilt in 1959, is still incredibly informative.

The Roonstrasse Synagogue was destroyed on Kristallnacht but was rebuilt after the war and is now the home of the Jewish community of Cologne today.  Despite being a relatively new building, it has an incredibly striking façade with some saying the architecture makes it look like something out of Gotham City – the fictional city best known as the home of Batman.

Inside the new synagogue, the decoration is equally stunning. There is a vast blue dome and the entire inside of the synagogue is beautifully – yet tastefully – decorated.

But it is the old rather than the new which brings most visitors in. First, to comprehend just how violent the Holocaust was: Cologne currently has enough Jews to keep this large synagogue going; but before World War Two there were six synagogues and thousands more Jewish inhabitants. This synagogue gives a bloody reminder of just how awful the Holocaust was.

But even more importantly, because the exhibits on display as part of the synagogue complex show the history of the Cologne Jewish community and how it was decimated. It is possible to see how large the membership was pre-1939, as well as the more heart-warming things, such as the Torah which was saved from a burning synagogue by a Catholic priest.

Nonetheless, a visit to the synagogue of Cologne is not going to be a happy experience. But it is important to visit anyway, to appreciate what happened just seventy years ago and learn about the depth of history this city has to offer.

Photo: The Dom Cathedral (Kölner Dom) in Cologne, Germany WWII, May 10th, 1945. “Trolley Missions”…Kölner Dom in Köln, Deutschland WWII, 10. Mai 1945. “Trolley-Missionen” by David C. Foster

We last featured some of Michael Smith’s inspiring short video discoveries nearly a year ago in a series of video-postcards dedicated to Paris. We’re now very excited to say that he’s made some more, and this time we’re lucky enough to join him on an exploration into the heart of Lyon.

Part 1 – The journey

In part 1 Michael demonstrates how easy, quick and comfortable it is to get to Lyon and begin exploring without feeling like you’ve even begun traveling.

Part 2 – The belly of France

Part 2 of Michael’s exploration of Lyon takes him to the ‘belly’ of France, where you can discover a range of foods and flavours that France is famous for.

Part 3 – Thinking with your palette

Part 3 offers a little glimpse into the food markets of Lyon and the food that some might see as exotic, but the Lyonnais see it as their everyday exploration of taste and flavour combinations.

Part 4 – Dinner with Michael

In part 4 we accompany Michael at dinner in one of Lyon’s well loved bouchons.

Part 5 – Washing it all down with a bottle (or two!) of French wine

In part 5 Michael introduces the two rivers of Lyon and discovers that the locals sometimes refer to a third – wine!

Part 6 – Lose yourself in Lyon’s pastel streets

In the final part of Michael’s exploration of Lyon we join him on a stroll through two neighbourhoods which each capture your interest with their differing personalities and character.

View the full playlist of these 6 videos on our YouTube channel here.

Photo: ‘Croix Rousse market – Lyon‘ by sammydavisdog

While Brussels can’t compete with Istanbul in terms of it bridging two continents, it is nonetheless still a fusion of many parts: Brussels is the area of Belgium where French meets Flemish, where the historic feel of towns like Bruges intermingles with the hip vibe of a city buzzing with energy, and where the bizarre or avant-garde is often literally just round a random corner.

But it is because Brussels is such a melting-point that any visit to Brussels will probably involve a visit (often much longer than anticipated) to the Grand Place. Often places with hyperbolic names don’t live up to expectations – think of the Theatre of Dreams or the Arc de Triomphe. But the Grand Place fights back hard against this stereotype.

It was made a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1998 and quite rightly so: the Grand Place is a beautiful square surrounding by the tall city tower and a range of stunning buildings. The light show often put on in the evenings gives it an even greater ambiance.

It may sound like I’m waxing lyrical about the Grand Place but to not do so would be to overlook its sheer majesty. When people think of Belgium, they tend to think of fine chocolates and artisan beers. Some of the best shops to buy chocolate are in this area of Brussels and I can think of few other places as atmospheric to try a few beers. Indeed, with such a beautiful location I could drink all night long – and with the opportunities for people-watching the bars around the Grand Place give, that would be a fine way to spend an evening.

Photo: ‘Grote Markt by night, Brussels‘ by suvodeb