Les Lapidiales de Port d'Envaux, France

Here’s a cool thing—since we were already going to Saintes, Joel looked in the France Rough Guide for other things in the area and found this sculpture site, which is open 24/7 and no fee. It is an old limestone quarry that has dozens of sculptures over a very walkable site with loads of parking. I was reading recently that with the advent of lots of free content on the internet it was thought that the age of the guidebook was over, and maybe it is for some, but not so for me. I get them electronically now (the search funtion has really improved, and I have stopped carrying any sort of paper when I travel to lighten my load) but I love them, and spend a lot of time with them before we go, planning out the trip locations to visit.

Here is what they have to say for themselves: The white limestone cliff walls and underground chambers where the rock was once quarried are covered in sculptures in styles ranging from abstract to figurative. For twelve years, the Lapidiales site has offered a unique residency to contemporary sculptors of all nationalities who come to carve new works into the stone. The artists are free to build fantastic stone sculptures with a view to giving future generations a work from which to be inspired, creating a perpetually growing art space. The project was started by actor, director, designer, and sculptor Alain Tenenbaum who still oversees the space. The open air art quarry is free and open year round just waiting for visitors to come and find their own. It is truly spectacular!

The Streets of Christchurch, New Zealand

Happy Canada Day! The three countries besides the United States the British colonized that were largely unpopulated when they arrived are all worth visiting, and are populated by very nice people, much nicer and friendlier than my own country (especially if you consider I am a native of one and a visitor in the others).

Christchurch is the largest city on the South Island, and unlike Queenstown, it is largely flat and not a mix of residential and commercial. We stayed in a late 19th century house that is now a bed and breakfast and right across the street from the art museum. The old houses in the neighborhood have not been engulfed by high rises or businesses.

There is a lot of public art on the streets, and I recommend walking everywhere.