- Château de Chambord
Chambord is the largest château in the Loire Valley. Built in 1519–1547 as a hunting lodge for François Ier. A hunting lodge! - Château de Chenonceau
The avenue leading to the castle. Great shade in the summer heat. - Château de Chenonceau
Such a wonderful lavender. - Château de Chenonceau
The vegetable garden with all sorts of plants. I love the tiny apple trees forming the borders. Yes, those are 40 cm tall trees :-) - Château de Chenonceau
A 16th century farm in the castle gardens. Here all the flowers used for the castle decoration are grown. - Château de Chenonceau
View of the castle from the gardens of Catherine de Médicis. - Château de Chenonceau
What a wonderful black room. And matching white flowers. - Château de Chenonceau
Chambre de Louise de Lorraine, the black room. She was mourning the death of her husband Henri III. - Château de Chenonceau
La chambre de Catherine de Médicis The rooms were quite cosy with fireplaces, wooden ceilings and the walls covered with Flemish tapestries. - Château de Chenonceau
La chambre de Catherine de Médicis A typical renaissance baldachin bed. - Château de Chenonceau
Chambre des Cinq Reines Room of the daughters and daughters-in-law of Catherine de Médicis: La Reine Margot, Elisabeth of France, Maria Stuart (wife of François II), Elisabeth of Austria (wife of Charles IX), and Louise of Lorraine (wife of Henri III). - Château de Chenonceau
La tour des Marques The only remaining (and renovated) part of the medieval castle owned by the Marques family. - Château de Chenonceau
Another magninficent fireplace, this one is in the Salon Louis XIV. The salamander and the ermine are the symbols of Francis I and his wife Claude of France. - Château de Chenonceau
One part of the castle kitchen, with modern equipment. - Château de Chenonceau
One of the many chandeliers in the Gallery across the river. - Château de Chenonceau
Chambre de Diane de Poitiers. - Briare
What a lovely place Briare is. This is Pont du Rialto, one of the many bridges in town. - Lacona
Elba is beautiful even in rain. - Napoleon's villa
Gardens of the villa. What is going on with this palm tree? With so many tiny palms growing out of it? - Demidoff Gallery in Napoleon's villa
Demidoff was Count Anatolio Demidoff, husband of Napoleon's neice Matilde di Monfort. This is a map of Elba by Ferdinando Bertelli from the 1560s. - Napoleon's villa
A statue of Napoleon in the garden - Napoleon's villa
A detail on the wall in the Egyptian room... I'm pretty sure that the painter never visited Egypt ;-) - Napoleon's villa
The Egyptian room - Napoleon's villa
Sala del nodo d'amore: Ceiling with the lover's knot, expressing the love between Napoleon and Maria Luisa. - Napoleon's villa
Drawing of "Casa Napoleone" by Charlote Napoleon - Napoleon's villa
Ceilings. They are different in every room. - Napoleon's villa
Bathroom - Napoleon's villa
Kitchen - Napoleon's villa
Napoleon used this house in 1814-15. - Napoleon's villa
First French Empire coat of arms with an eagle holding thunderbolts. - Napoleon's villa
Garden of the Villa di San Martino - Club Med 2 in Portoferraio bay
a 194 m long staysail schooner (that's what Wikipedia says). - Windmills, Lotte Hotel, Jeju
- 100% humidity
- Humidity!
- A penguin
Of course. - The sea
Yellow sea? Or East China sea? - Fresh food on Jeju
Sea pineapples. Which have nothing to do with pineapples. They are edible ascidians. - Fresh food
As fresh as it gets. - Dol hareubang
Carved from basalt, they are considered to be gods offering protection and fertility. - Jeju