We read a lot of blogs throughout the week and since meeting Mark from UK Street Art we’ve been reading his blog regularly and have been inspired to write a post about urban art. Unlike previous posts we’ve written about art in galleries and museums, this post is all about some of the street street art around Lyon that helps to make this city truly inspirational.

There’s a common misconception that street art is merely graffiti or vandalism but often it’s not at all. It is effectively expressions of creativity from artists that use walls, street objects and buildings as their canvases instead of paper or other more traditional materials. Obviously creating this kind of artwork is often illegal and frowned upon but it is gaining an increased level of interest and some artworks, by well known artists such as Banksy, are selling for thousands!

Like many large cities, Lyon has got it’s fair share of great street art including some that has been commissioned by the local authorities in the trompe l’oeil style. The English translation for this style of artwork is ‘deceive the eye’ and it’s a well known way of painting or drawing to create the optical illusion of an artwork being 3D when it’s actually a two-dimensional piece. For the more traditional art lovers reading this, the trompe l’oeil style of painting may be more commonly associated with masterpieces by Pere Borrell del Caso or other well known greats.

This ultra-realistic way of painting has actually fooled many vistors of Lyon into thinking that these scenes are real. Mind you, it’s easy to see why when you look at the picture above! We’ve looked at it for ages and still can’t quite work out which bits are painted on and which bits are real!

What’s more, is that if you’re up to date on Lyon’s history and you look closely at the image below, you may notice that some of the people are actually famous inhabitants of Lyon from throughout history.

Photo 1: “Untitled” by Dierk SchaeferPhoto 2: “Foolin’” by tornatore

Photo 3: “Fresque des lyonnais” by sylaf

Crossing Germany’s river Rhine is the Hohenzollernbrücke Bridge, which connects the Western side of Cologne with the Eastern city center. This collosal structure originally served as both a railway and vehicle bridge but after it’s destruction in 1945, and subsequent rebuild a few years later, it now stands as a rail and pedestrian crossing across the river.

The history of this bridge is great and it’s even managed to survive the daily bombings and air strikes of the second world war despite taking a beating along the way. After many improvements to the bridge’s structure and occasional expansion, the Hohenzollernbrücke Bridge now carries approximately 1,200 trains per day and is the main access point between Cologne and much of Europe.

Although this bridge is incredible in it’s own right, we understand that some readers might need more to find it fascinating enough to visit for themselves. So, here’s a little bit about the culture surrounding the bridge that makes it out favourite in Cologne.

For many years, it has been tradition for couples to walk out onto the bridge with a padlock decorated with their initials. They use the bridge as an enormous canvas by locking their ‘Love Padlock’ – a symbol of their undying love – to the railings of the bridge before sealing it with a kiss and throwing their keys to the padlock into the river Rhine below.

As far as traditions go, this one is particularly new as people only started devoting a padlock to the bridge in 2008. Initially this practice received opposition from Deutsche Bahn (German Rail) and the locks were removed by officials. However, in true Romeo and Juliet style, couples from the city and visiting cities wouldn’t let anything stand in the way of their love and rebelled against the company by covering the majority of the bridge once again.

Deutsche Bahn obviously had no choice but to back down and the bridge now remains a canvas for locals and visitors to declare their love for their partners. We probably should have saved this post for valentines day but we just couldn’t wait, how romantic!

If you’ve been here and devoted your love to someone with a padlock we’d love to see the photo’s, upload them to our Facebook page or tweet them to us on Twitter!

1st Photo: ‘Cologne Central‘ by spacejulien

2nd Photo: ‘SDC15249washed‘ by RuckSackKruemel

We have a lovely guest post from the fantastic mummy blogger Eva who writes the Nixd Minx blog who has kindly shared her recent trip to France with us.

France is a vast and varied country and it’s worth taking time to get to know the regions but all too often we overlook the places which are closest to us.

If you’re looking for a destination that’s culturally different but not too far from home, did you know you can make it from London to France in around 60 minutes?

Catch the 6.20 or 7.20 Eurostar from Kings Cross you will be on the doorstep of the beautiful and atmospheric Picardy coast by 8.30am which certainly helps to stretch out a day trip or long weekend.  The great thing about travelling on Eurostar is that you don’t have the hassle of the airport experience and Kings Cross is pretty much in the centre of London and easily accessible.  There’s the added bonus of carbon neutral travel too.

I’m a great fan of the Cote D’Azure and the Var region but we tend to visit there when it’s holiday time and don’t really consider it for a short break or a London destress.

On a recent trip to France we found a place of tranquility and calm, tucked away in an oasis of green and nestled along the coast.   The area is steeped in Anglo-French history and is beautifully kept.

We spent a long weekend in Picardy and stayed at the Belle Dune Eco resort, which has a very famous golf course on it too, and cycled to the beaches which meant we were very environmentally friendly – and the locals were pretty pleasant too!

For gourmands or wine buffs, there’s plenty there to take home too, but it’s really worth getting away from Calais and heading further out to the coastal areas such as Plage Mahon to check out the local special dish.  Call it Moules with everything if you will.  There are plenty of great places to sample moules frites in the area, and each restaurant has a chef’s special recipe on the menu too.  If you want something light; best go for the the chervil and white wine or for something a little more gastronimique there’s always cream, ham and garlic to scintillate the tastebuds.  There are plenty of local beers on offer to and I tend to prefer a provencal rose as a light accompaniment to this great lunch.

And a few words about the beaches; unlike the South of France the public beaches stretch on for several miles and they are shallow and sandy so great for the kids who like to muck about on the shoreline or make sandcastles.  Judging from the Sunday turn out, it looks like the British and French share a love of the great family day out.

After a hard day at the beach, you’ll notice that it tends to get dark rather late in this area, so it’s best to save some of your energy for a relaxing night cap and enjoy the stunning sunset.

Built way back in the 17th Century in a classical style, the Hôtel de Ville in the centre of Aix en Provence is fit for the front of a pretty postcard. Originally built as a town hall for the local mayor, the building now houses various antique woodwork and crafted pieces such as large tapestries.

It’s location is suitably on the Place de l’Hotel de Ville, a lovely open square with trees to shade you from the heat of the day as you refresh in one of the al fresco cafés. Naturally, this perfectly located square attracts a well proportioned mix of local villagers as well as some visitors. At busier times during the day and evening, this variety of people helps to create a truly unique atmosphere which is amplified by the four surrounding façades that bind the square together.

Attached to the side of the Hôtel de Ville is a tall clock tower with finely crafted steelwork surrounding a bell and a terrace area at the top. Just below the clock face is a balcony which wraps it’s way around the structure at the mid-way point. It’s a fantastic spot to take in the area and look down on the square people watching to your hearts content. At the foot of the bell tower is a stone archway for making access to the square easier.

Also on the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville is another beautiful building that once stood as a Corn Exchange where cereal grains were once traded between farmers and merchants. All in all the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville is a sensational place to visit and is packed full of culture, heritage, history and fantastic atmosphere. It’s also very close to the remarkable thermal springs, which the city is built upon.

Photo: “Place de l’Hotel de Ville” by waeller

At the edge of Avignon’s walled city lays a large rocky hill called Mont Andaon. Located at the edge of the city on the bend of the river, Mont Andaon is home to Fort Saint André which is perfectly situated with clear views across the city and along the river Rhône in both directions. You can easily imagine medieval life here and you simply cannot resist admiring the incredible town planning that went into ensuring Avignon’s security.

On a clear day atop Mont Andaon you could easily snap away hundreds of photographs of just the magnificent views. However, with the views being just a small part of this fascinating place, you should be conscious of saving some space on that memory card for other amazing sites such as the Rocher Des Doms.

Rocher Des Doms is a large, and completely stunning, garden filled with trees, wildlife, incredible statues and pretty ponds. It was built in 1830 to cover the large reservoir that once occupied this spot to serve the city with it’s water, almost like a huge water tower!

Meandering through the many wooded paths and walkways, you can have fun getting close to beautiful peacocks or look out for breaks in the trees to catch exclusive glimpses of the view. There’s a panoramic view point that is often largely obscured by overgrown trees but this won’t stop you finding a nice spot to look down the river to Saint-Bénézet bridge, which we strongly recommend visiting while you’re in Avignon.

Been to Avignon before? We’d love to see your photo’s and read your stories, submit them to our competition to win tickets on our Explorer Train, including  accommodation, breakfast and €100 to spend. If you haven’t been before, stay tuned to this site for some of the best things to do and places to see.

Photo: ‘centre-ville (AVIGNON,FR84)‘ by jean-louis zimmermann

It acts as an emotional reflection of how Eurostar would like their travellers to explore Europe. Encouraging them to go further than Paris & Brussels. So that they look beyond the norm, question what might be possible, and ultimately re-assess the way they travel to Europe.

Watch the ad here:

For the culture lovers of you visiting Lille, you’re sure to be impressed by one of their finest galleries, Espace Point Barre. Located on Rue de la Barre, in Lille’s city centre, the gallery boasts 100m² of sculpture-filled space on the ground floor of a beautiful 16th Century house.

The gallery is open from Wednesday to Saturday between 2pm and 7pm and displays a permanent range of 10 sculptures by artists such as Xavier Dambrine, Philippe Dewaleyene and Armelle Normand.

Our personal favourite exhibiting artist at Espace Point Barre is Xavier Dambrine. He was born in 1964 and lives and works in Paris. He exhibits his works around the world and creates sculptures of people from various materials but mostly metal. You can take a 360 degree tour of his fascinating workshop here.

Address: Espace Point Barre, 65 Rue de la Barre, 59800, LILLE

Photo: P1000756 by Gia_S

Lyon has long held the title of gastronomy capital of France, some even suggest the world and this reputation is not undeserved.

The culinary history of Lyon dates back to the 1800’s where a number of women that worked in the kitchens of rich affluent households in Lyon left their employment to put their culinary skills to better use and set up their own bistros for the world to sample their exceptional cooking skills.

These women became known as the ‘Meres Lyonnaises’ or in English the ‘Mothers of Lyon’.

One of the most well known of these Lyon mothers was Eugénie Brazier who from 1921 catered for senior figures and ambassadors such as General de Gaulle and Mayor Edouard Herriot. In 1933 Mère Brazier became the first female chef to be awarded three Michelin stars, who then went on to train other Michelin star chefs such as Paul Bocuse.

Other famous Mères lyonnaises include la mère Blanc, la mère Fillioux, la mère Poupon, la mère Léa, and la grande Marcelle. These women started a tradition of what became known as ‘Les Mères’ cuisine, which has proved to be hugely influential not just in Lyon but across the globe.

Local culinary specialties included: pork products and “Cervelle de Canuts” soft cheese with herbs, “bugnes” beignets, fried pork fat, Lyonnais salad, “tablier de sapeur” tripes, “gras double” tripes, “petit salé” ham with lentils, “quenelles” dumplings (a mixture of butter, semolina and fish), “andouillette” chitterling sausage, and “paillasson” fried hashed potatoes.

Photo by Austinevan

Mount Sainte Victoire is part of a limestone range that stretches across 7 regions and reaches an altitude of 1011 metres and is a symbol of Provence like Mount Ventoux and the Sainte Baume massif.

On the foot of the northern slopes of Sainte-Victoire near the small village of Vauvenargues you can find a large square castle ‘Château de Vauvenargues’ that was brought by Picasso in 1958 and who was then later buried in its grounds.

Another artist linked with Sainte Victoire was Cézanne, the world renown impressionist who was born in Aix en Provence and was described by Picasso as being “the father of us all”.

The area has for a long time been popular with walkers and climbers despite the fire in 1989 which destroyed 50km² of the south face of the mountain. As well as the natural beauty there are many places across the ridge to visit while you explore including;

- The Cross of Provence, a 17th century priory where you can find magnificent panoramic view of Provence’s mountains

- The 18th century castle and the ruined arches of a Roman aqueduct of Le Tholonet

This limestone range where Mount Sainte Victoire sits has a mixed terrain with a sheer drop down to the Arc basin on the south side, compared to the north side that slopes gently in a series of limestone plateaux towards the Durance Plain. There is a striking contrast between the bright red clay at the foot of the mountain and the white limestone of the high ridge, particularly between Le Tholonet and Puyloubier means that even the most amateur photographers can produce remarkable photographs to remember their experience with.

This Wednesday marks the 221st anniversary of The Storming of Bastille in 1789 by a group of French craftsmen and salesmen and the reconciliation that followed a year later at the Fête de la Fédération. The 14th of July, is celebrated annually worldwide and is more commonly known as Bastille Day, or formerly as La Fête Nationale by the French.

To celebrate Bastille Day this Wednesday, Favela Chic are hosting one of their monthly Vive La France events on Great Eastern Street, Shoreditch, London. These renowned events aim to challenge John Lennon’s famous quote, “French rock tastes like English wine” by providing the best in French music. With this Wednesday being such an important date in the French calendar, Favela Chic are keen to make sure that this month’s Vive La France goes down a storm, so the well-known French electronic group, Curry & Coco, will be punching out tunes with their usual foray of adrenaline.

If you’d like to celebrate Bastille Day at this truly exciting event, you can win a table for you and 3 friends with free drinks and tapas by answering the following question in the comments below…

Which of all our Eurostar destinations would you most like to visit and why?

[THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED AND THE WINNER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED]

For more information about this event and more from Favela Chic, please visit their website: http://favelachic.com/london/

Terms & Conditions

• Entries must be submitted by 09:00am on Wednesday 14^th July 2010 and the winning entry will be notified by 12:00pm (midday) on Wednesday 14^th July 2010 via e-mail
• Participants and their 3 guests must be over 18 years old and be available to attend the Vive La France event at Favela Chic on Wednesday 14^th July 2010
• Winners will have to make their own way to Favela Chic, 91-93 Great Eastern St, London, EC2A 3HZ.
• There is no cash alternative
• These tickets are non refundable
• This offer is not available to members of Eurostar or its associates
• If a selected winner is unable to attend or if there is no response to their notification e-mail about winning then the prize will be given to the next runner up
• This prize includes no more than two (2) drinks per person (eight (8) in total)

Photo: ‘The Boxettes – Favela Chic‘ by vintagedept