Such as stereotypical image of Paris, the girl might aswell have a couple of baguettes tucked under her arm.

As if this needs an introduction.

A statue of some French hero, Napoleon most probably.

One of the many facade’s of Le Louvre. As viewed from the Seine. Yet another generic tourist photo, sorry about that.

The famous Paris Opera, designed by Charles Garnier in the same neo-classical baroque style as many buildings in Paris, has an imposing facade which features bronze busts of famous composers. My mum was ecstatically awed by this building. The back entrance is almost as impressive as the front!

Sacre Coeur, or Sacred Heart is a massive Roman Catholic basilica which sits on top of a hill in Montmatre, which is the highest point of the city. The steps up the hill and the entrance were absolutely crawling with tourists, and there were scammers everywhere trying to part cash from those who looked gullible enough, ie me.

For some reason, I initially thought this was the old railways station of Rennes, but it turns out this is actually the old post office. This photo was taken just where the river is concreted over to make space for a market.

There’s my mum, showing mannerisms of arresting awe of the place, while the locals mind their own business as they decide what type of brioche to buy.

Rennes is a bustling city with plenty of cafe’s shops, museums and culture, but not ruined by masses of tourists as is the case with Paris.

The centre of Rennes is completely pedestrianized. It’s odd being in a bustling city centre and not seeing any cars about.

The city centre of Rennes is made up of cobbled streets and squares between 17th and 18th century buildings, and this is not even regarded as the old quarter of the city.

In the main square there was a bungee rope set up from a crane. I didn’t have a go as I refuse to entrust my life to a spotty teenage bungee operator and a length of rope.

The main square of Rennes.

Looking down one of the streets from the main square.

Our car was parked down this street.

No city can officially call itself a city if it doesn’t have an Irish pub.

The central train station is an imposing glass and steel structure and a fine example of German engineering.

Next to it is a modest little funfair, quite a juxtaposition!

Der Reichstag! symbol of German brutality.

The House of World Cultures. Bauhaus inspired design perhaps. The perfect marrying of form and function.. or something like that.

I think this sign was in the huge Tiergarten park, I love the gothic font used here, symbolic of Germany. I saw it a lot all over the city.

Looking down a classic German road, as straight and efficient as can be. Taken from the top of the Victory Column. It was a battle to get up there, we had to ascend hundreds of steps while bundling past hordes of tourists.

Silhouette of the column. On top is the Goddess of Victory, built to commemorate the victory of some war or something back in the 1800’s.

The symbol of Berlin, not quite sure why. These are dotted throughout the city and each are decorated uniquely.

An officer of the Stasi secret police. They kept those Berliners in check.

Checkpoint Charlie, the crossing between the American and Russian sectors. Where people were smuggled through using all kinds of elaborate methods, if they weren’t catapulted over the wall that is. I could have had my passport stamped here, but decided against this pointless tourist trap.

Morning fog, The village in the background.

A summer day, taken from my parents front room window.

Abbaye Blanche, an old Convent. I think it’s now near enough empty.

Next to the convent there’s a hill with lots of stone crosses off the path.

Stone cross.

On top of the hill is this statue of the Virgin Mary. Apparently three canadian soldiers hid inside it for three days behind nazi lines, during WWII.

My mother and sister in front of one of the crosses.

The Virgin Mary

One of the streams in Le Neufbourg

Baby goats.

Athens is full of these abandoned shopfronts.

Cafe bar in the back streets I liked the mural.

Decayed.

Graffiti on a wall in the city.

City apartments.

Stray dog.

View from my hostel room window.

The local Tesco’s.

Bunch of people watching pigeons.

Little flapper.

On the ferry to Ios across the Aegean sea.

Sunset over the Aegean.

Church bell, I love the loudspeaker hooked up to it, Greek ingenuity that is.

One of the churches on Ios, I was told there’s 365 churches on the island, one for every day.

Having visited the island in early June, there was an abundance of flowers about, unlike July when I usually visit when the heat parches the land.

Flowers, taken from the top of the hill overlooking the village and port.

The road which leads down from the hotel into the village.

Flowering plants, village in the background.

Church facing onto the port.

The beach next ot the port, a ferry coming in no doubt transporting a bunch of tourists from Athens.