Before the age of digital photography, keeping travel memories wasn’t as easy. There was film and souvenirs, but the traveler seeking more detail in his or her memories was forced to become more creative.

Charles Billy and his wife spent years traveling throughout Europe, and settled on a very particular way of documenting their trips. In 1975, Billy began working on creating small versions of Europe’s most impressive architectural monuments in a private garden not far from Lyon, France. He employed a variety of mediums and his attention to detail was immense.

Over the next 16 years his collection grew, as he added new grand buildings such as Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Venetian Palaces. Until his death in 1991, Billy worked tirelessly to create the world he and his wife had seen while traveling together through Europe. Continuing the romantic tradition of the garden, Billy named it Le Jardin de Nous Deux, the Garden of the Two of Us.

Today the garden is privately maintained as it was when Billy passed away. It is not accessible to the public.