Posts tagged French architecture
Postcards from Paris, No. 5: On the Lookout for Joan of Arc While Plumbing the Depths of the Sacred Heart

That’s right. As the title of this post(card) hints at, we elected to check out the church that sits atop the highest hill in Paris, as well as the area surrounding it, which is known as Montmartre (“Mountain of the Martyr”). The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is considered a “minor basilica” — whatever that means — but try telling that to all of the people that journey there annually, making it one of the city’s most popular tourist destinations.

Read More
EuropeLogan T. Hansentravel, travel advice, travel guide, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travel writing, travel blogging, travel diary, travelogue, travel recommendations, travel reviews, travel tips, travel ideas, travel itinerary, travel planning, travel facts, travel bucket list, travel blog, Europe, Paris, France, Eurotrip, European vacation, Euro trip, La Taverne de Montmartre, Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Montmartre, bohemian, Seine River, Eiffel Tower, Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, Hôtel Chavanel, 8th Arrondissement, shopping, window shopping, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Sacré-Cœur, The Louvre, Catholic devotions, Hagia Sophia, Turkey, Istanbul, Stations of the Cross, praying the Rosary, Notre Dame, Notre Dame Cathedral, Romanesque style, Romanesque-Byzantine Revival, architecture, French architecture, Breizh Cafe, Sint Maarten, catamaran, Christ in Majesty, Joan of Arc, Saint Joan of Arc, Virgin Mary, religion, religious symbols, Saint Michael, Pope Leo XIII, France personified, Jesus, Hundred Years' War, England, Charles VII, Domrémy-la-Pucelle, Battle of Patay, Siege of Orléans, Saint Margaret, Saint Catherine, Reims, La Charité, Philip III of Burgundy, Compiègne, The Burgundians, Burgundian State, Mount Mars, mons Martis, Mars and Mercury, Roman gods, Vignes du Clos Montmartre, vineyard, winery, Moulin Rouge, Au Lapin Agile, Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paris String Orchestra, La Madeleine, classical music, Ave Maria, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, La Manufacture du Sans Gluten, gluten-free bakery, historic cabaretComment
Postcards from Paris, No. 2: Glad Tidings from the Tidal Island of Mont Saint-Michel

After giving ourselves time to settle in on Thursday, Friday came in like a lion, and not necessarily the cute and cuddly kind. While you process that visual, allow me to paint another one: the two of us, my traveling companion and me, walking through the streets of Paris before the sun had even risen, racing across town to meet our tour bus.

Read More
EuropeLogan T. Hansentravel, travel advice, travel guide, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travelogue, travel diary, travel blog, travel recommendations, travel reviews, travel tips, travel ideas, travel itinerary, travel blogging, travel bucket list, Europe, France, Paris, Mont Saint-Michel, Saint Michael, Mont St-Michel, Normandy, French countryside, bus tour, tourism, tourist attraction, history, French history, tidal island, Hôtel Chavanel, Paris Métro, Palais Garnier, Palais Garnier Opera House, Église Notre-Dame de Compassion, My Heart Will Go On, City Wonders, Celine Dion, La La Land, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Couesnon River, Aubert of Avranches, Saint-Gervais Basilica, Archangel Michael, Saint Aubert, Saint Aubert's skull, Avranches, Louis XVI, Mont Tombe, Richard I, Richard I of Normandy, Richard the Fearless, Duke Richard I of Normandy, Bishop Aubert, pilgrimage, religious tourism, religious pilgrimage, Duke Richard II of Normandy, Richard II, Richard the Good, William of Volpiano, Romanesque, architecture, French architecture, Romanesque style, Diagon Alley, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Beauty and the Beast, M.C. Escher, MC Escher, William the Conqueror, Hundred Years' War, English Channel, Bastille of the Seas, England, United Kingdom, French Revolution, La Nouvelle Terrasse, Ed Sheeran, castle on a hill, Arc de Triomphe, Battle of Austerlitz, Napoleon, Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleonic Wars, Champs-Élysées, Remy, Ratatouille, Disney, Pixar, School of Rock, Jack Black, walkability, sightseeing, sightseeing on foot, wonders of the world, 8th century, 10th century, 11th century, 18th century, 19th century, 20th centuryComment
New Orleans: Four Days of Beignets & Foul Play(s) in the Big Easy, Pt. 2

There they went, walking down the street in a straight line, looking like a high school football team warming up before practice with some high knees. There was Andrew, James, Michael, Patrick, Lucy, Bernadette, and, oh my goodness, don’t look now, but it’s Francis of Assisi himself. That’s right: it was Thursday in New Orleans and the saints were marching in. Or was I just hallucinating?

Read More
North AmericaLogan T. Hansentravel, travel blog, travel advice, travel guide, travel inspiration, travelspiration, travelogue, travel writing, travel recommendations, travel reviews, travel itinerary, travel ideas, travel diary, travel blogging, New Orleans, Big Easy, Louisiana, The Natchez, Ruby Slipper, Saint Francis of Assisi, Oklahoma City, Dorothy Gale, The Wizard of Oz, eggs cochon, Dean Martin, Caesars, casino, Titanic, Titanic: An Immersive Voyage, RMS Titanic, Antti Wiljam Sihvola, Finland, Idaho, Bourbon Street, Bourbon Street Drinkery, Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, Lafitte's, Jean Lafitte, Pierre Lafitte, Andrew Jackson, President Andrew Jackson, Battle of New Orleans, War of 1812, Purple Drink, Purple Drank, Sazerac, absinthe, Herbsaint, piano bar, Jason Kelce, Kylie Kelce, Kate Moss, Family Guy, Nicolas Cage, Adam Devine, Tennessee Williams, Jelly Roll, Miami Dolphins, French Quarter, French Quarter Ghost and Murder Tour, ghost tour, Ursuline Convent, Louisiana Supreme Court, Jacques St. Germain, LaLaurie Mansion, Delphine LaLaurie, Madame LaLaurie, American Horror Story, Kathy Bates, AHS, slavery, New Orleans Bee, Dr. Leonard Louis Nicolas LaLaurie, Pierre Trastour, Paris, Creole architecture, Creole cuisine, French architecture, French cuisine, National World War II Museum, World War II, Anne Frank, Campaigns of Courage, Road to Berlin, Road to Tokyo, The Original Pierre Maspero's, Napoleon House, Napoleon Bonaparte, Chicago, Northside Barbershop, Chartres Street, Governor Nicholls Street, Royal Street, Curio, Curio Bistro, beignets, Pierre Maspero's, Felix's, Felix's Oyster House, Hard Rock Cafe, Musical Legends Park, Airbnb, Deep South, Bon Jovi, Livin' on a Prayer, Jon Bon Jovi, Royal House Oyster Bar, MichiganComment
New Orleans: Four Days of Beignets & Foul Play(s) in the Big Easy, Pt. 1

Of all the iconic cities in the good ole U.S. of A. — New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Nashville (to name a few) — New Orleans was one that I had yet to check off my list. That was rectified in the spring of 2025 when I ventured once more to the Deep South with my parents and two of my siblings for a little family vacay in the Big Easy.

Read More