This enormous "cloth of the conquest" depicts the Norman invasion of England in mind-blowing detail.

A memorial to the nearly 10,000 American soldiers laid to rest on the beaches of Normandy during WWII.

This bridge was constructed from the rubble of the infamous Bastille.

A 16th-century fountain marks the site of a lost medieval cemetery once filled with mass graves.

The tradition of open-air secondhand and antiquarian bookselling in Paris dates back to the Renaissance.

Once a 19th-century brasserie, this McDonald's exterior celebrates Alsatian design and the "King of Beer."

This life-size replica of the Statue of Liberty's flame is also a tribute to Princess Diana by default.

The water-powered carriages are long gone, but for over a century this funicular railway has been the fastest route to the highest point in Paris.

Indents in the pavement are all that remain from a grisly death machine in Paris.

This statue was given to France by the United States to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution.

The very center of Paris is surrounded by a bevy of strange good luck rituals.

This charming cobbled backstreet is the most Instagramable street in Paris, much to the residents' annoyance.

This 1,300 year old monastery built atop a single rock was once only accessible depending on the whims of the tide.

Notorious artist squat renovated into legal studios.

This iconic Parisian bookstore doubles as the "Tumbleweed Hotel" for traveling writers.

You would never come across this tiny green oasis if you didn't know it existed.

This statue of a studious young woman stands at the site of Leuven's first college to accept female students.

A replica of a 17th-century map of the stars stands in the courtyard of a Belgian university.

A small statue commemorates a centuries-old event that still hangs over the people of Leuven.

A tiny metropolis resides inside this student housing complex.

You can spot this teeny tiny stained-glass window from the Bonifacius bridge.

Banished from town, this local jester concocted a clever return.

Rediscovered in 1992, this abandoned medieval village once flourished by fishing and piracy.

The compass on its front was a handy tool for 17th-century merchants who needed to know the direction of the wind.