Things to Do in Europe

The one-time abode of French philosopher René Descartes, Maison Descartes has become a popular attraction for French tourists, housing the French consulate and the French institute, who organize a number of cultural events in the city.

In 1635, Descartes lived at 6 Westermarkt, on the same block as the famous Anne Frank House, and today it remains dedicated to his memory. It was here that he wrote his final published work, Treatise on the Passions of the Soul, one of his most poignant pieces, allegedly inspired by his affair with maid Helena Jans Van der Strom, with whom he had a daughter, Francine.

It might not be as famous as the Palace of Knossos, but in its day Malia was a thriving Minoan city with an impressive palace complex.

These days, however, Malia is perhaps better known for the resorts and Ibiza-style nightlife of the site’s neighboring Malia town.

The seafront palace and town were destroyed by the earthquake that also toppled Knossos, and the ruins you can see on a tour of the site today were built following the disaster.

Walking around the compact site you’ll see the central courtyard of the palace, its ceremonial steps, storage rooms and workshops. One of the excavations reveals an impressive residence with a luxurious bath.

Some of the ancient sculptures and relics unearthed from Malia have been relocated to Heraklion’s archaeological museum. Perhaps the most beautiful and best known is the lovely pendant of golden bees holding drops of honey.

The oldest example of domestic architecture in Geneva, the Maison Tavel traces its origins to the beginning of the 14th century, with its layers revealing the wealth and prestige of its various owners and the growing importance of the city. As you approach, stone heads peer down at you and a corner tower lacks only Rapunzel to complete the fairy tale impression.

Once inside the distinctive dark stone walls you can explore the house from top to bottom. The cellar contains excellent examples of woodcarving and ironwork through the centuries, while the attic boasts a superb model of Geneva in the mid-19th century, when its fortifications were still intact. In between you’ll find displays of domestic interiors, including the surprisingly light and airy private quarters, fully outfitted kitchens, and displays including suits of armour and coins, highlighting the importance of finance to the city.

Málaga’s gleaming white-stone cathedral was built over many years on the former site of a mosque after Isabella and Ferdinand had expelled the Moors from Andalusia in the 1480s. All that is now left of the mosque is the pretty Patio de los Naranjos, still filled with sweet-smelling orange trees. The cathedral is affectionately known locally as La Manquita (the one-armed lady) as it only has one—granted very elaborate and Baroque – bell tower. The other tower stands stunted and half-finished and the cathedral façade was never completed due to lack of civic funds; no-one is sure why but it may have been that funds were diverted into other projects across the region after a massive earthquake in 1680.

The original architect of the cathedral was Diego de Siloe and construction began in 1528; it continued slowly over the next two and a half centuries and this can clearly be seen in the mish-mash of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture on the façade. The architecture José Martín de Aldehuela, who built the Puente Nuevo in Ronda, also had a hand in finishing this cathedral.

The interior is a mix of gleaming Renaissance and Baroque elements, with a lavishly ornate vaulted ceiling and two massive organs that boast 4,000 pipes between them. The fine 17th-century choir is of mahogany and cedar, adorned with 42 sculptures of saints designed by Luis Ortiz da Bargas and Pedro de Mena.

Adjacent to the cathedral is the smaller, 15th-century Iglesia del Sagrano. Only its original Gothic portico now remains as it was largely rebuilt in 1714 following the 1680 earthquake; it has a wonderfully over-the-top interior. There is a small open-air museum in the cathedral grounds scattered with sculptures by Málaga artist Jorge Rando.

If you’re in Malaga, chances are you’ve not missed the town’s citadel towering in the center of the city. Known as the Alcazaba de Malaga, and built around the middle of the 11th century to act as a palace to the region’s governors, today the Alcazaba receives visitors year-round and is noted for its impressive gardens and panoramic views of both the city and the sea.

La Alcazaba was built atop the vestiges of an old Roman fortress, and the proof of this is most evident in the Puerta de las Columnas gate (gate of the columns). Its name, in fact, refers and pays homage to the pre-existing roman structure used to help build the palace as it stands today. This gate and another lay before visitors on their way up to the structure which is actually two distinct architectural pieces: Alcazaba itself, and Gibralfaro Castle. Inside, you’ll see some of the noted gardens, fountains and towers in traditional Moorish design before entering the main lobby of the palace.

There are few Frenchmen who occupy the imaginations of their countrypeople like Charles de Gaulle, General of the Free French army in WWII, long-reigning president and still casting a long shadow over French politics. He was born in Lille in 1890 and his grandparents' house, where he was born and spent holidays as a child, has been turned into a monument to his life.

If you're not a de Gaulle-ophile, there's still a lot to interest you about the Maison Natale de Charles de Gaulle, which is set up as a recreation of 19th-century middle-class dwelling and focuses not only on de Gaulle's development and achievements, but on the history of industrial Lille.