- Falaise
View from the falaise of the Falaise castle. - Château de Falaise
From the Loire valley - via Le Mans - towards Normandy. First stop was Falaise, where William the Conqueror was born. The construction of this castle started in 1123 by Henry I of England. - Château de Chambord
Chambord in all its beauty. The keep was finished under François Ier in 1519, the wings were added later on. The castle was first open to visitors in 1821. - Château de Chambord
Lapidary deposit. This is a part of the original lantern tower. Obviously showing more salamanders. - Château de Chambord
The NE facade of the keep. It was here that we realised that we 'lost' our younger son somewhere in the castle. It's just the largest castle in France, no biggie. - Château de Chambord
Am I repetitive with these pictures? Maybe. But the castle, pardon, the hunting lodge, is splendid. - Château de Chambord
The view of the French gardens. Louis XIV had a similar view from his bedroom. Not bad. - Château de Chambord
All the details of the castle become visible from the terraces. - Château de Chambord
Ah, the castle terraces. The lantern tower is topped by a royal crown with a fleur-de-lys. - Château de Chambord
The magnificent stairs go all the way up to the castle roof. - Château de Chambord
Laurel bedchamber was refurbished in the 18th century. Parquet floor was added and the walls covered with wallpaper. I love love love this pattern. - Château de Chambord
The almost perfectly symmetric castle. - Château de Chambord
The castle chapel. Started under François Ier, continued under Henry II and finished under Louis XIV. It is quite uncommonly oriented towards west. - Château de Chambord
Governor's bedchamber. Charming. - Château de Chambord
The chandelier in the royal ceremonial apartment. - Château de Chambord
Louis XIV's ceremonial apartment. While Francoise's bedroom looked cosy, this one is too grand for my liking. - Château de Chambord
The queen's bedchamber is furnished as a 17th century bedroom. - Château de Chambord
The residence of François Ier, built between 1539 and 1545. This is how the rooms looked like when the king came to stay. Super cosy. - Château de Chambord
One of the famous Flemish tapestries commissioned by Francis I in 1532. It depicts the story of Scipio Africanus, the Roman General who defeated Carthage. The oxen are taken to the temple of Jupiter to be sacrificed, while the elephants and camels carry the wealth brought back from Africa. - Château de Chambord
The centre of the spiral staircase has a lantern at the top. - Château de Chambord
The 18th century castle kitchen. - Château de Chambord
The double-spiral staircase in the centre of the castle. The castle is so wonderfully symmetric, it's quite easy to lose orientation. - Mountains of Corsica
As seen from Elba - Chiessi
A wonderful sunset with Corsica in the background. - Chiessi
- Chiessi
Probably my (and my kids') favourite place on the island. - Evening show in the Lotte Hotel
- Lava tubes
- Jeju
- Jeju
- Typical Korean houses
Seongsan-ri - Jeongbang Falls