From Laon, France

to Dinant, Belgium, it takes 3 hours to Laon, Paris. Laon is a "city in the sky" in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France, bearing a thousand years of history and artistic essence. The old city is built on a hill 100 meters above sea level, and a 7 km-long medieval city wall surrounds the city. The existing 85 bell towers form a unique skyline. As a military town on the border between France and Belgium, its defense system can be traced back to the Gallo-Roman period. The city wall built in the 12th century is 3 meters thick, and the barbican and arrow tower are ingeniously designed. During the Napoleonic Wars in 1814, the French army fought the Battle of Laon here with the Sixth Anti-French Alliance. Although the French army retreated after 6,000 casualties, the Allied forces also paid a price of 4,000 people. This battle became one of the turning points in Napoleon's military career. Laon Cathedral is a milestone in early Gothic architecture, built a century earlier than Notre Dame de Paris. Its flying buttresses and rose window designs break with tradition. The choir stalls are carved with images of Old Testament prophets, and the organ is still used for religious ceremonies. The construction of the church took 85 years, and the quarry only allowed the craftsmen to mine two boulders per week. The existing quarry site has been transformed into a geological museum, displaying medieval quarrying tools and construction techniques.