North-East of France. Part IMapJune 19...26, 2015 Driving around France is pure pleasure. The only snag is that the French don’t give a damn about U-turns on the highway. If you end up making a wrong turn (prompted by the incomprehensible signage), then the closest U-turn will be about 50 kilometres away. They’re much more humane in neighbouring countries — there they have U-turns every few kilometres. ![]() AmiensMapFrance may just be the most well-kempt country in the world. Even the roadside grass grows beautifully here. ![]() Even the town’s outskirts are easy on the eye. ![]() Even eight-storey buildings look cosy. ![]() Cathedral of greater importance. ![]() Cathedral of lesser importance. ![]() Not so refined shop window. ![]() Parking meter. ![]() Old street. ![]() New street. ![]() There’s also a nice canal here. ![]() Then, out of the blue, an almost-American retro-skyscraper. ![]() LilleMapIt’s a medium-sized town. ![]() With leafy streets. ![]() And not so leafy ones too. ![]() With a beautiful little square dating back to the Middle Ages. ![]() With the most sumptuous shop window. ![]() And power lines that are still attached to a wall-mounted support frame (like in Kaluga). ![]() DouaiMapA town with one cathedral. ![]() And nine loudspeakers. ![]() ReimsMapThe main view of the city. ![]() Remarkably preserved „Kodak“ sign that is probably close to one hundred years old. ![]() Street name sign. ![]() Parking meter. ![]() Rubbish bin. ![]() Underground rubbish storage. ![]() The clever relief of this electrical cabinet stops people sticking posters on it. ![]() They really knocked themselves out here. Tree grille with unique Reims motif. ![]() Drainage channel grille executed in the same style. ![]() You often see thinly perforated shutters around town. ![]() Many streets are for trams and pedestrians only. No cars, no curbs. ![]() Speaking of which, here’s a tram. ![]() Turns out that it’s not just in places like Russia that they can take a perfectly fine fountain and put a hideous fence around it. ![]() MetzMapA lovely city. ![]() With an exceedingly beautiful signage system: all the letters and arrows are suspended in the air. ![]() There’s also regular ground-based signage with neat little brass triangles in the pavement. ![]() Very beautiful tree grille. ![]() Rubbish bin that matches the tree grille. ![]() A rubbish bin that doesn’t match — it’s just beautiful. ![]() Fire hydrants. ![]() Wheel stops. ![]() Renamed street. ![]() The people of Metz love to put all kinds of cuteness in their ground floor windows. ![]() Unexpected concern for those living on the second floor — the part of the street light that shines into people’s windows is covered by a special screen so as not to irritate the residents. ![]() How one shopfront can embellish an entire street. ![]() And for dessert, a few bonkers bay windows. ![]() |
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North-East of France. Part I
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