Tian Tan Buddha, Lantau, Hong Kong.
At 34 metres tall, weighing about 250 metric tonnes, this is the largest seated outdoor bronze Buddha in the world – you’ll find that with the world’s Big Buddhas they’ll get extremely specific about adjectives to ensure theirs comes closer to the top of the list.
Elephants of London
Between the 3rd of May and the 29th of June 2010, London was invaded by Elephants. 258 plastic elephants the size of genuine adolescents were given to different artists, who decorated them as they saw fit. The elephants were then placed around London as a public art exhibition to raise awareness of the plight of elephants throughout the world.
Image-heavy post after the jump.
L’église Saint-Etienne, Beauvais, France.
L’église Saint-Etienne is a church in Beauvais which, sadly, is in quite a poor state – huge chunks of stonework have fallen from the roof, gargoyles are sometimes faceless and often headless, and the exterior walls are crumbling away. The majority of funds go to its bigger brother, the nearby cathedral, but this is a gorgeous church well worth a visit if you’re in Beauvais.
The Thames Barrier, London, UK.
Today’s post is a side step from A Troo With A View’s Tour de France.
Tourists don’t traditionally go all the way out to Woolwich to explore the world’s second largest movable flood barrier. There’s little else to see or do there, and the view of the North Bank of the Thames isn’t a pretty one. More commonly you might see photographs of the Barrier from the North Bank, taking in the far prettier South Bank in the background. Why Woolwich, then?
Survival French
Unlike Japanese, French pronunciation is anything but easy to explain in a couple of paragraphs with a mere handful of examples. Luckily there are two kinds of French people when it comes to you wacky foreigners trying out their language: The wonderful, friendly, rural French who will do their damnedest to understand you no matter how you mangle their tongue and patiently help you with words you have trouble with; and the Parisians. I will instead go with listing pronunciations per word.
Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy, France.
I went to Mont Saint-Michel once as a child. It was straight out of a fairy tale, winding streets and gothic spires out on their own little island off the Normandy coast. But what’s it like as an adult?
Conspicuous by my absence
This is just a quick update to say that things have been quite hectic at Chez Troo these past few weeks, and this has had a deleterious effect on the posting schedule.
As of tomorrow posting will resume, and I will intersperse tales of France with some of London by way of apology 
Until tomorrow, then…
Troo.
Bayeux, Calvados, France.
Flowers in a window box
Spending a day in Bayeux is a very pretty way to pass the time, especially in summer when the sun is shining and the sky is blue. The town centre is largely pedestrianised, and so small that you can walk from one end to the other in under half an hour.
Hertzer 38
The Battle of Normandy Memorial Museum is very good. Very good. When I was looking for something to do with an afternoon in Bayeux, I selected this museum almost entirely at random. I found the local tourist information centre, picked up a leaflet, and it caught my eye.
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux, Bayeux, France.
Stained Glass
Bayeux is famous for the Tapestry, but the Cathedral is far more stunning. Initially constructed around 1011-1049, it was consecrated in 1077 in the presence of William the Conqueror, and it’s here that Harold Godwinson was forced to take the oath which bequeathed England to William’s rule after the death of Edward the Confessor.
